Book 5: Chapter 55: The Cheap Supermarket

“It’s her!” Qin Lun looked at the prompt on the Identity Plate and was a bit surprised. The one contacting him was the high-rank female Apostle who had given him suggestions twice before—Kelly, the vice-leader of the core sub-team of the large organization “Lost.”

“Has she not given up? No, setting aside this experience in Nals World, based on Shattered Starry Sky’s time calculation, she just spoke with me two days ago. She probably wouldn’t make another invitation to join the team right away! Then this time’s active contact couldn’t be…”

Qin Lun’s heart stirred. He pushed open the door and walked toward the Projector in the main hall.

At this time, Didi and Frank had already returned from outside. The two were each holding a large plate of fruit, munching happily on the sofa, looking very joyful and content.

“Master, um, you have many messages… cough, cough!” Seeing Qin Lun appear at the stairway, Didi struggled to swallow the mouthful of fruit flesh. He swallowed too quickly and almost choked himself.

“Little guy, are you okay!” Frank quickly put down his fruit plate and patted Didi’s back, his face full of worry.

“Big guy, I’m fine!” Didi finally recovered and let out a long breath. It seemed the two had gotten very close in just half a day. Compared to Qin Lun, Didi seemed to have no fear of Frank, who was also an Apostle, and the hunchbacked servant also seemed very willing to get close to the little guy.

“Young master, the things in the servant’s warehouse…” Frank’s voice sounded in Qin Lun’s Apostle Soul Mark. Because they had formed a master-servant Apostle relationship, they both knew each other’s Apostle numbers and could communicate directly through the Apostle Soul Mark, equivalent to their own private Team Channel.

“Oh, those are things I put in there. Since you see me as young master, you must be a good steward for the two of us!” Qin Lun said with a smile.

“Mm, young master!” Frank showed no resistance to the role of steward. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “But… young master, if I die, the things inside…”

“Frank, if the young master is a warrior, then you are my strongest shield. If even the shield breaks, then the warrior will naturally fall!” Qin Lun’s eyes flashed as he said slowly, “So… don’t die, Frank!”

The hunchbacked servant fell silent, lowered his head, and fiercely bit into the fruit from his plate.

Qin Lun smiled slightly. Frank’s personality was not that of an outstanding Apostle. If he wasn’t made to bear the weight of two lives, he didn’t have a strong fighting desire. Sooner or later, he would die at the hands of an enemy due to his kindness and soft-heartedness.

Seeing the big guy suddenly look deeply troubled, Didi seemed to sense something and fell silent. He took the Projector from the main hall and handed it to Qin Lun.

Qin Lun turned on the Projector, flipped through it casually, and raised his eyebrows. The few items he had just put up for consignment at the Auction House at noon already had buyers. The two Skill Scrolls and the Beast King’s Hunting Bow he placed in the display section actually had hundreds of message comments!

What surprised him most was that the Skull Coin, Gladiator’s Leather Armor, and Combat Gauge not only had buyers but also many bidders.

So-called bidders meant multiple people wanted to buy the same auction item, and the auction price kept rising. Although this was a real auction, it rarely happened at the Devil’s Horn Auction House.

The reason was that the Devil’s Horn Auction House didn’t have real auctioneers; it was automatic consignment. When Apostles set the base price for items, they usually set it high. If someone needed it, they would naturally leave a message. After some negotiation between the two sides, the item would be sold at a reasonable price.

However, all three items Qin Lun consigned this time had bidders. The Combat Gauge, which he set with the highest base price of 20,000 Shattered Crystals, now far exceeded that, with the latest price at 30,000 Shattered Crystals. The slightly damaged purple Gladiator’s Leather Armor had even fiercer competition, with the latest price breaking to 50,000 Shattered Crystals.

But the Gladiator’s Leather Armor wasn’t the item with the highest premium. The Skull Coin, which Qin Lun cared about the least, actually had a 15-fold premium. The base price of 1,000 Shattered Crystals was raised to 15,000 Shattered Crystals, making Qin Lun’s eyes nearly pop out.

By now, Qin Lun understood that these three items probably had aspects he wasn’t fully aware of.

“So that’s it!” Qin Lun pondered for a moment and began scrolling through the message comments on the Projector. Seeing that Kelly, the high-rank female Apostle who had previously invited him to join “Lost,” was still online, he immediately sent a connection request.

“Hehe, you’re finally awake!” Kelly’s charming voice soon came from the other side of the Projector.

Apostles were different from normal people. Due to entering and leaving Quest Worlds, their sleep times were completely chaotic. If they didn’t handle important messages promptly, there was a ninety percent chance they were resting.

“Did you need something from me?” Qin Lun spoke to Kelly with great respect.

Although he held an indifferent attitude toward everything, for those who had taught him things, even if Qin Lun didn’t feel respect, he would still show a humble attitude. That way, others would feel favorable and continue to offer him help and advice.

“These items are the ones you consigned at the Auction House, right?” Kelly operated the Projector for a moment, and six items immediately appeared on it. Not only were there the three items Qin Lun consigned, but also the three equipment skills he placed in the display section.

“Yes, is there something among them that you need?” Qin Lun’s eyes flashed as he asked with a smile.

“Just as I thought!” Kelly let out a light, charming laugh. “When I saw that familiar contact number below, I couldn’t believe it at first, but it really is you!”

“This… is there a problem?” Qin Lun awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had a feeling that perhaps this high-rank female Apostle would tell him some things he still didn’t know!

“Problem? Haha, of course, and it’s a big problem!” Kelly laughed until she trembled. After calming down for a moment, she said with emotion, “I remember our first conversation was about how the World Tree Fruit could be transformed into an Elf Bloodline, right?”

“Mm, yes!” Qin Lun replied cautiously.

“The second time, I gave you some advice about career paths!” Kelly said with a complex look in her eyes. “To have obtained those items… I believe you’ve successfully completed your Class Change… Your progress is the fastest… Judging from your several consigned items, you undertake an Otherworld Mission at most every 20 days, and each time you gain a lot…”

“What… are you trying to say?” Qin Lun narrowed his eyes and asked warily.

“No need to be so careful; I’m not that interested in you!” Kelly rolled her eyes in annoyance. “You work hard, but you really should go out more. Like an ordinary Apostle, have a few drinks at entertainment venues after missions, exchange some information with other Apostles. Otherwise, you’ll lack a lot of necessary common knowledge!”

“You mean…”

“You’ve been to the Auction House many times. Don’t you find it strange? Devil’s Horn has nearly twenty thousand Apostles, over a thousand Apostle teams big and small, including many High-Rank Apostles. But in the Auction House, there are almost no high-level Skill Scrolls or Legendary Items. Even Dark Gold Equipment is mostly stuff with low practicality…”

Qin Lun slowly frowned. He had only been through four Quest Worlds and had only conducted transactions at the Auction House three times. Once was exchanging the Hexagonal Prism Shield for the FN-500 and the Shahbakh Ring; once was exchanging the Dark Gold Helmet and Exemption Token for three Skill Scrolls; and the last time was the transaction for Burial of Light and Darkness.

However, with Kelly saying this, he really did feel that way. The Dark Gold FN-500 he bought had poor applicability, and Burial of Light and Darkness had terrifying consumption. Except for the Thorn Technique, the other Skill Scrolls were obtained through item exchanges during transactions, not from the Auction House.

“Are you saying that Professional Apostles have another trading place? The Devil’s Horn Auction House is just a place to sell low-level equipment and items?” Qin Lun thought for a moment and grasped Kelly’s meaning.

“Hehe, you’re clever! The Devil’s Horn Auction House was set up by the city management authority. Consigning items there requires a fee. Of course, the fee is very low, and most Apostles don’t mind it much. The key is that trading items there leaves transaction records. That’s what makes people concerned!”

Kelly said with a smile, “Basically, very few Apostles are willing to expose their equipment and skills in this way. Moreover, when Apostles grow to a certain stage, they not only know many companions but also many enemies. If one day you get a Legendary Equipment that you can’t use yourself, would you rather trade it among friends or consign it indiscriminately at the Auction House?”

Qin Lun fell silent. This was indeed a problem. If he got a Legendary Equipment he couldn’t use and had to trade it, he would definitely want a friendly Apostle to get it, rather than have an enemy secretly purchase it and use it against him.

“It seems you understand now. The Devil’s Horn Auction House is just a supermarket, a supermarket selling cheap items. Besides Apostles like you who lack common knowledge, generally only uninitiated Junior Apostles go there to select equipment and skills. Apostles who have stepped onto the professional path have other real trading places.”

Kelly covered her mouth with a light laugh. “The equipment items you threw into the Auction House this afternoon—the three consigned ones are still ordinary, but the three displayed ones are already core equipment skills for Professional Apostles. Especially that longbow and the corresponding Bow Dance Technique. Not to mention Junior Apostles, even Second Order Professional Apostles are very interested. Those are core items for an archer’s profession. You must have received a lot of messages by now…”

“I see…” Qin Lun forced a bitter smile. So that’s where those hundreds of messages came from.

“Good that you understand. I’ve told you so much; shouldn’t you prioritize selling the items to me?” Kelly winked slyly and deliberately pushed out her full chest. “There are benefits for you!”