"Upgradable equipment, both expensive and useless!"
The goblin underling spoke sincerely.
At the Pavilion of All Things, fairness is the principle of doing business.
Those who can enter the Trade Secret Realm are either wealthy or noble.
Even a temporary pass costs millions for a single entry!
How could an ordinary family afford such expenses?
Therefore, the goblin underling prefers long-term business rather than one-off deals.
Ye Bai, like a beginner, curiously asked,
"If the upgrade conditions for the equipment are hidden, is there no way to check them?"
"There is a way."
The goblin underling patiently explained, "A master-level forging expert can, at a cost, reveal the current upgrade conditions! But the cost of hiring a master-level forging expert is in the millions!
Once the equipment is upgraded, the conditions change again. You can't keep hiring a master-level expert every time, right?"
The goblin underling made a valid point.
Upgradable equipment has two characteristics: 1. The upgrade conditions are hidden; 2. After upgrading, the conditions refresh!
In other words, upgradable equipment is a bottomless pit, requiring massive resources to develop!
It's a gamble, and most likely a losing one.
However, these two characteristics are meaningless in front of Ye Bai!
Ye Bai can see through the upgrade conditions at a glance!
Even the maximum number of upgrades and future upgrade paths are clear to Ye Bai!
The goblin underling remembered something and added,
"Oh, there's another way to identify upgrade conditions. There's an S Rank Talent called [Sharp Eye] that can identify the upgrade conditions of equipment with a 50% success rate, limited to three times a day."
The goblin underling didn't say much about the S Rank Talent, as it involved secrets.
It costs extra.
Ye Bai just smiled after hearing this.
The gap between an S Rank Talent and an SSS Rank Talent is enormous!
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
After hearing these introductions, Ye Bai still stuck to his opinion.
"Show me the upgradable equipment, maybe I'll find something I like."
"Here's the list. These are all equipment that can be upgraded at least three times!"
Ye Bai glanced over the equipment list, and annotations appeared next to each equipment name.
[Song of Shadows, upgradable 3 times, fully upgraded at level 60 (A Rank quality)!]
[Soul Howler, upgradable 6 times, fully upgraded at level 80 (S Rank quality)!]
[...]
While checking the annotations, Ye Bai compared the prices of these pieces of equipment.
[Song of Shadows] 300,000 Gold Coins, [Soul Howler] 150,000 Gold Coins...
From a potential standpoint, the latter is clearly stronger, yet its price is only half of the former.
Because [Song of Shadows] has a good base panel and suits dark mages, while [Soul Howler] leans towards the soul element, which is a niche profession.
Of course, they have one thing in common—Ye Bai can't afford either.
Ye Bai only has 100,000 Gold Coins, which is worth over a billion Dragon Coins, yet he can't afford an upgradable staff!
While Ye Bai was browsing the staffs, the goblin underling suddenly exclaimed.
"Our Pavilion of All Things just announced that all low-tier equipment is on sale at 20% off!"
"Is there really such a good deal?"
Ye Bai was a bit skeptical, wondering if this was some promotional trick.
"Brother, thank Asura."
The goblin underling sighed, "These discounts are widespread, aiming to provide resources for the new generation. Asura is definitely one of them and will enjoy these discounts too!"
Clearly, the Pavilion of All Things wouldn't voluntarily lower prices; there's the shadow of the Defense Command behind it.
[Soul Howler] at 150,000 Gold Coins, 20% off is 120,000. Ye Bai thought of ways to get it.
"Another message!"
The goblin underling's eyes widened in disbelief, nearly screaming, "Mage equipment is on sale at 50% off, provided it's sold to mages below level 30, one purchase per person!"
Half off!
"Crazy! Absolutely crazy!"
The goblin underling shook his head, unable to comprehend this crazy world, "One Asura caused such a stir!"
"According to you, I should really thank this Asura for saving me a lot of money."
Ye Bai couldn't help but laugh.
With a 50% discount, Ye Bai could consider any equipment under 200,000 Gold Coins!
It's like giving Ye Bai 100,000 Gold Coins for free! 1 billion Dragon Coins!
"Indeed, we should thank Asura!"
The goblin underling had never seen such a scene and pondered,
"According to the previous job change announcement, Asura is a mage, which is why there's this incredible 50% discount!"
Ye Bai agreed, "If I ever meet Asura, I'll treat him to a good meal."
This was no joke; Ye Bai treated [Asura] to meals every day.
With the 50% discount, Ye Bai suddenly had a lot more options!
In the end, out of hundreds of pieces of equipment, Ye Bai chose a staff made from Thunder Strike Wood: [Nature's Force].
From the attribute panel of Nature's Force, it seemed ordinary.
However, it is a rare dual-element staff of [Lightning Element] and [Wood Element], significantly enhancing magic skills of both elements, and it has upgrade attributes, listed at a high price of 180,000 Gold Coins.
"180,000, after discount, 90,000 Gold Coins."
Ye Bai skillfully haggled with the other party,
"Make it cheaper, this staff isn't made of gold."
"This is worth more than gold!"
"......"
In the end, after bargaining for over ten minutes, the goblin underling couldn't resist and made another concession to Ye Bai.
"After discount, 80,000 Gold Coins, and I'll throw in 60 Eternal Tower Returners, 5 level 10 usable Golden Scrolls, and 12 level 15 controllable Combat Puppets!"
"Deal!"
Ye Bai was very satisfied with the price.
Even without the additional gifts, the 10,000 Gold Coins saved alone are worth millions, isn't that a treat?
After reaching a verbal agreement, the goblin underling immediately sent a message to the Pavilion of All Things, asking the main pavilion to deliver the goods.
An 80,000 Gold Coin deal isn't something he closes every day!
The key is, the upgradable equipment Ye Bai purchased is a niche, unsellable item that most people wouldn't waste money on.
The Pavilion of All Things had a pile of equipment stuck with them, unable to convert into liquid assets, which was also frustrating!
This transaction was mutually beneficial.
While waiting for the equipment to arrive, Ye Bai asked the goblin underling about some matters in the Trade Secret Realm, and as long as it didn't involve secrets, the underling answered all questions.
"As you mentioned earlier, the Pavilion of All Things not only sells items but also allows consignment?"
Ye Bai asked casually.
"Yes, fair to all, and no handling fees!"
The goblin underling explained, "Even anonymous consignments don't incur any fees!"
"That's rare, not charging a handling fee."
Ye Bai squinted slightly, realizing that there's clearly a top-tier expert behind the Pavilion of All Things, possibly even the shadow of the Defense Command!
Otherwise, there wouldn't be such significant discounts!
Thinking of this, Ye Bai spoke again,
"I have a friend..."
"Ahem."
The goblin underling couldn't help but roll his eyes internally.
Just say it's you, why always 'I have a friend.'
What, is your talent [Imaginary Friend]?
"He has something he wants to consign anonymously."
The goblin underling nodded, that's easy.
"What item, and what price?"
"A stone."
Ye Bai took out a stone from his backpack, a key item for opening the hidden level in the beginner dungeon!
With the help of the [Eye of Insight], a note floated on the stone:
[This is just an ordinary stone. What, you want to sell it at a high price? Who would spend so much money on a stone?]