Chapter 31: A Nice Offer
The office was rather charming for someone of her nature. Of course, Kent wasn't focused on that. His eyes wandered over various things as he entered the office.
"Master Kent, once again, thank you for choosing the Silver Leaf Auction House," Manager Alina said. Although the pill was just Tier 0 and not particularly grand, its purity was what intrigued her.
Kent understood this. The pill was quite beneficial for many cultivators. A 75% pure pill could enhance cultivation speed by 30 times for five hours. It wasn't much, but in the world of cultivation, even a single level-up was something many cherished.
Advancing in cultivation didn't just bring more power; it also extended one's lifespan, making even minor progress highly valued. So, despite being a Tier 0 pill, it was still superior to most. Of course, the 91% pure pill would last seven hours and increase speed by 50 times.
A 95% pure pill would work for nine hours, enhancing speed by 55 times, while a 99% pure pill could sustain 24 hours of cultivation at a speed 60 times greater than normal.
This meant that if your normal cultivation speed was already high, the pill would amplify it even further. It was a powerful pill and slightly challenging to concoct, but Kent had pursued it regardless.
Of course, if the tier of the pill were higher, its effects would increase progressively. The same applied if the pill achieved 100% purity, which, in the alchemy world, was referred to as the "perfect pill."
A pill without even an atom of impurity—that was Kent's ultimate goal.
"No need to be so formal, Manager Alina. Just call me Kent, and I'm happy to be working with your auction house as well," Kent said with a calm smile.
Manager Alina returned his smile and said,
"Although this might sound a bit unofficial, I'd like to purchase your pills personally. Of course, I wouldn't be paying the standard rate. Since this would be a back-channel purchase, I'd inflate the price by 20% so you could benefit more."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "I would have loved to include these in one of our weekly auctions, but since this week's auction is nearly over, I'd prefer to buy them directly from you."
"Okay," Kent said without hesitation. He didn't even need a moment to think it over. He wasn't particularly fond of the purity level he had achieved anyway. Selling anything less than a perfect pill felt like an insult to his status as an alchemist, so he didn't mind skipping the auction altogether.
"Really?" Manager Alina was surprised by how casually he accepted her offer.
"I don't mind you buying them directly from me," Kent said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you," Manager Alina said.
Kent nodded as she pulled out a sheet and began reviewing it. It listed the buying and selling rates for pills traded at the Silver Leaf Auction House.
"According to the auction house's approved purchase rates," she began, "the 75% pure pill sells for 30 spirit stones, the 91% for 80 spirit stones, the 95% for 100 spirit stones, and the 99% for 150 spirit stones."
"With the 20% increase I promised, the prices I'll pay you are as follows," Manager Alina continued. "The 75% pill will be 36 spirit stones, the 91% pill will be 96 spirit stones, the 95% pill will be 120 spirit stones, and the 99% pill will be 180 spirit stones."
Kent handed over his pills. He had one 75% pill, one 91% pill, two 95% pills, and four 99% pills.
Manager Alina calculated the total. "For the 75% pill, it's 36 spirit stones. For the 91% pill, 96 spirit stones. The two 95% pills come to 240 spirit stones, and the four 99% pills total 720 spirit stones."
She smiled. "That's a grand total of 1,092 spirit stones. I'll have it prepared immediately."
Kent nodded calmly. "That works."
She smiled and entered an inner office to retrieve the spirit stones.
"Looks like alchemy sells well," Kent muttered, smiling at Unity, who was gazing back at him.
"Indeed. The richest and most powerful people I know are all alchemists," Unity replied. "Especially those who have joined the alchemy sects and hold official alchemy badges."
Kent raised an eyebrow at that.
Kent wanted to ask Unity where he could find such a badge since the information was already included in the pill records he received from the alchemy tower. Alchemists were expected to carry a badge that indicated their grades, which directly reflected their skill and power.
Currently, Kent was just a normal alchemist. In alchemical rankings, he was considered a mere Alchemy Adept. The hierarchy began with Adept, followed by Master, Grandmaster, King, Emperor, Sage, and more.
Although many addressed him as "Master," he had not yet earned that title. To officially claim it, he needed to concoct at least a 50% pure Tier 1 pill.
Before that, however, he would have to register with an established alchemy guild or sect to receive a badge. Such a badge would grant him access to numerous privileges, and, over time, he could accumulate enough power that even kings might bow before him.
"I guess I'll find a sect and join it to get one of those badges. Then I can start making plenty of money to spend on you and the sisters who will join you in the future," Kent said with a playful smile.
"Is that why you were staring at Manager Alina's ass when we were coming to her office?" Unity asked, smirking mischievously.
"She has a cute ass; no doubt about that," Kent admitted with a grin, knowing he'd been caught despite his attempts to be subtle.
"Sister Vexthra says you're a pervert, but I think she might have underestimated you," Unity teased, her cheeks tinged with a blush.
"Two rounds of sex, and you're already this bold. I wonder what you'll be like after five more rounds," Kent said with a sly smile. He reached for her thighs, gently massaging them with his [Divine Pervert Hands] skill. The technique was as effective as ever, leaving Unity's body trembling.
But before things could escalate further, Manager Alina returned, leaving Unity in an awkward state. Her lower lips twitched involuntarily from the brief but potent stimulation.
"Here are your funds, Master… erm… Kent," Alina said, handing him a small pouch of spirit stones.
"Nice doing business with you, Manager Alina," Kent replied, extending his hand for a handshake.
Alina smiled, accepting the gesture. "You can just call me Alina, and the pleasure is mine."
Kent nodded and stood up. Unity sighed inwardly, summoning all her willpower to rise as well.
"By the way, Kent, the weekly auction started not long ago. There might still be some valuables up for bidding. If you're interested, you and your lovely lady are welcome to join," Alina said, giving Unity a knowing smile.
"Oh, I've never been to an auction. If it's alright, could we join this one?" Kent asked, though he already knew her answer.
Alina nodded. "Follow me," she said, turning and walking out of the office. Her hips swayed noticeably more than before.
[A cat has entered the trap, Master.] The tower teased.
Kent thought with a grin as he pulled Unity into his arms. Together, they followed Alina, his eyes glued to her swaying Ass.