Chapter 1348: Self-Confidence

Yu Yanluo ignored him and directly signaled the Green Garden Steward to cut the stone.

The Green Garden Steward had just witnessed the unusual phenomenon displayed by the unpolished stone she chose, suggesting that what was hidden inside was likely extraordinary.

His heart trembled; Green Garden was going to suffer significant losses today, with one heaven-grade treasure after another being uncovered.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset, treating it as advertising. As long as this incident was widely publicized afterward, it would attract more people, which would actually be good for Green Garden.

Curious about what this unpolished stone would reveal, he focused his attention and began cutting.

Not just him, but others were equally curious, gathering around. They held their breath, intently staring at the stone.

This stone was much smaller, so it was cut more quickly than the stone Lion Min had just opened.

As a cut was made, a searing sensation washed over them; for a moment, everyone felt as if they were in a scorching desert.

"Is it fire-attributed?" Everyone was startled and craned their necks to look.

The unpolished stone was completely cut open, revealing a handful of sand, and nothing else.

Lion Min secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while Lion Rong burst into laughter: "All that fuss, just for a pile of sand! I'm dying of laughter."

Princess Sorena looked at Yu Yanluo with concern. As one of the highest-ranking nobles of the demon race, she had also played stone gambling and knew that many stones might show various unusual signs from the outside but ultimately yield nothing inside.

This could be due to other misleading contents inside, or because they were opened too early, before the treasures within had fully formed.

This was also the thrill and allure of stone gambling.

Yun Jianyue kept poking Yan Xuehen with her hand: "Oh no, oh no, just a pile of useless sand! Yu Yanluo is probably going to lose terribly. Can she really afford that many heaven-grade origin stones now? Your White Jade Capital is a big enterprise, why don't you support her a little?"

Yan Xuehen, uncomfortable from the poking, squirmed uncomfortably: "Why don't *you* support her?"

"Who told our Holy Sect to be so poor?" Yun Jianyue replied, looking as if her poverty justified everything.

Yan Xuehen snorted: "Wait and see, Yu Yanluo might not lose."

"Oh?" Yun Jianyue looked curiously at the handful of yellow sand, wondering if there was something special about it.

At this moment, Lion Min also walked over. Compared to his younger brother, he was much more subtle, smiling as he looked at Yu Yanluo: "Queen Medusa, it seems the winner has been decided now, hasn't it?"

"Not necessarily," Yu Yanluo said indifferently.

"Oh, surely you're not going to say this sand is more precious than my heaven-grade Bone True Bamboo, are you?" Lion Min said coldly. "As a clan leader, wouldn't it be beneath your dignity to be so unreasonable?"

At this point, Shang Liuyu spoke: "This is not ordinary sand, but Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand. It's a top-grade raw material for runic pigments, and it's also needed for creating certain forbidden grand formations."

"What?" Everyone looked at the sand again, only then noticing that each grain was different from ordinary sand, subtly emitting a faint blue light, much like the shimmering light of runic arrays.

However, this radiance was too subtle; without a careful look, it was indeed unnoticeable.

Duke Lion snorted: "The princess is friendly with Queen Medusa; she wouldn't be deliberately speaking for her, just making something up to deceive us, would she?"

The Little Golden Peng King smiled slightly: "Not at all. A free-spirited person like the princess wouldn't fabricate stories for such a minor personal friendship."

The Second Prince also nodded: "Indeed, I absolutely trust the princess's character. I've heard of Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand, though I don't understand runes and haven't seen it with my own eyes."

Chi Gu curled his lip, muttering inwardly, "These two fellows are flattering my aunt in every way. Are they really trying to become my uncle and lord over me?"

Zu An also sighed, impressed. Shang Liuyu possessed a detached and free-spirited aura, proving that she had endless charm no matter where she was.

At this point, the Green Garden Steward said: "I have indeed seen it; this is truly a heaven-grade item, Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand."

Hearing this, Duke Lion's expression changed: "Don't speak carelessly!"

The Green Garden Steward calmly replied: "Given Green Garden's reputation for so many years, how could I speak carelessly? I've handled many treasures over the years, and I recognized Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand because I encountered it once by chance."

Zu An seized the opportunity to speak: "It seems we've won. Your Bone True Bamboo can only be used to create heaven-grade soul-summoning banners, and it's primarily useful for those who practice dark necromancy, making its application significantly narrower. The Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand our clan leader uncovered can not only be used to create forbidden formations but can also be used by anyone, naturally making it superior."

The Green Garden Steward secretly nodded. Indeed, Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand was slightly more precious.

"Nonsense," Duke Lion immediately retorted, "They are both heaven-grade treasures; why should your worthless sand be superior?"

The Second Prince nodded: "What you say isn't unreasonable. So, let's ask Green Garden's representative. They handle many treasures. If both items were put up for auction, which one would fetch a higher price?"

The Green Garden Steward's heart stirred slightly. He respectfully replied: "Replying to the Second Prince, it depends on who attends the auction. If there are necromancers, Bone True Bamboo could fetch an exorbitant price. Conversely, if there are more rune masters present, Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand would sell for a higher price."

Working in a place like Green Garden, he was naturally astute and could easily discern the Second Prince's bias.

He naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to state that Wondrous Wood Demonic Sand was more valuable, but he also wouldn't go against his conscience and say that Bone True Bamboo was more expensive. This way, he wouldn't offend either side.

Anyway, the value of these two treasures wasn't significantly different to begin with, so what he said was essentially the truth.

The Second Prince smiled contentedly: "In that case, this round will be declared a draw, and we'll have another round to decide the winner. What do you all think?"

The Little Golden Peng King nodded slightly: "It's a good opportunity to further appreciate the performance of two master stone gamblers, so I'm naturally delighted."

Shang Liuyu frowned slightly, but representing the Sea Clan this time, she couldn't say much.

Since the two highest-ranking individuals had spoken, others naturally had no objections and quickly assented.

Zu An's brows furrowed. This Second Prince was clearly biased towards the Lion Clan. Had the Snake Clan truly offended him?

It didn't make sense; this guy couldn't possibly be genuinely seeking revenge for the crown prince.

"Your Imperial Highness is wise," Lion Min bowed and then resumed searching for the next stone in the garden.

After the recent lesson, he dared not be careless in the slightest. This time, he was fully concentrated, determined to find a world-shattering treasure to decisively defeat his opponent.

Yu Yanluo felt a slight anger, but as things stood, she had no choice. She could only start looking at stones to prevent Lion Min from picking a suitable unpolished stone first.

She secretly transmitted a message of vital energy to Zu An and the others: "Lion Min and I are evenly matched in our stone-viewing skills. Even if I'm slightly better, there's no qualitative difference, and with the uncertainty of stone gambling, that slight advantage would be erased."

There was deep worry in her tone.

Yun Jianyue also said: "Not only that, this 'birdman' Second Prince seems to be biased towards the Lion Clan. This time, if what we uncover is similar, I'm afraid they'll still declare a draw and start another round until Lion Min clearly surpasses us."

"There's another problem," Yan Xuehen frowned, "If we keep going like this, we won't have enough heaven-grade origin stones to buy new stones."

As they exchanged thoughts, the three women looked utterly disheartened.

At this moment, Zu An's expression was strange: "Don't worry, I'm here."

"You?" Everyone looked at him.

All present were experts, already paying attention to every move of the two competitors. When they saw Yu Yanluo looking at Zu An instead of the stone, they couldn't help but feel a stir in their hearts. This person seemed to hold an unusual position in Queen Medusa's estimation. They decided to have their subordinates investigate Zu An's information.

Zu An cleared his throat: "Trust me, later, choose that large stone by the pavilion!"