Chapter 868: Chapter 433: The Bracelet and the Silver-Black Snake (2)

In many cases, it might just be a random ring whose value can equate to a piece of property in the prime area of a large city.

Occasionally, there might be financial issues due to various circumstances, but at the same time, the efficiency of earning money is extremely exaggerated.

With just this one [Practice Staff], no matter how absurdly high the asking price is, selling it for 300 gold would already be considered "black-hearted."

For this bit of "small change," to be honest, just the time spent waiting in the conference room was already enough for those high level mages to earn it back.

There’s really no need to come over for a personal negotiation.

Xia Nan estimated that the other party’s professional level should also be between Level 3 and Level 5, absolutely not too high.

Secondly, regarding the specific profession of this Hai Yin, he had some guesses.

After all, not everyone has the courage and ability to wear a venomous Silver Ring Snake as a "bracelet."

There even seemed to be capabilities for communicating with non-intelligent creatures.

Unless the woman in front of him came from a family with a tradition of raising snakes, trained in relevant arts since childhood.

Otherwise, there was a high probability that she was a druid, able to communicate with wild animals, and embracing nature.

It’s a pity that this was just their first meeting, and they did not know each other well.

There wasn’t much information to gather.

If it weren’t for this being their first meeting, given Xia Nan’s diligence in learning during this period, he might even be able to guess which Association the other party belonged to by seventy or eighty percent.

Xia Nan tended to be direct, and Hai Yin didn’t seem to be the procrastinating type, so despite a minor incident, after exchanging a few pleasantries, they quickly moved on to the main topic.

"May I ask..."

Hai Yin reached out towards the staff in the center of the table without touching it directly, looked up at Xia Nan with her brown eyes, silently inquiring.

"Please, go ahead."

Now that they had reached the point of face-to-face negotiations, Xia Nan didn’t mind this sort of thing and answered.

And after receiving his confirmation, Hai Yin continued forward with her suspended arm, grasped the grip of the staff, and brought it in front of her to inspect closely.

To have reached this phase of negotiating the price directly with the seller, she had naturally already gained a clear understanding of this staff with the help of the Association’s staff, and it was precisely for this reason that she wanted to make the purchase.

Now that they were almost at the final step before the transaction, even if just out of caution, she had to inspect it once again carefully.

Hai Yin’s eyes were extremely focused, examining from the tail to the tip, from the wood grain on the staff’s surface to the overall line design, and even switching hands to feel the grip and weight of the staff.

"If I may ask... how long has it been with you?"

She chose her words carefully, tactfully avoiding terms that might upset Xia Nan, asking in a very indirect manner.

Xia Nan was, of course, not bothered by these things. In these waters, the law of the jungle is the law of survival, not to mention the pirates themselves initiated the trouble with him.

Plus, the relevant information had long been circulated in Suo Yu Bay, so there was nothing to hide.

He replied frankly:

"About ten days ago, from a spellcaster in an adventure fleet called ’Flying Fish Oil Barrel.’

I don’t know his name, but ’Flying Fish Oil Barrel’ seems to have some reputation in the Southern Islands. If you want to find out the specifics of this staff’s usage, maybe you could ask someone in the know."

With a silent nod, Hai Yin’s gaze remained focused on the staff.

After carefully observing it for another moment, she finally exhaled softly, facing Xia Nan.

"I wonder if I might actually test this staff’s effects?"

"Now? Here?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Understanding his meaning, Hai Yin nodded quietly, "I informed Lady Mary before you arrived, just some basic spells with no offensive capability. The Association has already recorded it."

"Then it’s fine."

Xia Nan understood and gestured with his hand for the woman with brown hair before him to feel free.

At the same time, he discreetly focused his perception, quietly gathering it.

Upon receiving his permission, Hai Yin stood up from the opposite side of the table, turned her body to avoid pointing the staff directly at Xia Nan, showing respect.

The silver-black snake bracelet on her left wrist tightened slightly.

She breathed steadily, her eyes half-closed, concentration intense, her lips moving.

"Buzz..."

Compared to the purest green life energy, the glow emanating from the practice staff’s surface resembled a blend of sea-green water.

Xia Nan could feel the magical particles around her body suddenly growing chaotic, like an invisible vortex pulling these unseen, untouchable, yet world’s most crucial elements toward the staff.

The humidity in the air surged.

Perhaps only the time of a breath elapsed, accompanied by a light whoosh from the burst of energy.

The sea-green life energy gathered at the staff’s tip, suddenly settling on the table before the two.

Zzzzz——

The green spread, plant matter softer than thorns, more intricate than vines, akin to aquatic plants growing swiftly from the crevices of the wooden table, covering half the surface in a flash.

Hai Yin stood in front of the wooden table, holding the staff, her expression focused, seemingly reminiscing about her casting experience earlier.

Only after a while did she open her eyes, a satisfied expression crossing her face as she rubbed the staff in her hand with the pad of her thumb:

"Very clean."

"The wood grain’s natural orientation shows no forced twisting or splicing marks, allowing smooth magic power transmission and conduction."

"Indeed, a nice staff."

Without taking the opportunity to devalue it for a lower price, Hai Yin candidly gave her genuine appraisal and didn’t spare her praise.

Sitting across from her, Xia Nan involuntarily raised his estimation of this druid, finding her quite agreeable.

After giving it some thought, he opened his mouth to remind her:

"Just as its name ’Practice Staff’ implies, this staff has no special effects, relatively mediocre, and more suited for newcomers who have just embarked on the arcane magic path."

On this point, Hai Yin was already well aware.

After all, Xia Nan had already listed the attribute information when he consignated the [Practice Staff] to the Association for sale.

Of course, effects involving specific numbers, such as ’Casting speed +5%’, were altered to ’slight’ or ’a little’ to avoid exposing his attribute panel’s Golden Finger.

Sensing Xia Nan’s sincerity, a slight smile unknowingly appeared on Hai Yin’s gentle and composed face.

"I know."

"It’s just that my equipment for spellcasting support was accidentally damaged during my last mission, and now back at Suo Yu Bay, the staffs on the market are either too expensive or of poor quality."

"The few I thought were both reasonably priced and of good quality, the sellers and the equipment themselves are far from the Southern Islands."

"I also didn’t want to waste my teammates’ time waiting around in town for nothing, so I thought about using this [Practice Staff] as a temporary measure."

"May I ask what price you’re considering for its sale?" Where quality and compatibility are concerned, there’s no issue, Hai Yin shifted the conversation to the final bargaining phase.

Xia Nan remained calm, contemplating quietly.

Though merely White Equipment, the selling price for staff-type weapons tends to be relatively high, and referencing the ’collectible’ Fishbone Snail Staff sold at Merry’s and Celeane’s for 295 gold...

"245 gold, what do you think?"

Xia Nan proposed a price slightly above the market average for staff-type equipment.

"Deal!"

Hai Yin’s smile was genuine, showing she believed this price to be suitable.

Realizing the young adventurer across from her didn’t arbitrarily raise the price due to her honesty, she straightforwardly agreed without further bargaining.

Thus, Xia Nan’s spoils from Cliff Island were fully resolved, pushing his wealth to an unprecedented 3,029 gold, 6 silver, and 3 copper!