Chapter 11: Short of Money
In the living room of the Castel family, candlelight shone brightly as a beautiful maidservant brought up a dish. A group of people clinked glasses and chatted warmly and politely with one another.
Linley had received an aristocratic education since childhood, so he understood these matters. On the surface, he conversed politely with the various nobles, but deep down, he was rather weary of it all.
"Duke Berna, please make yourself at home."
Linley greeted Duke Berna and then walked away, heading directly toward the patriarch of the Lucas family, Marquis Jeb. When Marquis Jeb saw Linley approaching, he knew that the matter of the warblade 'Slaughter' was unavoidable.
Linley and Marquis Jeb moved to seats at the edge of the living room.
"Marquis Jeb, I believe your nephew has already informed you of my purpose here," Linley said humbly.
Marquis Jeb sighed softly. "Linley, I am an old man now, and I truly hate to part with this collection."
"Marquis Jeb, the Baruch family has a history of over five thousand years. I have always been proud to be a member of the Baruch family. Yet now, as the family has been passed down to this day, the heirloom treasure, the warblade 'Slaughter,' has been lost. I can tell you plainly, Marquis Jeb, that our family has been striving to recover the warblade 'Slaughter' all along. The reason I have trained so diligently since childhood is, in large part, because of this family heirloom."
Although Linley's voice was calm, the determination in his words was unmistakable.
"I understand, I understand." Marquis Jeb forced a faint smile.
Of course, the other party wanted to reclaim their family's heirloom. Marquis Jeb also knew that if he stubbornly refused to hand over the warblade 'Slaughter,' the Lucas family would incur the wrath of this seventeen-year-old youth.
Marquis Jeb was well aware of this young man's 'influence.'
Not to mention the Radiant Church, even the Dawson Conglomerate could easily crush the Lucas family.
"Linley. The warblade 'Slaughter' is an extremely valuable collection. Someone once offered me a million gold coins for it, and I still couldn't bear to sell it." Marquis Jeb shifted the topic to 'money.' "Although the Lucas family is ancient, to be honest, our wealth is not that great."
Linley was well aware of this. According to Yale's investigations, the Lucas family was very old and held great influence in the Kingdom of Fenlai. However, their wealth was far inferior to that of the 'Kalan' Debbs family.
Asking a family that wasn't particularly wealthy to simply hand over a treasure worth a million gold coins was somewhat unrealistic.
"Money?" Linley breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
If it was just a matter of money, then things wouldn't be difficult.
"Marquis Jeb. You originally spent gold coins to purchase the 'Slaughter' warblade. Now, I will naturally offer a sum that will satisfy you. Of course, I also hope that Marquis Jeb won't be too greedy, hehe." Linley said with a chuckle.
Marquis Jeb's face broke into a smile.
The warblade 'Slaughter' had to be given to him, but at the very least, he should get some gold coins in return.
"Linley, since you treat the Lucas family with such sincerity, the Lucas family will also show you respect. Although this warblade 'Slaughter' is worth a million gold coins, as long as you pay sixty thousand gold coins, you may take it away." Marquis Jeb said generously.
Sixty thousand gold coins?
Compared to the value of the warblade 'Slaughter,' it was indeed not expensive.
However, Linley's current income from stone sculptures only amounted to a little over two hundred thousand gold coins. He had indeed brought back many magical beast cores from the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts this time, but those cores were probably only worth around a hundred thousand gold coins. Even combined, it wasn't enough.
Linley still had some valuable items on him—
Blueheart Grass and the magical beast core of the Saint-level Violet-Lined Black Bear!
Linley still had over a hundred stalks of Blueheart Grass, each worth tens of thousands of gold coins. As for the Saint-level magical beast core, that went without saying. A Saint-level magical beast core was a priceless treasure, far more expensive than a ninth-rank magical beast core.
In the past, the price for a ninth-rank magical beast core was set at five million gold coins. That was according to records. In reality, a good ninth-rank magical beast core could cost nearly ten million gold coins!
As for a Saint-level magical beast core, even if someone offered a hundred million gold coins, they might not be able to buy one.
A priceless treasure!
Linley certainly wouldn't take out the Saint-level magical beast core for this reason. As for Blueheart Grass, it was also very important to the Dragonblood Warrior family, and every single stalk should be treasured.
The 'Awakening from the Dream' stone sculpture!
This thought suddenly flashed through Linley's mind. His feelings toward the 'Awakening from the Dream' stone sculpture were very complicated. In fact, Linley himself didn't even want to look at it. That was why he had entrusted the sculpture to Yale for safekeeping.
"Sell it." Linley suddenly made this decision. A thought even crossed his mind—"I wonder what Alice would think if she saw this sculpture?"
Linley consulted Delin Kowitz.
"Linley, it's a good idea to sell this 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture," Delin Kowitz replied. "You don't want to look at it anyway, and if you keep it with you, it will only make you think about it constantly. It's better to sell it outright. Besides... it will also help spread the fame of the 'Flat Blade School' that I founded."
Linley smiled.
"Marquis Jeb, rest assured, the sixty thousand gold coins will be brought to you soon. I hope that during this time, you won't sell the 'Slaughter' warblade to anyone else," Linley said sincerely.
Marquis Jeb quickly agreed. "Linley, you can rest assured. Even if someone offers two million gold coins, I won't sell it."
If it weren't for Linley's identity, would Marquis Jeb have been willing to sell it at all?
******
In the office of Ostoni at the Proulx Gallery.
"What? You're willing to sell that stone sculpture?" Ostoni's eyes were filled with shock and ecstasy.
Linley nodded slightly. Beside him, Yale looked at Linley helplessly.
Yale and Linley had grown up together since childhood, and Yale knew Linley's character very well. Linley was extremely loyal and valued relationships with others, and he also disliked being indebted to anyone. This time, Yale had been prepared to lend Linley a few hundred thousand gold coins.
But as Linley put it, "I don't want to see this 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture anymore. It's better to sell it."
Yale also thought to himself that if the 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture were sold, Linley's reputation would spread, and his status would rise accordingly. That would be a good thing. So, he didn't insist on lending Linley the gold coins.
"Good, good." Ostoni said excitedly, "Linley, rest assured, our gallery won't charge a single gold coin in commission for this sculpture."
"I need to receive the gold coins from the auction within seven days," Linley stated his requirement directly.
Ostoni said confidently, "You can rest assured. Starting tomorrow, our Proulx Gallery will arrange a five-day exhibition and spread the news about this 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture to every wealthy individual. On the seventh day, we will hold a public auction."
Linley nodded.
"Yale, let's go." After officially handing over the 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture to the Proulx Gallery, Linley felt as if something was missing in his heart, but at the same time, he felt a little lighter.
******
In the main hall of the Proulx Gallery.
Count Juno came to the Proulx Gallery almost every morning. He would first appreciate the works in the ordinary exhibition hall, then move on to the 'Expert Hall' and the 'Master Hall.' But when Count Juno entered the gallery today, he noticed...
"Huh? Why are so many people gathered in the Master Hall?" Count Juno found it a bit strange.
In the Master Hall, there were always just a few exhibition pieces. Over time, naturally, fewer people came to see them. Unless a master had a new work, the Master Hall would become lively again.
"Could there be a new work by a master?" Count Juno's heart warmed, and he immediately walked toward the Master Hall.
It was only a little past eight in the morning. Normally, there were very few people in the Proulx Gallery, but the Master Hall was already packed with dozens of people. All of them were staring in awe at the exhibition piece in the center of the Master Hall.
Beside this exhibition piece, eighteen powerful warriors stood guard.
"Such a strong attraction? Which master's new work is this?" Count Juno squeezed to the front and took a close look.
Count Juno's eyes immediately widened as he stared fixedly at the large stone sculpture before him. In that instant, Count Juno seemed to see five living people—lovable, cute, shy, charmingly seductive, and coldly aloof.
Count Juno was immersed in that strange feeling for a while before he snapped out of it.
"A masterpiece, a masterwork!" Count Juno exclaimed inwardly.
With over a hundred years of appreciation experience, Count Juno could naturally feel the soul-stirring quality of this sculpture. But when he carefully examined and appraised the piece, his eyes lit up. "This carving style... isn't it that of Linley, the genius from the Ernst Institute of Magic?"
Just from the carving style, Count Juno could identify the sculptor.
Count Juno was very familiar with Linley because he had bought the three pieces Linley first placed in the Proulx Gallery. Later, Linley's works were moved to the 'Expert Hall,' with each piece worth nearly six thousand gold coins.
The magical genius of the Ernst Institute, and he was only seventeen years old.
Count Juno had made over ten thousand gold coins from that first transaction alone. Naturally, he paid close attention to this Linley.
"It really is him." Count Juno looked at the lower left corner of the sculpture and saw the words 'Linley' engraved there.
On the other side of the sculpture, there was an introduction, mainly about Linley—
"The sculptor of this piece, 'Linley,' is seventeen years old and a graduate of the Ernst Institute of Magic. At just seventeen, Linley is already a seventh-rank dual-element magician. He is the absolute number one magical genius on the entire Yulan continent today. Even in the ten-thousand-year history of the Yulan continent, Linley is the second-greatest magical genius."
"However, Linley's achievements are not limited to the field of magic. His accomplishments in the field of stone sculpture are even greater. At seventeen years old, this 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture fully possesses the soul of a masterwork. Especially since this piece is a large-scale stone sculpture, its value is even more immeasurable. Coupled with the fact that its creator is a seventeen-year-old super magical genius, the value of this 'Awakening from the Dream' sculpture is self-evident."
"Our Proulx Gallery is honored to have received Linley's authorization. This piece will be exhibited for five days, and on the 421st, that is, after the exhibition, our Proulx Gallery will hold a public auction."
Seeing this introduction, Count Juno understood—
"The nobles and wealthy of the Yulan continent will surely be tempted." Count Juno also knew that this piece was definitely not something someone of his level could afford to buy.
"Seventh-rank dual-element magician? Seventeen years old?" Seeing this introduction, Count Juno couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
At the same time, he felt even more admiration for this 'Linley.'
A person who could achieve such success in two fields at once was truly worthy of admiration.
"This stone sculpture, in terms of its level, should be comparable to a masterwork. Plus, its large size... and especially the fact that its creator is only seventeen years old and the second-greatest magical genius in Yulan continent history. It seems a sky-high price is about to appear." Count Juno already had an expectation in his heart.
"April twenty-first!" Count Juno was looking forward to that day.
As time passed, more and more people gathered in the 'Master Hall.' Many super-wealthy individuals living in the holy capital quickly learned of this matter.
......
In Ostoni's office.
"Please convey to His Majesty Veld that I really cannot make a decision on this matter. If His Majesty truly wishes to obtain this stone sculpture, please come to buy it on the twenty-first." Ostoni sent away an envoy from a certain kingdom's king.
After the envoy left, Ostoni's face darkened.
"Ridiculous. Offering only a million gold coins and wanting to buy this sculpture outright? What a joke. Yesterday, His Majesty 'Clyde' of the Kingdom of Fenlai sent someone to offer three million gold coins!"
In just three days of exhibition, over a dozen big shots had already tried to buy the sculpture in advance.
"On the twenty-first, a truly astronomical price will probably appear," Ostoni thought to himself.