Apocalypse Descent: Farming with My Harem

Chapter 66: Expensive Black Diamond, Purchase Golden Equipment!

Lord Hilton, hearing this, fell into deep thought.

By a merchant’s instinct, he would surely use his eloquent speech to downplay the value of the Black Diamond.

Then, he’d drastically lower the price to acquire it at an incredibly low cost to maximize his profit.

However, due to Lord Cao Xing’s identity as a Chosen Lord, and because it was his first deal and he had brought out something as precious as a Black Diamond,

this made Hilton feel that Cao Xing was a lord full of potential.

If he could leave a good impression, there might be opportunities for future cooperation.

Faced with short-term and long-term interests, he chose the latter.

So, Hilton said, “Generally, Black Diamonds have a market price ranging from two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand Crowns.”

“A Black Diamond with excellent quality can be sold for five hundred thousand Crowns.”

Cao Xing, hearing this, had a hint of joy at the corners of his mouth.

Five hundred thousand Crowns! That was indeed a huge sum of money, surpassing the price of a piece of Purple Equipment.

However, Hilton’s next words surprised him even more.

“But the Black Diamond in your hand is a supreme one.”

Hilton pondered for a moment before quoting a price.

“Nine hundred fifty thousand Crowns, how do you feel about that?”

When he announced this price, an unexpected joy flashed through Cao Xing’s eyes!

Because this price far exceeded his expectations.

It even surpassed the price of that Golden Shield!

Although Cao Xing didn’t know the world’s prices very well,

it was clear that this was a reasonable price.

Because it was already higher than that Golden Shield’s price.

Cao Xing let out a deep sigh.

He hadn’t expected that the Black Diamond he had scavenged from that Hunter Camp could actually be exchanged for a piece of Golden Equipment.

This made Cao Xing secretly decide that in the future, he’d clear out more Hunter Camps if the opportunity arose—who knew what other treasures he might find?

So, Cao Xing said, “Let’s do it this way. I want that one Golden Shield plus one hundred thousand Crowns, making it an even one million.”

Hearing Cao Xing raise the price by another fifty thousand, Hilton thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Deal.”

Both of them had joyful expressions on their faces.

With that, Hilton signaled to the mercenaries behind him.

Two mercenaries, each holding a large black box, walked over.

Then, they opened the boxes in front of Cao Xing.

Inside one box lay a shield over a meter high, entirely golden and hexagonal.

It was engraved with dense patterns that combined aesthetics with a strong sense of weight.

The shield’s ornate appearance was comparable to some artworks.

And in the other large box, it was filled to the brim with Crowns.

Hilton praised, “Lord Cao Xing, you have a sharp eye.”

“This shield was collected from an ancient tribe, and it’s at least a thousand years old. Even its crafting technique left the Dwarf Master Tedaric in awe.”

“Master Tedaric stated that this forging method might have been lost.”

“So, this may be the last shield of its kind on the entire Continent, with extremely high collectible value.”

Cao Xing nodded because he also recognized the shield’s value.

Even the natives looked at the box with a gaze filled with longing.

Of course, Cao Xing didn’t take Hilton’s claim of being a one-of-a-kind too seriously.

After all, these merchants always liked to hype up their goods to increase their perceived value.

Then, they exchanged supplies.

[Trade successful: You obtained a Holy Knight’s Shield (Gold) and ten thousand units of currency; you lost one Black Diamond.]

Upon completing the trade, both parties had joyful expressions on their faces.

And Cao Xing gazed at the golden shield in his inventory, feeling elated.

After all, this was his very first piece of Golden Equipment.

At this moment, Hilton again looked at Cao Xing with a gaze of eager anticipation, saying, “Honorable Chosen Lord, I wonder if you have any other special items?”

He seemed insatiable, for although he had purchased the Black Diamond at a high price,

he still had ways to earn a significant profit from it.

Cao Xing shook his head, “Not at the moment, Lord Hilton.”

Hilton looked somewhat disappointed, but he quickly regained his composure and said, “No worries, Lord Cao Xing; I will frequently visit the Gale Snow Plain in the future. If you have anything special, please do trade with me.”

Cao Xing nodded with a smile, “Sure thing, Lord Hilton, it’s a pleasure to cooperate.”

After saying this, Cao Xing stepped out of his territory and shook hands with Hilton to show his sincerity.

Hilton extended his little pudgy hand as well.

“Pleasure to cooperate!”

At this moment, Hilton glanced at Cao Xing’s territory behind him.

His gaze paused for a moment on the Lord’s Hut and Basic Elemental Arrow Tower,

and he nodded subtly.

Then, his eyes fixed on the half-constructed Tavern.

Hilton’s eyes lit up, and he seemed to have made some kind of decision.

“Lord Cao Xing, I see your territory is taking shape, and even the Tavern is almost built.”

“I wonder if you’d be willing to establish a trade relationship with our Black Lion Commerce?”

“Trade relationship?”

“Yes.”

Hilton nodded, “In the future, when our Black Lion merchants pass through the Gale Snow Plain, they will also come to your territory and use it as a trading point.”

“Of course, we will also pay certain fees, and if you become our partner, you will enjoy a five percent discount on future purchases from Black Lion Commerce.”

After Hilton finished, Cao Xing understood his intention.

He had noticed the development prospects of Cao Xing’s territory and planned to conduct regular trade here in the future.

A System Prompt appeared.

[Your territory’s Prosperity has met the requirement. Hilton from Black Lion Commerce is applying to establish a trading relationship with your territory. Do you accept?]

Cao Xing pondered.

Clearly, this condition had no downsides for him.

Additionally, due to Black Lion Commerce’s influence, more people would likely come near his territory in the future, increasing his chances of recruiting powerful heroes.

Cao Xing replied, “Lord Hilton, I am very willing to establish a partnership with Black Lion Commerce.”

Upon hearing this, Hilton beamed with joy.

[Trade relationship successfully established, Black Lion Commerce’s goodwill has increased. Current goodwill: Friendly.]

The two shook hands again pleasantly.

At this moment, Cao Xing added, “Lord Hilton, my territory is still under construction, and to perfect the facilities, it will take some time.”

Upon hearing this, Hilton waved his hand and said, “No rush, Lord Cao Xing; we are not in a hurry.”

At this time, Hilton’s greasy large face had two twinkling eyes as if he had thought of something.

“Lord Cao Xing, territory development requires more manpower. Would you be interested in recruiting a batch of new subjects?”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing furrowed his brow slightly, “Lord Hilton, what do you mean?”

Hilton smiled mysteriously.

Then, he had the black curtains lifted from the last two carriages.

Cao Xing immediately saw a group of humanoid creatures with white skin, wearing clothes made of white leaves, and even their hair was white, curled up in the wagon.

“What are these?” Cao Xing asked, puzzled.

Hilton explained, “These are members of the Tree Spirit Clan. They are the guardians of the Pale Holy Tree, but due to the awakening of the Ancient Giant Dragon Zetan, their homeland was destroyed.”

“A large number of Tree Spirit Clan members became homeless and fled from the North Continent to our Western Continent.”

“Our president of Black Lion Commerce took pity on these former guardians’ plight and instructed us merchants to bring the Tree Spirit Clan along during our travels in hopes of finding benevolent lords who would take them in.”

At this point, Hilton added, “Rest assured, Lord Cao Xing, the Tree Spirit Clan has lived in the North Continent for many years. They are hardworking and won’t slack off during work.”

After hearing Hilton’s introduction, Cao Xing understood.

These members of the Tree Spirit Clan were not captured but had voluntarily sought refuge with Black Lion Commerce because they were homeless.

Currently, Black Lion Commerce was helping these refugees find a place to settle.

It seemed that Black Lion Commerce, unlike traditional merchants known for their cunning, still had a bit of conscience left.

Of course, this batch of Tree Spirit Clan likely brought them considerable benefits.

Cao Xing couldn’t help but muse, “It seems this world is quite chaotic, with cultists and evil gods, and now even an Ancient Giant Dragon has emerged.”

From a distance, Cao Xing looked at the attributes of these Tree Spirit Clan members.

[Tree Spirit: Valerie Lv6]

[Life Value: 360/360]

[Attack Power: 27~31]

[Skill: None]

[Talent: Pale Tree Guardian (recovers 0.1% of blood volume per second within the Pale Tree’s range)]

…

[Tree Spirit: Voyno Lv4]

[Life Value: 280/280]

[Attack Power: 23~25]

[Skill: None]

[Talent: Pale Tree Guardian]

…

[Pale Seed: Nif Lv5]

[Rank: First-tier Elite Level]

[Life Value: 420/420]

[Skill: Forest Eye (can share sight with a nearby plant)]

[Talent: Pale Tree Guardian]

…

Seeing Nif’s attributes, Cao Xing’s eyes lit up.

He was even an elite, and he had a special skill.

Cao Xing’s gaze locked onto the petite member of the Tree Spirit Clan in the wagon.

She was looking at Cao Xing with a curious gaze.

Her eyes were like ice crystals, and her whole body, with its snowy white skin, appeared like a crystal doll.

However, in the instant she made eye contact with Cao Xing, this Nif lowered her head.

It seemed Nif herself hadn’t discovered her special trait.

After all, an elite only had a thirty percent higher attribute than ordinary creatures, and at a lower level, this advantage wasn’t particularly significant.

The other members of the Tree Spirit Clan also had decent attributes; they could serve as labor units.

Or they could be trained into Frost Archers once the Training Camp was built.

At that moment, Cao Xing was indeed tempted!