A Fortune in One Stroke

"Elder, how much can I get for this Water Ape's corpse now?"The old man hesitated, eyeing Ronald, and after a moment of silence, he raised two fingers."Two million gold?"Ronald's eyes lit up immediately.The elder froze for a moment before laughing heartily. "My young friend is joking. Even at the 9th rank of Body Refining, how could this mangled corpse be worth two million?""Twenty thousand!""We're willing to offer twenty thousand gold for it!"Ronald knew it wasn't going to be two million, but hearing the twenty thousand, he was still taken aback. He hadn't expected such a large sum for a broken corpse. If the magical crystal was still intact, how much could it fetch?Looking at the elder's expression, Ronald didn't think he was trying to scam him. He could already accept this price, but he put on an expression of hesitation."Elder, the senior who killed this beast took the magic crystal, but he said this beast was an unusual variant, and that its corpse would be quite valuable. He gave it to me as a token of our fate. Honestly, I hold this senior in high regard, and I've been planning to keep the corpse as a memento. If I weren't short on funds…""Who keeps a beast's corpse as a memento?"The elder rolled his eyes, ignoring the rest of Ronald's words. Still, a 9th rank Body Refining beast was rare in Cloud State, and the boy behind it probably had an expert backing him.After a brief moment of thought, the elder said, "Since that senior was so generous, I won't be stingy. I can offer twenty-five thousand, which is the best price I can approve."Ronald knew when to move and when to stay, so he immediately nodded. "Elder, you're generous! Twenty-five thousand it is!"With the deal done, Ronald gestured to the massive pile of beast corpses, stacked like a small mountain. "Elder, these corpses are all yours too, with the magic crystals still intact. Feel free to verify."The elder snapped his fingers, and immediately a servant came over to inspect the corpses.These were all the magical beasts Ronald had casually taken down while traveling south along the Yun Cang River, and he'd stored them in the storage talisman that Liu Chen had given him. There was quite a number of them."Young friend, are you selling those weapons as well?"The elder's eyes gleamed as he looked at another pile of weapons and armor.With his keen vision, he immediately recognized their value. The entire set was made of quality mid-grade mortal tier items, and with the chaotic times, such well-crafted gear could fetch a significant price!Ronald chuckled. "These aren't for sale. I was planning to take them to the auction."The elder's eyes brightened. "Ah, this auction is organized by the Celestial Fox Clan, but my chamber also has a share in it. If you trust me, I can help you auction off the armor and weapons. What do you think?"Ronald hesitated, then asked, "That sounds good, but how much does your chamber take as commission?"The elder smiled. "The chamber takes a flat half percent commission on auctioned goods."After a moment of thought, Ronald nodded. "Alright, I'll leave the gear with your chamber for the auction!""Pleasure doing business!"The elder laughed heartily, pleased with the deal. If the armor and weapons sold well, his cut would be substantial.They chatted briefly before the servant returned with the results of the inspection. The total market price for the corpses and magic crystals was thirty-eight thousand gold. The elder waved his hand, rounding it up to forty thousand. Everyone left happy."Elder, does your chamber sell storage rings or similar items? I'd like to buy one."