Roulan's eyes snapped open. She could feel the barrier rapidly breaking. Being at the peak of the master realm, it didn't take much for her to break through to the grand-master realm.
She left the courtyard, heading for the open training grounds. Choosing to face her tribulation where Kieran faced his only hours before.
"This is the third time in three days." Someone exclaimed as their eyes once again turned to the skies.
Roulan sat cross-legged, waiting for her tribulation to come. After talking with Baixue, she felt confident that the sphere would help her pull through.
She braced herself, watching as arcs of lightning snaked their way through the clouds, slowly gathering strength. Then, the first bolt fell, and the dragon tattoo around her navel came to life, swimming beneath her skin, helping her resist the tribulation as the sphere began to rotate and absorb the excess energy.
----
A few miles away from the Long clan, in the business district of Long City, Kieran and Baixue looked into the distance, watching as the tribulation bolts fell. They knew Roulan was facing her tribulation because they could feel energy pouring into the sphere.
"Master, the quality of the fruits and herbs is improving." Sindra's playful voice sounded in his mind.
"That means there's more money to be made," Kieran replied to Sindra with a smile.
"Will she be ok?" Baixue asked when she noticed Kieran smiling.
"Yes, she will," Kieran replied, taking her hand in his. "Let's go."
The two were soon standing before the magnificent doors of the Golden Clover Auction, but before they could go in, they were stopped by guards.
All three guards were tall with broad shoulders, their silver uniforms were neat and clean. The only thing out of place for Kieran was the matching sneer they all wore, their arrogant expressions showing how much they enjoyed their position of authority.
The Golden Clover Merchant Guild, which was in charge of the auction house, was a massive establishment operating in many cities across the four territories. Wielding considerable power and influence, making some of their members extremely arrogant.
"Hold it right there," one of them said, his voice gruff. "This isn't a place for just anyone to walk into."
Kieran sighed, glancing at Baixue, who looked annoyed. He stepped forward, his tone calm but firm. "We have business with your auction house."
He smiled faintly, a Phoenix fruit appearing on his palm. The fruit gleamed with an almost ethereal glow, radiating a faint energy that even the guards couldn't ignore.
The guards froze, their eyes widening as they stared at the fruit. Their arrogance quickly faded, replaced by shock and a hint of fear.
"Can we go in now?" Kieran asked calmly.
The guards exchanged nervous glances before stepping aside. "Welcome to the Golden Clover Auction House," they muttered, their voices suddenly polite.
After Kieran and Baixue walked past the guards, the three fell to their knees when they noticed the pattern on the back of Kieran's coat. A golden dragon, something only direct line descendants of the Long Clan can wear.
After passing through the doors, they found themselves in the reception area. A man approached them with a smile before they could get to the receptionist.
"Welcome to the Golden Clover Auction House. I am Sheamus. How can I be of service?"
"I am Kieran Long, this is my wife, Baixue," Kieran replied with a smile. "We are here to sell some items."
Sheamus immediately recognized the two names; in his line of work, it was good to stay informed.
"Thank you for choosing our auction house. What do you want to sell?"
Kieran noticed that his voice had become more respectful while Sheamus was wondering how the waste of the Long Clan was now an early-stage Virdian realm expert.
"Spiritual fruits and herbs," Kieran replied, a Phoenix tear fruit appearing in his hand.
Sheamus's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the fruit. His smile faltering for a moment, but he quickly masked his surprise with a neutral expression.
"Please follow me to the appraisal counter. I'll have these evaluated right away."
He gestured for them to follow him, his mind racing with possibilities. If the fruit was of good quality, it would be a rare find, fetching an extraordinary price. However, if it turned out to be low quality, the reputation of the auction house could be at risk.
He led them to the appraisal room, where a middle-aged man sat with a serious expression. He glanced at them as they entered.
"Master Sheamus," he greeted respectfully.
"Please appraise this fruit," he said, his voice steady, though a slight edge of urgency lingered.
The appraiser nodded and carefully took the fruit from Kieran's hands, examined it carefully using a device with intricate patterns. He didn't speak at first, his focus intense. After a few moments, he nodded again, his eyes widening slightly.
"This is... remarkable," he said, his voice tinged with surprise. "A 5000-year-old Phoenix tear fruit, and it is in the best condition ."
"I have more," Kieran said, producing 9 more fruits and the herbs he had put aside to sell, and placing them before the appraiser.
Sheamus's breath caught, a smile tugging at his lips. Kieran couldn't have come at a better time, since they had a major event in three days.
The appraiser continued his work, his smile only widening with every passing moment. The final result was that everything was above 5000 years, with some even reaching 7000 years.
"I will handle them with the utmost care," Sheamus said. "Kindly follow me, master Kieran."
Kieran and Baixue followed Sheamus to a private room, where Sheamus got down to business as soon as he sat down.
"Our auction house is organizing a major event in three days, I plan to put some of your items up for auction then," Sheamus said, carefully watching Kieran's expression. "We are willing to pay you 70% of the proceeds."
Kieran remained silent, waiting for Sheamus to continue.
"80% is the highest we can go," Sheamus spoke again.
Kieran finally smiled. "That's a good deal."
Sheamus let out a sigh of relief. Dealing with Kieran was not as easy as he thought.
"Can I attend the auction?" Kieran asked after the two shook hands.
"Of course," Sheamus replied with a smile. He pulled a gold-plated envelope out of his storage ring and handed it to Kieran.
"Then we will conclude our business in three days," Kieran said, standing up.
Sheamus nodded and escorted the two out of the auction house. The three guards Kieran had met before were shocked to see one of their superiors escorting them out and silently prayed that their foolishness did not cost them a job.
Kieran just passed by them without saying a word, while Sheamus walked back into the building, and the three finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Kieran led Baixue back to their carriage and set off in the direction of the long clan where tribulation clouds were just beginning to dissipate.
"Husband,?" Roulan's voice sounded in his mind. "I think something amazing just happened to me." Kieran could hear the joy in her voice and couldn't help but wonder why she was so excited.
"What happened?" Kieran asked.
"I will show you when you get home," Roulan replied, without considering the possibility of meeting inside the sphere.
Kieran rested his head on Baixue's lap and closed his eyes in silent contemplation.
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