Chapter 125: The Dugu Family

Time seemed to fly by, and in the blink of an eye, the auction reached its final moments. The last item on auction was a fist-sized, well-preserved heart's essence blood from a ten-thousand-year soul beast. The energy within had hardly dissipated, and it ultimately sold for twenty-one thousand Gold Soul Coins.

As whispers circulated in the hall, and with information Ling Yi had gathered beforehand, he matched the buyer's identity. It was Liu Daoren, the younger brother of the clan leader of the 『Longxi Liu Family』, one of the three major soul master families in 'Saback City'. Liu Daoren was a soul master of the Soul Sect level, in his thirties.

The heart's essence blood of a ten-thousand-year soul beast is not easily absorbed. Its benefits to a Soul Emperor are limited, while its energy is too volatile for a Soul Sovereign.

Everyone speculated on who in the Liu family would use this blood—would it be the clan leader or elders of Soul King level, or perhaps the youthful Liu Daoren himself, a Soul Sect master?

With the auction concluded, Ling Yi proceeded with two transactions with the auction house.

The first was the settlement from the sale of the "Silver Under-Alloy Armor," which went for forty-eight thousand Gold Soul Coins. After deducting a ten percent fee, Ling Yi was entitled to receive forty-three thousand two hundred Gold Soul Coins.

The second transaction was to pay one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to resolve the purchase of the "Wishful Bauble Bag," a straightforward exchange of money for goods.

However, having to transfer fifty-six thousand eight hundred Gold Soul Coins on top of the not-yet-received forty-three thousand two hundred Gold Soul Coins just to obtain the coveted protagonist's standard equipment—the storage soul guide "Wishful Bauble Bag"—felt less like a windfall to Ling Yi. Yet, considering the three hundred or so Gold Soul Coins spent on materials for the "Silver Under-Alloy Armor," he still considered it a fair deal.

Ling Yi tucked the "Ruyi Treasure Pouch" into his bosom and stepped out of the auction house, flanked by Jiang Yuan and others, remaining outwardly relaxed yet inwardly vigilant, constantly wary of being targeted after spending a large sum of soul coins earlier.

After walking a mere hundred meters, Ling Yi paused and hesitated for less than a heartbeat before softly calling out to a figure ten meters away:

"Elder, may I have a word with you?"

As a pair of cold, sharp eyes glanced over, Ling Yi raised his hand to pull Jiang Yuan, who instinctively blocked in front of him, aside, and directly faced the figure with a harmless smile:

"For instance, buying another "Deep Silver Inner Armor" at the base price without paying the auction house's ten percent commission, whether as a backup or for family and friends..."

Ling Yi and his five companions stood across from a tall, thin middle-aged man in a quiet corner of the street, drawing no attention due to the sparse passersby in the area. Those who did notice quickly turned away, pretending they saw nothing and hurried on.

From the moment Ling Yi spoke to when both parties stopped three meters apart, the tall, thin middle-aged man remained silent, his ghostly green eyes fixated on Ling Yi for several seconds before shifting his gaze to the solemn-faced Jiang Yuan beside him.

As for Zhang Mufeng and Li Zhishu, who stood with Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan, the middle-aged man completely ignored them.

However, unlike his intense scrutiny of Ling Yi, he merely glanced at Jiang Yuan before refocusing his attention on Ling Yi.

'Whoosh—'

As soon as the attention shifted away from him, Jiang Yuan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Seemingly unfazed, Ling Yi stood confidently by Jiang Yuan's side, his smile impeccable as he introduced himself, neither servile nor overbearingly: "My name is Ling Yi, I am a healer spirit master. Additionally, I am also a blacksmith. The 'Silver Depths Inner Armor' sold at the auction was one of my humble creations."

The tall, slender middle-aged man seemed noncommittal, gazing at Ling Yi. For the first time, he spoke, asking, "How did you know that I purchased the 'Silver Depths Inner Armor'? And how are you sure that I'd be willing to buy another one?"

His voice was not loud, rather deep, but in this corner of the street, it bore a commanding presence that seemed to captivate Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan.

Feeling the pressure, Jiang Yuan braced himself like facing a formidable foe, while Ling Yi artfully assumed an overwhelmed expression, yet managed to reply firmly, "Senior, during our introduction, I mentioned that I am a blacksmith."

"This scent is quite unique. Currently, only my 'Blue Sea Silver Depths Alloy' and the 'Silver Depths Inner Armor' crafted from it possess such a scent on this continent. Moreover, this scent exists only within a month of creation, and it gradually fades away over time."

Upon hearing Ling Yi's introduction, the expression on the tall, slender middle-aged man's face remained unchanged, but his eyes reflected a series of swift changes.

Before realizing that Ling Yi, despite being an exceptionally handsome youth, was both a healer and a blacksmith wielding hammers by the forge, a flicker of astonishment had flashed across his eyes.

However, doubt crept into his mind when Ling Yi claimed he himself forged the "Silver Sink Inner Armor," capable of withstanding the fourth soul skill attack from a strong offense-type soul master more than five times.

Even though the tall, slender middle-aged man did not know much about the profession of blacksmithing, he understood the basics.

Throughout the entire Douluo Continent's history spanning hundreds of years, it was unheard of for any blacksmith master or grandmaster to achieve such feats in their teenage years.

Even the legendary smiths were never known to become grandmasters in their teens—just barely acceptable to be considered blacksmith masters.

Ling Yi then mentioned that the material used to forge the "Silver Sink Inner Armor," the "Blue Sea Silver Alloy," was his invention, and skepticism within the middle-aged man's heart peaked.

When he learned that the "Blue Sea Silver Alloy" and "Silver Sink Inner Armor" emitted a peculiar smell, the man's eyes flickered with a fierce light, which only subsided upon hearing that the smell would dissipate within a month.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the changes in the middle-aged man's gaze, Ling Yi continued, "As for making sure you would be willing to purchase another piece..."

"I just thought I'd give it a shot to see if it works. If you're interested, that's great. If not, I'd rather not impose—"

As he spoke, Ling Yi's face showed a slightly embarrassed expression: "In this world, selling is all about having a thick skin. When you encounter a potential customer, you should promote what you have. You'll always gain something from it..."

The tall, slender middle-aged man looked at Ling Yi's bashful demeanor, speechless but feeling his own fierce aura somewhat subdued.

After a few moments of silence, the tall, slender middle-aged man simply said five words: "My surname is Dugu."

Ten minutes later.

Ling Yi and his group of six returned to the hotel, accompanied by the tall, slender middle-aged man with black hair and green eyes.

In the private room of the hotel, Ling Yi stood side by side with Jiang Yuan. He gestured with his hand and said with a smile, "Sir Dugu, please—"

At that moment, Li Zhishu, entrusted by Ling Yi, went to the hotel kitchen to prepare a grand meal. Zhang Mufeng and the others went to connect with people from the Ironworkers Association's branch in the Shuimu Principality, aiming to find a well-equipped workshop.

They might need some of the tools from the workshop later on.

At one-thirty in the morning, exhaustion finally took over.

Nevertheless, thanks to those who voted in support.

The full list of these dedicated contributors will be posted tomorrow around noon.

(End of Chapter)