A Mysterious Follower

"Sir Lin Ke and Young Miss Lia, I have all of the items you two have purchased here with me right now. Also, thank you for agreeing to represent our country, I feel as if we finally have a chance to win it all this time." Mr. Wraht breaks up the awkward silence.

"Oh! It's no big deal! So how much is it in total?" Lin Ke asks.

"Sir Lin Ke, I believe you were the one who bought the Self-cleaning palette and that mysterious rune? You bought them for a total of 14 Mid-grade Chaos Stones and 400 Low-grade Chaos Stones. Am I right?" Mr. Wraht asks.

"Mhmm… I'm pretty sure that's correct."

"Alright, would you like us to deduct that from the amount that your artwork sold for and just give you 15 Mid-grade Chaos Stones and 600 Low-grade Chaos Stones?" Mr. Wraht asks.

"Wait a moment." Lin Ke frowned after doing the calculations. Aren't you guys going to take a fee? I believe that's how auctions make money, yes?"

Mr. Wraht smiles, his mustache lifting up in the process. "Yes, normally, that is how we make money. We usually take a 15% cut of the final price. However, seeing as it is you who is selling your item here, I was able to make an exception."

Hearing that, Lin Ke immediately realized what was going on. Mr. Wraht was a smart man. He saw Lin Ke's talent and realized that it was very much possible Lin Ke would reach A-class in his life. Therefore, it would be best to form a good relation to him, and perhaps give him a feeling of goodwill towards the Artifact Hall. That would always be more valuable than earning a few more Chaos Stones later down the line.

However, Lin Ke didn't say anything. If he didn't have to fork over a share of his profits, he was perfectly fine just keeping them. Of course, Mr. Wraht's intentions very much worked.

Mr. Wraht reaches into the pocket of his suit and pulls out a spatial ring. He hands it to Lin Ke. "Your items are all in there already."

Lin Ke channels a sliver of his true energy into the ring to check that everything was there. After counting, Lin Ke nods. "Alright, thanks."

"Also, I believe you guys also purchased the unparalleled masterpiece for 151 Mid-grade Chaos Stones?" Mr. Wraht asks.

Lia nods and from her spatial ring, she pulls out a massive stack of Mid-grade Chaos Stones. The small stones were dumped onto the floor in a small mound. Immediately, a massive wave of rich World energy permeated the area.

Mr. Wraht's eyes widened a little. Indeed, while this wasn't like his first time seeing Chaos Stones, it was his first time seeing someone take it out so casually. Mr. Wraht shakes his head quickly and begins counting.

"Alright, this is the perfect amount." Mr. Wraht nods before sweeping all of the Chaos Stones into the spatial ring on his hand. Then, he reaches into his spatial ring and pulls out a rolled up scroll. Currently, it seemed like a very ordinary scroll, even if it may have been some sort of expensive material that the scroll was made of.

Lia takes a deep breath and stares straight at the scroll. This was the last painting her grandfather had ever created… This was a painting of her home… The place where she lived for so many years… The place where the memories of her and her grandfather live…

Lia receives the scroll, feeling its weighty texture against her hand. With her hands slightly trembling, Lia lightly feels the paper.

"Oh, that's right Mr. Wraht, may I ask, how did this painting get here?" Lin Ke asks.

"Hmm… I'm not too sure. A person wearing a dark cloak came and said she wanted to sell this painting. I wasn't able to see the person's face though. However, from the voice, it sounded like a woman. That's all I know though. She also wasn't the person putting it up for auction. All she did was sell this masterpiece to us for 50 Mid-grade Chaos Stones." Mr. Wraht explains.

'Wow… So Artifact Hall bought this painting for 50 Mid-grade Chaos Stones, turned it around, and sold it for 151!' Lin Ke thought to himself. 'What a profit, maybe I should start an auction house as well!'

"I believe that's all that you've bought. Since that's the case, I will take my leave here. I still have some other matters to attend to. Miss Ami here will escort you guys out then." Mr. Wraht explains after seeing Lia lost in her own thoughts and Lin Ke fantasizing about the cash that could be rolling in.

Lin Ke blinks. "Mm? Yes, okay, see you. Thanks for your help."

Mr. Wraht shakes his head. "No, no! I keep saying this but, it's my honor." With that, Mr. Wraht exits the room, the door clicking behind him.

After they had all left, the only people left in the room now were Lin Ke, Lia and Ami. Lin ke glances over at Lia to realize that she was still staring at the closed scroll, not really doing anything.

"Lia? Lia? Are you okay?" Lin Ke asks.

Lia blinks and looks up at Lin Ke. "Hmm? Mmm. Yes, I'm fine, let's go."

Lia puts the scroll in her spatial ring before heading towards the door.

Lin Ke highly doubts what she said, but he decides not to speak about it. After they all exited the room, Ami led them back the way they came, down the long flights of stairs, and back to the second floor.

Ami led them down to the first floor and before long, they were standing at the entrance of the Artifact Hall. At this point, the sky was already extremely dark. The streets around the city were lit up in brilliant lights and many restaurants were still open accepting customers.

Ami bowed to Lin Ke and Lia before wishing them a safe journey home. Afterwards, she headed back into the Artifact Hall. Her shift was almost over… It's been quite the interesting day for her so far…

Meanwhile, on the rooftops of one of the buildings, someone locked in on the two people who just stepped outside of the Artifact Hall.

"Two kids huh… How were they able to… Do they have some sort of background? No matters, it's not like I'll be killing them. As long as I teach them a lesson like my client said as well as take their items, then it will be fine…" A mysterious voice muttered.

Meanwhile, Lin Ke and Lia were discussing where they wanted to go eat dinner at. Together, they walked through the city, through the bright lights, looking for a good place to eat at.