After Luo Ran's amazing performance in the dining room, Jin Huang insisted that his subordinate drink a large amount of water. Finally, they left the dining room and went off somewhere.
Xiao Chen was clutching his head as Meng Lan gently comforted him.
"What are you going to do about the emperor?" asked Meng Lan after she was certain Xiao Chen was de-stressed.
"What do you mean?"
"Once he finds out that you have made contact with the other worlds, it will be no different than if the entire Vermillion Gate Sect found out. Do you really want our greatest enemy finding out? This early in the game?" Meng Lan seemed deeply concerned.
Xiao Chen shook his head and rose into a more refined posture. "It may seem early to you, Meng Lan, but I've been playing this game long before you were born. The pieces have long fallen into place. Our enemy finding out is exactly what I want at this stage."
"It is time to show my hand... and let them know that I am making my move."
Meng Lan sighed, but ultimately acquiesced, "Yes, Master. Then, how do you plan on utilizing Jin Huang?"
Xiao Chen laughed, "That boy. He gives me such a headache that I tend to forget he is also our greatest lucky star. Heh! I plan to have him procure the most amazing pills possible, and I will spare no expense."
Xiao Chen stood up, walking out of the dining room and onto a veranda just outside. As he gazed out at the imperial city, he smirked and brought both his hands out as if trying to take hold of the entire city.
"In just a few days, the most influential figures in this Quadrant will come to the Nine Hells Star at my invitation. With their most valuable assets in hand, they will provide me with exactly what I need."
"Then... when their greed is ripest. When they all are drunk on the sense of superiority that comes with winning an item that countless others want..."
"I will bring before their eyes something unimaginably valuable. Something that will make them regret spending too early. Not that it would matter, because even if they had held onto every last bit of their money, they still wouldn't be able to afford those items."
Xiao Chen turned, his eyes filled with a malicious and evil violet light. His aura surged and, almost instantly, various runes suddenly lit up all around the building, preventing his presence from being detected anywhere other than that very room.
These runes were set with that very purpose in mind.
Laughing triumphantly, Xiao Chen continued. "The sight of that will surely make them weep tears of blood. They'll curse their own rash impatience and find themselves lacking. The high shall be brought low... and then they shall finally fall into my trap."
"Realizing that even all they had to offer would still not be enough... yet being incapable of seeing such items and walking away..."
"They will pledge to me exactly what I want."
Meng Lan watched as Xiao Chen slowly reined in his presence, and she smiled flatly. "As you will it, so it shall be, Master."
Xiao Chen's laughter filled the room.
Far beneath them, in the actual auction house, various employees clad in obsidian-colored uniforms were busy at work. They cleaned, arranged seating, set up privacy runes for numerous private rooms on various floors, and ensured that the items were all in tip-top shape. Presentation was everything.
The stage was refurbished. The female attendants in charge of the proceedings rehearsed how they would go about handling things, and those responsible for keeping things peaceful also familiarized themselves with the layout and the guest list.
Of course, each and every one of these employees were entirely loyal to Xiao Chen. Most of the more important ones were people he had personally selected years ago, when the main branch of the Obsidian Treasury was all there was.
Seeing how far he had come, and how well he continued to treat them, naturally these employees would be wholeheartedly devoted to him. In their eyes, Lord Obsidian was the best boss in the history of bosses!
Naturally, none of them knew Xiao Chen's true identity. He had maintained the persona of Lord Obsidian since he built the first Obsidian Treasury- this very same one that was now the main branch.
Yet, no one cared about his need for secrecy. Even though they made up various theories and laughed amongst themselves, at the end of the day this just made them get along even better.
Why should they care if the owner kept his identity a secret? It didn't bother them, nor did it affect their salaries. They had a good thing going and would not mess it up by any means. Especially not for something as stupid as that.
As they were hard at work, Jin Huang and Luo Ran had gone to a private room, recently furnished with everything an Alchemy Master might need.
On a low table, there was a scroll tied with a red ribbon. The magical seal on it had long been undone, but the aura coming from that paper suggested that the parchment itself was magical, and not just the seal that had once kept it shut.
"Whoa! I wonder what Alchemy Grandmaster uses this place. Are you sure we can enter, Boss?" Luo Ran suddenly became apprehensive.
Jin Huang gave a dismissive snort and swaggered over to the workstation with a great flourish of his clothes, then took a seat. "Listen, Luo Ran. No one in this world is more qualified to make use of this space than this Emperor! Remember that!"
Luo Ran's mouth fell open as he put two and two together. "Uh... this emperor... Boss... You're an alchemist!?"
Jin Huang threw his head back and laughed while simultaneously puffing up his chest. "That's right, Luo Ran! But I'm not just any old alchemist. I'm the greatest alchemist that has every lived- you hear!?"
Luo Ran dared not believe it, but he also dared not show his disbelief. Even so, Jin Huang sensed it and frowned. Lifting his chin high, Jin Huang put on the air of a dignified and ancient alchemy expert.
"Tell me, child. What ails you in this life? Tell Grandmaster and watch him concoct a pill for you!" Jin Huang impatiently gestured for Luo Ran to answer him quickly.
Luo Ran was dumbfounded as he gulped. "Well... uhh. Ah, what the heck. Can you make a pill that allows even a talentless wastrel like me to cultivate, Boss?"
Jin Huang snorted coldly and was immediately on his feet, "Child's play!"
He rummaged around the various shelves and storage spaces, then returned to the workstation and furnace with various herbs and other things that Luo Ran did not recognize.
Finally, Jin Huang opened up the scroll, seeming to be confirming something. "Right!"
He immediately got to work, refining ingredients and extracting medicinal essence. The fragrance of potent medicine filled the room, soon filtered out through both the open windows and the specialized runes that lined the walls. Even so, the fragrance was so strong that it lingered, making Luo Ran feel like he was floating on clouds.
Before long, Jin Huang had refined a furnace of nine pills, each of them glowing with divine rings around them. These weren't pill halos, but rings of light on the spherical bodies of the pills themselves.
"Be amazed, Luo Ran! These are superior grade Foundation Building Pills! Take these, and watch as your channels are thoroughly cleansed and widened, allowing you to take in magical energy without even trying!"
Utterly gob smacked, Luo Ran grabbed up a pill and swallowed it, expecting great results. Sadly, nothing happened. Luo Ran seemed to be unsure of whether he had just be fooled or not.
The light faded from Jin Huang's eyes, but he swiftly found his footing. "Right! If that won't work, it must be because- er... Hmm. Anyway, let's try this one!"
Before too long, he had concocted another batch of pills.
"Soul Enriching Pills! These will surely work wonders for your innate talent and cultivation ability! Watch and be amazed!"
Once again, Luo Ran excitedly swallowed a pill and awaited amazing results. When nothing changed, he sighed and stood up, making to leave the room. He felt like Jin Huang was toying with him and couldn't handle such blows to his heart.
"Wait, wait! Try these on for size!" Jin Huang frantically reset and concocted yet another batch of pills. "Nine Heart Origin Pills! These will give your body such a boost that you'll transcend human limits and become a superior cultivator!"
Luo Ran didn't budge. He just sat on the floor next to Jin Huang with eyes like a dead fish, gazing at the ground with a suicidal expression.
Jin Huang forced his mouth open and put the pill in... then tossed a glass of water at his face before tilting his head upward and forcing him to swallow the pill. Even though Jin Huang crossed his fingers, once again... nothing happened.
In the end, both of them were sitting dejectedly and gazing at the floor, looking as though they wanted to cease existing.
"I might be a fake alchemist," Jin Huang sniffed as tears ran down his face.
Luo Ran finally showed a reaction. A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he found the strength to pounce on Jin Huang and start to pommel him.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Even as Luo Ran pounded fist after fist into Jin Huang's face, he cried out in pain. Jin Huang's face was simply too hard!
Jin Huang did nothing. He only cried and allowed Luo Ran to attack. "I'm sorry, Luo Ran. It seems I'm not amazing after all. I'm nothing. Just another piece of trash."
Luo Ran's hands were throbbing, and so he stopped and sat on the floor beside Jin Huang, sighing once again. "It's fine, Boss. Thanks for trying, I guess."
Sitting up, Jin Huang said, "Why don't you tell me about your condition. Maybe understanding that will allow me to figure out how exactly to help you."
Luo Ran could see that there was still some hope in Jin Huang's eyes, but he did not want to get his hopes up again. "Well, I guess it all started after my mother left us and my father fell into depression. His only method of coping was gambling... so he gambled away our house, our land, my tuition, my sister..."