Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Great Guerrilla War
After Scarlet King left, Wei Xia Mo sat down and slammed the table with all his strength.
"That bastard… He cornered me."
He continued speaking as he attempted to pour himself some tea, failing to notice that none remained in the teapot because Scarlet King had drunk it all.
"Now that I've confirmed his true identity, the two of us are in the same boat… What a cunning bastard. Just as the famous saying goes: Never trust the Rebirth Devil. Still, his offer is extremely tempting, and only a fool would refuse it."
[While Wei Xia Mo lamented and contemplated Scarlet King's offer, Scarlet King had already returned to the laboratory through Vaporization.]
The Yang Guardian was speaking with one of the slaves.
"Alright, I've given you five rooms. You'll be responsible for caring for the bees, and a group of people will work under you to help raise them, extract the honey, and store it. Understood?"
The slave gave a military salute, then walked toward the group of slaves standing in the corner and began explaining their duties.
The Yang Guardian watched them and sighed in relief.
"Hah… There's nothing more beautiful than order and organization."
He glanced to the side, and his eyes widened when he saw the Yin Guardian brutally beating the shadow with punches, bites, pinches, and kicks as it rolled across the floor.
The Yang Guardian quickly looked forward again, nervously afraid that he might be beaten as well.
(How brutal.)
Mist suddenly appeared in front of him. It dispersed, revealing Scarlet King.
The Yang Guardian immediately asked,
"Well, did you complete the mission, Master?"
Scarlet King replied,
"Yes. Also, consider Wei Xia Mo as good as one of us."
The Yang Guardian looked surprised.
"How? Did you visit him after completing the mission?"
Scarlet King smiled.
"Correct. I went to him and made him an offer only a fool would refuse, and he isn't a fool."
The two of them looked toward the shadow being beaten and remained silent.
[Two Days Later]
Over the course of those two days, Scarlet King recruited many new members into the faction, raising its total membership to eighty-seven thousand nine hundred.
This was because the Black Hole region still belonged to the Ink Darkness Faction, so many people joined in the hope of earning an opportunity to train there.
However, Scarlet King did not allow everyone to enter freely. A person first had to earn faction reward points. Entering for one week required one thousand points, which meant completing five special missions available at the faction headquarters.
That night, as moonlight illuminated the forest, Scarlet King and Lin Yuan emerged from the laboratory.
Lin Yuan asked,
"Is the honey ready?"
Scarlet King raised his hand. The spatial ring on his finger lit up, confirming that the honey was stored inside.
The two then headed toward the sect, specifically toward the Cosmic Clouds Auction House.
[After Flying Toward the Sect for an Hour]
The distant lights of the sect became visible in the middle of the night.
Lin Yuan asked,
"Alright, what's the plan?"
Scarlet King answered while flying beside him,
"You'll repeat what I'm about to tell you to the auction master. If he asks who you are, say: 'I am Lin Yuan, leader of the Ink Darkness Faction.' If he asks why you've come, say: 'I'm here to sell some valuable items.' When he asks what those items are, tell him: 'I'll leave that matter to my son. I want him to learn about management, buying, and selling, so speak with him rather than me.'"
Lin Yuan fell silent and thought,
(He didn't tell me the entire plan… It seems he's beginning to lose trust in me.)
However, he asked,
"Why is this the most famous auction house in the First Dimension?"
Scarlet King answered,
"It belongs to the Thousand Flowers Sect and has many branches throughout the various sects. There is a branch of this auction house in every major sect, as well as in the first-rank sects. With the support of the Thousand Flowers Sect, it has become the most famous and widespread auction house. Our sect's auction is held once every six months."
[After Another Half Hour of Flying]
The two arrived at the sect and began walking toward the auction house.
When they reached it, they stopped before the guard stationed at the entrance.
Gu Yue asked,
"Where is the auction master? We have an item we wish to sell at the auction."
The guard laughed mockingly as he looked at Gu Yue's small figure.
"A child wants to make a deal with the auction master? What a joke. And who's standing beside you? Your older brother?"
Lin Yuan replied coldly,
"I am the leader of the Ink Darkness Faction, and we have an important deal to discuss with the auction master."
The guard immediately fell silent, and sweat began forming on his forehead.
He had heard of the rapidly rising faction and instantly stepped aside.
"Oh, my apologies. I didn't recognize either of you. I'll take you to the auction master right away. Please follow me."
Gu Yue thought,
(What a repetitive scene. This is why I rarely appear in my child form. Even though I served as the Writer's assistant during one of my lives, he still prefers to shorten certain matters rather than put any creativity into people's reactions.)
Lin Yuan also thought,
(This resembles the repetitive scenes from the fantasy novels I used to read on Earth.)
The two followed the guard, with Gu Yue walking behind them.
Gu Yue then signaled to his shadow. Only the shadow's head emerged before it quietly began moving between the surrounding shadows, observing the area.
The farther they went, the brighter, grander, and more beautiful the place became.
Four enormous pillars stood in the center, carved with golden dragons and white phoenixes.
Private balconies were distributed across four levels. The higher the balcony, the greater the status of the person seated there.
In front of the auction platform, which stood approximately a meter and a half above the ground, was a large open area with bamboo flooring where ordinary attendees would stand.
However, the hall was empty because the auction had not yet begun. It would start in only a few hours.
They then entered one of the rooms at the back.
Inside sat a thin and frail old man with a long white beard and mustache, tied-back hair, and deep-set eyes.
"Why have you brought a young man and a child here, Guard?"
Before the guard could answer, Gu Yue interrupted him.
"For a deal."
The elder looked at him, then closed his eyes.
"Say what you have to say, boy."
Gu Yue spoke.
"We have some valuable goods that we wish to sell through your auction."
The elder asked,
"But first, I want to know your identities."
Lin Yuan spoke calmly, attempting to remain as expressionless as Gu Yue.
"I am Lin Yuan, leader of the Ink Darkness Faction, and this is my son, Gu Yue."
The elder stroked his beard.
"Very well. Tell me what kind of materials you possess."
Lin Yuan shook his head.
"I'll have my son negotiate with you. I want him to learn how to manage affairs so that when he takes control of the faction after me, he'll know how to handle himself."
Before the elder could speak, Gu Yue said,
"What we want to sell is pink honey."
The elder immediately fell silent, wondering what this pink honey was.
"What are its properties?"
Gu Yue simply approached the elder.
"It helps treat injuries, severed limbs, and illnesses. When consumed, it cures poisons and internal injuries. When applied externally to a wound or amputated area, it heals the injury and regrows the severed limb."
The elder was shocked. His eyes opened slightly in disbelief.
"And how am I supposed to believe you, boy?"
Gu Yue said nothing.
He drew his dagger and directly severed his right hand. It fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound.
He put the dagger away, took out the pink honey, and spread it over the severed wrist.
Within seconds, a new hand grew from it, while the substance surrounding his wrist transformed into something resembling ordinary natural honey.
The elder remained silent for several seconds before finally turning toward the guard.
"Bring me one of the injured guards. I want to confirm the effectiveness of this honey."
The guard immediately left.
Several minutes later, he returned with another guard whose eye was severely injured.
The elder told Gu Yue,
"Apply the honey to his eye."
Gu Yue stepped forward and placed the honey over the guard's injured eye.
Within seconds, the eye was completely restored.
"M-My eye! It's as good as new! Thank you, young man. I'll never forget what you've done for me!"
The elder gestured for the guard to leave, then asked,
"How much honey do you possess?"
Gu Yue replied,
"We possess sixty-three kilograms of pink honey, and we'll sell the forty kilograms currently stored inside this spatial ring."
Gu Yue took all the honey out of the spatial ring, then continued,
"The split will be twenty percent for you and eighty percent for us."
The elder took a sip from the cup of tea on the table beside him.
"Boy, you truly don't know how to divide profits. Thirty-five percent for us and sixty-five percent for you. We'll also grant you access to one of the first-tier balconies."
Gu Yue smiled and shook his head.
"That would be the wrong decision, Elder."
The elder remained silent for several seconds before sighing.
"Thirty percent."
Gu Yue looked directly into the elder's eyes.
"Agreed."
Lin Yuan and Gu Yue left the room.
Once they stepped out onto the streets of the sect, Lin Yuan asked,
"Thirty percent is a lot."
Gu Yue shook his head.
"You don't understand. Offering a small percentage in exchange for auctioning a valuable item pressures the intermediary into lowering their commission. However, he raised it slightly so that neither he nor the supplier would suffer a loss."
"Normally, they might demand forty-five percent while giving us fifty-five, or perhaps demand even more in exchange for displaying the item at the auction. That is why I gave them an unfavorable offer. It made them believe that I either intended to obtain an enormous profit or would withdraw the deal entirely."
"Because of that, they only raised their share slightly so they could still earn a greater profit."
"Now, let's go to one of the taverns and wait there until the auction begins."