Chapter 221: Death Knight

Lei En hadn't spoken yet when someone immediately raised the price: "Sir, I offer 32,000 Gold Shields."

"33,000."

"35,000!"

A few casters gathered around Lei En, each refusing to yield, and amid fierce bidding, within less than a minute the price of the Hurricane Staff rose to 40,000 Gold Shields.

Lei En was also a bit surprised.

He had previously thought the Hurricane Staff would sell well, but hadn't expected it to be so hot.

This staff was Mai Ti Er's weapon in life, a top‑grade staff whose several enchantments are outstanding; for a wind elementalist it is a dream item, and unless one is of epic rank, no more suitable staff can be found.

A few days earlier, when Lei En told Xia Lanwei he intended to sell the staff, she sent an appraisal expert to the castle to set a price, roughly 40,000 Gold Shields.

But in the blink of an eye, it already exceeded that price.

Such fierce bidding instantly attracted a crowd; Madam Xia Lanwei also waited nearby, ready to collect a hefty service fee once the deal closed.

"42,000 Gold Shields!"

The high‑ranking Wizard who first bid gritted his teeth and shouted; he is a wind elementalist from Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, and these funds are his years of savings, supplemented by a large loan from a friend—truly a ruin of his household.

That price immediately scared off two rivals, who shook their heads and withdrew.

Before he could rejoice, another wind elementalist beside him produced a crystal gem and said, "Count, this is a Lightning Crystal, worth at least 2,000 Gold Shields; I will add another 43,000 Gold Shields to exchange for your Hurricane Staff."

Lei En looked at the oddly shaped gem in the other's hand.

He searched his phone library and found that the Lightning Crystal is a rare gem infused with thunder‑electric elements, usable for crafting high‑quality enchanted gear; it greatly attracts thunder‑type beasts and various aberrations, helping them grow their demon souls.

The Lightning Crystal's value indeed hovers around 2,000 Gold Shields, so it might be useful in exchange.

Lei En looked at the high‑ranking Wizard, waiting to see if he could offer a higher price.

The high‑ranking Wizard wore a bitter expression.

He hesitated a few times, then sighed resentfully and said, "I give up."

The wind elementalist who produced the Lightning Crystal wore a victorious smile; Lei En was about to hand the Hurricane Staff to Xia Lanwei for appraisal, to verify its authenticity and finalize the deal, when a clear‑voiced woman spoke up:

"Count, please wait a moment."

A graceful lady stepped out from the onlookers; she wore an elegant black gown, her features were beautiful, yet her eyes carried a hint of arrogance and coldness. Beneath her fair skin faint rune patterns flowed, clearly marking her as a high‑ranking sorcerer.

She approached Lei En and calmly bid, "50,000 Gold Shields."

【5】 Lei En raised an eyebrow.

Lei En raised an eyebrow.

The background of this female sorcerer seemed significant; he glanced with his Soul Eye and almost cursed inwardly.

"What the hell!"

The sorcerer turned out to be an old acquaintance of his, in fact Korstted's student Falinna.

She really thought that as a shapeshifting Wizard she could alter her appearance at will and no one would recognize her?

Lei En was speechless, unable to discern Falinna's intent, but judging by everyone's reactions, her "mask" seemed somewhat famous; many recognized her.

Besides, why buy the Hurricane Staff? Does she intend to give it to Mai Ti Er's student?

Madam Xia Lanwei, seeing Lei En not respond immediately, stepped forward in time and introduced, "Lord, this is Lady Luo Yisi; her maritime trading company and Demon Soul shop are quite famous in Mo Du, and she is also my partner."

In other words, Luo Yisi is very wealthy and can produce 50,000 Gold Shields.

"So she's a female billionaire," Lei En nodded, looking at the wind elementalist, "Lady Luo Yisi bids 50,000 Gold Shields; will you raise your offer?"

The wind elementalist decisively declined, "No need, thank you, Count."

"Fine." Lei En did not inquire further, turned to Falinna and said, "Congratulations, Lady Luo Yisi, the Hurricane Staff is yours."

Falinna remained composed, giving a slight nod.

Lei En handed the Hurricane Staff to Xia Lanwei, who was the organizer of the market and also a Master appraiser; she took the staff, glanced twice, and confirmed its authenticity.

The transaction concluded swiftly.

Lei En received a gold note worth 50,000 Gold Shields, and was about to exchange a few polite words, when Falinna took the staff, turned, and left without any intention of using the chance to get to know Lei En.

This made Xia Lanwei feel somewhat strange.

Lei En, however, knew full well that Falinna feared being exposed in front of him and harbored strong hostility toward her; naturally she avoided him whenever possible and refused to say another word.

"Hmph…"

"Now I know your disguise; let's see where you hide?"

Lei En sneered inwardly; ever since that day in Fu Kong Cheng when he saw Falinna, he had been probing for information about her, hoping to find useful clues, but to no avail.

This student of Korstted, usually low‑profile in Fu Kong Cheng, kept a modest demeanor.

Every Weizelan Wizard bears a badge, and entry to Fu Kong Cheng is through teleport gates; unless one is under constant surveillance, tracking them is impossible.

Even with his immense abilities, Lei En could not monitor a wizard inside Fu Kong Cheng.

He didn't expect the other side to crash straight into the barrel themselves.

Xia Lanwei, adept at reading expressions, noticed Lei En's odd look and thought he was displeased with Luo Yisi; she was about to defend Luo Yisi a few words when another customer completed a deal, so she had to rush over.

"You go ahead, I'll just wander around."

Lei En said a line, scanned the surroundings, walked toward the earlier wind elementalist, and asked, "Are you selling your Lightning Crystal?"

"Count." the wind elementalist quickly bowed.

Lei En smiled and asked again, "I'm interested in the Lightning Crystal; if you're willing to sell, I can offer 2,500 Gold Shields."

That was already a high price, and the wind elementalist did not refuse; the Lightning Crystal was an accidental find for him, of little use to himself, so he gladly sold it to Lei En.

Lei En didn't even skim on the service fee; he simply hired a appraiser employed by Xia Lanwei and completed the transaction.

Having bought the Lightning Crystal, Lei En had nothing else to do.

He wandered around the market at leisure, saw nothing he wished to purchase, and then sat on a sofa to savor some delicacies.

However, as the lord of Gra Morgan, every move Lei En made was being watched covertly.

He had been seated for less than two minutes when someone proactively approached to befriend him.

Lei En did not refuse, showing the demeanor a lord should have, and soon got to know many officials, nobles and transcendent beings of Mo Du.

He also used the chance to observe these people, his Soul Eye constantly opened.

"Hmm?"

While chatting with a Mo Du billionaire, Lei En suddenly sensed a slightly cold gaze watching him from the shadows; it was a telepathic impression brought by the Willpower of Truth, easily discerned, and the owner of the gaze seemed somewhat different.

He casually turned, sweeping his gaze toward the direction of the stare.

A robust man appeared in his sight, with an ordinary face and a resolute expression; at the trade fair he wore silver enchanted armor, a broad sword at his waist, exuding the aura of a strong person.

Judging from his appearance, he was clearly a high‑rank steel knight.

However, when Lei En's Soul Eye saw the other's soul, he couldn't help but be greatly surprised.

"Death Knight!"

Lei En immediately withdrew his gaze, his face unchanged as if he had seen nothing, though his heart was uneasy.

Death Knights are also a transcendent profession, but every Death Knight is a henchman of the Lord of the Dead.

They are the dead‑reborn, their souls pulled from the Abyssal hell by the Lord of the Dead and placed into their former bodies, resurrected and granted power stronger than before death.

Death Knights are emotionless undead; they retain the same bodies, mind and memory as in life, yet are entirely different beings.

They are more evil than the followers of dark gods and the fallen.

A Death Knight daring to enter the sphere of influence of Fu Kong Cheng and openly appear at a trade fair crowded with transcendent beings—does he truly not fear death?

"No, he is already dead."

Lei En did not alert anyone, continuing his small talk while activating the Voice of All Things to eavesdrop on the Death Knight's conversation.

After listening for a while, he obtained a lot of useful information.

This Death Knight called Serik, who claims to be an adventurer returning from the New Continent; he roamed the New Continent for over ten years, amassed a great fortune, and just last month returned to Mo Du, intending to buy an estate outside the city and live as a rich man for a few years.

When Serik talks to others, he often mentions his experiences on the New Continent.

He is very eloquent, able to tell his stories vividly, with twists and high credibility; no one doubts his background, and soon a crowd of listeners gathered around him, forming a small circle at the trade fair.

Lei En only listened, with no plan to approach him directly.

Occasionally he observed from the corner of his eye without leaving a trace, discovering some clues.

Serik wears a necklace on his neck; only the chain is visible, the pendant hidden within his armor, likely the necklace that masks the Death Knight's aura.

It should be known that Death Knights, as the name suggests, are all dead.

Even with transcendent power, their bodies differ from the living: cold, rotting, foul‑smelling, and exuding a repulsive evil aura.

Without this necklace, Serik could not appear in public at all.

Lei En speculated whether this Death Knight might be connected to Pi Li Nuo *Aiden, as both are henchmen of the Lord of the Dead and probably communicate secretly.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to follow after the trade fair ended, perhaps discovering something else.

The trade fair proceeded orderly, transaction after transaction being completed.

An hour passed, and Xia Lanwei earned a fortune; under everyone's expectation, she walked to the side of the Thunder War Hammer and loudly announced, "Everyone, I know you've been waiting anxiously; you should have considered the price, but for confidentiality, please take turns into the room for detailed discussion."

Having said that, she entered a room beside the trading hall.

Lei En couldn't help shaking his head; this steel dragon seems to be playing a shady game, and he doesn't even know her bottom‑line price.

Immediately a customer rushed ahead and followed Xia Lanwei inside.

Lei En intended to use the Voice of All Things to eavesdrop, but found a Soundproof Force Field in the room, hearing nothing.

A few minutes later, the first customer who entered came out.

Lei En was not in a hurry; he knew the deal wouldn't be concluded so easily, and as the biggest potential buyer, even if he didn't go in, Xia Lanwei would come out and invite him herself.

One after another, people interested in the Thunder Hammer entered the room and then emerged.

From their expressions, they were clearly dissatisfied with the outcome.

"It's my turn now."

Lei En was about to go when a figure beat him to it—Serik. He was instantly puzzled; could a Death Knight even wield the Thunder Hammer?

Upon careful thought, it seemed he actually could.

Serik's soul contains many powerful Elements; he is a high‑rank Death Knight, with strength at level five, and using a thousand‑pound Thunder Hammer poses no problem.

In less than two minutes, Serik emerged, looking confident.

After waiting a while with no one standing up, Lei En finally entered the room under everyone's gaze.

"Lord!"

As soon as he entered, Lei En saw Xia Lanwei already waiting; judging from the color of her soul, she had been expecting him for a long time.

This made Lei En certain that Xia Lanwei's purpose at today's trade fair was something else.

The Thunder Hammer is indeed a very good weapon, comparable to an epic, but it is heavy; few transcendent professions can actually wield it. Moreover, that day at the Haiburi Port battle, he used the hammer to duel Marquis Ji Liu, and many people saw it.

Earl of Glamorgan's weapon is a hammer; this is no longer a secret.

Then, just after he became a student of Teacher Anxi, Xia Lanwei sent someone to deliver a brochure.

The timing was so perfect, it couldn't be a coincidence.

Lei En had been suspecting a few days ago that the Thunder Hammer was a bait set by Xia Lanwei to hook him; she wouldn't dare frame him, but rather had a request of his.

Now, Lei En was completely certain.

He sat down calmly, gave no price, and directly asked, "Madam, what do you want from me?"

Xia Lanwei's expression faltered; she had prepared many lines, but Lei En's question pierced them, leaving her a bit flustered.

Fortunately, years of negotiation experience in the market helped her quickly regain composure.

"Lord, you are truly wise; nothing can hide from you." Xia Lanwei first flattered him, then said, "Sir, I only want one thing; just a word from you, and the Thunder Hammer will belong to you, ready to be taken away instantly."

"What thing?" Lei En asked, curious.

"Territory."

Xia Lanwei's eyes blazed as she looked at Lei En, lightly biting her lip, and whispered, "The area doesn't need to be large, but it must be that only I can decide— a piece truly belonging to me."

(End of chapter)