Mistaken for a Battle Chief

Mike nodded, "Okay, how do you want to test it?"

Charlotte whispered to Harper, "I only have 150,000 gold coins in savings, be careful with the spending!"

"Don't worry, I've got this," Harper said without hesitation, taking on the cost herself.

Charlotte was too naive, spending most of her time in the magic tower or the combat room, hardly interacting with people. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come up with the bizarre idea of having a tier-one Battle Soldier appraise equipment.

Harper, on the other hand, raised in the Montgomery family, was privy to many secrets not commonly known. She understood just how valuable a talent like [Sharp Eye] was. 

If this person could indeed identify hidden perks, not just 10,000 gold coins, Harper would be willing to pay even 100,000 to make this connection!

"The test is simple," Harper said, taking out three colored balls. "These are common appraisal orbs. Their hidden perks are numbers. Just identify the hidden perks of these orbs; it shouldn't be too costly."

"Out of these three orbs, you only need to identify the hidden perks of two to pass..."

Before Harper could finish, Mike interrupted, "9, 8, 7."

"What?" Charlotte looked confused, not understanding what he was talking about.

Harper stood frozen, her mouth agape, unable to utter a sound.

Mike repeated, "I said, the hidden perks of these three orbs are the numbers: 9, 8, 7."

Charlotte quickly turned to her friend to confirm the accuracy of the answer.

The moment Charlotte saw Harper's expression, she knew he was right!

"Could it be... this tier-one Battle Soldier really has this ability?!!"

Before Charlotte could speak, Harper, who had regained her composure, preempted, "Indeed, 9, 8, 7. Here's an anonymous card with 10,000 gold coins, please take it."

Handing over a black card, Mike accepted it gracefully.

Harper, managing a somewhat stiff smile, asked, "May we discuss this privately for a moment?"

"No problem, I have 14 minutes left," Mike said, checking the time. He had another class soon, and skipping it would likely lead to a worse situation with the instructors after school.

"Alright, we'll be right back!" Harper pulled Charlotte aside, their voices low but unable to hide their excitement.

"Charlotte, you've hit the jackpot this time!!"

"Ah? Harper, calm down, we haven't even appraised my equipment yet!"

"What do you know? Building a friendship with this master is what's most important!"

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Harper spoke as coolly as possible, "We can't leave a bad impression on the master. We need to establish a long-term partnership with him, understand!"

Charlotte, feeling a bit wronged, replied, "But I just wanted to appraise my weapon..."

"You're too naive, handing you a golden axe and you'd use it to chop wood!"

"What else would I use an axe for if not to chop wood or split firewood?"

Harper sighed, then said, "I'll handle all the negotiations later. Let's figure out what the master really needs. Anticipate his needs, understand?"

"If I understood that, why would I need you..."

"Come on!" Harper pulled Charlotte back to where Mike was waiting.

"Master, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Harper Montgomery, just call me Harper!" 

Harper didn't hesitate to reveal her true identity. Coming from the Montgomery family, she was naturally interested in business. In the world of commerce, reputation could lead to profit, and making oneself memorable was crucial.

"Harper," Mike noted the name. 

In fact, with the [Eye of Truth], Mike could easily see Harper and Charlotte's true identities, including details that were more personal and private.

"Master, my friend is trying to choose between two staffs and can't decide. She would appreciate your advice," Harper explained succinctly. "If you need to fully appraise both pieces of equipment, my friend might not be able to afford the fee." 

Harper knew that an S-tier talent like [Sharp Eye] could only appraise three pieces of equipment per day with a success rate that wasn't 100%. Therefore, appraising two pieces would cost significantly more than just one.

"That's negotiable," Mike responded. 

Charging a fee for appraisals was new to him. He needed to gather enough gold coins quickly to resolve the [Inhibition Orb] restriction, and since his service was essentially cost-free—just taking a look—he saw it as a good opportunity. 

If he could successfully appraise for Charlotte, it would serve as a great initial boost to his reputation and secure future clients. Considering this, Mike didn't want to overcharge and risk losing the business.

After hearing Mike's response, Harper thought for a moment before cautiously proposing, "How about 150,000 gold coins? Would that work?" That was the maximum Charlotte could afford.

Charlotte was prepared to borrow money from Harper, but to her surprise, Mike agreed immediately. "No problem!"

With the 150,000 gold coins, plus the 10,000 from Harper and the 43,000 Mike already had, he now possessed a total of 200,000 gold coins—another step closer to his goal of 1 million.

"Do you have the equipment with you?" Mike asked.

Charlotte quickly presented the two staffs. 

"Level 200 equipment, are you already a Battle General?" Mike asked, feigning surprise as though he was just learning of this fact, though he already knew from their profiles.

Charlotte, a 209-level Flame Mage and a tier-two Battle General; Harper, a 199-level Holy Priest and a tier-nine Battle Soldier.

Harper nodded, somewhat boastfully, "Yes, Charlotte is the strongest mage in our academy!"

"Harper, stop it!" Charlotte quickly interjected, "No, Master, many of my classmates are much more skilled than I am!" She seemed not very adept at handling social interactions.

Mike smiled and returned his focus to the equipment, pretending to examine them for a couple of minutes. 

During this time, Charlotte held her breath in anticipation, waiting for the master's verdict. She spent three years saving up 150,000 gold coins, which are very important to her.

"This one has been upgraded twice already and can be upgraded three more times. The hidden upgrade perk requires forty-nine drops of phoenix blood. The attributes after upgrading... let me write them down for you." Mike scribbled some lines on a piece of paper.

Charlotte's eyes lit up as she read the details. If the attributes after upgrading were accurate, the staff was perfect for her—a match made in heaven. 

"I'll take this one!" she declared, not even requesting the details of the second staff.

"If I were you, I'd make the same choice," Mike agreed, noting that the other staff could only be upgraded once and its attributes post-upgrade were inferior.

"Thank you so much!" Charlotte began to reach for her money to pay Mike the 150,000 gold coins.

"Wait!" Both Mike and Harper stopped her simultaneously.

"Ah?"

"We should conduct the transaction under the witness of a realm wisp, as per the rules of the Trade Secret Realm," Harper explained.

"Right," Mike said, summoning a realm wisp with practiced ease—though it was only his second time doing so.

After the contract was established and the 150,000 gold coins transferred to Mike, the realm wisp validated Mike's appraisal results.

"Now I have a chance at hunting a Battle General!" Charlotte hugged the staff, clearly delighted. 

Her main goal for the upcoming expedition to the Abyssal Plane was to hunt a Battle General-level demon creature. Otherwise, as a tier-two Battle General, she wouldn't normally need to worry about her internship.

The usually reserved master suddenly spoke up, "Besides the appraisal, could you help me with a small favor?"

"Please tell us!" Harper was eager. A request from a master smith was no small matter.

"Deliver this item to the cemetery in the far northern tundra, third row, fourth column at the grave of an unnamed person," Mike instructed, pulling out a huge bull's head from his backpack. 

The bull's head, though roasted by electricity and still emitting a savory aroma, was an unusual request.

"This... should be no problem..." Harper found it odd. With teleportation circles and planes, a trip to the far northern tundra wouldn't take long. Why wouldn't the master handle such a simple task himself?

Regardless, it was best to agree first. 

Charlotte, looking up at the bull's head, said with a serious tone, "This is a Battle General-level demon creature, definitely. I'm not mistaken."

"Good eye," Mike praised, feigning an air of experience.

"He was a Battle General of the Blood Blade Corps under the sixth demon god."

"Blood Blade Corps!" Both women exclaimed, recognizing the name.

"A Battle General of the Blood Blade Corps, far stronger than others of his tier, and he's just dead like this?!" Harper's surprise was evident, and her view of Mike shifted.

She speculated that Mike, registered as a tier-one Battle Soldier, was actually concealing his true strength to avoid drawing attention. 

Among humans, many did just that—registering as tier-one Battle Soldiers for easy access to the Abyssal Plane, while their true strength could be that of Battle Generals, Battle Chiefs, or even Battle Lords.

In Harper's eyes, Mike was now an experienced powerhouse, only taking on private jobs due to a temporary need for gold coins. 

Everything made sense.

Charlotte, less scheming than Harper, focused solely on the bull's head. Touching the charred hide, she commented, "This injury... it was a fatal blow in one strike. And the damage was controlled to preserve the head..."

Even Mike had to admit, Charlotte truly was a prodigious talent. Otherwise, she wouldn't have reached Battle General status in her junior year.

Hearing Charlotte's analysis, Harper became even more unsettled. "Charlotte, from your perspective, how strong would the person who dealt this blow be?"

"Hard to say just from this strike, but the caster, if not a Battle Chief, is very close to one."

Harper's eyes widened, her gaze towards Mike filled with shock and a newfound reverence. Here was a hidden Battle Chiefs-level powerhouse!

A Battle Chief and a master smith—either identity was immensely prestigious. 

Harper's mind raced, determined to foster a good relationship with him at any cost.