Chapter 65: "Brother, You're Not Professional"

During escort missions, encountering space pirates is a rare occurrence.

Just last month, the escort mission led to the eradication of the Starry Gale Gang and the extermination of a batch of Saurian Crawlers—a significant operation.

This time, however, things were unusually smooth. For two consecutive days, the journey proceeded without incident, an anomaly in the usual chaos of space travel, until they arrived at Crescent City.

After parting ways with Zhang Lian, Tian Xiao and his team, including Zhu Xiaohuan, finalized their return time.

Half a day later, with no rush to leave, Tian Xiao decided to stay in Crescent City for a few hours to attend to things he had previously been unable to.

It was his first time visiting Crescent City, and his financial situation was not ideal. This time, after the successful trade of some ores and beast resources, he had managed to secure nearly two million credits. Adding to that the seventeen million credits from his previous sale of the purple xilite ore, as well as the four million from gambling, his total assets had grown to over twenty-three million credits.

As the leader of an escort squad, Tian Xiao disbanded the team and headed straight for one of Crescent City's less glamorous streets, located at the outskirts.

Once he stepped off his transport ship, a faint smell of blood hit him immediately, thick and almost suffocating. The atmosphere was dense, laden with an oppressive stench.

The street ahead was lined with massive alloy roller suitcases. The exterior was reinforced, while inside, small cold chain systems preserved large quantities of goods.

The "goods" in question referred to beast and insect resources.

This was a marketplace frequented by brokers and sellers from across the Pegasus Galaxy, dealing primarily in rare, valuable, and often dangerous creatures. These included rare plants, exotic stones, or other oddities, but in this particular area, there were no such items.

Only beasts and insect resources, goods that sellers urgently needed to offload—often at a fraction of their potential value due to the urgency of sale—made up the bulk of the market. This created a substantial profit margin for those who had the knowledge and capability to process these materials.

Despite the grim setting, with the bloodstains and lingering odor hanging in the air, each broker here was no amateur.

Dealing with beasts and insect corpses required immense calculation abilities. Even a tiny mistake could lead to a huge loss, especially if someone overpaid for something whose value had already diminished.

These were no easy transactions, and anyone serious about this business needed a strong constitution. Beasts and insects often weighed several tons, and transporting them was no small feat. The people here were not only familiar with the business—they were all highly experienced, often at the G-class level, giving them the physical strength and stamina to handle such daunting tasks.

Tian Xiao, dressed in a standard combat suit, blended in effortlessly. As long as he didn't flinch from the stench or start covering his nose, everyone would assume he was an insider. If he walked around confidently, speaking without hesitation, no one would dare to raise the prices too much.

Tian Xiao, who had spent a lot of time in insect caves in his previous life, was quite accustomed to such environments. He moved through the market with ease, carefully observing the goods for any promising targets.

Each of the metal boxes was transparent, allowing the buyer to inspect the contents clearly. This transparency ensured that the goods remained unaffected by the air, preventing degradation from exposure.

H-series beasts and insect corpses had little value to Tian Xiao. As for G-series beasts, which could fetch millions, they were not particularly interesting either—after all, the valuable mutated substances inside their organs would have significantly degraded by now.

So, he patiently continued searching, analyzing each potential find with care.

As he passed by one vendor's stall, his attention was drawn to three large alloy boxes. Inside them lay the bodies of a group of beasts—one fully-grown and two younger ones.

These creatures were particularly striking. Their sharp beaks, menacing horns, and bloodshot eyes, along with the violent aura that seemed to linger even in death, were rare sights indeed. The corpse still exuded a chilling energy, making it an extraordinary specimen.

Several buyers were already inspecting the beasts.

"This one could work," one said, clearly impressed by the creatures' imposing appearance.

"Their condition is excellent, and although they're only at the G-level, they'd be a striking addition to a company or military academy display."

Tian Xiao overheard one of the buyers asking the vendor, "When did these die?"

"September 1st," the seller replied lazily, puffing on a cigarette.

The death had only occurred recently, which meant the corpses were fresh and still intact. This made them more valuable and easier to sell.

"How much?" one of the buyers asked.

"One point two million for the large one, three hundred thousand for the smaller ones. If you take them all, I can let them go for one point seven million."

Tian Xiao could feel the tension in the air as the two buyers hesitated. G-level beasts typically cost only a few hundred thousand, but the vendor's asking price was far above that. The higher prices were clearly a strategy to test how desperate these buyers were.

As expected, the two buyers exchanged a glance and walked off.

Tian Xiao noticed the vendor's lips twitch slightly, surprised that the buyers had backed off.

"Hmph," Tian Xiao thought. "The profit margin is definitely there, but offering a price in the millions? You're pushing it."

The vendor's overpricing would make any deal unlikely, but that was how the market worked. The final transaction rarely left both parties satisfied.

Feeling confident, Tian Xiao walked up to the stall, inspecting the smallest of the beasts.

"I'll give you eighty thousand. Will you take it?" he asked, pointing at the smallest beast.

The seller was taken aback.

"Three hundred thousand, no negotiations," he snapped.

Tian Xiao gave him a knowing look. "The ceiling for H-level beasts is only about a hundred thousand. You're asking G-level prices for an H-level beast, that's too much."

Tian Xiao's tone was casual, but his words were firm. "You're overpricing by a wide margin. It's not going to work."

The vendor's face flushed red. "You can't say that, not when this beast isn't your typical H-level specimen."

"Oh?" Tian Xiao raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "How is it different?"

The vendor's attempt to salvage the situation was too transparent. He began explaining with excitement, "This one is a Nether Bull. Extremely rare, hard to find, limited supply. You're not going to find another one like it."

Tian Xiao raised a hand and cut him off. "A Nether Bull? Please. There are over forty million of them in the Pegasus galaxy. Not exactly rare. They're slow and not much of a challenge to catch. Sure, its appearance might look impressive to the untrained eye, but that's all it has going for it."

With each word, Tian Xiao systematically dismantled the vendor's argument, exposing the weaknesses in his sales pitch. The vendor's face went from red to pale as he realized his bluff had been called.

"Brother, you're not professional," Tian Xiao said, delivering the final blow.

The vendor's face twisted in embarrassment. He could feel the sting of humiliation as Tian Xiao's calculated analysis had stripped away all pretense.

"Eighty thousand, take it or leave it," Tian Xiao said with finality.

The vendor's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine, you win. Eighty thousand, it's yours."