CHAPTER 492: An Unforeseen Incident

The 'Viride Leaf' in the box looked exactly like the one on the auction stage, but the energy and vitality were nowhere to be found. Han Shuo felt it with his hand and immediately realised that this thing was definitely not the wood attribute treasure 'Viride Leaf', but a fake carved from a block of fine dark green jade.

He had spent 300,000 gold coins only to find that what he had received was nothing more than a fake item carved from ordinary jade. No one would be in a very good mood, let alone Han Shuo.

"What's going on?" seeing that there seemed to be some sort of dispute, a high-ranking staff member in a dinner suit rushed over and asked.

"Lord Zarya, this gentleman says the item is fake!" a servant in charge of receiving Han Shuo replied hastily.

Zarya had been watching Han Shuo carefully during the auction. Extravagant characters like Han Shuo tended to leave lasting impressions on him. In any case, Han Shuo spent 300 thousand gold coins to buy the item. It was only natural for him to treat Han Shuo like a VIP.

Zarya hurried over. After listening to the attendant's explanation, he anxiously said to Han Shuo, "May I have a look?"

Unimpressed, Han Shuo handed over the fake Viride Leaf. In a deep voice, he said, "Your auction house is highly respected throughout the Kasi Empire. I suppose you're not deliberately playing a joke on me, are you?"

"Of course not! Of course not!" Zarya could sense the anger between Han Shuo's words. He took out the 'Viride Leaf' and felt it with his hands, and his face fell. He asked the servant, "Who brought the item here earlier?" "It was Galia, sir!" the attendant replied.

Zarya took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Han Shuo. He said sternly, "My apologies, there is indeed something wrong with this item. Sir, we will refund the 300 thousand gold coins first. Please give us some time and we will get the real item to you quickly."

"Han, it probably has nothing to do with the auction house. They wouldn't deliberately do something that would damage their own reputation!" whispered Sophie, who was standing right next to Han Shuo.

Han Shuo originally thought that the auction house was deliberately trying to trick him. He was even prepared to give the auction house a bloodbath if they didn't admit it. But now, Zarya, the person in charge of the auction house, immediately admitted to the matter, while at the same time being very friendly. Therefore, Han Shuo immediately realised that there was more to the situation than met the eye.

"Very well then. I hope your auction house will give me a proper explanation. Besides, it is I who won the item fairly and honestly, I hope that you will not sell it to anyone else!" Han Shuo said in a deep voice as he stared coldly at Zarya.

Zarya looked at Han Shuo with fear and trepidation. He could feel that this inconspicuous fatty had suddenly become extremely frightening. From Han Shuo's body, he felt a killing intent that was like material. This kind of crushing pressure petrified him and he knew that Han Shuo was not a man to make enemies with.

Zarya, in the high position he was in, was no simple character. He understood from Han Shuo's terrifying demeanour alone that he was not to be reckoned with. He agreed with him like a yes-man as he thought about how to solve this problem properly.

"Please leave us a method of contact. As soon as we find the item, we will immediately look for you to make a new transaction!" Zarya, who was scared to death, said respectfully after returning 300 thousand gold coins to Han Shuo.

"No need for that. I will be here for the next two days. You better shape up!" Han Shuo groaned coldly before motioning to Sophie with his eyes and striding out.

Sophie caught up with Han Shuo. When they were near the exit and saw that no one was around, Sophie surmised, "I don't think the problem came from the auction house, it's more likely to be Braque, that two-faced guy!"

Suddenly, Han Shuo grabbed hold of Sophie's small hand and before she could react, Han Shuo suddenly quickened his pace and quickly disappeared into the streets outside the auction house, dragging her along with him.

Just as the duo was leaving, the sacred knight Sulo hurriedly approached from another passageway. All he saw was Han Shuo pulling Sophie by the hand as they disappeared into the busy streets. Sulo soon lost track of them on the busy street lined with stalls and crowded with people.

Sulo's face was sombre. Looking into the crowd as the duo disappeared from sight, he muttered softly, "Who is this guy?"

The silhouette of Han Shuo and Sophie holding hands was deeply etched in Sulo's heart. When he suddenly remembered the influences of the Pillion family in the Kasi Empire, Sulo immediately got a headache. Shaking his head with a bitter smile on his face, he sighed, "Fifi ah Fifi, you really know how to find trouble for Dad!"

"Mr Sulo, what's wrong?" While Sulo was talking to himself, Thuram, one of Braque's minions, suddenly came over and asked.

"No, nothing!" Sulo replied curtly. Seeing Braque walk out from behind Thuram, holding up all the treasures he'd won at the auction with a gleam in his eye, Sulo felt not the slightest bit of joy, but on the contrary, began to worry for his entire family.

Sulo knew Braque even better than he knew Sophie. Despite his rather high approval rating in the Kasi Empire, his true temperament was not as good-natured as it appeared on the surface. Once he had his eye on something, he would never let go. Once he set his sights on something, he would not stop until he got his way. The House of Pillon happened to be the royal family of the Kasi Empire. Sulo realised that he alone would not be able to help Sophie find true happiness.

He sighed. Sulo had decided that he had to bring Sophie and Braque together, no matter what. Otherwise it wasn't just about Sulo and Sophie. Their collateral relatives would not have to think about getting a foothold in the Kasi Empire.

"Father-in-law, Fifi really is a headstrong girl. She hasn't even told us where she's gone. Still, I am sure there will be some of these things that Sophie will like," Braque laughed as he walked over, expressing his affection for Sophie.

He must really be in love with Fifi. Fifi should be even happier with him. She must be! Sulo consoled himself before smiling and saying, "How considerate of you. I think Fifi will see how much you care for her!"

"Of course, she is my fiancée! How could I not treat her well!" Braque chuckled.

While Sulo and Braque were talking, Han Shuo dragged Sophie into the middle of the endless sea of people. It was only when Han Shuo realised that Sulo had lost track of them that he let go of Sophie's delicate hand. Then he explained, "Your father was just looking for you."

"Oh," Sophie replied without much thought. Although she appeared nonchalant on the surface, her eyes flickered a little. Han Shuo's unconscious rubbing of his left thumb on her index finger made her somewhat distracted.

Han Shuo was also somewhat embarrassed. As he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a natural vitality aura from the southwest. He immediately knew that this energy must have come from the 'Viride Leaf'. He hurriedly said, "I have to take care of something, wait a moment.

As soon as he finished these words, Han Shuo weaved his way through the crowd. He followed his consciousness southwest to the 'Viride Leaf'. Sophie just stared blankly for a moment before realising that Han Shuo had put some distance between himself and her. Sophie knew that the Ice Shrine was Han Shuo's enemy in the Kasi Empire. Fearing that something bad would happen to Han Shuo, she chased after him.

Just as Han Shuo was about to leave the crowd and fly into the air, he found that the energy of the 'Viride Leaf' had disappeared. Han Shuo was certain that the 'Viride Leaf' was being held back by someone, which explained why the energy it had released earlier had disappeared again.

When this happened, Han Shuo became even more worried. He immediately used the Demonic Ninth Heaven Art and quickly flew in that direction. He had to find the 'Viride Leaf' before the thief left the area.

Han Shuo flew with all his might. In just a few minutes, he reached the area where he sensed the 'Viride Leaf'. It was exactly the same large public square where Han Shuo and Sophie had stopped earlier. He looked as far as his eyes could see, but found no one suspicious. When he focused his attention on the senses with his consciousness, he could no longer feel the energy from the 'Viride Leaf'.

Han Shuo glanced around once more as he racked his brain for another solution. Braque seemed to be the most obvious suspect for the exchange of Han Shuo's wood attribute treasure 'Viride Leaf'. But of course, Zofi and that upper-class woman could not be ruled out.

Han Shuo was absolutely determined to obtain the Wood Attribute Treasure. Since 300,000 gold coins could not easily acquire it, Han Shuo had begun to think of other ways to get it. Although Zofi was rich and overbearing, he did not have much power within the Kasi Empire. As for this upper class woman, she didn't seem to be a politically powerful figure either. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given up when the bid reached 250,000 gold coins.

Having identified his targets, Han Shuo was prepared to take the 'Viride Leaf' by force. In any case, he had already established a hostile relationship with the Ice Shrine in the Kasi Empire. Han Shuo was not about to pay attention to someone like Braque.

"Han, what's wrong?" Han Shuo was still thinking in his head when Sophie rushed over, gasping for breath. Not having summoned her Pegasus this time, Sophie was even more out of breath when she came over. Her chest rose and fell, looking much larger than usual.

"You! You hoodlum! What are you looking at?" Sophie immediately noticed that Han Shuo was looking in a strange direction and shouted at him.

"I'm not looking at anything!" Han Shuo replied in a hurry. He then explained, "I just felt the Viride Leaf appear here. But it looks like I'm still too late. Whoever took it probably hid it and moved it to another region."

"Stop thinking about it. Just leave it to the auction house. This auction house is one of the biggest in the Kasi Empire. Even His Majesty has a share in it. They'll settle it for you!" Sophie comforted Han Shuo.

"What if it was Braque who was behind this? Will they be able to handle it then?" Han Shuo raised his eyebrows.

Sophie shrugged and said somewhat helplessly, "In that case, I don't know."

"Alright, alright, let's stop worrying about that! Hmm, it's getting late. How about we meet again tomorrow?" Han Shuo said as he lifted his head to look at the sky. He intended to send Sophie away and look for people from the Dark Mantle to ask about the location of Braque's mansion. And afterwards, at night, he would make a trip there to get the 'Viride Leaf'.

"It's still early, why are you in such a hurry? Come along. First, I will take you to taste some interesting food. Then, when night falls, we will have a look at the nightscape of the famous Riverie City of the Kasi Empire!" Sophie had no intention of letting Han Shuo off the hook so easily. She grabbed the corner of Han Shuo's robe and giggled as she pulled Han Shuo along with her. She then continued, "I'm only tugging on the corner of your shirt, so it can't be considered taking advantage of you!"

As Sophie dragged him towards their destination, Han Shuo immediately understood the meaning behind those insinuating words. He could only force a smile and explain, "Miss, that was due to the special circumstances of that time. Do you really need to hold such a grudge even now?"

Sophie glanced at Han Shuo and replied, "It is true that the circumstances were special. But didn't that person behave a little too indecently while holding my hand?"

Han Shuo's mind went blank for a moment, and only then did he remember that when he had held Sophie's delicate hand before, he had unconsciously rubbed his thumb against the back of it. He was used to such intimacy with Emily, Fanny and Phoebe, so he had instinctively done the same with Sophie earlier.

When Han Shuo became aware of his indecency, he stopped immediately. He even glanced at Sophie surreptitiously. When he saw that Sophie acted as if nothing had happened, he assumed that she didn't mind. But who would have thought that Sophie would deliberately expose him at this time.

Han Shuo's thick-skinned face blushed, but it was not visible as his skin was covered. He smiled awkwardly and said embarrassedly, "I did not notice. Hahaha, sorry!"

"Humph! Don't think I'll ever believe your blatant lie!" Sophie pouted and glared at Han Shuo. But then she said magnanimously, "But I'm a benevolent gentlewoman. As long as you keep me company and entertain me, I will forgive you!"

"Hmm, but if I remember correctly, I am the guest, right?" Han Shuo said with a forced smile.

"That's irrelevant. If I'm happy, you'll be happy too!" Sophie giggled playfully. She started to run while dragging Han Shuo, as if she wanted to make Han Shuo stagger.

Han Shuo had experienced first hand how relentless Sophie was. However, he didn't think that this kind of harmless, petty joke of hers was over the top. He deliberately walked unsteadily, as if he were really staggering. However, in this situation, Han Shuo would suddenly lean close to Sophie and might 'accidentally' bump into her body.

Han Shuo laughed mischievously in his heart, terribly pleased with his feat.

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