Time quietly slipped away, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Ice Snow City, Stellar Auction House.
"Take me to see your manager," Li Xuan said, stepping out of the teleportation array and looking at the guard beside him.
In Hainan City, Li Xuan discovered during his transfer that the teleportation arrays in the Stellar Auction House were quite popular. Many Spirit Masters chose this method of travel, as it only required paying a certain amount of Spirit Stones.
Of course, the price of these Spirit Stones depended on the distance of the teleportation. Li Xuan had only paid one hundred high-grade Spirit Stones to teleport from Hainan City to this Ice Snow City. It could be said that the existence of these teleportation arrays greatly shortened the journey.
"Who are you?" The guard frowned upon hearing this, looking at Li Xuan with some vigilance.
Li Xuan let out a wry smile and said, "I need to consign some treasures for auction. Can you make the decision?"
"Esteemed guest, please follow me." Hearing this, the guard's attitude immediately became respectful. Such a person was not someone he, a mere guard, could offend.
Soon, the guard handed Li Xuan over to a maid. Led by the maid, Li Xuan entered a private room.
Approximately five minutes later, a middle-aged man entered the room.
"Does Young Master wish to consign treasures for auction?" The middle-aged man glanced at Li Xuan and, noticing his cultivation was only at the intermediate level of the Imperial Dao Realm, frowned slightly. However, he still bowed slightly in a gesture of etiquette and asked.
Li Xuan smiled upon seeing this and asked, "What is your rank?"
"I am the manager here, and handling the entrustment of guests falls within my purview," An Ruohao said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Li Xuan.
"Do you recognize this?" Li Xuan nodded slightly, then with a thought, he produced a token and handed it to An Ruohao, asking.
An Ruohao looked at it and then shook his head. The token was extremely ordinary, without the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy. An Ruohao had seen countless tokens of all sizes, but none were as plain as the one Li Xuan held.
"Never mind, your rank is not sufficient. Go find your chief manager," Li Xuan said, retracting the token and picking up his cup of spiritual tea.
An Ruohao frowned slightly, but observing Li Xuan's extraordinary demeanor, he didn't seem like someone who would swindle or deceive. With that thought, An Ruohao turned and left.
"Young Master, didn't you say you would visit Sister Yao'er at the Ice Palace upon arriving in Ice Snow City?" The voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush sounded in Li Xuan's mind.
Li Xuan smiled and replied, "To visit the Ice Palace, I must prepare some gifts, mustn't I? Besides, I inadvertently learned in Hainan City that it's the Ice Palace Master's birthday soon. If I go empty-handed, won't it make others laugh at Yao'er?"
"Young Master thinks of too many things," the Heavenly Dao Brush said speechlessly.
Li Xuan chuckled to himself and continued to drink his tea.
Soon, an old man entered briskly, followed by An Ruohao.
"Are you the chief manager here?" Li Xuan asked, looking at the old man.
"This old servant, Ma Bai, is indeed the chief manager here," Ma Bai nodded slightly, but his expression quickly changed.
For at that moment, a token appeared before Ma Bai's eyes.
"Do you recognize this token?" Li Xuan asked calmly, after retrieving the token.
"Manager An, you may leave for now," Ma Bai swallowed and then turned to An Ruohao.
An Ruohao understood instantly that Ma Bai had recognized the origin of the token. However, Ma Bai's instruction for him to leave made An Ruohao feel somewhat uncomfortable.
After all, he was, to some extent, a manager at the Stellar Auction House.
"Yes." However, his rank was limited, and the person before him was the chief manager. Despite his displeasure, An Ruohao dared not show it. After cupping his fists in a salute, An Ruohao turned and left the room.
"This old servant, Ma Bai, pays his respects to Young Master!" As An Ruohao departed, Ma Bai waved his hand and erected a barrier. The next moment, Ma Bai knelt down.
"It seems you recognize this token," Li Xuan said with a slight nod, then added, "Rise."
"This old servant was fortunate enough to see the face of the Family Head, thus I remember the token he wore at his waist. Although it was long ago, the Family Head also said that this token would be passed to the Young Master in the future. This matter, this old servant has always kept in mind," Ma Bai said.
Li Xuan was taken aback. So that was the reason. No wonder Fu Xiong had confirmed his identity when he saw the token; there was such a backstory.
"Why did you send An Ruohao away?" Li Xuan asked after some thought.
Ma Bai chuckled and replied, "When the Young Master met him, he did not reveal his identity, but instead had him fetch this old servant. Therefore, this old servant surmises that the Young Master definitely does not wish for too many people to know his identity."
"You are quite perceptive," Li Xuan said, finding Ma Bai's detail noteworthy. It was no wonder he could reach the position of chief manager.
"The Young Master flatters this old servant. May this old servant inquire if the Young Master has come to visit the main branch?" Ma Bai asked with a smile.
Li Xuan shook his head and said, "Actually, I was initially in Pian Guan City. The reason I came here is that I want to visit the Ice Palace to see my sister. After that, I will head to the main branch."
"To the Ice Palace? Does Young Master require this old servant to do anything?" Ma Bai immediately asked.
Li Xuan nodded slightly and said, "I am going to the Ice Palace to visit my sister, so naturally, I must pay my respects. Moreover, it is the Ice Palace Master's birthday soon, so I wish to prepare some gifts, but I don't have anything impressive on hand."
Ma Bai smiled and nodded, "This old servant understands. Young Master, please rest assured, this old servant will arrange it properly."
"Thank you for your trouble," Li Xuan said with a nod.
"It is this old servant's duty. Young Master, please accompany this old servant upstairs to rest," Ma Bai said with a smile.
"Alright," Li Xuan pondered for a moment and then nodded.
Soon, Li Xuan, led by Ma Bai, walked towards the upper floors.
"Who is this person, and what is his background?" As Li Xuan followed Ma Bai to the upper floors, An Ruohao emerged from a corner.
An Ruohao had clearly seen Ma Bai's attitude towards Li Xuan. It was not the polite courtesy shown to a guest, but rather the respectful demeanor of a subordinate towards a superior!
One must understand that Ma Bai was the chief manager of the Stellar Auction House in Ice Snow City. Even the lords of the major families in the city had not received such treatment.
Inside the upper chambers, after waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, Ma Bai entered.
"Young Master, everything is prepared," Ma Bai said to Li Xuan with a smile.
"So quickly?" Li Xuan said, somewhat surprised, as he accepted the spatial ring handed to him by Ma Bai and examined its contents with his divine sense.
"This... is a Spirit Treasure?" Li Xuan exclaimed, looking at Ma Bai in astonishment.
One must know that above Spirit Weapons and Divine Artifacts were Spirit Treasures, whose power was immense enough to destroy heavens and earth. Even in this Five-Dimensional World, they were considered treasures by first-rate forces. Yet, Ma Bai had prepared such a valuable item for Li Xuan.
Furthermore, besides this Spirit Treasure, Ma Bai had also prepared many Spirit Stones and rare natural treasures for Li Xuan.
"It is fortunate for the Young Master. This Spirit Treasure was acquired not long ago. It was originally planned to be auctioned off at the next sale, but since the Young Master is going to visit his sister, it naturally must be given to the Young Master," Ma Bai paused and continued, "We cannot let the Young Master lose face, as that would be losing face for our Stellar Auction House."
"This is quite a generous expenditure," Li Xuan said with a wry smile. He then thought of how it would ensure Li Yao had a better standing in the Ice Palace, and felt somewhat at ease.
"Everything in the Stellar Auction House belongs to the Young Master. It is enough if the Young Master is satisfied," Ma Bai said with a smile.
Li Xuan smiled. Although it was all his, he still felt a bit like a prodigal son.
However, this feeling was quite pleasant.
Heavenly Dao Brush: "..."