Dustin walked out of Nicholson Villa and was about to make a call when hi
s phone rang. It was from Roderick Brooks.
Dustin answered, "Hello, Mr. Brooks, I was just about to go look for you.
It's such a coincidence that you called first."
"Oh? Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Rhys?" Roderick was taken
aback.
"I have a friend who
got into some trouble and needs a sum of money. Would it be possible for
me to borrow money from you?" Dustin asked.
"Phew, you scared me. I thought it was something serious. It turns out yo
u just need money. Of course. I might not have much of anything else, but
I definitely have money. How much does your friend need?" Roderick breat
hed a sigh of relief.
"One billion."
"No problem. I'll send it to you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mr. Brooks."
"No need to be so polite, Mr. Rhys. You were the one who treated my recur
ring illness!"
"Congratulations again. Right, is there a reason you called me?" Dustin c
hanged the subject.
"Mr. Rhys, didn't you have me be on the lookout for a few
precious herbs? I just heard that neighboring Alorith recently put out a
few treasures. Apparently, the Heliotrope you're looking for, which is al
so known as the thousand–year green lotus, is among them."
Roderick's revelation caught Dustin off guard. "A thousand–
year green lotus? Are you sure?" His eyes widened. He only lacked three m
ore precious herbs to produce Longevitum–
the flower of Crimson Gem, Cherusia, and the thousand–
year green lotus. Each item was an extremely precious treasure that was h
ard to come by. It came as a happy surprise to him to hear news about the
thousand–year green lotus in such a short time.
"It should be true. Anyway, that was how they advertised the auction. Eve
n members of the
Stoneray Order are heading there. As for the specifics, we won't know unt
il we get there."
Roderick was careful with his words, afraid of giving the wrong informati
on.
"Alright, I hope it won't trouble you to accompany me to the venue."
"It would be my honor!"
Since Alorith was neighboring Swinton, the journey wasn't far, and it onl
y took two hours by car. As they made casual conversation
in Roderick's car, it didn't take long before they finally arrived at the
ir destination.
The venue was an underground auction house, and the place teemed with a d
iverse crowd and a vast array of treasures. They had almost everything on
e desired, albeit at a higher price.
"Mr. Rhys, after you." Roderick led Dustin personally as they headed insi
de the auction house.
At the moment, the venue was a roaring hubbub of voices. Prices rose rapi
dly from the intense bidding as items were brought on stage one after the
other. It was clear that Roderick had made preparations in advance since
they both took a seat in the front row.
"Mr. Rhys, we're in luck. It seems like they haven't started the bidding
for the thousand–year green lotus." Roderick silently breathed a
sigh of relief.
"It's always best to come at the right time instead of coming early." Dus
tin smiled.
"Hey! Are you two here for the thousand–
year green lotus too?" At that moment, a young woman seated beside them s
uddenly spoke. She was wearing a baseball cap and had a lollipop in her m
outh. She was also dressed in branded items from head to toe and had a be
autiful
appearance. However, she seemed to carry a hint of rebelliousness within
her.
"That's right. A thousand–
year green lotus is a rare find. Naturally, we wouldn't miss it for anyth
ing." Dustin nodded in response.
"Hmph! Let me tell you, I already have it in my bag, so it'll be best to
give up!" The woman in the baseball cap said coldly.
Roderick plastered on a smile. "Miss, aren't you too confident to declare
it as your item when the bidding hasn't started yet?"
"Confidence comes from power. As long as it's something I want, I will de
finitely get it. You two, don't say I didn't
warn you. You better not challenge me, lest you humiliate yourselves." Sh
e cocked her head to one side.
Roderick chuckled. "You have a rough temper for your age."
He had seen his fair share of wealthy daughters like her, who thought the
y could show off all because of their minuscule wealth.
How naive!