"Hmmm… fine," she agreed, opening the cage as a snake slithered out and wrapped itself around her arm.
What Rex didn't know was that this, too, was a test. If he had claimed to appraise the beast without even examining it, things could've gone badly for him.
"Will this beast try to harm me while I appraise it?" he asked cautiously, eyeing the snake.
The snake had two tiny horns protruding from its head, and just below them, around its neck, was a band—clearly some kind of treasure, worn like a collar. Its scales shimmered with a glistening brown hue that matched the horns.
"Who knows," she teased playfully.
"Haha, please don't joke about that," Rex said, his eye twitching as he felt the beast's powerful gaze sizing him up.
"Don't worry, it won't do anything," she assured, raising her hand in a gesture of handshake.
Rex hesitated for a moment before mirroring her gesture.
The snake slithered across their hands, its smooth body passing from her arm to his, coiling around him in the same way. Its eyes remained locked on his, unblinking.
The crowd and the guards watched with anticipation. They figured if Lady Seraphine was still testing him, it had to mean he'd been right about the first beast.
As the Horned Serpent wrapped around his arm, Rex felt like he was lifting a creature that weighed a hundred kilos—not from its actual weight, but from the sheer pressure it radiated. As a mere One-Star, the gap in strength was undeniable.
–
[Horned Serpent]
[Entity: Beast]
[Species: Galequake Serpent]
[Bloodline: Zepharok]
[Rank: Spirit Beast – 2 Star]
[Potential: D]
[Would you like to tame {Horned Serpent}? – Y/N]
–
After a minute, Rex gave his verdict, to the woman who watched him with curious eyes. "It's a bloodline beast," he said with a small smile.
"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully, as if half-expecting the answer. Yet, amusement flickered in her eyes as she pressed further, "How can you tell?" Her face was unreadable.
Rex shook his head. "Trade secret."
The crowd began murmuring in excitement. Noticing the stir, Lady Seraphine cast a glance their way and calmly ordered, "Clear the area."
The guards obeyed immediately.
The crowd, though clearly displeased, backed away with reluctant expressions, whispering among themselves as they left.
Rex frowned but didn't say anything. "Here, please take your beast." As he was about to return it, she spoke again, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"Can you see that round band around its neck? Like a collar?" she asked, gesturing with a subtle tilt of her head.
Is she flexing how rich she is by flaunting her treasure? Rex mused with a hint of annoyance. He shook his head and replied, keeping up appearances, "Yes, Lady Seraphine. It's a fine treasure—you must really love your beast."
"You misunderstand me, young appraiser," she said, her voice serious, though a hint of amazement lingered beneath it.
"That treasure does one simple thing to a beast… weaker beasts, to be precise—it suppresses their bloodline.
I don't know how you did it, but you just accurately appraised my beast while its bloodline was being suppressed by a treasure. It seems… you really do have that ability."
Rex's eyes widened. Should I not have done that? he wondered.
"Haha, that's probably because I've seen a beast with similar traits before," he bluffed, forcing a casual tone.
Then, his expression hardened. "If that's all, please leave. I've already appraised your beast."
"Calm down, I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I'm really curious about that ability of yours—so I'll offer you a job… at our Goldhammer Auction Hall," she said.
"So you're from that auction hall," he replied with a thoughtful look, his brows furrowed.
"Yes. Oh, where are my manners," she mumbled lightly with realization.
"My name is Seraphine, and I'm the manager of the Goldhammer Auction Hall," she introduced herself, then continued…
"Since you're the first appraiser with…"
she glanced at the advertisement again just to confirm,
"…100% accuracy—and you are even able to accurately appraise a suppressed beast—our auction hall will provide you with lodging, necessities, and a salary of 300 gold coins per month." She offered him an appraiser job, with attractive perks and money.
Rex pursed his lips, deep in thought, before nodding slowly. "Alright, I'll take that up," he said, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. "But I want to negotiate the terms further."
"Good choice. Here, take this—Mana Resonance Card," she said, handing him a thin, rectangular card.
"It'll help with navigation and also serve as your identity as an important guest of our auction house. I'm giving it to you because you've earned it. There'll be a lot of people coming tomorrow… so no one will stop a kid walking in. And while it's just Iron Rank, don't lose it—I only get three of these a year." She subtly reminded Rex that she was looking out for him.
The card had a glowing hammer symbol at its center, pulsing with a faint yellow light. Strange patterns were etched across its surface, giving off a subtle, mysterious energy.
"If you're going in the right way, the hammer will glow yellow," she explained. "If not, it'll dim out."
While it sat in her hand, the hammer stayed gray. But the moment she passed it to Rex, the symbol glowed yellow. Rex blinked in surprise—feeling a small amount of mana leave his body.
Wow, that's genius… it's some sort of navigator, Rex blinked, impressed.
"Can I ask who made this… Mana Resonance Card?"
She narrowed her eyes slightly as if sizing him up. "You don't know? It was created by—Rhaegar Hammerfall. The one who also owns—"
"Lady Seraphine, long time no see," a relaxed voice suddenly cut in.
They both turned.
A thin man, dressed in elegant robes, stepped into view with an easy smile.
Seraphine didn't even bother with a greeting. "How can I help you… Sir Houston?"
They seemed familiar, so Rex decided to check the man's status as well.
[Houston Tenebris]
[Rank: Ascender 3–Stars]
[Potential: D]
The thin man shook his head. "I'm actually here for this young appraiser. After I confronted those bloodline traders, they admitted everything and returned the money my son used to buy that Mud Veil Tortoise."
He gave Rex a nod, then looked to Seraphine. "So… seeing how accurate he is, I was planning to hire him as our main appraiser. But since you've already snagged him, I doubt I can match your offer. Anyway—I'll take my leave."
"Excuse me, sir," Rex stepped forward, polite but firm. "Could you tell me where those bloodline traders reside?"
"Sure, why not? I did pay to get that info, but think of it as a thank-you for the appraisal." He pointed across the street. "See that building over there? That's where most of them hang around."
Rex gave a small nod of thanks as the man left with a smile.
Lady Seraphine mumbled under her breath, "You better come today, Rex. I'm counting on you."
"Sure, I'll be there," Rex replied calmly.
She gave a light smile, nodded, and walked off, leaving him behind.
However, the moment Lady Seraphine left, a customer quickly stepped in, raising his hand with coins already in it.
"Can you appraise my beast, please?" He requested
"Sorry, sir. The shop's closed for today," Rex replied politely.
He could still handle one or two more, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed a small crowd already forming, trying to get in.
"Kid, looks like you got famous again—this time for a good reason, haha," the shopkeeper chuckled from the side.
Rex grinned. "Haha, should I appraise your beast then, sir?"
"Me? Nah, I don't have any. They're way too expensive," the burly man said, smiling warmly. "I'm just happy running this little shop of mine."
Rex nodded, then turned to Darius, leaning in slightly as he spoke in a low, serious tone. "Darius, I've made up my mind—we're going after the bloodline traders tonight."
Darius's brows knit together. "Huh? Why? We don't have to do this. We'll be putting ourselves in danger, Rex."
"Exactly," Rex shot back. "They've already targeted us. Even the guards are working with them. If we don't act first, we won't even see it coming. They could have connections at the inn—poison our food, slit our throats in our sleep.
This is their territory… and we're just outsiders."
He looked Darius in the eye. "We're already in danger. Waiting only makes it worse Darius."
"…"
Darius tensed. "…You make sense, but killing them will cause us trouble?"
"Not killing them will cause more," Rex replied firmly. "We'll go all out—but quietly. No loose ends!"
Darius went silent. After a moment of contemplation, he finally nodded.
"Alright. Let's go."
Without wasting time, the two began walking toward the building the man had pointed out—the place where the bloodline traders stayed.
Rex stopped just short of the entrance and glanced at Darius.
"Ready to go in?"