Jiang Chen stood on the obsidian platform and swept the rewards into his storage ring. He looked at the exit and narrowed his eyes.
'If I walk out now, everyone's attention will be on me. Is that necessary?' Jiang Chen thought. 'Perhaps I'll let someone else pass me. But won't the auction house know anyway when I claim the private room in the Foundation Establishment residence area or go to buy the Fire Essence from them at base price? Worse, even if I let another pass before me, would that person remain silent about the missing rewards? No, that won't do... but I do not want every eye on me out there, so what do I do now?'
He rubbed his temples, his mind spinning like a rapid silkworm weaving a web of deception.
'Before I entered the formation, I could not see anything happening inside. Maybe...' Jiang Chen turned around and walked back toward where he had come from.
