The interior of the Golden Sea Trading Guild's pavilion was a world of opulent tranquility, a stark contrast to the bustling, chaotic energy of the street outside. Li Yu followed the silent Elder Quan, his own three companions left behind with the stunned crowd, their faces a mixture of awe and deep-seated worry. They ascended a spiraling staircase carved from a single, massive piece of iridescent seashell, the walls around them inlaid with glowing pearls and shimmering, enchanted coral that cast a soft, blue-green light on everything.
The air was thick with the scent of the deep ocean and the faint, potent aroma of high-grade spiritual herbs. Li Yu's spiritual sense was flooded with the powerful, dormant auras of countless aquatic treasures stored within the pavilion's hidden vaults. It was a testament to the Guild's immense wealth and profound heritage.
They arrived at a large, circular office on the seventh and highest floor. The room was spartan, containing only a large, low table made of polished black stone and several meditation cushions. A single, massive window, which was not glass but a transparent, water-filled barrier, looked out over the entire Azure Pavilion district, offering a breathtaking, panoramic view. Inside the barrier-window, a single, beautiful, and incredibly dangerous Rank 5 Spirit-Devouring Anemone swayed gently, its vibrant, deadly tentacles a silent warning to any who might harbor ill intentions.
Elder Quan gestured for Li Yu to sit, before settling onto the cushion opposite him. He poured two cups of steaming, fragrant tea, his earlier excitement replaced by the calm, assessing gaze of a seasoned merchant who had seen a thousand years of schemes and miracles.
"The tea is called 'Calm Heart'," Elder Quan said, his voice a low rumble. "It is brewed from the leaves of a plant that grows only in the deepest, most silent ocean trenches. It helps to clear the mind of falsehoods." He took a slow sip, his eyes never leaving Li Yu's. "Now, tell me again, Li Yu of the Green Mountain Sect. How did a boy who has likely never seen the true ocean know the secret of a Lunar-Glow Jellyfish, a creature of the abyssal depths?"
Li Yu knew this was the true test. His previous performance had been for the crowd. This was for the real power. He met the elder's gaze calmly, his expression one of sincere humility.
"Elder Quan, this disciple did not 'know' the secret in the way an alchemist knows a pill formula," he began, his voice steady. "My spirit is strange. Since I was a child, I have been able to… feel what aquatic creatures feel. Not their thoughts, not in words, but their comfort, their pain, their instincts."
He paused, carefully choosing his next words. "When I looked at the Lunar-Glow Jellyfish, I did not see a sick beast. I felt a profound, physical agony, like a man being stretched on a rack. It was a feeling of its very body wanting to tear itself apart. My comment about my father's carp pond was a foolish, childish attempt to translate that feeling into words I could understand. I never imagined it would be the correct solution. It was, as I have found many times in my life, a stroke of incredible, dumb luck."
His story was a blend of truth and deception. He admitted to his unique ability but framed it as a vague, instinctual feeling rather than a precise, telepathic communication. He attributed the final, correct solution to luck, a narrative that was consistent with the persona he had been building since he first entered the sect.
Elder Quan was silent for a long time, his fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic beat on the stone table. He was a Foundation Establishment expert, a man who had lived for centuries. He could tell, with his profound spiritual sense, that the boy was not lying. But he could also tell that the boy was not telling the entire truth. The core of the story was real, but it was wrapped in a thick, impenetrable fog of secrets.
Finally, a slow smile spread across the old man's face. "Luck," he mused. "It is a funny thing. Some men search for it their entire lives and find nothing. Others seem to be born swimming in it." He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "I do not care about the source of your 'luck,' boy. I care about the results. Today, you saved my Guild from a catastrophic financial loss and an even greater loss of face. That is a debt that must be repaid."
He did not try to recruit Li Yu. To poach the personal disciple of an elder from another major sect would be a grave insult, an act that could start a trade war. Instead, he made a different, far more cunning offer.
"The Golden Sea Trading Guild frequently acquires rare and exotic aquatic beasts from the farthest corners of the world," he said. "Often, like the jellyfish, they have unique needs that our beast tamers, for all their knowledge, cannot decipher. Their instincts are a language we do not speak." He pushed a small, golden token, carved in the shape of a sea lion, across the table. "This is a Guest Elder token of my Golden Sea Guild. It is not a symbol of membership, but of friendship. It will grant you unrestricted access to any of our pavilions in any city. It will also allow you to place a request for any information our intelligence network possesses."
Li Yu's heart beat faster. An intelligence network from a guild of this magnitude was a priceless treasure.
"I would like to hire you, Li Yu, as a special consultant," Elder Quan continued. "When we encounter a problem we cannot solve, we will send for you. If you can provide the solution, you will be rewarded handsomely. Not just with spirit stones, but with access to our private reserves, rare materials, or even a percentage of the beast's own value."
It was a perfect arrangement. It gave Li Yu a powerful, independent backer in this dangerous city. It provided him with a legitimate reason to interact with a vast array of high-level aquatic beasts, a cultivation resource beyond his wildest dreams. And it did all of this without requiring him to compromise his low-key status within his own sect. He was not a member; he was a consultant, a mysterious expert who appeared only when needed.
"Elder Quan is too generous," Li Yu said, bowing his head deeply as he accepted the token. "This disciple is still young and ignorant. My 'luck' may not always be so effective."
"We will take that chance, consider it an initial investment," Elder Quan said with a booming laugh. "Now, as for the matter of our current debt." He clapped his hands, and a side door opened. A guild servant entered, carrying a large, ornate box made of water-resistant ironwood.
"The Lunar-Glow Jellyfish is a Rank 5 Tyrant Beast," the elder explained. "A simple payment would be an insult to the service you have rendered. Instead, we offer you this."
He opened the box. Inside, nestled on a bed of deep blue silk, were three items. The first was a small, perfectly spherical pearl that shimmered with the light of the full moon. The second was a set of robes, woven from a material that looked like solidified water, shimmering and flowing with a life of its own. The third was a small, unassuming, dark blue egg, covered in faint, swirling patterns.
"The pearl is a 'Moon-Tide Pearl'," Elder Quan said, his voice filled with a hint of pride. "It is a treasure condensed by the jellyfish itself. It contains a vast amount of pure, gentle Yin-attribute energy. It can be used to calm the mind during a breakthrough or to practice water- and ice-attribute arts with twice the result for half the effort."
"The robes are 'Sea-Weave Robes'," he continued, gesturing to the shimmering garment. "They are a high-grade defensive artifact, incredibly resilient, and they have the passive ability to allow the wearer to breathe underwater as if it were air."
"And the egg…" he paused, a strange, excited light in his eyes. "That is the egg of a Deep-Sea Naga. A true, dragon-blooded serpent of the abyss. It is a beast with the potential to reach at least the Seventh Rank. We acquired it by chance, but we have been unable to hatch it. It requires a cultivator with a profound water-attribute bloodline to awaken it. Perhaps… your luck will extend to it as well."
Li Yu stared at the treasures, his mind reeling. Each one was an item of immense value, way more valuable than the services he's render. To be given all three was a gesture of incredible sincerity.
"This is too much," Li Yu said, his voice genuine.
"Nonsense," Elder Quan boomed. "It is the price of your work. Take it. Our Golden Sea Guild always repays its debts."
Li Yu knew that to refuse would be an insult. He bowed deeply. "Then this disciple thanks Elder Quan for his immense generosity."
He carefully packed the treasures into his new storage ring and was personally escorted out of the pavilion by the elder himself, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the other powerful factions in the district.
He returned to the inn to find his three companions pacing anxiously. When he recounted a simplified version of the events—that he had helped the Guild with a problem and they had rewarded him handsomely—they were stunned into silence.
That night, Li Yu sat alone in his room, the three new treasures laid out before him. He had come to this city to find an opportunity, and on his very first day, he had established a powerful connection, gained a fortune in resources, and acquired a potential new companion of incredible power.
He looked at the Naga egg, a thoughtful, calculating light in his eyes. Crimson was his brawler, his shield. Khaos was his hidden calamity, his ultimate trump card. But this Naga… a true dragon-blooded serpent of the abyss… it could be something else entirely. It could be his assassin, his silent, deadly weapon of the deep. He sent the egg into the Koi's internal space and let Khoas know not to eat it!"
The city of Sunken Treasures had already begun to live up to its name. And the Grand Auction had not even begun.