Chapter 153 - Golden Toad

After a few hours of shopping and exploring Norksyre’s bustling marketplace, Cale and Sesrir arrived at the front of the Golden Toad Merchant Association.

The building was exactly as its name suggested — a ten-story structure constructed entirely from quartz with real gold leaf adorning its corners. Most striking was the massive golden toad sculpture positioned atop the structure, its eyes set with gleaming jade stones that caught the sunlight brilliantly.

’Sigh, extravagant. Well, our family does this too so I can’t complain,’ Cale thought.

Even the smallest mansions designated for concubines had been adorned with gold engravings. Although in this world’s hierarchy, gold was far less valuable than spiritual stones, mana cores, and beast cores.

As they entered the lobby, an attendant immediately approached them, a woman with hair perfectly tied in a ponytail and face meticulously shone with make up. She wore a sleeveless dress, the design clearly intended to attract male clientele.

Cale’s eyes lingered on her for a moment before he sighed internally.

’Haah, not even in the decent category.’

Her body was objectively attractive, but that was the extent of her appeal. She possessed no cultivation whatsoever, just a pretty face and a merchant’s customer service smile.

Sesrir leaned close, murmuring quietly.

"Hey, let’s go look at the normal shops. Is your membership that high to enter such a dealership?" he asked, concerned.

He had no idea what level of membership Cale possessed, and even if he did, Sesrir doubted the young man had enough spiritual stones to shop in an establishment of this caliber.

But Cale simply smiled at the attendant, causing her heart to flutter noticeably.

"We’d like to meet the manager here."

The attendant’s expression shifted to confusion and curiosity.

"The manager?" she asked with uncertainty.

’Is he that high-ranking a person? While Lord Sesrir does visit here occasionally, he rarely ever buys anything. Is this man from some wealthy clan?’ she wondered.

"Understood, young lord. I shall go and inform the manager of this branch," she said, her smile turning teasing as she leaned forward slightly, her ample cleavage prominently displayed as she swayed her hips while leaving gracefully from the room.

A few minutes later, she led them to a private chamber. Cale and Sesrir took seats on an elegant sofa while servants brought refreshments.

Cale smiled and hummed.

Sesrir, by contrast, was sweating profusely. This merchant organization was one of the most powerful in the entire world. One wrong move could result in them using every single coin and resource they possessed to hunt these two down across continents.

"Oi, are you really sure you can afford whatever you’re buying?" Sesrir whispered. "To even ask for the branch manager — what kind of secret item do you want to purchase?"

Cale simply patted the seat next to him.

"Come on, just sit and relax. Look, they’ve even given us fruit juice," he replied.

Sesrir sighed.

’Is this kid really dumb or just that brave? What family is he from?’

His anxiety was mounting.

A few minutes passed before a man entered, the branch manager himself. He wore red robes over a white shirt, with several expensive rings adorning his fingers. His face bore a well-maintained beard and sharp, calculating eyes that missed nothing.

"Hello, dear customers. I’m Victor, the branch manager of this establishment. May I have both of your names?" he asked with professional courtesy.

"Cale."

"Sesrir," the adventurer added.

Victor was a Sage Stage cultivator, though he concealed his cultivation through a concealment artifact.

Cale grinned.

"To think even a merchant organization has Sage Stage cultivators."

Victor smiled, "Haha, it’s nothing. With the amount of conflicts we encounter, branch managers need sufficient strength. Of course, intellect is the main asset."

Maids arrived again with refreshments. Cale accepted his immediately without hesitation, while Sesrir remained nervous, barely touching his drink.

"So, what kind of business would you like to conduct?" Victor asked. "Are you here to sell goods, or perhaps purchase them?"

Cale shrugged casually.

"Oh, I won’t be doing any of those. I’m actually here to ask you to lend me some spiritual stones," he said, holding up two fingers. Then he extended two more. "Four million middle-grade. Should be good enough."

Sesrir literally choked on his pastry, coughing violently.

Victor’s eyes narrowed, his expression becoming unreadable.

The manager attempted to laugh it off, though it came out strained.

"That’s quite the joke, young lord."

Sesrir stared at Cale as if he’d lost his mind. ’This is what your crazy plan was? At least you should have left me out of this. Ah! I’ve trusted a goddamned scammer!’

Victor maintained his professional composure, though Cale noticed his eyes twitch slightly.

"I can help lend small amounts, but what you’re asking is far too much. I don’t even know your identity..."

Without hesitation, Cale threw the Premium VIP card from the Soaring Crane Sect onto the table.

"The clan has sent me to withdraw the amount saved in this account, along with asking to lend the rest. Troubled times, you see. The clan needs all the money we can get."

Victor’s eyes widened dramatically as he recognized the card.

’It’s real. A genuine Premium VIP card from the Soaring Crane Sect... so he must be their representative here. With those breathtaking looks, he should definitely be someone of noble birth,’ Victor thought, reassessing the situation.

He quickly bowed with newfound respect.

"Ahh! Sorry, I didn’t realize your true identity. If you had shown this card earlier, it would have prevented such a misunderstanding. But worry not — we shall lend you the required amount," he said, his entire demeanor shifting to deference.

Sesrir’s jaw hung open.

’Is... is this for real?’

Victor continued, "As a VIP card holder, we can definitely lend money. However, without any guarantors, four million middle-grade stones is..."

Cale sighed.

"Ah, is that so? Maybe I will simply sell this card itself. From what I’ve heard, it can easily fetch a few million on the open market," he said, while reaching for the card as if to retrieve it.

Victor’s eyes widened with absolute horror.