Gaia was originally very confident that his new tax reduction policy would naturally attract adventurers from Mordo to his own territory. Only after seeing all this did he realize that the gap between Greenland and Mordo was by no means as simple as a few shops or an adventurer's office. If he wanted to compete with Mordo for business, he still had a long way to go.

“Lord, although Captain Mordo is as prosperous as an average small city, in the administrative system of the Shenglong Dynasty, it is still just a small town.” Roy faithfully answered the doubts in Gaia’s heart. To him, Gaia was already the greatest noble he had ever seen in his life.

Gaia’s bundle was also being carried by Lloyd, inside of which was the breastplate he had taken from the skeleton soldier.

When passing by the adventurers’ tavern and the pawnshop, Gaia didn’t stop. Indeed, if he openly sold this armor in the adventurers’ tavern, he would surely get a good price, but that would attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. Gaia still didn’t have the strength to protect himself, and he didn’t want this breastplate to bring trouble to Greenland.

So, he chose another place: the auction house.

“Lord, why are you covering your face?” For a child who grew up in such a remote area, his thoughts were much simpler, and he couldn’t understand why Gaia deliberately ducked into an alley to cover his face. Looking at the bewildered Roy, Gaia had no choice but to sigh and give up on the idea of having him act along. He would have to rely on himself for everything.

Gaia gave some instructions, and Roy nodded repeatedly. After arranging everything, Gaia took off his warm coat, revealing the only silk robe he owned underneath.

Chapter 004: Arcane Energy Medium

“Honorable sir, this is the place.”

The manager on duty at the Mordo auction house was doing the accounts inside. Hearing voices outside, he looked up to see a poorly dressed youth leading a masked person inside.

The newcomer had both hands behind his back, carrying a bundle; he wore a silk robe rarely seen in the north, and although only his eyes were visible, his bearing was extraordinary.

After entering, the newcomer glanced around the auction house. The poorly dressed youth introduced, “Honorable sir, this is the largest auction house in Mordo town.” “Hmm,” the masked man nodded, casually tossed a gold coin, which the poor youth hurriedly caught, bowing and scraping as he left.

The manager’s eyes burned with envy: that was a gold coin! That poor kid got a gold coin just for showing the way.

He could tell that the silk robe the youth wore was made of fabric popular in the imperial capital, Dragonrage City. In the frigid north, few people wore such things. Although the youth didn’t have any guild certification badges, to be able to wear only a silk robe in such cold and not fear the chill, his strength was clearly not to be underestimated.

A silk robe, a gold coin as a tip, and an extraordinary bearing—the manager immediately concluded this was a major client. He put on a fawning smile and stepped forward, about to speak, when the masked man raised his hand: “You’re not the decision-maker. Get someone who is.”

Although he was cut off before he could speak, the manager didn’t dare get angry. He smiled and nodded, “Please have a seat, I’ll be right back!” and hurried to the back.

Although Gaia had failed repeatedly in his previous life, it was always due to being sabotaged by petty people or just incredibly bad luck, as if all the gods were against him. He lacked neither experience nor ability, and in this life, he naturally understood that as a teenager bringing a treasure to sell, he would surely be ruthlessly taken advantage of.

So he put on an air of grandeur and acted mysterious—the mask wasn’t just to avoid trouble—to make sure the other side wouldn’t dare underestimate him, hoping to get a good price for the breastplate. Before coming, he had already rehearsed the entire transaction process in his mind several times.

The chief manager, after hearing the report from the duty manager, pondered for a moment, still uncertain, but was sure the visitor had something valuable. The auction house was never afraid of trouble; that’s what they made money from, and he didn’t care about the visitor’s identity.

“Let him in.”

“As you wish.”

Gaia was still a bit uneasy. After all, this world was full of powerful people, and he had no ability to protect himself. If the other side decided to rob him, he would be helpless, but on the surface, he had to appear calm and collected, so that others would see him as a hidden master.

“What do you have to offer, sir? Why not show me?” The chief manager was a sly old fox and wasn’t intimidated by Gaia’s display.

Gaia placed the bundle on the table, indicating for him to open it himself.

The chief manager gave a dry laugh and opened the bundle himself. The moment the breastplate was revealed, his expression changed dramatically. Even with his deep composure, it took him two full breaths to return his face to normal.

Gaia was also guessing at the value of this item. What level of expert was Hoganberg? Level six? Level seven? He couldn’t tell. If it were an ordinary item, such a top-tier expert wouldn’t have cared for it—the Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid was proof enough.

The chief manager pondered for a moment before asking, “May I ask how much you wish to sell this for?”