Mo Han stared at the several long queues, his head already aching. He certainly didn't have the time to stand in line; if he was late, Daili and the others would surely become suspicious. He had only told them he was going out for a stroll, and if he were to queue here, he might not even get a turn by afternoon. Realizing this, Mo Han had no choice but to pull back the attendant who was about to leave.

The attendant, suddenly stopped by Mo Han, looked at him with a confused gaze, unsure what the matter was. Seeing this, Mo Han offered a gentle smile to the attendant and spoke, "Forgive me, young man, but my magic crystals are all high-grade ones, and I am extremely pressed for time. Could I trouble you to grant me a favor?"

With that, Mo Han casually pulled out a handful of gold coins and placed them into the attendant's hand.

As the saying goes, money makes the world go 'round. The attendant, upon receiving Mo Han's gold coins, instantly grinned so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. He readily agreed to Mo Han's request and led him to one of the counters, addressing the person behind it, "Xidi, this brother here is my friend. He was here queuing this morning but had to leave for something urgent. He needs to take care of something now, so could you possibly appraise his goods first for him?"

Upon hearing the attendant's words, Xidi readily agreed.

The mercenaries who were already queuing naturally felt displeased at the demand for Mo Han to present his magic crystals immediately. Someone immediately started grumbling. However, the attendant clearly paid them no mind, simply stating coolly, "This brother possesses those high-grade magic crystals. According to our shop's rules, if one has high-grade crystals, they are entitled to priority service. I believe everyone here is aware of that rule. Furthermore, this young man was here queuing early this morning but left for an errand, so our actions are in no way improper. We hope for everyone's understanding."

Hearing the attendant's composed yet firm words, the mercenaries, though inwardly displeased, could find no fault in his logic and fell silent. Mo Han, observing the attendant’s demeanor—so principled and articulate—concluded that the shop's owner must be no ordinary person, and a flicker of curiosity arose regarding the proprietor.

With that thought, Mo Han retrieved the two Fire Element magic crystals he had already taken out and handed them to Xidi. Xidi's eyes lit up upon seeing them. He smiled and said, "These must be from an Eighth-Order, Upper-Tier Fire Beast, the magic crystal of a Kedo Beast, correct? Truly fine items. The market price for Fire Element magic crystals is quite good right now. For these two Fire crystals, I can offer you five hundred and fifty thousand gold coins. How does that sound?"

Hearing that Mo Han possessed Eighth-Order crystals, the assembled mercenaries began to murmur amongst themselves. After all, slaying an Eighth-Order magical beast was no easy feat; it typically required an A-Rank mercenary group. Yet, Mo Han was here alone, seemingly without even a teammate. How did he obtain these Eighth-Order crystals? It was no wonder the mercenaries were staring at him with such strange looks.

Mo Han smiled and nodded upon hearing the offer. "The price is indeed very reasonable. Let's proceed then. I have a few more high-grade magic crystals; could Mr. Xidi please take a look and tell me their worth?"

As he finished speaking, Mo Han drew a Tenth-Order beast crystal from his robe—it was entirely blue and emitted a faint, soft glow.

Seeing the crystal Mo Han produced, Xidi could no longer remain seated. He stood up abruptly and gasped, "Heavens above, a Tenth-Order magic crystal! You actually have a Tenth-Order crystal?"

At Xidi's exclamation, everyone in the shop was drawn over. A Tenth-Order beast crystal—what did that imply? Even an A-Rank mercenary group would likely flee upon encountering a Tenth-Order beast. Even the continent's highest-ranked S-Rank mercenary groups would have a headache dealing with one. Moreover, Tenth-Order beasts possessed extremely high intelligence; unlike common magical beasts, they didn't just fight blindly, making them incredibly difficult to kill. If cornered, they might even self-detonate. Thus, Tenth-Order magic crystals were exceedingly rare, each possessing astonishing value. To think that such a crystal was in the hands of a young man like Mo Han!

Xidi realized his outburst might attract unnecessary trouble for Mo Han. With that thought, he quickly said to Mo Han, "Please, young sir, would you accompany me inside? I am not qualified to appraise this Tenth-Order crystal. I will take you to meet our shop owner; he will appraise it for you personally."

Mo Han nodded with a smile and followed Xidi toward the rear courtyard. As Mo Han departed, the mercenaries resumed their discussions, many of their gazes now glinting with greed. They were secretly plotting, knowing that if Mo Han truly sold that Tenth-Order crystal, he would undoubtedly possess an astonishing sum of gold—a far greater prize than mere robbery. It was natural for such schemes to brew in their minds.

Unaware of the avarice surrounding him, Mo Han followed Xidi into the shop's backyard. Mo Han immediately noticed that the security here was far more stringent than at the front. There were at least twenty hidden sentries alone, and coupled with the visibly posted guards, the total numbered over a hundred. Each guard appeared highly skilled, suggesting this was the core area of the establishment, explaining the intense security.

Mo Han couldn't fathom why a mere shop required so many experts for protection; even hiring guards shouldn't necessitate such overwhelming numbers. However, Mo Han had little time to dwell on it. He had already wasted too much time and now only wanted to sell those few Tenth-Order crystals swiftly to acquire the gold he needed and return to Daili and the others before they worried about him.

Xidi led Mo Han to a small building and gestured for him to wait there. After Xidi briefly explained their purpose, the guard nodded and entered the structure. Xidi and Mo Han waited outside for news. Mo Han understood that Xidi must have sent someone to notify their boss, so he waited patiently.

A moment later, the guard emerged and respectfully informed Xidi, "Master Xidi, the owner has instructed you to bring the esteemed guest inside."

Xidi nodded toward Mo Han.

He then escorted Mo Han into the small building. In the main hall of the room sat a slender middle-aged man dressed in aristocratic attire—undoubtedly the shop owner. This owner, appearing to be in his forties, gazed at Mo Han and Xidi with a continuous smile. His small, bright eyes immediately gave the impression of an exceptionally shrewd individual. It was clear why he could expand his shop to such a scale.

Seeing Mo Han and Xidi, the slender man rose quickly with a welcoming smile and addressed Mo Han, "I understand you are pressed for time, young sir, so I won't waste any more of it. I heard you possess a Tenth-Order magic crystal; might I have the honor of examining it?"

Mo Han nodded, retrieved the Tenth-Order crystal, and passed it over. The slender man examined the crystal carefully before exclaiming in astonishment, "Indeed, a Tenth-Order crystal, and a pure Water Element one at that. However, I cannot discern which type of magical beast it originates from. Could you tell me, young sir, what monster's crystal this is?"

Mo Han looked slightly embarrassed. "To be honest, I am not certain which magical beast this crystal belongs to, so I cannot provide you with the true answer."

Hearing Mo Han’s reply, the slender man expressed surprise. "If that is the case, how did you acquire this crystal, young sir?"

"Does your establishment not only purchase crystals but also inquire about their origin? I don't recall that being a rule?" Mo Han replied calmly to the question.

Hearing Mo Han's retort, the slender man's expression remained unchanged, and he continued smiling, "For ordinary magic crystals, there is indeed no need. However, a Tenth-Order crystal is far from ordinary. Even in acquisition, we must ascertain its provenance to avoid unnecessary trouble for the shop. I hope you can understand our predicament."

Mo Han realized the owner had a valid point. If the crystal had been stolen, the shop owner would immediately invite trouble by accepting it, as those possessing Tenth-Order crystals were never common folk. With that understanding, Mo Han nodded. "Actually, I found this crystal in an ancient ruin, so the owner can rest assured; its origins are legitimate and will cause no trouble for you."

Hearing Mo Han's explanation, the owner nodded. "In that case, this crystal must belong to an ancient magical beast; no wonder I couldn't recognize it." With that, the owner seemed to accept Mo Han's story and continued, "Since that is settled, there is no issue. However, we have never purchased Ancient Crystals before, so we are not entirely certain of the precise price for a Tenth-Order crystal. We can only offer a purchase price based on the existing market rate for Tenth-Order crystals. Do you agree?"

Mo Han nodded and replied, "It makes no difference. Please name your price, boss. If it is acceptable, we can complete the transaction immediately."

The slender man pondered for a moment, then spoke cautiously, "The current market price for Tenth-Order magic crystals hovers around four million gold coins. Since yours is an Ancient Crystal, the price should be slightly higher. How about this: I will offer four million five hundred thousand gold coins to purchase the crystal you hold. What do you say?"

Mo Han nodded in agreement. He then added, "That's quite fair. I have several other Tenth-Order magic crystals here. I wonder if the boss is interested in purchasing those as well?"

Saying this, Mo Han pulled three more Tenth-Order crystals of different attributes from his robe and placed them before the owner.

Seeing Mo Han suddenly produce four Tenth-Order crystals, the owner's composure finally broke. He spoke, "I hadn't anticipated you possessing so many Tenth-Order crystals. However, I fear my shop does not have that much gold immediately available for purchase. Could you perhaps grant me a few days' extension?"

Mo Han shook his head. "I am leaving tomorrow. How about this, boss: you purchase as many as you can afford now, and we can discuss the rest another time."

Hearing this, the owner lowered his head in thought and then said, "All right. The maximum gold I can afford right now is to purchase three for you. Three crystals for a total of thirteen million gold coins. If that suits you, young sir, we can conclude the deal immediately."

Mo Han agreed without hesitation. He had initially only intended to sell enough to secure about ten million gold coins. Since he had already met his immediate goal, he had no objections.

Seeing Mo Han agree, the slender owner nodded. "Very well, I shall immediately have men prepare the gold. My name is Ourobus; I am the owner of this magic crystal shop. May I ask what to call this young sir?"

"Just call me Mo Han," Mo Han replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ourobus smiled. "Seeing that young Mo Han could venture into the palace of an ancient ruin alone, your skills must be considerable. Since fate has brought us together today, and we have conversed so congenially, I have a piece of advice. Are you willing to hear it, young sir?"

Mo Han nodded and smiled. "You are too formal, boss. I am eager to hear your counsel."

Ourobus nodded in turn. "In that case, I shall not hold back. I observe that you possess many treasures and this is likely your first time selling magic crystals here, correct? Have I guessed right?"