BXBX NOVEL Chapter 171 Appreciation
"Great job, old man!"
Ikasa patted Feng Yan on his back as they watched the Sense Trainers frantically dig up one Prime Gold Ore after another. Though he had prepared the plan, Ikasa was pleased with how Feng Yan had executed it.
As a precaution, Ikasa was ready to provide back up to Feng Yan in case things go awry. He had brought Xin Ruo and the Kids over for the same purpose.
However, they didn't have to fight, thanks to perfect execution of the plan by Feng Yan.
Ikasa looked at the Sense Trainers who were diligently mining ores. As the piles of ore grew bigger beside his workers, the smile on his face also widened. He was ecstatic to know that all of that ore would end up in his pockets eventually.
The two men watched them for a few more breaths until they noticed a worker reach his limit. He picked up as many ores as he could carry in his satchel and started his journey to the west, where the exit lay.
Feng Yan and Ikasa also nodded at each other and they sneaked away from their hiding spots, toward Xin Ruo and the Kids.
—------
"Moony, wait! Where are you going?"
Xin Ruo shouted as she chased after the little critter. He had separated from the group as soon as Ikasa and Feng Yan had left to oversee the workers.
Gru! Gru!
Moony growled, as he came to a stop near a shrub. It had a dark colored energy outline and bluish white energy spots. Xin Ruo crouched down beside Moony and studied the shrub.
"Starry Night berries?"
She muttered as she plucked one of the bluish white spots from the shrub. Moony looked at the berry expectantly, as if he could not wait to gobble it up.
Xin Ruo tossed the slightly soft and squishy berry to Moony, who jumped and accurately caught the berry in his mouth. As soon as he had finished eating, Moony's dark blue energy outline became more pronounced.
"So, these berries can help you recover your energy?"
Xin Ruo asked, bewildered. As far as she knew, Starry Night Berries could cause one's vision to darken when eaten. Now she discovered that they could also help Moony!
"This will allow Moony to exert more strength. In case others target us for the amount of Prime Gold in our possession, this will help us repel them!"
The girl now looked at the worthless berries as if they were a treasure! She quickly plucked all the Starry Night berries from the shrub and tied them inside her robe.
Moony saw Xin Ruo steal all his berries and he let out a frustrated growl.
"I will keep them for you. When you do a good job, I will give them to you. Okay?"
Xin Ruo consoled, gently patting his head. She gave him a berry to assuage him and picked up the rest of the berries, ignoring Moony's expression that seemed to be asking for more.
The little fox looked at the satchel in Xin Ruo's hands with longing and then at the shrub. It was the only one of its kind in the vicinity. His ears drooped as he followed her back obediently to their cave.
—---
"This Steel Guardian Beast is so large? How could've Brother Ikasa and Uncle Feng killed it?"
Pei Yuan muttered as he and Hei Ying gauged the size of the humongous corpse lying in the cave.
"With good cooperation…"
"I oneshot it!"
Feng Yan and Ikasa spoke at the same time as soon as they entered the cave. Only Yan Xiao heard their gaffe as Pei Yuan and Hei Ying still had not activated their Spiritual Hearing.
Soon, Xin Ruo also arrived with Moony. When she told the two men about her discovery, Ikasa could not help but praise Moony.
"You are the best, Moony! Hahaha!"
Ikasa said, spoiling the little fox with pats on his head.
While Ikasa played with the Fox, Feng Yan readied Xin Ruo and the kids for departure from the rift. Luo Qiqi and Chu Qing cheered the loudest while the other three also could not help but feel relieved.
They hurriedly gathered their bags and within a few breaths, they had left behind their base in the Mountain Range.
—----
"Look at those bulging bags shining with golden light. It must be the Prime Gold Ore!"
"Have the fortunes of the Sui Family thinned so much that they sent their Elder to mine inside the Rift?"
"Hey! Look, it is not just the Sui Family's third Elder; There are more heading this way! I need to report this to the Young Master."
People from the other factions were astonished to see nine Sense trainers approach the exit with their bags full of the most precious mineral found in this Rift.
Some ridiculed them out of envy while others became greedy and contacted their factions. A few directly tried to approach them and buy the ore from their hands.
"Elder Sui, I did not know your family was facing troubles. I am willing to buy all the ore you have. Just name the price."
A relatively younger man from the He Family approached Elder Sui, the first of the Sense Trainers who arrived near the exit.
Though the Sui family was much weaker than the He Family, they were still a genuine power of a tier-2 city. As an Elder, he could not let this trash insult his family and sully their reputation.
The old man's beard trembled as he roared at the young Sense Trainer, "Scram!"
After his violent roar, Sense Realm Experts from other factions gave up on approaching the old man. He was not the only one who had a bag full of Prime Gold Ore.
They set their sites on one of the unaffiliated Sense Trainers who arrived.
"Mu Shi would like to purchase all the Prime Gold Ore you have. Name the Price!"
Another arrogant Sense Trainer tried to pressure the helpless unaffiliate using the name of Mu Shi. But if the unaffiliate was so easily pressured, he would not have survived in the world without a backing.
The unaffiliate glared at the man who was from some third tier force. He took a step closer, deflating the arrogance of Mu Shi's man.
"Golden Bell-Fruit. Or Breakthrough to Chakra Sensing Realm. Can your Master help me get either?"
As if knowing the answer, the unaffiliated cultivator went to sit near the Sui Family's Elder.
His firm attitude left the man following Mu Shi tongue-tied. He could only glare hatefully at the vagrant cultivator as he was not a match for him.
Soon, all of the Ikasa's workers had gathered at the exit. When they sat together, the eyes of the people were dazzled by the Prime Gold Ore in their bags.
And then the Auctioneer arrived.
Ikasa took the lead to greet the Sense Trainers gathered away from the other factions. He had taken on the role of auctioneer to prevent another brawl where these desperate oldies may jump on Feng Yan.
With his honeyed voice, Ikasa began to speak.
"Thank you for your patience, respected Sense Trainers. The Golden Heart Business Group has been assigned to conduct the auction for the Golden Bell Fruit…"
None of these people had heard the name of the Golden Heart Business Group before. So, they were confused by Ikasa's appearance instead of Feng Yan.
One of the impatient Sense Trainers rudely interrupted Ikasa.
"Where is that other guy?"
Ikasa narrowed his eyes at the cyan colored figure. He was the same guy who had plucked the fruit first.
"He will only meet with the winner of the auction to give him the fruit."
This was the explanation Ikasa had prepared. It satisfied the group.
"Any other questions?"
Ikasa asked, scanning the Sense Trainers gathered. They had all quietened and now waited for the auction to begin.
The young man acquiesced to their desire and announced the rules of the auction.
"We only have one Golden Bell Fruit for sale. So, only the Prime Gold ore you have here with you, will be counted. If you bid higher than what you can pay, your bid will be disqualified."
Ikasa took a long pause and let his words sink in. Then he declared, "Now let's begin the auction."
Since everyone knew what they were bidding for, there was no need for introduction. Bids began to pour in as soon as the auction began.
"I have 85 nuggets weighing about 16 dings in total."
The Cultivators used standardized cauldrons called ding as a unit of measurement. Each cauldron was around 1 kg. So when they shouted ding, Ikasa converted them automatically to Kgs in his head.
"63 ores weighing 18 dings!"
"103 pieces of ore weighing 19 dings!"
Each bid made him smile wider. Ikasa looked at the rest of the silent cultivators expectantly. Their bags indeed looked lighter, but he was not going to underestimate them.
Four cultivators huddled together and then the Sui Family's Elder announced a shocking bid.
"204 ores weighing about 29 dings!"