Chapter 23: To Become Rich
The branch of Martial Union in the Meteorite City lay close to the center, so it took Su Yan a whole two hours of walking to get there. By then it was getting closer to noon, and he once more felt a little tired. Qi cultivation barely seemed to have any effect on the body whatsoever.
The Martial Union branch was a tall tower with a golden spire adorning the top. He looked to see a number of cultivators walk in and out. Some who wore excited expressions as they marched inside, while others held a despondent look while walking out. He took a deep breath and clutched the scroll inside his pocket and walked forward.
Two men wielding golden-shafted glaives stood guard on both sides of the entrance. Su Yan walked through the open doors and into the ostentatiously decorated hall. The place had the feel of richness and authority just by standing in the hall.
"Welcome to the Martial Union Guild, sir. How may I help you?" A well-endowed young lady greeted him with a smile.
Su Yan smiled back and answered. "I was looking to sell something; would you point me in the right direction?"
"Of course," she said, "What variety is your product?"
"A technique," he replied.
"Please, this way." Saying so, she led him to the stairs and up. They arrived on the second floor, and Su Yan noted it was made from a different type of rock than on the first. If the bottom floor had obsidian marble, then this one was milky white.
He was led to a room and asked to wait, as an appraiser will meet with him in a few moments.
Su Yan took the moment to appreciate the well-crafted furniture and soft, spongy sofas. The walls were painted white with the ceiling being a mixture of gold and black. The pattern resembled what he saw on the spire, and he wondered if it was somehow related to their image and symbol.
A knock was heard, followed by the door opening. An old man wearing neat golden robes walked inside, followed by a lady who wore clothing similar to the one who had escorted him earlier.
"Good morning." The man greeted as he took his seat. The lady arranged the cups on the table and filled them with warm green tea. "You can leave now."
The young lady bowed and turned around to leave. The old man picked up his cup and took a sip. "Truly wonderful. The Evergreen Tea just clears all the mental fatigue. A wonderful creation in my opinion, wouldn't you agree?"
Su Yan stared lost in thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Yes, I totally agree with your assessment." He picked up his cup, feeling the warmth radiating from the ceramic, and then rested it back. "Actually, I came to sell this technique I had, so..."
"Yes, of course." The old man put the cup back, extending his hand. Su Yan fished out the scroll and handed it to him. He watched as the man unrolled it and started reading. "A martial technique, eh?"
Su Yan nodded.
"Well, we have a policy that requires us to inquire about items like these." He said. "So if you would be willing to answer a few questions, we can then proceed onto the buying part."
Su Yan frowned at that and thought hard. He hadn't been expecting to be questioned like this, so it surprised him when he heard about their rules. "So as long as they don't pry into my privacy." He stated.
The old man chuckled as if expecting the answer and nodded. "Fair enough. So first, I would like to ask whether you wrote this or found it as is.
"I wrote it." He answered truthfully.
"Then do you have the original copy?"
Su Yan shook his head.
"Alright, then would you be willing to answer where you got this technique from?"
"I will not answer to that."
The old man nodded and said, "I understand. Then lastly, do you wish to auction it or sell it directly?"
"If you're willing to buy, I would like to sell it to your guild." He answered.
"I have already ascertained the veracity of this martial technique, and it falls under Medium One-Star Rank. Usually, a technique like this sells for 300 Low Grade Qi Stones, but as it's not the original, and after deducting our cut, we would be willing to provide 200 Low Grade Qi Stones. Do you agree with that?"
"Yes," he replied.
The old man pulled out two tokens from his pocket and handed them to him. "Please exchange these at the front desk. Oh, and my name is Xi Lie, in case you ever need my help again."
Su Yan nodded and accepted the handshake. "Thank you, and I will make sure to remember that."
After leaving the room, he went down the stairs and to the front desk. A young man stood with a wide smile plastered to his face. By now he was beginning to suspect if the Guild was forcing its staff to wear a smile consistently.
"I would like to have these exchanged." He pushed forth the token. The young man took them and told him to wait for a moment while he verified some things.
In less than a minute the same man arrived back at the counter and handed him a small drawstring pouch. "Pleasure doing business with you," he bowed slightly.
Su Yan smiled and nodded back. Although he didn't peek inside, judging by the heft of the pouch, he could tell there were approximately 200 Low Qi stones.
It would last them for a while, just enough for them to find a gig or something.
As he walked out of the Martial Union Guild, he first went to a clothing store. Buying a change of clothing for himself and Xie Lian, he spent a total of 12 Qi stones. Then he started looking for some accommodation. As it turned out, the pricing there was excessive to say the least, so he had to travel to a more moderate place before he was able to book a room, featuring a joined bathroom complete with two meals a day. It cost 6 Low Grade Qi Stones per day, so he booked it for 15 days for a total of 90 Low Grade Qi Stones. By the end he was left with less than 100 Qi Stones, which made him sigh.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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