"What happened?" A middle-aged man strode over, his commanding eyebrows slanting sharply upward like drawn swords.

"These two wanted to auction something but didn't have a membership card. I told them to come back once they had one, and then they started fighting!" Xiao Zhi quickly explained, his whole body trembling involuntarily.

The middle-aged man’s gaze swept toward Chen Feng and the other, his voice dark as he stated, "Injuring someone so casually in my Parson Auction House—I expect the two of you to provide a suitable explanation!"

Unlike the rash Head Guard, this middle-aged man wasn't intimidated by the fact that a fight had broken out here. He must have some significant connections. Thus, his tone managed not to offend the pair while still conveying his displeasure with dignity.

"We merely wished to auction some items!" Chen Feng said calmly.

The middle-aged man stared at him like a hawk-owl, but seeing the composed, indifferent expression on the other's face—unmoved by his piercing gaze—his anger began to subside slightly.

The Deputy Manager's severity was notorious throughout the entire auction house; a single word could make Xiao Zhi tremble, testament to his imposing presence. Yet, this young man seemed utterly unfazed, signaling to the Deputy Manager that this visitor was far from ordinary.

Chen Feng hadn't flinched even facing ten thousand Dragon Clan disciples; if a little show of authority could frighten him now, it would be laughable.

"Follow me!" The middle-aged man turned and walked toward the interior.

Having recognized the visitor's unusual demeanor, he knew further unreasonable obstruction was pointless; clearly, they possessed something valuable for auction.

Chen Feng smiled faintly and followed at a leisurely pace.

Pity the Head Guard who had tried to curry favor, only to be thrown to the ground for nothing.

After walking for a while, Chen Feng and White arrived at a richly decorated room. The middle-aged man sat down, his gaze intense: "I am the Deputy Manager of this auction house. May I ask what you two wish to auction?"

"Deputy Manager? What level of authority do you hold within this auction house?" Chen Feng inquired.

"Hmm? What do you mean? Hmph. For transactions under ten million, I have full authority. Just bring out whatever you wish to auction!" The Deputy Manager, sensing Chen Feng was concerned about his low rank, felt a spark of irritation.

"Ten million?" Chen Feng shook his head. "You had better fetch the person in charge."

Ten thousand Purple Fire Crystals might not even refine a single Perfect Crystal, and one Purple Fire Crystal alone was worth a thousand. The price of a Perfect Crystal would certainly exceed the ten-million mark.

Hearing this, the Deputy Manager couldn't help but scrutinize the pair again. Seeing that they were empty-handed, he couldn't help but ask, "You possess something worth over ten million? Young man, don't speak recklessly."

Chen Feng smiled, flipping his wrist, and instantly a translucent crystal materialized in his hand.

"A Perfect Crystal!" The Deputy Manager's face immediately changed color, his breathing growing rapid.

If the Deputy Manager of an auction house didn't know the value of a Perfect Crystal, he would truly be ignorant. However, his composure was excellent, and he quickly suppressed his excitement, saying, "Are you intending to auction this item?"

Chen Feng nodded.

The Deputy Manager took great effort to tear his eyes from the crystal and addressed Chen Feng: "We can discuss this. You could sell this crystal directly to us, the Parson Auction House; we will purchase it outright!"

For an auction house to consider buying an item before it even reaches the block demonstrated just how important this object was to them.

"Your auction house cannot afford it..." Chen Feng stated flatly.

The Deputy Manager frowned at his words: "Although the Parson Auction House isn't the largest, we can certainly muster funds in the billions. Do you truly believe one Perfect Crystal is worth that much?"

Chen Feng realized the misunderstanding and smiled: "What I meant was, if we cooperate well, I might even gift you one!"

"Gift?" The Deputy Manager's expression turned strange. He suddenly stood up. "Cooperate? You mean to say..."

As the Deputy Manager of a major auction house, his intelligence was undeniable, but he still couldn't quite believe his own speculation.

"You should bring the highest authority here; I wish to speak with him," Chen Feng requested.

The Deputy Manager hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Please wait here!" and then stepped out.

As soon as he left, two young women entered, serving fine tea reserved only for distinguished guests.

Seeing only the two of them remained in the room, White scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense, finding no obvious surveillance, and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Boss, you don't mean you're going to sell all the Perfect Crystals you have on hand? Then our plan to recruit..."

Chen Feng shook his head. "Don't worry. Just follow my instructions for recruitment. Don't worry about the Perfect Crystals!"

White, seeing his determined look, half-believed him but remained silent.

He worried because recruiting experts at the Nether Venerable level was impossible without Perfect Crystals. Yet, Chen Feng’s stated price was two crystals per Nether Venerable expert! To build a force, dreaming of a few thousand Nether Venerable experts without a sufficient supply of Perfect Crystals was sheer folly.

Now, hearing Chen Feng wanted to auction even more, White grew anxious.

"Creak..." The door opened, and an old man walked in with firm steps.

Chen Feng scanned him with his spiritual perception and immediately knew the man was at least as powerful as himself.

"Mr. Adam, these two are the ones here to auction Perfect Crystals!" the middle-aged man explained respectfully from behind him.

The old man nodded, looking at Chen Feng. He was clearly surprised by his youth.

"I am the founder of the Parson Auction House; my name is Adam Parson! You may call me Adam!" the old man said cheerfully, walking straight to a seat.

"I heard you wish to cooperate with us. Can you provide a long-term supply source for Perfect Crystals?" The old man got straight to the point, evidently, the Deputy Manager had relayed his suspicions.

"A supply source for Perfect Crystals?" Chen Feng chuckled. "I believe you understand the rarity of Perfect Crystals better than I do. A long-term supply? Surely you aren't joking!"

A long-term supply wasn't impossible, but it would allow others to track his movements, making future matters far more complicated. Thus, Chen Feng immediately denied it outright.

Adam shot a look at the Deputy Manager, clearly annoyed by his misunderstanding.

Chen Feng also noticed his anger and said with a smile, "A supply source is out of the question, but I am currently short on funds and happen to have some Perfect Crystals on hand. Therefore, I want cash!"

"You want cash?" Adam laughed. "That's easily arranged. Shall we discuss it? The terms are the same as before: the Parson Auction House purchases everything you have, but I guarantee you won't be taken advantage of!"

Items as rare as Perfect Crystals are seldom put up for auction, even when dealing with an auction house.

Chen Feng casually tossed the crystal in his hand toward Adam and said, "For a Perfect Crystal of this caliber, give me an appraisal first, and tell me what it is worth."

Adam caught the crystal, scanned it with his spiritual sense to confirm its quality, and nodded: "It is indeed a Perfect Crystal. The market price is ten million per piece. We can offer you eleven million!"

Chen Feng glanced at White, confirming the price was fair, and smiled: "Very well, prepare the cash then!"

Adam asked, "How many crystals do you possess?"

Chen Feng held up his index finger, making the gesture for "one."

Adam understood and instructed the Deputy Manager beside him, "Go retrieve one hundred and ten million!"

The Deputy Manager agreed and was about to leave when he heard Chen Feng say, "Mr. Adam, you might have misunderstood. I wasn't referring to ten."

Adam frowned: "Are you reneging, sir, and only selling this one?"

Chen Feng shook his head, about to speak, but before he could, he saw the old man's expression turn tense, his breath catching: "Do you mean one hundred?"

Adam himself was shaking his head as he asked the question. What did one hundred Perfect Crystals signify? One could immediately form a Nether Venerable team! Even the Bishops of the Eight Great Holy Sees couldn't produce that many on the spot, let alone a mere youth.

"The old grow prone to absurd notions. It is rare enough for someone to sell even one Perfect Crystal; how could someone sell a hundred at once?" Adam thought to himself.

It was akin to someone running into a shop to sell nuclear warheads; selling one would be a sensation, but selling a hundred in a single transaction?

Just as Adam concluded his thought was ridiculous, the youth's quiet voice reached his ears: "I mean... ONE THOUSAND!"

"What?" Adam and the Deputy Manager nearly dropped their jaws. They exchanged a look, mutual terror in their eyes.

Adam pressed further: "How many did you say?"

"ONE THOUSAND!" As Chen Feng spoke, he flipped his wrist, and a pile of Perfect Crystals tumbled onto the floor.

Chen Feng wasn't worried about them turning greedy. Even if they behaved shamelessly, he was utterly confident in his ability to retreat unscathed. With his Fifth-Level Battle Sovereign strength coupled with the Endless Slaughter Domain, he was virtually unmatched beneath the Nether Saint level; even catching him would be difficult for a Nether Saint!

Back when he was only a First-Level Battle Sovereign, didn't Kozmo fail to catch him in the end?

Moreover, since he intended to sell, acting openly was the best policy. Deception often relies on appearing genuine; the more timid and secretive one acts, the greater the chance others will try to take advantage.

Adam stared at the pile of Perfect Crystals, first with shock, then a flicker of greed in his eyes.

One thousand Perfect Crystals equaled ten billion—a fortune laid before him; it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted!

However, that thought vanished as quickly as it appeared. Anyone capable of producing one thousand Perfect Crystals on demand—if anyone still claimed these two had no background, even ghosts wouldn't believe them.

Furthermore, they displayed such skill without fanfare, casually producing so many crystals, proving they possessed a spatial artifact! Could someone with such an item have a low status?

Adam glanced at Chen Feng, observing his completely composed, unconcerned demeanor, certain he had a backup plan! Possessing a spatial artifact and one thousand Perfect Crystals while remaining so calm suggested he had hidden reserves.

Adam was a businessman with sharp observational skills, unwilling to undertake anything without a sure chance of success. He hastily closed his eyes, suppressing the greed and murderous intent, took a deep breath, and stared at Chen Feng with a wry smile: "Sir, you have made a grand gesture. One thousand Perfect Crystals—our Parson Auction House truly cannot afford that price!"

Seeing dissatisfaction flicker in Chen Feng's eyes, he quickly added, "If you trust me, sir, please give me ten days. Within ten days, I can absolutely gather the price for these one thousand Perfect Crystals, which is ten billion!"

"How can that be?" White immediately stood up. Staying here for ten days? Wouldn't they be ambushed eventually?

Chen Feng waved him down and said calmly, "Five days. I will give you only five days. Furthermore... I hope our cooperation is pleasant!"

His final sentence was delivered with chilling coldness, and a dense killing aura emanated from his body. The implication of "pleasant cooperation" was clear: do not harbor any ill intentions, or things will go badly for everyone!

"Five days?" Adam frowned. "That's extremely tight. After all, ten billion is a massive sum!"

Chen Feng ignored his difficulty and stated firmly, "Five days, that's final! Additionally, I will sell you 50 crystals first. You can pay me fifty million now!"

Lacking immediate funds, selling a portion first would help White arrange recruitment matters.

"Fifty!" Adam immediately responded. "We can afford that. Please wait a moment." He turned to the Deputy Manager. "Go retrieve fifty million and prepare a Platinum Membership Card for us!"

The Deputy Manager agreed and hurried out, his steps unsteady, almost stumbling. The shock from seeing so many Perfect Crystals had clearly not yet subsided.

Chen Feng recalled the Perfect Crystals from the floor, leaving only fifty (Adam still held one).

"May I ask your name, sir?" Adam, sensing the lull in conversation, quickly tried to keep the discussion going.

"I am G. Oz," Chen Feng stated casually.

"Ah, Mr. G. Oz!" Adam said smoothly, "I've heard your name often, though I never expected you to be so young!"

Chen Feng almost laughed aloud. G. Oz was the name of the KOF '96 boss, Rugal Bernstein (introduced in detail earlier). Chen Feng had thought of him because of the clerical attire, so he tossed out the name casually. To hear Adam claim to have "heard the name often" for such an off-the-cuff name made him want to laugh!

Adam saw his expression and realized the flaw in his statement, but his skin was thick; he maintained his cheerful smile.

They conversed for about half an hour when the Deputy Manager strode back in, carrying two cards.

Adam took the cards and handed them to Chen Feng.

"One of these is a business card with five billion credited, and the other is our Platinum Membership Card for the Parson Auction House. From now on, holding this grants you free entry to the Gold Section of our auctions, priority access to the latest auction news, and the right to purchase items in advance. We have only issued seven of these Platinum Cards in total," Adam explained with a smile.

Getting news early and being able to buy items before the auction offered immense convenience in the auction world. The auction house profited primarily from the commission taken from the seller and the entrance fee. If goods were bought early, the price would naturally be lower than the final auction price, resulting in less profit for the house—illustrating the precious nature of this Gold Card!

Chen Feng took the two cards and, without looking at them, tossed them to White. Although this world had business cards, they were completely different from those in his former world, and he couldn't ascertain their value, so he left it to White to handle.

White swept his right hand over the business card, and a faint wave of spiritual sense flowed into a small circular hole on its edge. Instantly, a line of numbers appeared on the card face, totaling exactly five hundred million. White nodded and passed the card back to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng waved his hand, telling White to keep it. With his right hand, using the power of his domain, he gently levitated the ninety-nine Perfect Crystals toward Adam.

Adam examined each one with his spiritual sense, confirming their authenticity, then smiled at Chen Feng. "A pleasant transaction!"

Chen Feng replied, "Pleasant transaction. I hope the transaction in five days will be even more pleasant," before standing up to leave.

Adam quickly called out, "Mr. G. Oz, would you consider staying here? The Parson Merchant Guild is very safe internally, and I guarantee you will be comfortable for these five days..."

Before he could finish, Chen Feng waved him off and walked out with White. As they left the room, Chen Feng's faint voice drifted back, "No, I have other matters to attend to... Oh, right. I prefer not to be disturbed. Do not send anyone to follow me, or I will be very displeased!"

By the time he finished, they were already far away.

Adam pocketed the fifty Perfect Crystals and instructed the Deputy Manager, "Summon Kenny, Bob, Eisen... summon them all..." He listed dozens of names—all the wealthiest tycoons in Koga City, along with the patriarchs of several major factions.

Adam, who could establish the Parson Merchant Guild single-handedly, was clearly no ordinary person.

The Deputy Manager responded with an "Understood," then asked, "What about those two? Should we send someone to tail them?"

"What to do? Didn't you hear what he just said?" Adam countered. "He specifically said not to follow him... I have a hunch he will return; he won't just leave directly!"

"Yes!" The Deputy Manager turned to leave, but Adam's quiet voice followed him: "Do not leak any news about this, but... it is necessary to disclose some to the Koga Bishop..."

After the Deputy Manager left, Adam stood by the window, looking out at the bustling crowd, a look of confusion on his face.

"Someone who can produce one thousand Perfect Crystals at once—who exactly is this person? G. Oz? G. Oz... that's likely a false name too!"

PS: One chapter uploaded first; there will be another before midnight. I definitely aim to exceed ten thousand characters today. When writing about KOF, I didn't read novels as diligently, but seeing this, I'm completely absorbed... My apologies, and apologies again... (To be continued. To know what happens next, please visit m, there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

First published.