Chapter 45: Perfect Bargain

Ryan had learned a great deal about beast pouches from ancient texts such as Miscellaneous Talks on Ten Thousand Strange Items.

A beast pouch contained an exotic spatial pocket with excellent sealing properties, capable of storing insect beasts of various sizes.

It could not only store pet beasts that had acknowledged their master through a drop of blood, but could also contain newly captured wild insect beasts that had yet to recognize a master.

For Bloodline Fighters, beast pouches were extremely convenient.

They could carry their pet beasts with them, display them for sale, or summon them at any time to participate in battle.

Beast pouches were primarily divided into four major tiers:

[Profound Tier]

[Spirit Rank]

[Earth Rank]

[Heaven Rank]

The higher the tier, the greater the spatial capacity and the stronger the sealing ability, allowing the pouch to suppress increasingly powerful exotic beasts.

Exotic beasts, meanwhile, were classified into nine tiers according to their strength.

The first three tiers corresponded roughly to the Origin Sea Convergence Realm, Origin Spirit Realm, and Origin Ascendant Realm of Bloodline Fighters.

Every species of exotic beast possessed a unique and mysterious Bloodline. Combined with their naturally superior physical bodies, they could provide tremendous assistance to Bloodline Fighters.

The beast pouch on Stall Owner No. 129’s stall was clearly only the lowest Profound Tier.

At most, it could seal first- and second-tier exotic beasts.

Against a third-tier exotic beast, it would be completely ineffective.

"Chirp—"

At that moment, a trace of Ryan’s Origin Sea was injected into the beast pouch.

The pouch immediately emitted a soft white light.

The middle portion of the pouch gradually became semi-transparent, revealing the scene within.

This was a minor function provided by the special material used to refine the beast pouch. With only a trace of Origin Sea injected into it, the surface would become transparent.

It was an extremely convenient feature.

It allowed the condition of the pet beasts inside to be displayed to others, making it easier to inspect, showcase, or sell them.

Ryan’s gaze swept through the pouch.

Immediately, he spotted three first-tier beast eggs quietly lying within the spatial pocket.

All three were oval-shaped and greyish-white, each roughly the size of a broad bean.

Although Ryan had diligently studied all kinds of knowledge, he still couldn’t identify what species these eggs belonged to.

However, he keenly noticed something else.

A faint, greyish-white aura of death lingered around the three beast eggs.

The light of life surrounding them was also extremely weak, flickering intermittently as though it could be extinguished at any moment.

They looked as if they were already on their last breath.

Ryan immediately understood. Both the burly Bloodline Fighter and Stall Owner No. 129 had exaggerated their claims.

Calling the eggs completely dead was clearly an overstatement.

However, they truly did have only a sliver of life remaining.

Under such circumstances, successfully hatching them would be extremely difficult.

Unless someone specialized in the art of beast rearing and possessed considerable experience, there might be a slim chance.

For an ordinary buyer, however, purchasing these eggs would almost certainly result in a huge loss.

"This is..."

Mira’s voice suddenly sounded within Ryan’s Origin Energy Sea.

Her voice was unusually low and filled with unmistakable fear.

"Master, no matter the cost, you must obtain that black beast hide beneath Stall Owner No. 129’s stall!"

Ryan’s heart jolted.

Mira continued in a trembling voice that only Ryan could barely hear.

"For some unknown reason, that black beast hide contains a power that instinctively frightens both me and the Boundless Creation Furnace."

"I have never encountered anything like this since I recovered my memories."

"Compared to the terrifying combined force from thirty thousand years ago that severely damaged the Creation Furnace..."

Mira paused. Her voice became even lower. "This makes me a million times more afraid."

Ryan’s pupils contracted. "What?"

His heart was already surging with shock, but he didn’t allow the slightest emotion to appear on his face.

"Which beast hide are you talking about?" He kept his voice as low as possible.

Fortunately, the Gray Light Shield’s concealing effect, combined with the tiny volume of their conversation, meant that the people nearby were unlikely to overhear them.

After forcibly calming himself, Ryan quickly shifted his gaze toward the pile of broken goods Mira had mentioned.

Only then did he realize that he had overlooked something.

This stall, apart from the three beast eggs, contained only a pile of broken artifact treasures.

At first glance, the items appeared to be equipment that a small mercenary group had discarded after preparing to replace them.

Every piece was merely a Profound Rank Low Grade waste artifact or waste treasure.

They were severely worn, ancient, damaged, and dilapidated, making them practically useless to ordinary warriors.

Perhaps their only remaining value was for low-tier artifact forging masters to study and learn from.

There were roughly fifteen pieces in total, though certainly fewer than twenty.

A wooden sign stood beside the pile.

[Sold as a set—Two Lower-Grade Origin Stones]

The price was incredibly cheap.

Yet beneath the entire pile of broken artifact treasures was a tattered black beast hide.

It was as dark as ink and had been casually used as a mat.

Ryan had diligently studied all kinds of Strange Tales and Legends, yet even with his knowledge, he couldn’t identify what kind of creature this hide had come from.

He couldn’t discern its origin at all.

If not for Mira’s specific warning, he would never have paid attention to this seemingly worthless piece of black hide.

Ryan had never expected that the most valuable item on Stall Owner No. 129’s stall would not be the three beast eggs.

Nor would it be the pile of broken waste treasures, which were already extremely useful to him.

Instead, it was this inconspicuous black beast hide, casually pressed beneath a pile of broken items.

It was obvious that Stall Owner No. 129 had no idea of its true value.

"Alright. I understand." Ryan’s gaze sharpened. "I’ll definitely get it."

He replied softly to Mira.

Mira nodded within his Origin Energy Sea and said nothing more.

She simply continued carefully sensing the aura emanating from the black beast hide, as though afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

At that moment— Seeing that Ryan was also examining the beast eggs and other items, the burly Bloodline Fighter became somewhat anxious.

He raised his offer slightly. "Fifteen Lower-Grade Origin Stones is too expensive."

He glanced at the three beast eggs.

"I’ll pay six Lower-Grade Origin Stones at most. One word—are you selling or not?"

In truth, he had never intended to hatch the three dying beast eggs.

Their chances of successfully hatching were simply too low.

However, if they were consumed before their vitality completely disappeared, these first-tier beast eggs would still make excellent nourishment for other pet beasts.

Feeding them to his own pet beast could provide a small boost to its strength and realm.

Unhatched beast eggs were highly sought after and relatively rare on the market.

A flawless, ordinary first-tier beast egg could easily cost more than three hundred Lower-Grade Origin Stones.

That was far beyond what he could afford.

Therefore, despite the eggs’ condition, he still genuinely wanted them.

But they were dying eggs, after all.

Six Lower-Grade Origin Stones was already his limit.

If the price went any higher, he felt the purchase would no longer be worthwhile.

And if he hadn’t noticed Ryan standing nearby and showing some interest in the eggs, he wouldn’t have raised his offer so easily.

"Only six Lower-Grade Origin Stones?" Stall Owner No. 129’s expression darkened. "That’s far too low. Impossible. Don’t even think about it."

The offer was nowhere near the price he had in mind, and he didn’t even bother considering it.

"Hmph!" The burly Bloodline Fighter snorted. "Then keep guarding your precious waste eggs and wait for them to rot!"

After being rejected several times, he became somewhat annoyed and embarrassed.

He turned around and left.

"Tch. I’m selling them for fifteen Lower-Grade Origin Stones. Buy them or don’t."

Stall Owner No. 129 muttered under his breath.

Being young and hot-tempered, he was clearly unwilling to lower his price even half a step.

"Excuse me, Stall Owner."

At that moment, Ryan spoke up.

"I’m somewhat interested in them."

He didn’t want to snatch something that another person had already set his sights on.

But he also feared that if he didn’t act quickly, the black beast hide would slip through his fingers.

So, the moment the other customer left, Ryan immediately stepped forward.

The burly Bloodline Fighter, who had only walked a short distance away, froze when he heard Ryan’s words.

Curiosity immediately got the better of him.

He stopped, turned around, and quietly returned to the edge of the crowd.

From there, he secretly watched Ryan.

He wanted to see whether this mysterious young man really intended to purchase the three beast eggs.

"Alright." Stall Owner No. 129 still seemed irritated by the previous haggling. "Fifteen Lower-Grade Origin Stones. If you’ve made up your mind, you can take them immediately after payment."

His tone was blunt.

"If you’re planning to bargain, then don’t bother. I’m not lowering the price."

"You’ve misunderstood." Ryan gave a helpless smile. "I’m not trying to bargain."

He paused before continuing.

"I simply wanted to discuss something with you. I’m willing to buy the three beast eggs for fifteen Lower-Grade Origin Stones, but..."

Ryan deliberately hesitated. "I wonder if you could give me this pile of broken waste items as a gift."

He pointed toward the pile.

"My clan has a newly initiated artifact forging master, and he happens to need some damaged artifacts for reference and study."

Ryan hadn’t expected Stall Owner No. 129 to be so young and hot-tempered.

He hadn’t even started bargaining properly, yet the other party had already put up his defenses.

Since direct negotiation clearly wouldn’t work, Ryan could only take a more roundabout approach.

"This transaction method..."

Upon hearing this, Stall Owner No. 129’s expression changed slightly.

He glanced at the three beast eggs, then at the pile of broken waste treasures.

His eyes immediately revealed a hint of contemplation.