Ethan's face turned pale as cold sweat slid down his temples. No matter how he calculated it, he wouldn't be able to come up with anything more valuable than the $1.6 million sword James had just sold.
Even if he called every single one of his rich friends, there was no way they could lend him that much money in time and they might not even want to lend him that much money in the first place.
"You!" Ethan pointed his finger at James.
"This is suspicious!" Ethan said in a loud voice, desperation seeping into his voice.
He then moved his trembling finger at the appraiser and then at James again. "This has to be stolen goods! There's no way that a trash orphan like him could possibly—"
James raised an eyebrow, his calm expression only fueling Ethan's rage. "Stolen?"
He laughed out loud. "That's quite an accusation. Are you sure you can take responsibility for those words?"
The crowd murmured in low voices, some were nodding in agreement while the others whispered in curiosity.
"You think I'm scared of you?!" Ethan barked and continued. "You're nothing—"
"Enough." James's tone was quiet but carried a weight that silenced the crowd. "If you can't win, just admit it. Stop embarrassing yourself further."
That final remark was the spark as Ethan's eyes flared with rage.
"You bastard!" He roared, tightening his fist as a faint ripple of mana blazed around him—proof of his genuine D-rank Awakener.
He then immediately charged forward, his fist whipping through the air aimed straight at James's face.
But James didn't even flinch. His eyes calmly stayed fixed on Ethan, his arms crossed casually as if he didn't take the attack seriously.
However, before the punch could even reach James's face, a hand intercepted the punch halfway.
The appraiser's eyes narrowed behind the monocle, his tone was cold as he reminded Ethan. "You're inside the Starfall Armory. Fighting here is strictly forbidden. Regardless of your background, do you want to spend the next month in the Association's prison cells?"
Ethan froze, the reality of the situation crashing down on him. He tried to pull his arm back but the appraiser's grip was firm.
"Accept your loss." The appraiser said coldly, releasing Ethan's wrist only after making sure the boy had stopped resisting.
Ethan gritted his teeth as humiliation showed across his face, but the oppressive presence of everyone left him no room to argue.
"Fine…" He hissed through the clenched teeth. His knees trembled as he slowly lowered himself to the floor.
The sound of his knees hitting the polished marble echoed in the silent store. With his head bowed, he forced the words out softly. "I… lost."
A collective gasp swept through the crowd as some of them even opened their jaws widely.
The moment Ethan admitted his loss, James finally heard the notifications he had been waiting for.
[Ding! Mission Completed!]
[Ding! Congratulations for obtaining a summon card.]
[Ding! A middle-grade summon card has been transferred to your inventory.]
James immediately checked the notifications and was shocked when he finally learned what the summon card was all about.
Not only that, with a middle-grade summon card, James could summon someone ranging from C to B-rank Awakener.
Just as he was thinking about his new plan due to the appearance of the middle-grade summon card that he just obtained, Ethan's bark made him come back to his senses.
"Don't think this is over," Ethan spat, then continued with a low voice. "My father just broke through to B-rank not long ago. You can enjoy your little victory for now, but you won't be smiling for long."
James tilted his head slightly, unfazed by the threat as he chuckled . "Your father, huh? Then tell him I said hello when you run home to complain to your daddy like a baby."
Ethan's face twisted in rage, but the appraiser's cold stare forced him to swallow whatever curse he was about to shout.
Stomping his foot angrily, Ethan gave James a glare for a second before walking out of the store with the woman beside him in anger.
"Brother, what should we do now?" Kai nudged his brother with a worried expression.
"Trust me, don't worry about it." James replied with a reassuring smile.
"Sir, do you need help? I'm afraid that he will be waiting for you outside–" The appraiser offered help but was interrupted by James.
"Thanks for the offer but we're going to be fine." James smiled and nodded lightly, expressing his gratitude toward the middle-aged man.
He then ordered the system in his heart. "Use the middle-grade summon card now!"
[Ding! Congratulations! You have summoned a B-rank Awakener, Lan Yaolei, The Azure Thunder Fairy.]
Just as he wondered how he would meet with the summoned person, The appraiser asked James awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "This… May I know the blacksmith who made these, sir?"
James raised an eyebrow and looked at the appraiser with a faint smile. "I'm afraid no, because they don't want to be known by the public. But, why do you ask that?"
"Because this craftsmanship is unlike anything I've ever seen. The balance, the density of the material… this isn't something an ordinary blacksmith could produce. Whoever forged these must be of a grandmaster blacksmith."
James simply shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I know where you're coming from but let's just say that they prefer to remain anonymous."
"I understand, sir." The appraiser sighed, thinking that if they could rope such a grandmaster, he would be able to obtain a huge merit.
At this moment, the door opened and James unconsciously looked over as he felt something like a connection toward that direction.
A young woman stepped inside, her blue hair braided over her shoulder. She wore a loose orange jacket hung loosely over a snug white tank top, paired with faded denim shorts that showed the colorful flower tattoos along her arms and thighs.
The moment she walked inside, the manager, who had been silent the whole time frowned as he detected her strength as a B-rank Awakener since he was a B-rank Awakener himself.
'Is she the summoned person?' James squinted his eyes, pondering if he had just struck a lottery by summoning a strong and sexy awakener.