Chapter 62: Do You Even Have Any Sincerity?
The reason the Divine Emperor was so enthusiastic was that he had discovered several important pieces of information.
First, Su Xiao had not placed the [Sacred Elegy Ring] on his stall. Second, there were no other large adventure groups nearby. This meant the message was exclusive, sent only to their Divine Emperor Adventure Group.
Undoubtedly, this was a very respectful gesture, and the Divine Emperor certainly wouldn't ruin such a trading atmosphere.
In truth, the Divine Emperor was overthinking things. The reason Su Xiao had only notified the Divine Emperor was twofold: first, he had conducted several transactions with the Divine Emperor before, and from those dealings, he could see that the Divine Emperor was very sincere in trade.
Second, Su Xiao didn't know many adventure groups. Besides the Divine Emperor, there was only the Blood Gate. He absolutely couldn't sell the [Sacred Elegy Ring] to the Blood Gate; that would be aiding the enemy. As for the Black Sail Merchant Guild, those merchants were very unreliable. Buying things from them was risky enough, let alone selling to them.
"This is Mad Fox, and this is Old Goat."
The Divine Emperor briefly introduced his two trusted subordinates before getting straight to the point.
"We, the Divine Emperor, will take this ring. Of course, swallowing this thing will be a tough pill to swallow, but I've already prepared my sincerity."
The Divine Emperor sat cross-legged in front of the stall, facing Su Xiao. Behind him stood Mad Fox and Old Goat. Although Mad Fox had a bad temper within the group, he always showed respect to the Divine Emperor when handling external affairs. Even if he disagreed with some of the Divine Emperor's decisions internally, he wouldn't speak up immediately. Instead, he would clarify things privately with the Divine Emperor. After that, it would be a back-and-forth of fists and flying kicks, and whoever had the 'reason' would prevail. Usually, Mad Fox ended up beaten unconscious.
The relationship between the Divine Emperor and Mad Fox was completely different from that of Stan and Huang Fen. The Divine Emperor Adventure Group also had a well-established chain of interests, but they didn't abandon emotional bonds within the group. They used both methods alternately, balancing kindness with authority.
Light flickered in the Divine Emperor's hand as several items appeared. Although this transaction seemed peaceful, the Divine Emperor was well aware that he was going to get fleeced.
The [Sacred Elegy Ring] was simply too perfect for a team. Although it required all eight pieces to unleash its full power, whenever one piece appeared, no major adventure group would let it slip by.
"Pick from these items."
The Divine Emperor displayed the items in his hand. His expression seemed calm, but inwardly, his heart was bleeding.
[Master's Power]
[Soul Separation (Light Gold Set · Gloves)]
[Wild Inverse Beast (Gold · Long Blade)]
[Soul Shock (Gold Scroll · Control-Type Active Skill · Requires High Intelligence and Charm Attributes)]
[Kinetic Boots (Gold · Footwear · Lightweight Type)]
[Death Shackles (Light Gold · Attack-Type Active Skill)]
...
The Divine Emperor had brought out six items in total, including props, weapons, wearable equipment, control-type skills, and attack-type skills. Undoubtedly, the Divine Emperor was very sincere.
"I can't go into detail about the specific effects of Master's Power. The only information I can give you is that this thing is very important. If you want it, it's a one-for-one trade.
If you don't want Master's Power, I can consider a two-for-one or three-for-one trade for the other items."
The Divine Emperor had no choice but to bring out so many items. The Ascension Set was too important for the team, so its value couldn't be measured by Light Gold sets alone.
However, one thing couldn't be ignored: the [Sacred Elegy Ring] was just a single piece. Owning it wouldn't immediately make them soar; they still needed to collect the remaining seven pieces. As for how many pieces the Divine Emperor Adventure Group had already gathered, that was unknown.
Seeing the items the Divine Emperor had brought out, Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. This guy was surprisingly sincere. The reason for his sincerity was actually to play the emotional card, hoping Su Xiao would go easy on him.
But Su Xiao had already seen through the Divine Emperor's intentions. An unexpected favor was either a bribe or a trap. When he bought the formation diagram from the Divine Emperor before, he might have been slightly overcharged.
"Master's Power + Wild Inverse Beast + Kinetic Boots."
Su Xiao gave up on Soul Separation and the two skill scrolls. Although that control skill was decent, it required 40 points in Charm Attribute. With his Charm Attribute of 9, he immediately judged it as trash.
As for the attack-type skill scroll, it had a somewhat magical nature, so Su Xiao couldn't master that kind of ability.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The Divine Emperor let out a dry cough to ease the awkwardness. Behind him, Mad Fox rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and decided not to speak.
Old Goat stepped forward proactively. It was time for him to play the bad cop.
"Mr. White Night, aren't you being a bit too greedy?"
Old Goat's tone was aggressive, but he wore a smile. This half-joking, half-serious attitude was best suited for the current situation.
"Is that so? Hmm, the price is indeed a bit high."
Su Xiao showed a contemplative expression. Seeing Su Xiao's expression, Old Goat's heart sank. He had already figured out what kind of person Su Xiao was.
"In that case... forget it."
Su Xiao wasn't joking. He made an offer, and if the Divine Emperor's side didn't agree, that was fine. A failed deal wouldn't lead to an immediate fallout; there might still be a chance for future cooperation.
Old Goat sighed inwardly. He had anticipated this situation just a few seconds ago.
"Mr. White Night, we can negotiate the price slowly. There's no need to give up on this transaction directly."
Old Goat began trying to salvage the situation.
"Alright, how do you want to negotiate?"
Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged. The situation was clear: the Divine Emperor Adventure Group would definitely pay a considerable price to buy the [Sacred Elegy Ring]. This was beyond doubt. In fact, not just the Divine Emperor, any large adventure group would be at a disadvantage when purchasing parts of the Ascension Set.
"How to negotiate..."
Old Goat suddenly felt the conversation taking a wrong turn. He had the illusion that the two sides were in a formal negotiation.
For this transaction, Old Goat had long anticipated being fleeced. His only task was to minimize the blood loss for the Divine Emperor Adventure Group.
"How about this: Master's Power + Wild Inverse Beast. I've heard Mr. White Night is a melee fighter who excels with long blades. This blade in your hands will surely shine with a different brilliance."
"Perhaps."
The only use Su Xiao had for this 'Wild Inverse Beast' was to 'feed' it to Dragon-Slaying Flash. As for shining brilliance, when it was crushed by the Supreme Blade, the blade would indeed emit light.
The negotiation reached a deadlock. Old Goat's mind raced. He couldn't figure out what Su Xiao was thinking at all. If he said Su Xiao wasn't sincere, that wasn't true. Earlier, Su Xiao had only contacted them and hadn't put the [Sacred Elegy Ring] up for sale on the stall. That was sincerity.
If he said Su Xiao was sincere, the negotiation had nearly fallen apart just two minutes in. This gave Old Goat a headache. As for the Divine Emperor, his head was pounding, and he temporarily handed over the negotiation task to Old Goat.
Mad Fox was the most relaxed. He sized up Su Xiao, seemingly thinking of something.
"White Night, have you heard about that 'Forgiveness Tank' incident? There's a tough guy named Christmas who slept with Stan's wife. Even more bizarre, Stan's wife seemed to be infatuated with that tough guy named Christmas. I witnessed that whole drama myself."
Mad Fox didn't participate in the price negotiation; instead, he started chatting casually with Su Xiao.
"I've heard a bit about it."
Su Xiao had actually heard more than just a bit. He had learned the full story from Brother Wusan.
"Let me tell you something even funnier. The one who caught them in the act in the real world was me and Huang Fen. Hahaha."
Mad Fox laughed heartily, very boisterously.
Su Xiao looked at Mad Fox with confusion. Based on his understanding, Mad Fox should be the second-in-command of the Divine Emperor Adventure Group, while Huang Fen was the second-in-command of the Blood Gate. Although the two groups weren't mortal enemies, they occasionally had friction. Yet Mad Fox and Huang Fen had actually met in the real world.
You see, catching someone in the act was usually done with close friends. It seemed the relationship between the two wasn't simple.
"You wouldn't believe it. When Huang Fen caught them, his expression was like he had been cuckolded himself. He braved the Scavengers' pursuit to chase down that guy named Christmas. It caused a huge commotion back then."
Mad Fox's laughter became even more mischievous. The Divine Emperor and Old Goat beside him twitched their mouths. They also knew about this incident. The unscrupulous healer Mad Fox had recorded the entire affair on video but hadn't made it public. Only five people within the Divine Emperor Adventure Group had seen that recording.