The Deceitful One

A burly figure in a brown robe stood up from his seat and looked around the room. His eyes then landed on Bryan after recognizing his white smiley mask.

"I have found 50 grams of Dusk Crab's Crystal." He said in a deep voice.

Bryan was elated after suddenly hearing that one of the main ingredients for his Rank 1 potion recipe was finally available for sale. Although he only needed 40 grams, having an additional 10 grams was always better, should anything go wrong.

He almost jumped to his feet in sheer excitement, however, he managed to control his emotions. He replied nonchalantly, trying his best to suppress his eagerness, "Very well, how much?"

If the seller sensed any hint of enthusiasm in Bryan's voice then he would definitely charge a higher price.

The seller would then be under the impression that the main ingredient was something Bryan was really looking forward to.

"200 pounds." The man in the brown robe replied, leaving no room for negotiation.

Bryan thought that the price was fair. The usual prices for the main ingredients for Rank 1 were around 200 pounds whereas the potion recipes and meditation techniques for Rank 1 were around 300 pounds.

And with every increase in ranks, the prices of potion recipes and mediation techniques also doubled.

He pretended to hesitate for a few moments and finally replied with a defeated sigh, "Deal."

The seller was happy as well after seeing that Bryan had agreed to the deal. Little did he know, even if he charged a hundred times the price, Bryan could still afford it.

Both the seller and Bryan then approached the convener who was wearing a light blue robe and was sitting on a cushioned couch.

The former then respectfully gave the Dusk Crab's Crystal which was sealed inside a small red box to the convener.

The convener took the red box from his hand and opened the lid. Inside, there was a black-colored trigonal crystal the size of an infant's fist. The convener then brought his left index finger which had a golden ring on it close to the black crystal.

The golden ring shone for a brief moment and then went dim. The convener then looked at Bryan and nodded, "It is authentic."

Bryan nodded back and then turned to the brown-robed burly figure standing beside him and paid 200 pounds in cash, "Thank you."

The seller didn't bother to reply as he was too busy counting the money. Bryan took back the red box that contained the Dusk Crab's Crystal from the convener and then went back to his seat.

On his way back, he was thinking about the gold ring that the convener wore which was in fact an artifact.

Over the past few secret gatherings that Bryan had attended, he had come to realize that the conveners of these gatherings almost always had a Rule Path artifact on them.

One of the abilities of this Path was that of a notary. Transcendents of this Path could determine the authenticity of almost everything material. The artifacts of this Path could also do the same.

After both Bryan and the brown-robed seller got back to their respective seats, the convention continued as a lot of different items were bought and sold.

Bryan also bought a dozen throwing knives from one of the sellers. These knives were not artifacts, they were simply made of a very durable and sturdy kind of metal. The knives were about 6 inches long and had a ring at the bottom.

Since they were just regular weapons, after constant bargaining, Bryan bought them for 100 pounds. The reason why they were this expensive was because of the metal used to craft them.

Looking at the hollow ring at the base of the knives, Bryan had a few creative ideas about how to utilize them. He couldn't wait to try it out in the practice area of the underground HQ.

About ten minutes later another weapon appeared that greatly piqued Bryan's interest. And this time it was a legit artifact!

A curvy red-robed figure got up from her seat and displayed a brown briefcase to the people present. She opened the briefcase and showed the contents inside to everyone.

Inside the briefcase, atop a cyan-colored silk cloth, lay a pistol that had a silver metallic barrel and a grip whose outer casing was made of wood.

The barrel had beautiful and intricate designs carved on them along with mysterious runes. When Bryan saw this pistol, he had already decided on buying it regardless of how expensive it was.

The red-robed lady then introduced in a sweet melodic voice, "This is a Rank 1 attack-type artifact. It is made up of Chrome Ore along with the bark of a 500-year-old Yew tree.

The runes inscribed on the barrel of the pistol automatically enchant any normal bullets that are fired."

She paused for a few moments, waiting for everyone to digest the information. She then added,

"The runes serve two purposes. Firstly, it enchants the bullet with a penetration effect. Even if it's a 10-inch protective barrier, the bullet will penetrate it until it reaches the target.

And secondly, the bullets will have an explosion effect. The more spiritual force applied, the bigger the explosion upon impact will be."

A collective gasp could be heard within the room. Even the convener was slightly moved after listening to the effects of this gun.

With the second effect of the runes activated, the user could effectively get the results of a cannon shot simply using this pistol.

The red-robed seller was greatly satisfied with the response of the crowd as she concisely stated, "500 pounds."

Attack-type Rank 1 artifacts were usually sold for around 500 pounds and would double in price with the increase in ranks. However, in secret gatherings, the price always exceeded the ideal sale price due to the bidding.

And as expected, the moment the seller offered her price, the people gathered had already started to bid frantically, not wanting to be outdone by the others present.

After all, with such a precious Rank 1 artifact, who wouldn't want to own it?

"510 pounds!"

"530 pounds!"

"550!"

"565!"

"I bid 600 pounds!" Exclaimed a lean figure wearing a black robe as well as a mask of the same color.

Upon hearing the person's bid, the rest of the people turned silent. 600 pounds was a lot of money. Although they really fancied this pistol, no one else was willing to pay 600 pounds or more for it.

Seeing that no one else planned to bid anymore, the black-robed lean figure started chuckling arrogantly as he approached the red-robed seller.

However, right at that moment, Bryan raised his voice, "700 pounds!"

Earlier, while buying the Dusk Crab's Crystal, Bryan had pretended to acquiesce because he didn't want to give the seller a chance to raise the price.

However, now he had shed all pretenses. He had to acquire this pistol no matter what!

The black-robed lanky figure glared at Bryan and spat through gritted teeth, "720 pounds."

Bryan scoffed, "800 pounds."

"You dare!?" The lanky figure finally lost his composure and directed his killing intent at Bryan. However, the very next moment he was brutally suppressed by the convener's spiritual force as he was forced to kneel on the ground.

"Final warning." The convener ordered in a cold voice.