Chen Feng turned his head toward the direction of the argument, spotting a maiden standing amidst the crowd. She was clad in a light-purple warrior's outfit, with a pure white sash cinching her slender, hourglass waist, accentuating an exquisitely graceful figure. Her raven-black hair cascaded down past her shoulders, and the skin visible outside her attire was as luminous as fresh snow, radiating striking allure.

Though her back was to Chen Feng, that mere silhouette gave him a greater impression than any woman he had ever encountered, holding her own even against Grace, the princess of the Fenlai Empire!

Even the enchantingly seductive Natasha paled in comparison!

Across from her stood a young man in silver armor, possessing quite a handsome countenance.

"That girl is Judy, the third daughter of Old Wolf, the leader of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group. The silver-armored youth opposite her is Jimmy, the son of Baron Anse, the local lord! Judy and Jimmy both spotted a Rank Four Wind Attribute Core at our stall at the same time, and neither would concede, which is why they started arguing," Natasha explained as she noticed Chen Feng pause.

Natasha really shouldn't have revealed such matters to Chen Feng, but for some reason, seeing his curiosity, she couldn't help but blurt it out.

She didn't know why this happened; perhaps… perhaps this was simply how one should treat a customer, she reasoned to comfort herself.

Chen Feng had no interest in the squabble and followed Natasha into a relatively small room.

The room was filled with all manner of beast skeletons, varied in form and species, displayed everywhere. In the center was a large, square table, at one side of which sat an elderly man.

"Lord Viner, this is Mr. Bagua!" Natasha bowed respectfully to the elder, her manners impeccable, entirely devoid of the frivolous coquettishness she displayed outside.

"Oh, sit!" Viner responded, gesturing toward a seat at the large table before them.

Despite having gone through several procedural steps and personnel changes just to sell a few Rank Three Cores, not a hint of impatience showed on Chen Feng's face; everything seemed to proceed as it should, his emotions utterly undisturbed as he settled before the square table.

Viner was quite pleased with Chen Feng’s demeanor and nodded his head.

This chamber housed the skeletons he had collected over many years—remains of exotic magical beasts and fighting beasts. In the market, any single one of these would fetch an exorbitant price; even the wealthiest man should show clear astonishment upon seeing such a collection! Yet, this black-robed individual hadn't given the artifacts a second glance. The steadfastness of this man's resolve was unlike anything Viner had ever witnessed.

In reality, Chen Feng didn't recognize any of the skeletons, so how could he possibly grasp their value? Since he was ignorant of their worth, he naturally wouldn't linger on them. If the elder knew the true reason for this indifference, he would likely weep with distress.

"You can step out now," Viner said with a wave of his hand. Natasha retreated slightly and slowly exited the room.

"May I see the Cores you possess?" Once the elder confirmed Natasha had closed the door, Chen Feng retrieved the batch of Cores from his waterskin and handed them over.

This time, he presented fifteen Cores in total, all Rank Three, spanning various attributes.

Viner took them and examined them closely, stating, "If my eyes don't deceive me, these are not the Cores of beasts from the Glacial Demon Garden!"

Chen Feng felt a flicker of curiosity—could one actually discern the origin of a Core just by looking at it?

Viner seemed to perceive his curiosity and explained, "The Glacial Demon Garden is intensely cold; all water freezes solid. The beasts living there must ingest ice and snow to survive, so their Cores typically carry a trace of chill. These Cores lack that characteristic; you can tell simply by touch that they are not from the Garden!"

Chen Feng finally understood, deeply impressed by Viner's meticulous observation. Simultaneously, he grew intensely curious about the old man's own strength; cores of different attributes retain unique residual energies, and to sense even a faint chill through touch was definitely beyond the capability of an ordinary person! At least, Chen Feng could not achieve it yet!

"Fifteen Cores is a substantial transaction. I won't haggle with you over trifles. Since you came to our establishment, I will offer you a practical price: five hundred gold coins each, totaling seven thousand five hundred gold coins! How does that sound?"

Chen Feng nodded. "Agreed!"

Although he didn't have a strong concept of currency values, he knew this was a significant sum. Moreover, he cared little for the price per Core; his only wish was to earn enough to ensure John and Yas lived comfortably!

"Will you take cash or a Merchant Card?" Viner inquired.

"A Merchant Card?" Chen Feng heard another new term and asked quizzically.

"Oh, it's a card system for storing currency, established jointly by the Four Great Empires for ease of transport. Many nobles and traveling merchants favor them; you can withdraw funds at any Universal Merchant House in any of the Empires," the elder clarified.

"Then I'll take the Merchant Cards! Please distribute this sum into two cards, three thousand five hundred in one, and the rest as physical gold coins," Chen Feng decided after a moment’s thought.

John and Yas had no means of self-protection; giving them too much wealth at once might cause trouble. It would be better to provide some gold coins along with one card—to avoid flaunting wealth, it would be safer.

Viner complied, signaling in some unseen manner. A short while later, Natasha re-entered, holding two silver-white cards and a pouch of gold coins.

"Here are the two Merchant Cards, each holding three thousand five hundred gold coins, and this pile is five hundred gold coins," Natasha announced.

Chen Feng nodded, took the items, and slipped them into his voluminous robes, with a slight shake of his hand, stowing everything safely into the waterskin.

He felt extremely uncomfortable wearing these robes, but he endured it to prevent unnecessary trouble for Old John and Yas.

"Whatever you need, just say it plainly," Chen Feng stated calmly.

Chen Feng could discern Viner's esteemed status. While selling Rank Three Cores privately was rare, it certainly happened. Furthermore, Chen Feng was certain that 7,500 gold coins was an amount Natasha could authorize without needing to report to Viner. And downstairs, Natasha quoted 420 gold coins per Core, yet upstairs, the price was aggressively inflated to 500. They clearly had an ulterior motive for this maneuver.

Viner was just contemplating how to broach the subject when Chen Feng spoke, compelling him to admire the young man's sharp perception. "Judging by your voice, Lord Bagua, you cannot be very old! Yet you see these things so clearly—I am truly impressed!"

Seeing Chen Feng remain silent, he sighed slightly. "Have you ever heard of a Dragon Speaker?"

"Dragon Speaker!" Chen Feng shook his head.

Viner continued, "Then perhaps you know of the Pterodactyl Knights of the Lochi Empire?"

"The Pterodactyl Knights?" Chen Feng's heart jolted! Had this person somehow discovered something? Back at Dragon Peak Mountain, he had single-handedly annihilated two squadrons of the Pterodactyl Knights! Could Viner already know about this incident?

If this news were to leak, he would surely be hunted by the entire Lochi Empire! Facing the wrath of an entire nation, even a man as audacious as Chen Feng wished to avoid such a confrontation. Considering this, a sharp, murderous glint flared in his eyes.