txolops Chapter 18 Attraction
Chapter 18 Attraction
"Young Master is too kind," Lady Yu chuckled, covering her mouth, her voice languid. "This is a rare breed of demonic beast. If it were used for cooking, only a seasoned gourmand who has abstained from grains for many years would dare to touch it. However..."
She changed the subject, her gaze casually sweeping over Han Xiaoliu's empty storage bag, "Seeing how much Daya likes it, young master, why don't you get her a playmate?"
Han Xiaoliu frowned, about to retort that "playing with toys is a waste of time," when he saw that the baby in the tank seemed to sense Da Ya's gaze. It clumsily swam to the glass, raised its two small pincers, and waved at Da Ya, as if to say hello.
Daya's heart melted instantly, and she waved back joyfully.
"Fellow Daoists, today's grand finale is an extremely rare monster cub—the Ironclad Conehead Shrimp..."
As Cao Lu explained, Han Xiaoliu began to assess the value of this young monster.
Once this beast reaches adulthood, it possesses the power of a level five demon beast, comparable to a Core Formation stage cultivator.
What's even more remarkable is that many ancient books and fragments record that within their bloodline lies a faint trace of the ancient dragon race's heritage.
What does this mean?
This means it has the terrifying potential to break through level six, or even higher!
It is a natural-born favorite of the water element and has a strong immunity to water-based spells.
Imagine a fellow cultivator using water-based techniques. If you could tame it, it would be like having a powerful ally who can cast spells independently and is not afraid of attacks of the same element.
Its most lethal ability is its talent for ambush.
Its parents forged cone-shaped magical artifacts from their own claws, which were naturally powerful tools for breaking magic. They could concentrate all their demonic power into a single point and pierce through the enemy's protective aura like a torpedo.
In water, its speed and stealth are enough to terrify any cultivator of the same level.
This beast is naturally proud and difficult to tame, which is why this cub is so precious today.
It is not only a major force in the future, but its value is also considerable.
Its shell is an excellent material for refining water-attribute magic weapons, and the cone-shaped protrusion on its head is the core material that gives flying swords unparalleled penetrating power.
In conclusion, this armored cone-headed shrimp combines potential, combat power, rarity, and practical value, making it a rare and highly sought-after opportunity.
This gave Han Xiaoliu the idea of "why not buy it and play with it!"
"The starting bid is two thousand spirit stones, and each bid must be at least fifty spirit stones higher." Cao Lu's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
"Two thousand spirit stones!" Han Xiaoliu was shocked. This price was equivalent to several years' savings for an ordinary cultivator. How could a mere cub be so valuable?
He subconsciously glanced at Yu Niangzi beside him, only to see her expression indifferent, as if she had long been accustomed to all of this.
Below the stage, the cultivators had already begun to whisper among themselves, and soon, the sounds of bidding rose and fell.
"Two thousand one hundred spirit stones!"
"Two thousand two hundred spirit stones!"
"Two thousand five hundred spirit stones!"
Prices soared, and Han Xiaoliu's doubts deepened as he watched the flushed faces of the bidders.
He couldn't help but move closer to Lady Yu and ask, "Why can this monster cub fetch such a high price?"
Lady Yu took a sip of her spiritual tea and explained calmly, "Beast cubs are rare to begin with, let alone this kind of unique species that is naturally adept at fighting in water. However, don't be blinded by the excitement before you. This price probably won't be too high."
She glanced at the small, dark silver shrimp on the stage and continued, "Even if Manager Cao raves about it, it doesn't change the fundamental flaws of shrimp-type demonic beasts. Although they have hard shells and are resistant to water-attribute spells, they are born with low intelligence and can only fight at close range. They are almost incapable of learning spells. For cultivators, its value in cultivating is far less than hunting it down and using its armor as material for refining weapons."
Sure enough, when the price was raised to 3,500 spirit stones, the originally noisy venue instantly fell silent, leaving only two people in the corner still facing off.
One of them was a middle-aged man with a sinister face, wearing a dark green robe with several water ripple patterns embroidered on the cuffs. He was surrounded by a faint mist of water, clearly a cultivator who was proficient in water magic.
His brows were furrowed, and his fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest, as if he were having an internal struggle.
The armored conehead shrimp's "water magic immunity" ability is extremely tempting to him. If he can tame it, he will be invincible in underwater battles in the future.
But when he thought about its unruly nature and the long training period, he hesitated.
The other man was a burly, muscular man, shirtless, revealing his bulging muscles and old scars, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
Unlike the middle-aged man, he wasn't conflicted; he was simply calculating rapidly in his mind. He didn't intend to tame it, but rather he saw the cub's potential. If he could raise it to adulthood, the profits from selling its carapace and conical head alone would be considerable.
However, three thousand five hundred spirit stones was already the limit he could accept.
"Three thousand six hundred spirit stones!" The middle-aged man in the dark green robe finally couldn't hold back and spoke again, his voice trembling slightly.
Upon hearing this, the burly man's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and then a cold smile appeared on his lips. He stopped raising the price, simply crossed his arms, and watched the other party with a leisurely air.
When the middle-aged man saw that the other party was no longer bidding against him, his face did not show any joy; instead, his expression became even more serious. He knew that the price was already somewhat inflated.
Daya stole a glance at the young master, a longing flashing in her eyes, but she suppressed it and just stood listlessly by the window, looking longingly at the cubs in the water tank.
Although she was young, she knew that the price they quoted was very high, and that the young master didn't have that many spirit stones.
But seeing the little shrimp's response to her, she felt very sad, and her eyes welled up with tears.
That look in his eyes made Han Xiaoliu sigh: Ah, this is probably what it means to meet someone you want to protect at an age when you don't understand love.
"Well, he's kind of my childhood sweetheart, so I'll give him a gift he likes!"
Then he sent a telepathic message to Lady Yu, asking her to exchange the monster cub for the beast.
Lady Yu's face lit up with joy, and she quickly got up with a smile and went to the window.
He happily patted Daya's head, thinking to himself that he had truly found a good home for her.
Daya looked up at her mother curiously, thinking that she was trying to comfort her. She felt wronged and wanted to snuggle in her mother's arms for comfort.
Lady Jade called out to the audience, "My young master's little maid is very fond of this cub. My young master is willing to exchange it for a 350-year-old spiritual herb. Is anyone willing to raise the price?"
A murmur arose from the audience. This spiritual herb, over three hundred years old, was a rare and precious item for late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to enhance their cultivation. It was something that was hard to come by, and even Core Formation cultivators would be interested in it.
This cub is priced at 3,650 spirit stones, which is really a bit too much.
However, the rarity of these two items is not much different, but the elixir is more useful.
Cao Lu acknowledged the value of the items being exchanged and asked if anyone would raise the price.
Seeing that the last bidder had given up, Cao Lu happily made the decision and accepted Yu Niangzi's exchange terms.
Daya asked excitedly, "Mommy, are the little shrimp for me?"
Yu Niangzi wiped away the tears from Daya's eyes and said happily, "Yes, it's a spirit pet I bought for Daya. Go and thank the young master."
Daya nodded happily, unable to suppress the smile on her face.
"Let's get practical!"
Seeing that Daya wanted to thank him, Han Xiaoliu gently tapped his cheek, indicating that she should give him a kiss.
*Smack!* Da Ya gave her a kiss.
Han Xiaoliu felt incredibly happy.
He pulled Daya over and said, "Come here and let me kiss you too." Then he gave Daya a big kiss, making her cheeks turn red.
It smells so milky, I'm such a beast!
He gently took Daya's wrist, turned her to face him, and gazed intently at her still-blushing face.
"Da Ya," he began, his voice gentle yet tinged with inquiry, "when you first saw that cub, did you have a strange feeling? Like... it was meant to be yours, and a voice inside you was telling you that you had to have it?"
Upon hearing this, Da Ya paused in her movements.
Her expression became calm, as if the shyness and joy she had felt just moments before were merely illusions, leaving only a pure certainty.
"Yes," she answered softly, her clear eyes looking at Han Xiaoliu, "it's calling me."
"That's more like it!"
Han Xiaoliu suddenly understood, and a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Laws of the same origin attract each other.
He subtly observed the girl before him, his gaze now filled with scrutiny and contemplation.
The armored cone-headed shrimp, possessing a faint ancient dragon bloodline, was unruly and difficult to tame, yet it unexpectedly evoked such a strong response from Da Ya.
This is by no means a coincidence.
It seems that this little girl may also possess some kind of special magical body, and it just so happens to resonate with the bloodline of that armored cone-headed shrimp.
He had already made up his mind and thought to himself: It seems that I need to find an opportunity to draw some of the little girl's blood and test her properly after entering the Dream World.