Chapter 25: A Buyer for the Hard-to-Sell Horse Lance

"The True Spirit awakening cap is actually five times; it truly deserves to have come from a Cave Beast Priest's treasure chest."

Chu Danqing looked at the appraisal results, his expression filled with pleasant surprise. The long blade, *Grudge of the Kin-Eater*, possessed a full five awakenings, with the final one even capable of promoting it directly to Fine quality gear.

Normal, Excellent, and then Fine—this was within his expectations.

[True Spirit List for Grudge of the Kin-Eater]
[1st Awakening - Kin-Eater’s Hunger (Passive): Sharpness +10]
[2nd Awakening - Skin-Cutting Pain (Passive): Deals an additional 10 damage when attacking skin]
[3rd Awakening - Attack Power attribute increased by 5 points]
[4th Awakening - Claw of Resentment (Passive): Sharpness +20]
[5th Awakening - Quality promoted to Fine]

"Looks like I can trade this for some decent summoning-related resources." The joy on Chu Danqing's face was uncontrollable.

However, the cost of awakening a True Spirit made his teeth ache. The first awakening alone required 1,000 Paradise Points; the expense was simply too high. It was a good thing he intended to sell it; if he had to awaken it himself, the remaining points he had on hand wouldn't be enough for many attempts.

Compared to the heavy lance, the long blade would be easier to sell.

After putting away *Grudge of the Kin-Eater*, Chu Danqing continued to appraise the other equipment; the appraisals were free. Chu Danqing couldn't help but say that Dimensional Paradise was truly generous. Just as he had thought, the Wolf-Tooth Necklace, the White Velvet Robe, and the Silver-Scaled Cloud Brocade did not possess any True Spirits.

However, *Whistle of the White Dragon Fish* did.

"A pity, my contribution and participation were low, so the quality of the White Dragon Fish's treasure chest was poor," Chu Danqing sighed. "Otherwise, the gear inside should have been the same as *Grudge of the Kin-Eater*, with a 5-awakening cap."

The information he had purchased earlier mentioned that the quality of dropped treasure chests would change based on the Apostle's level of participation and contribution. If indigenous inhabitants participated too much, the quality would drop significantly. Items from such chests would suffer a value discount.

[True Spirit List for Whistle of the White Dragon Fish]
[1st Awakening - Body of the White Dragon Fish (Active): Consume 10 Energy points to gain the physical enhancement of a White Dragon Fish; +5 Constitution for 1 minute, 10-minute cooldown]
[2nd Awakening - Attack Power attribute lower bound increased by 5 points]
[3rd Awakening - Soul of the White Dragon Fish (Active): Consume all Energy points to deal damage equal to (Strength × Constitution + Energy consumed). If the 'Power of the White Dragon Fish' or 'Body of the White Dragon Fish' states are active, it forms area-of-effect damage; 72-hour cooldown]

"The lance is going to be hard to sell. It might even end up stuck in my hands." Looking at the True Spirit list, although the first awakening only cost 500 Paradise Points, the energy consumption was high. Moreover, in terms of amplification, it was far inferior to *Grudge of the Kin-Eater*. The latter gave a flat 5-point increase to attack power, making it 20~25 after awakening, while the *Whistle of the White Dragon Fish* only increased the lower bound, reaching 15~20 after awakening, barely catching up to the unawakened *Grudge of the Kin-Eater*.

Not to mention, the third awakening required emptying all energy and had a cooldown of seventy-two hours, requiring two status effects as prerequisites. The flaws were simply too numerous.

"Only specific people will need this; I wonder if I'll run into one. If all else fails, I'll just keep it as a buff machine." If he couldn't sell it, he planned to give it one awakening. The 5 points of Strength and Constitution were short-lived, but for Dabao, it was indeed a significant boost.

Afterward, Chu Danqing went to the Apostle Plaza to set up a stall. He didn't set a price, instead indicating that he was looking for barters, specifically limited to the summoning and healing categories. After listing *Grudge of the Kin-Eater* and *Whistle of the White Dragon Fish*, he thought for a moment and added the Wolf-Tooth Necklace as well. In his view, this Normal-grade equipment was somewhat of a liability. Dabao killed based entirely on intuition and instinct, leaving little opportunity to use it. As for Chu Danqing himself, one second was far too short to be of any real help. It was better to trade it for something useful.

Once the stall was set up, Chu Danqing left Dabao to watch it while he went to find a Life Apostle with basic tailoring skills to help sew the Silver-Scaled Cloud Brocade lining into the White Velvet Robe. Since it wasn't equipment before—just ordinary clothing—Chu Danqing could mess around with it, but the White Velvet Robe was Excellent-grade gear; he didn't dare take the risk. If it were damaged, he would have no tears left to shed.

He quickly found a suitable Life Apostle. After some communication, it only cost 100 Paradise Points, and he could pick it up the next day. He didn't have to worry about the person damaging it; after a transaction with a Life Apostle, it would be notarized by Dimensional Paradise. If the gear were damaged due to the other party's fault, they would be required to pay compensation according to the value. If they lacked the Paradise Points, it wouldn't matter; Dimensional Paradise would pursue compensation on his behalf.

Before that, they would first attempt mediation—for instance, if the other party couldn't pay in Paradise Points, they might settle by compensating with other equipment or items. Only if mediation failed would the subsequent subrogation proceedings occur.

By the time Chu Danqing returned to the stall, Dabao was struggling to communicate with an Apostle dressed in full plate armor.

"Sorry, I had something to take care of. You're looking for this lance, aren't you?" Chu Danqing hurriedly took over.

"Next time you watch a stall, find a smarter summon," the other party said with a stiff tone. "3,000 Paradise Points, I'll take it."

"I'm afraid not. I only trade for summoning or healing items of equal value," Chu Danqing replied. How could he possibly agree? Looking at the person's getup, they were clearly a heavy cavalryman. In that case, all the flaws of the *Whistle of the White Dragon Fish* suddenly became advantages.

Finding him was simple; the center of the Apostle Plaza allowed users to search all stalls, including custom and fuzzy searches. Selling things was convenient, and buying was even easier. Not everyone chose to wait passively like Chu Danqing; Apostles with deeper pockets would take the initiative.

"Other than me, no one else will buy your lance. Three thousand isn't low," the man said.

Chu Danqing shook his head: "Three-awakening cap, three active skills, and they're even combo skills. Even if it doesn't sell, I can use it for buffs." For Chu Danqing, the duration of the buff was short, but for a heavy cavalryman's charge, activating it before making contact with the enemy would have a completely different effect.

At this point, holding his ground was key. As for the deal falling through, it didn't matter; he could use it himself.

"I can tell you've got me cornered." There was helplessness in the man's voice. He then said: "Use this to trade, then. You got the better end of the deal. If my promotion trial wasn't about to start, I'd definitely haggle with you properly."

The man took out a talisman and showed its attributes to Chu Danqing. Being able to search for the *Whistle of the White Dragon Fish* in the center of the Apostle Plaza meant he had seen Chu Danqing's requirements and had come prepared. He had tried to use Paradise Points to trade, hoping to bluff his way into a bargain.