Chapter 970: Exchange Money

Immortal Sanshui died in another realm. His remaining soul and personal treasures were absorbed by the Spirit-Sealing Pagoda, transforming into a spirit artifact-like entity, until the Grand Square Pot refined it. Someone was about to ask, "Immortal Sanshui is..."

Fang Canran waved his hand. "I know who Immortal Sanshui is. Seven years ago, Immortal Sanshui's Red Water Mace appeared at a large auction in Lingxu City. The organizers presented it as the highlight item of the first half, but unfortunately, it didn't sell. Immortal Sanshui's deeds are well-documented, so finding these two treasures shouldn't be difficult. In our business, we value an item's traceable lineage. If a treasure is recorded in historical texts, it can fetch a good price!"

He Lingchuan smiled, "I need money. Give me an estimate."

Fang Canran secretly rolled his eyes. He Lingchuan's remark meant he wanted a higher appraisal.

"Let me be frank with you," he said. "Quick sales have quick sale prices. If you're short on cash, you'll have to sell quickly. If you're not in a hurry, you can leave them with me for consignment, and we can wait for a bigger catch."

"Fair enough."

Dong Rui, who was gnawing on sunflower seeds nearby, seemingly unbothered by the noise he was making, asked, "What's the price for a quick sale, and what's the price for a slower one?"

"These two treasures' efficacy was likely much higher in ancient times than it is now," Fang Canran explained. "Environmental changes have the greatest impact on ancient artifacts. Even if they're well-preserved and still usable, their divine powers will probably be discounted. Furthermore, each use consumes a massive amount of energy, so they'd likely need extensive maintenance before being used again."

Dong Rui frowned repeatedly upon hearing this, thinking Fang Canran was trying to drive down the price. But He Lingchuan hummed in understanding, realizing Fang Canran was analyzing the item's strengths and weaknesses.

After all, any pricing, and the amount set, must be based on some criteria. Moreover, Fang Canran wasn't wrong. Taking Lu Xun's Seven Fortunes Wheel as an example, that treasure requires three to four months of energy storage before it can be unleashed for less than ten seconds of devastating power. It truly is a high-consumption, low-frequency item.

"The King's Seal has a slight blemish on its base, but it doesn't affect its use. Ultimately, it's a magical artifact, not an antique," Fang Canran said, stroking the King's Seal and pondering for a moment. "Its primary materials are Mountain Heart Blood and refined gold; no extremely rare materials were used. However, its artifact spirit is naturally formed, and its power...?"

"I've tested it myself," He Lingchuan honestly stated. "An opponent almost crushed me to death with this seal. It can transform into the size of a small mountain peak; you can test it yourself."

"I'll take your word for it; we'll let the buyer test it," Fang Canran chuckled. "In that case, let's appraise it at 400,000 taels first."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, secretly surprised: That expensive?

"The price of a magical artifact depends on three factors: its origin, condition, and efficacy," Fang Canran explained. "Immortal Sanshui was a great immortal, renowned alongside Immortal Shouan, so the origin of these two treasures is impeccable. The King's Seal has a slight flaw at the base, but its efficacy is good. For a quick sale, I believe 400,000 taels is a suitable price."

He Lingchuan secretly gave a wry smile. Immortal Sanshui's Spirit-Sealing Pagoda had been melted down by the Grand Square Pot, and he had only forged the King's Seal as a substitute. This was settling for a lesser option, and its quality certainly couldn't compare to the original Pagoda. Yet, even so, it was worth 400,000. He realized that when he had sold National Preceptor Sun Fuping's Violet Gold Pestle, he had only received 200,000, meaning Songyang Prefecture had truly swindled him out of a huge sum. Alas, one always pays for youthful naiveté.

Dong Rui, curious, asked, "What about the Sanshui Token?"

"This is the origin of Immortal Sanshui's title. It was once a divine artifact but has now been downgraded to a quasi-divine artifact. For a quick sale, it's 800,000 taels."

He Lingchuan raised his eyebrow again.

Seeing his reaction, Fang Canran smiled and said, "Are you thinking of the sword fragment the Ke family bought at auction?"

"Indeed," He Lingchuan admitted frankly.

"That was Lingxu City, a place of worldly splendor," Fang Canran, as the former auction master of Dunyuan, revealed. "The Ke family spent 800,000 taels on Immortal Shouan's sword fragment, but the significance of that act far outweighed its actual value. Otherwise, that item would be lucky to sell for 250,000 taels. Besides the Ke family wanting to display their wealth as ostentatiously as possible and outshine other nobles, there was another reason: one-tenth of Dunyuan's auction proceeds were donated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to subsidize Lingxu's transportation. The wealthy families were well aware of this, so a portion of that money was essentially a donation."

Both He Lingchuan and Dong Rui exclaimed, "So that's how it is." There were so many hidden intricacies; no wonder things sold for so much in Lingxu.

"Platinum Island doesn't have as many rules," Fang Canran said seriously. "Auction sales only incur a half-percent handling fee, and all other miscellaneous expenses are waived. If you want a quick sale, I can get you the money now. However, I don't have 1.2 million taels in cash on hand, so it would take two days."

Over a million taels in cash was not something just anyone could produce at a moment's notice.

He Lingchuan considered. "The King's Seal can be sold immediately. As for the Sanshui Token, there's no rush; I'll leave it with you for consignment or auction, waiting for someone fated to acquire it."

"Alright," Fang Canran stood up. "I'll go get the money."

True to his word, he returned swiftly, placing 400,000 taels in front of He Lingchuan a quarter of an hour later. Unlike Lingxu City, he offered many smaller denominations, some as low as 1,000 taels. It was clear that Manager Fang had emptied the very bottom of his till for him. Even in the business of magical artifacts, one wouldn't encounter such a large transaction every day.

As He Lingchuan put the 400,000 taels into his pouch, he maintained a calm exterior, but secretly let out a long breath of relief. With this large sum added to his accounts, he could once again invest in the construction of Yangshan Archipelago. Adding the 400,000 to the existing 210,000, he now had 610,000 taels in cash on hand, which would last him a good while and alleviate his financial strain. Poverty can limit one's aspirations; now, only these silver notes gave him a sense of security! Immortal Sanshui was truly a good person, leaving him such a substantial inheritance.

Fang Canran chuckled, "For this first transaction, I won't take any commission from you. Any amount the King's Seal sells for above 400,000 taels, I'll transfer to you."

Although he owed He Lingchuan a favor, business was business. Good friends should keep clear accounts; that was the key to a long-lasting relationship.

He Lingchuan nodded happily, "I'll leave it to you."

Dong Rui interjected, "Don't you have a lot of other odds and ends to sell?"

He Lingchuan nodded. He had collected many items from the Celestial Palace forces and from the hideouts of the Three Paths Pirates and Yue Ping; put together, they could also be converted into cash. When money was tight, he had to rummage through all his belongings.

Fang Canran immediately replied, "For items other than treasures like the King's Seal, you can leave them with my staff at the front desk. Once they're sold, I'll arrange for the money to be sent to Yangshan Archipelago." He secretly rolled his eyes. This He Lingchuan fellow had just cleaned out all the loose cash in his pockets, and now he kept pulling out more things to sell, practically forcing Fang Canran to admit he was short on ready money, wasn't he?

Of course, he also knew that He Lingchuan needed a lot of money for constructing his new island. "Brother He, since you're so short on funds, I can act as an intermediary and guarantee a loan from Mount Ling, interest-free, to help you out of this bind."

Dong Rui, intrigued, asked, "How much can you borrow?"

Fang Canran replied casually, "Three to five million taels of silver should be available."