"Eh! What does this mean?" Bryan was confused since people here bought materials based on rank. The stuff obtained from higher-ranked monsters and areas was considered better.
"You should understand that the older the materials get, the more potent they are, and the mana they possess. It's as simple as that." Cayden didn't bother explaining more.
"I see. Then we should head for the sixth floor." Bryan nodded.
At the entrance, Bryan took out his citizenship card, allowing them to pass through easily. Inside they could discern a number of halls where varieties of materials were exhibited.
Kept inside glass shelves were armor, potions, materials like crystals, herbs, stones, woods, parts of dead monsters, etc., and many more. There were introductions about the items labeled on the shelves.
Nonetheless, Cayden didn't put his eyes on them or the beautiful female receptionists entertaining the guests. He could just sense the spiritual energy of the items and guess what their purposes and ages were.
But this didn't mean the same for the receptionists. Noticing his extraordinary charm, they felt that he was a valuable rich guest. Some of them actually recognized him from the images circulating on social media sites, lighting up their eyes.
It appeared that the rumors were indeed true. He was definitely the most handsome man they had ever seen.
Yet, they were scared to approach him for a conversation. This was because Cayden stopped restraining his temperament due to yesterday's troubles. Anyways, there was still one thing he couldn't stop. It was people taking pictures of him.
"My Lord, you are becoming a celebrity." Bryan sighed with envy. After all, who didn't want to get famous and have their names remembered by thousands of people?
"I don't care. Let's go to the next floor. I didn't find anything useful here." Cayden walked towards the stairs. But Bryan stopped him, taking him to the elevator, straight to the sixth floor.
Once they stepped in, a female in a professional suit excluding the aura of a B-ranked warrior greeted them. It looked like they paid special attention to the customers here.
"Guests, please welcome. Want me to show you around?" She bowed, asking politely.
"No need." Cayden refused her, walking ahead calmly, scanning everything in sight.
"Humm, these materials are barely a hundred years old. Besides, they are all different from the ones I used to see in the Immortal Realm." He shook his head with pity.
"Nevertheless, it can't stop me from doing what I want. I have to replicate the pills I have in my mind with these kinds of stuff. Although they wouldn't be as effective as the original ones, they would still be useful for the current me." He was confident.
As for the difficulty? He didn't care. He was one of the few alchemists who had mastered the laws of pills. At his peak, he could create pills with a wave of his hands albeit not at the moment, he was quite capable.
Having these ideas, he pointed to the multiple shelves, ordering Bryan to pack the things up.
"Eh! Isn't this a bit too much!" Bryan exclaimed inwardly with beads of sweat visible on his forehead.
Despite being prepared when the Lord mentioned everything above a hundred years old, he couldn't help but panic right now. The estimated price was going to cross more than he had allocated, which was already huge, about 2 billion dollars.
Yes, he had a billion dollars in addition after taking over the Poisonous Viper and Ape Gang. That's why he was relaxed when coming here. He also desired to purchase a set of A-ranked armor for himself.
However, it all seemed to be a pipe dream. Never in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that such a huge amount of money wouldn't be enough for him someday.
Furthermore, the Lord might cause a conflict here if he didn't get what he wanted. Knowing his overbearing character, he might have planned this from the start. Who knew what was in his mind?
"Is there a problem?" Cayden questioned coldly after not hearing his response.
"How can it be?" Bryan laughed it off and signaled the receptionist.
"Take me to your boss! We have a large deal here." He declared optimistically.
"Please, follow me." She replied with a smile on her face, not doubting them one bit.
It was because she witnessed the young man pointing to the multiple items on the shelves. It was indeed a large business. The other reason was that nobody dared to make a mess here since they were supported by the largest guilds in the world along with the military.
"My Lord! I can finalize the deal in a jiffy. Why don't you examine the items here for a while?" Bryan suggested awkwardly.
He didn't want the Lord to notice him haggling the prices inside. Moreover, he wasn't sure whether he could achieve it. He just hoped to save his face.
Understanding some of his thoughts, Bryan turned away with an evil smile on his face. "You may."
He was eager to find out how he would deal with this matter.
Taking a deep breath, Bryan nodded and followed behind the receptionist. Soon they reached a door at the deepest corner of the floor.
Knocking on it, a deep male voice rang in their ears.
"Come in!"
Creak!
Entering inside, Bryan saw a fully decorated lavish room, blinding his eyes. The floor was carpeted with an imposing B-ranked monster's skin with polished wooden furniture, jewelry, paintings, diamond armored statutes, and silky curtains decorating the room.
"Damn! Our headquarters is way too shabby compared to it." Bryan was amazed internally.
"Jessica, who did you bring?" A dark-toned middle-aged man wearing a suit questioned her displeasingly.
"President. It's like this." She neared the desk and whispered something in his ears, making him glee from delight.
"Oh! So, it's a guest. Sorry for being rude." The President stood up, apologizing immediately. Not only that, but he approached Bryan, shaking hands with him, showing his goodwill.
Nonetheless, Bryan wasn't pleased. Instead, he shuddered a bit.
"An A-ranked expert." He mumbled, feeling the strength gripping his hands.
"Serve him a cup of coffee." The President ordered, getting back to his chair.
A couple of minutes later, did only the President become serious after the receptionist left.
"Are you sure you want to purchase them? The price is no joke." He asked seriously.
Gulping down the coffee on the table while sitting on a couch, Bryan nodded his head.
"Yes." He acted calm, knowing he had the Lord behind his back.
"Then may I know who you are? You shouldn't be a nobody with such a huge amount of wealth." The President was curious as he didn't recognize him despite knowing all the billionaires on the continent.
"Bryan from the Skull Gang."
The moment he introduced himself, the eyes of the President widened in shock. How could he miss the recent headlines about them? He definitely knew.
Previously, he believed most of them were fake. But it doesn't seem to be the case currently. If not, he wouldn't have come here.
Anyways, he regained his cool and smiled. "Congratulations on your recent success."
"Haha, it's nothing. Everything is on our Lord." Bryan too smiled. Who could have thought that the conversation would go this way?
"Lord?" The President's interest was piqued. Perhaps, he could gather information from him.
This was their other purpose for establishing commercial centers in every part of the continent. They sneakily collected intel and reported them to the guilds and the military.
"Yes, the one who defeated Igor," Bryan admitted proudly, turning the expression of the President ugly. He hoped it would frighten him.
"How?" The President found it unbelievable. He knew how strong Igor was. Even though he was of the same rank, he won't be able to take his single sword.
"Is this an interrogation or a negotiation?" Bryan reminded him, refusing to spill any beans.
"My bad! I went overboard." The President scratched his short hair embarrassingly.
"Forget it. Here is the bank card containing 2 billion dollars. We will provide you with the rest within ten days." Bryan put forward his condition shamelessly.
"Eh? What did you say?" The President felt that he had listened wrong.
Bryan repeated it once again, not bothering the President's reaction.
"You…Why don't you take half the items first?" The President contained his rage.
"It's because we are encountering some difficulties right now. You should know that legislative procedures take time. Once we finish them, you will get your share." Bryan persuaded while lying.
"Difficulties?" The President pondered, racking his brain in full power.
"Is he referring to the military and the guilds they offended due to their actions? Do they need these kinds of stuff to bolster their strength? Or are they trying to run away?" Various scenarios played in his mind.
In any case, as someone working for the guilds, he couldn't let him obtain these things. It was better to chase them away and report the matter to the guilds directly.
"It's not that I can't give you. But these items here are not mine. I have…" Creating various reasons, he declined politely and added. "Let me make a phone call and ask my superiors."
He went to the window and acted as if he called someone. Afterward, he returned with a heavy expression.
"They will help you. But in exchange for some crucial information. Especially, about your new gang leader. They want to know about him and how the next events unfolded. Everything from start to finish. They would provide you a customizable A-ranked armor in advance as a reward as well."