Yasenia thought about it and asked. "So, Carbira. I've seen that other people have different colored cards. How does that work?"
Carbira looked around and spotted the person. "Well, it comes down to our Auction house giving more important people better access to items. This Annual auction has little to no effect since it's an open market system."
"I see. How is the purchase made? In situ? Or can you pay later?"
"It must be done directly. Don't you have a Parus Card?"
Yasenia blinked, confused. "A Parus Card?"
Carbira nodded. "Yeah, it is a card that can be created to exchange large amounts of currency. After all, a few items might exceed hundreds of thousands of Flawless Parus. Carrying a literal mountain of rocks in the Spatial ring is very space-consuming."
Yasenia remembered hearing something similar back in the Sky Continent, but she had yet to gain enough money to "pile up" in literal mountains.
Yasenia concluded. "In short, the higher the spending power, the higher the card's rank."
Carbira nodded. "Yes, the lowest is white, followed by black, and then golden."
Carbira further explained. "White can only buy Magic-Ranked items. Black has access to Earth-ranked items and below. Finally, golden cards are a free ticket to buy whatever you want."
Yasenia looked at her golden card and nodded. "I see. Let's see my items. Today there are two of them, right?"
Carbira nodded and guided them toward the center of the light pillar they previously saw.
On the way there, she saw a few groups of influential people looking at it and discussing her.
Her hearing was enhanced by energy to hear closely.
A middle-aged woman commented. "Have you heard? A new power called the [Astral Sky Clan] has allowed their Heaven-ranked items to be sold on the first day."
"Really?" Her companion was surprised.
A more knowledgeable person smiled. "I heard that they don't have only two items. They should've placed to auction more than twenty if my information is correct!"
The first middle-aged woman was stunned. "Did she really use twenty Heaven-ranked items for the auction?"
"I think so."
"By the way, is it the truth that the Matriarch is a heavenly beauty?"
"I've seen her directly while walking in the streets, and honestly, I almost felt my sexuality change."
Yasenia was confused for a moment since the person speaking was a man. 'Such a rare sight, a homosexual man.'
Tatyana was also curious. 'Man and man love is more uncommon than female-to-female love since the beauty staple is the female form. An effeminate man with a few masculine traits is attractive for that reason back in the Sky Continent.'
Hanna smiled. "You and the items are quite popular, Matriarch. I can hear many powerful clans and sects discussing about it."
Yasenia nodded, but she was a bit troubled. 'Maybe I overdid it? I can hear people audibly gasping; some have more strength than me. I should find a chance to retrieve the other items. One hundred and seven Heaven-ranked items are too many.'
A voice she recognized woke her up from her thoughts.
"Hm? Lady Yasenia, it is good seeing you here."
Yasenia turned around and saw Jorey walking toward them with a wide smile. Her black-furred fox ears and tail moved slowly, indicating she was happy to see her.
She liked this fox girl a bit. However, her liking was very limited because of how the Continent treated humans. After all, even if she wanted to appear nonchalant, our dragoness always felt uncomfortable when someone called her dears a slave. 'Even if it is needed, I really don't like it.'
Yasenia smiled softly, perfectly covering those negative emotions. "Lady Jorey, it is a pleasant surprise meeting you here. Are you here to also participate in buying my items?"
Jorey looked at the two treasures and sighed. "You were not lying when you said your treasures are worth it. The [Corrupt Fang Scimitar] and [Wind Slaying Halberd] are treasures that can be compared to those above their level."
Yasenia laughed. "Thanks for the praise."
Jorey sighed, and Yasenia asked about it.
"After what happened last week, I'm really tempted to buy a defensive formation core. However, my funds are limited. I don't know if I will be able to buy it."
Yasenia asked. "Did you lose too many people?"
Jorey shook her head. "Only two juniors. I was lucky compared to the Fu Clan."
Yasenia's eyes flashed, remembering Fu Yu.
She checked the situation but didn't follow it closely. After all, Kali's parasite was something Yasenia would've trouble surviving after all the nourishment from healing pills it had.
Playing silly, she asked. "Did they lose a lot? I left right after the beast blew itself, and I was too occupied lately."
Jorey rolled her eyes. "Haven't you heard them making a big fuss around the city?"
Yasenia shook her head.
Jorey snorted. "Well, Fu Yu is on the verge of death, infected by who knows what. Then, they also lost two of their seniors in the battle, which was a big hit for the family. Some powers are rising to the situation and attacking them."
Yasenia was indifferent. She didn't mind about a dead man walking. "Well, if he dies, he dies. He was getting on my nerves. If it weren't because of my overall situation, he wouldn't have received treatment on my part."
Jorey asked. "You really did not know?"
Yasenia laughed. "Do you really think I have informants in the Fu family like you? I'm flattered by your confidence in me, but we are still expanding. Our intelligence network is barely functional, and most news we gain is superficial information that serves no purpose."
Jorey lifted an eyebrow. "So, you don't have anything to do with it? I honestly thought that you had something to do with Fu Yu's situation."
Yasenia sneered. "Do I have to be sneaky if I want to kill him? I had plenty of chances to finish him off during and after the fight."
Jorey remembered Kali healing Fu Yu and felt that her guess was wrong. 'My guesses are usually on point. Maybe I'm seeing too deep into it? Well, even if my guess was correct, I don't mind. After all, I like Yasenia's clan more than those arrogant wolves.'
Yasenia saw Jorey's doubt disappearing and internally smiled. 'With my [Monarch Intent], telling my truths and lies feels the same. Only people with intent can differentiate or peer into the intent of my words and distinguish truths from falsehoods.'
Yasenia asked, changing the subject. "Are you going to buy our items?"
Jorey refocused on them and shook her head. "I have to keep my money for the last day. These are really good, but I'm aiming for the best."
Yasenia's curiosity was piqued. "How many Parus have you gathered?"
Personally, Yasenia was able to create a profit of a few thousand Flawless Parus.
Parus went from flawed to low-, mid-, high-, and flawless levels. You needed a thousand of the previous spirit stone to exchange from one rank to the next.
'I remember when I only had 300 mid-level Parus, haha. Now, I have money in another entire order of magnitude.'
However, Jorey's words made her almost choke. "We managed to gather eight-hundred thousand Flawless Parus."
Yasenia's satisfied smirk disappeared. 'I see. I'm still a poor ghost compared to them.'
Tatyana and Cecile saw their dearest's expression change and almost laughed aloud.
Tatyana. 'Did you think you could rival their wealth in just a month, little treasure? These people have been around for hundreds of years. Moreover, the money Jorey has now is probably their liquid funds. Their assets must be in the hundreds of millions if not billions. She is the head of a Merchant group, after all.'
Jorey took a look at the price and lifted an eyebrow. "Huh? Why are they so cheap?"
Yasenia blinked and looked over. "Ten and fifteen flawless Parus."
This kind of wealth looked little, but one Flawless Parus a month was enough to support a third-rate sect.
However, Yasenia's feelings were also similar to Jorey's. 'Why is it so cheap?'
The girls looked at Hanna and Carbira with doubt. Cecile was about to ask, but Yasenia stopped her. 'Well, this can become a good learning lesson. I'll discuss it more in-depth after they are sold. After all, a Heaven-ranked item in this world is the Peak, so the price should also be equivalent.'
Cecile frowned. 'But, my love. You'll lose money.'
Yasenia smiled. 'Don't worry. Don't we have the wealth from Long Baidi? Moreover, exchanging a small loss like this one for a valuable lesson is worth it.'
Hanna heard Yasenia's and Jorey's comments and was confused. 'Ten Flawless Parus is the yearly revenue of a third-rate sect. How is that small?'
Carbira was a bit anxious. 'Did I mess up the pricing?'
Yasenia looked to the sides and saw the number of people interested in her two treasures increasing.
"Not bad. There are many people interested."
Carbira nodded, leaving aside her worries for now. She was here to act as a guide.
"Even if the scimitar and halberd are low-quality compared to the other items Lady Yasenia presented, their quality is still above a normal treasure." Then, Carbira added, just in case. "Their price is also an initial price, and they will probably fetch for more than five times their price."
Yasenia was skeptical. "We don't have either fame or our products' quality guaranteed. Are people going to risk buying our items?"
Jorey commented with a laugh. "You are underestimating the influence you gained in the tournament Lady Yasenia. I've also heard that a few powers have sent caravans to this city to buy your products and also sell you theirs. Angel's and Kali's performance was more than enough to guarantee quality."
Carbira commented. "But Andrea's armor is the one that gave you most of the popularity."
Jorey exclaimed. "Right! How could I forget about that masterpiece?"
Yasenia didn't comment anymore, but she was internally frowning. 'Did they spread the information about Andrea's armor quality? Sigh, that Tiger Patriarch I need to kill was also there, so even if they did, it doesn't really matter.'
Yasenia further affirmed this thought. 'Maybe we went a bit overboard with showing off. I wonder what price they will fetch?'
Tatyana commented. 'Going overboard at the tournament helped you more than it hurt you. So, it is worth it. Moreover, it isn't that big of a deal. We are safe now that we have the Transcendent Formation Core in our mansion.'
Yasenia sighed. 'I know. But even if I did well, I need to be reflective.'
Cecile grabbed her hand.
Jorey commented. "Lady Yasenia, do you want to see a few of my friends? They have interesting merchandise that you might like. Of course, I still hope you prioritize my [Mountain Traveler Merchant Group]."
Yasenia laughed. "Sure, let's go see them."
However, before she took a step forward, someone came to speak with her.
****************************************
Author: Well, well, well. Who might it be?
Tatyana: Someone searching for a slap in the face?
Author: You are… A bit aggressive, right?
Tatyana: Hahaha.
Angel: I miss Yasenia…
Evelyn: Same.
Kali: Same.
Andrea: Same.
Author: Same- NOT! You haven't even been a few hours apart, and you are like this!?
Angel: I can't do this… My Yasenium is being consumed.
Author: No, upgrade the Yasenium battery or something! What will happen when she goes on an alone adventure?
Angel: Eh?
Author: Ah-.
Author: Either way, I summon you!
Angel: Wait, answer me!
Inasyn: Tada~.
Inasyn: Hm? Why is lovely Angel grabbing the formless Author by the neck?
Author: H-Help, ugh.
Tatyana: Is that today's question?
Inasyn: N-no. I was just surprised! How could I use this opportunity lightly?
Yasenia: Haha, well, who do you want to ask?
Inasyn: Actually, I want to ask Drasha Flutterscale~.
The rest: Eh?
Author: Well, this is a first. Do you want to ask someone outside the main cast?
Inasyn: Yup.
Author: Hmm. Let me summon her, then.
*Ultra-powerful formation activates.*
Drasha: Huh? Where am I?
Author: Hello.
Drasha: Hm? Such a strange thing, what are you?
Author: Hmm, that doesn't matter much. Here is a person who wants to ask you something.
Drasha: Oh, what a cute girl~.
*Lamia hugs.*
Drasha: Ask away, dear.
Inasyn: (So comfy!)
Inasyn: In most fighting styles, as it was described in the novel thus far, the opponents have been bipedal or even have a...significant turning speed compared to what a lamia's snake body seems to allow, at least visibly. What differences does a lamia's martial art have compared to a two-legged race's martial art?
Drasha: Oh? Dear, do you think this body has a slow turning speed?
Drasha twists her flexible snake as her entire body moves.
Inasyn: Well… It looks flexible, but your mobility is certainly inferior, right?
Drasha: Hmm. Not that much, although it is the truth that we might have a little bit more complications, we also have many advantaged.
Drasha: For example, our large tails allow us to have a stable base. While a certain amount of force blows away other people, a lamia can resist it while at the same level of power.
Drasha: Hence, our lamia fighting style is not about moving quickly but steadily cornering the enemy.
Inasyn: I see.
Drasha: *Pats Inasyn's head.* But that's not all.
Drasha: Lamia's are very, very agile. Although I don't like to refer to ourselves as such, we are snakes with human bodies. Are snakes a clumsy race, dear?
Inasyn: No, they are not.
Drasha: That's right. Hence, our martial arts focus on steady "steps" and quick, deadly attacks. In contrast, others focus on our ability to slither at extremely high speeds through terrain and gain an advantage in fights while fighting from a range.
Drasha: Moreover, lamias are related to divine serpents, so our bodies are extremely strong. Not to mention, our tails are basically a mountain of intricately woven muscles.
Drasha: If we land a tail-lash in a fight against someone with similar strength, the fight is almost always won.
Inasyn: I see.
Author: Well, that was a good and in-depth answer and question.
Drasha: So, what will I do now?
Author: Well, first, you might want to stop hugging Inasyn as if she is your body pillow.
Drasha: Eh, but she looks happy?
Author: Well, whatever. Let's end it here!
The girls: Goodbye!
Drasha: Oh! Angel is also here!
Author: Too late~. Bye!