As the man rambled, A panel fluttered before Rex's eyes.
[Name: Flaw Claw Tiger]
[Entity: Beast]
[Species: Emberstripe]
[Bloodline: Cinderveld]
[Rank: Mortal]
[Potential: Dormant]
--
Rex furrowed his brows, a surprised look crossing his face.
"What happened?" the man asked, noticing the shift in his expression.
Rex smiled brightly. "Looks like Lady Luck's on your side, mister."
…!
The merchant's eyes widened in shock—but the light in them quickly faded. "Tch… don't mess with me," he muttered. "You didn't even look at it properly. And you haven't even touched it—we've been talking this whole time."
"Flaw Claw Tiger," Rex said calmly.
Dumbfounded, the man looked at Rex, then at the tiger cub in his hands, and back at Rex again.
"A-Are you certain?" he asked his tone a mix of seriousness and hope.
Rex nodded. "I have no reason to lie to you," he said with a subtle shrug.
"Really?… T-Thank you, young appraiser. May you have a bright future," the man said, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.
Then he added, looking at the sky. "The same rumor that ruined me back then… now brings me fortune again. Funny how fate works."
"You're still going to sell it?" Rex asked, glancing at the Flame Claw cub.
The man sighed, glancing back at Rex. "Haah, yes. I don't have any other options."
"Can you do me a favor and sell it to the Goldhammer Auction House? Mention that I appraised it—my name, too," Rex requested.
"Why not? I was planning to sell this beast there anyway, I even connections with the manager there." the man said excitedly, gently caressing the young tiger cub.
Then he looked at Rex and held out his hand. "Haha, thank you again, Rex," he said with a light-hearted laugh.
Rex smiled and nodded as the man joyfully sprang off, in the direction of the auction house.
Rex silently watched the middle-aged man disappear into the crowd, lost in thought.
He's smart… and still got crushed to the bottom, Rex mused.
Just being smart won't help me survive in this world. I have to be ruthless. Once the time is right, I'll make my move on those Bloodline Traders… The thought settled firmly in his mind, a flicker of determination lighting his eyes.
But his thoughts were cut short when Darius muttered, "You really are something, aren't you?" after witnessing everything.
Darius was beginning to realize that Rex possessed some unique abilities, but he also sensed that Rex didn't want to reveal too much, so he wisely refrained from prying further.
Few minutes later, a voice barked out...
"Hey, you scammer! Get out of here and leave this city. If I see you again, I'll throw you in jail for scamming people," a guard growled, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Come on, come on—leave now. Don't make me repeat myself," he huffed, slamming his wooden staff against the ground.
Rex's eyes snapped toward the two guards, who were smirking at him arrogantly.
"Who said we're scamming people? We're just appraising beasts here," Rex shot back.
"If I wanted to scam, my prices would be way higher—like that guy over there." and pointed at another appraiser nearby, who was watching the scene unfold with mild amusement.
The crowd gathered— curious, and eager for drama.
Seeing the growing crowd, the guard scoffed. "That guy's a real appraiser with three years under his belt—his prices are fair."
He narrowed his eyes at Rex. "But you? You charge less so people take a gamble. Feels cheap, so they try their luck—and with enough of them, you end up making more than real appraisers. Especially when you're claiming 100% accuracy." the guard accused loudly, making sure everyone around could hear.
Rex frowned.
"What's going on here?" a sharp yet elegant voice cut in. a beautiful woman stepped forward, dressed in a striking crimson-red dress.
"L-Lady Seraphine, what are y… I mean, we were just asking this young appraiser to stop scamming people," one of the guards stammered, clearly caught off guard but trying to escalate the matter subtly. He instigated...
"He falsely boasts about 100% accuracy and tricks people out of their money. We can't have a scammer around—not with the auction house's big day tomorrow."
The woman's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned her attention to Rex.
"So there you are," she muttered, under her breath, her voice barely audible.
"Are you the one who appraised the Flame Claw Tiger?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.
"Yes," Rex replied, his brows furrowing. "I was the one who appraised it."
"I did hear about you appraising the Bileflinger Spider earlier—which turned out to be a bloodline beast," she said, stepping closer to Rex, her eyes locking onto Rex's. "But I assumed you and the owner were colluding. It's a common trick to attract customers."
She paused, briefly glancing at the advertisement. "But… I might have to change my mind after Mr. Charlie walked in with that Flame Claw," she admitted.
"However, I trust my own eyes—so I came prepared. And since your claim of '100% accuracy' is, well…" She smiled faintly. "Let's just say I'll have to test you myself."
"Now, can you appraise this beast for me?" she asked, curiosity and amusement flickering in her eyes as she held out a black rabbit with two different eye colors—one white, the other black.
"Happily. Twenty silvers, please," Rex replied confidently.
Darius tensed up, and the guards who had come with ulterior motives momentarily set aside their true intentions, watching Rex with curious gazes.
If what Rex claimed turned out to be true, then...
Rex took the coins along with the extraordinary-looking Rabbit. With its dark black fur and mismatched eyes, anyone could tell it was no ordinary beast.
After examining—or rather, pretending to examine—for two minutes, Rex kept a composed face. Its status panel hovered before his face from the very beginning.
--
[Two Eyed Rabbit]
[Entity: Beast]
[Species: Dark Rabbit]
[Bloodline: - ]
[Rank: Spirit 1-star]
[Potential: F]
--
Rex mused, "Unfortunately, it's a normal beast with no bloodline," and shook his head as he handed the beast back to her.
"Hahahaha!" The guards burst into mocking laughter. From the crowd, someone chimed in, "Look at that exceptional beast! It must have a bloodline—and Lady Seraphine is the one who brought it, so there's no chance it's just a normal one!"
Rex's eyes stayed focused on the one being called Lady Seraphine, unbothered by the background noise. He noticed a faint smile forming on her lips.
"Ohhh?" she stretched with amusement and questioned, "Can you appraise one more beast, please?" with a subtle delight in her tone.
Rex smiled gently. "Yes, as many as you want, but only if you pay for it, though," he replied softly.