“Before midnight? Five seconds is plenty.”
Lin Mo raised his hand, pointing right past Senior Manager Hu’s yellow-silk shoulder.
At the center of the rotunda stood a reinforced crystal display column that stretched twelve feet into the air. Inside rested a fist-sized orb glowing with radiant, golden-red solar fire. The heat radiating through the thick glass was so pure and gentle that the frost clinging to Elder Song’s hemp coat began to melt into clear, fragrant dew.
A golden plaque beneath the pedestal read: Supreme Nine-Yang Sun-Core Pearl. Genuine Ninth-Rank Solar Relic. Price: 2,000,000 Immortal Jade.
Senior Manager Hu turned his head, saw the glowing orb, and let out a wheezing, contemptuous scoff.
“The Sun-Core Pearl?” Hu chuckled, shaking his greasy head with utter derision. “That’s the crown treasure of our ground-floor rotunda! It has been displayed under imperial lock for thirty years! Even the imperial princes only come to admire it during the winter solstice festivals! Do you honestly think a provincial merchant can casually purchase a two-million-Jade supreme relic?”
Hu reached for the heavy brass master key hanging from his belt, intending to lock down the rotunda’s transaction array before anyone could touch it.
“Enough of this ridiculous circus!” Hu barked, glaring at the rabbit girl. “Apprentice #094, step away from the counter before I call the guards to drag you into the cellar!”
