Chapter 186
The delicate texture, enchanting sheen, and intact skin... From any angle, it was clear that this silver-striped eel was significantly larger than the one kept in the tank, by at least half.
During his time with the Kraken in the deep sea, Ye Bai had not only honed his fishing skills but also saw his cooking and skinning abilities soar to the fourth level of proficiency, nearing the master level of five. As a result, the integrity of the fish skin was exceptionally high, a true masterpiece among legendary items.
Colin jumped up, leaning in closely to examine the intricate patterns of the fish skin, his breath barely a whisper, as if exhaling too forcefully would ruin the delicate design.
Xing Xie, unable to maintain his earlier pretense of casual indifference, found his gaze firmly glued to the material.
Seeing this, Ye Bai smiled.
Good things should be shared with those who appreciate them, maximizing the benefits.
With the Kraken's help, Ye Bai's haul from the deep sea was enough to drive any angler mad with excitement. Even after exchanging for advanced knowledge from the three major schools and reserving some materials for personal use, he still had plenty left over. After all, the only professional in his territory capable of processing these materials was the master tailor, Di Linna.
In this situation, Ye Bai naturally chose to sell a portion.
Selling to other high-end NPC shops wouldn’t yield much in one go, and selling too much would inevitably lead to price cuts. The Anglers' Association was the best choice.
“Perfect, absolutely perfect…” Colin exclaimed, his voice filled with obsession as he thoroughly examined the silver-striped eel skin Ye Bai had presented.
Snapping back to reality, Colin suddenly remembered something and looked at Ye Bai.
“Sir…” Upon seeing Ye Bai more clearly, Colin’s expression froze, realization dawning on him. He quickly apologized, “I’m so sorry, Master! I didn’t recognize your identity at first!”
After a brief pause, Colin, a member and manager of the Anglers' Association, finally recognized Ye Bai’s status.
The title of [Master Fisherman] not only granted fishing bonuses but also came with a base reputation of 3000 within the Anglers' Association. With this title, Ye Bai was treated as a VIP in any Anglers' Association he visited.
—Master? What master?
Hearing this title, Xing Xie snapped back to attention, pulling his gaze away from the fish skin on the table.
As he watched Colin respectfully apologizing to Ye Bai, it dawned on Xing Xie that the only thing that could inspire such reverence from a high-level fisherman like Colin was the pinnacle of the fishing profession: a Master Fisherman!
The hooded figure before him was actually a Master Fisherman?!
Colin then recalled Ye Bai’s earlier words: “You’re looking to sell some materials, right?”
Receiving Ye Bai’s affirmative response, Xing Xie was still processing the revelation when Colin quickly used a magic communication spell to inform the high-ranking members of the association.
Colin eagerly invited Ye Bai to the reception room. Xing Xie opened his mouth, wanting to tag along and join the excitement, but just then—
A ripple of spatial energy surged through the cool association hall, and a spatial gate opened. Before the person even arrived, their voice echoed in.
“Colin, where’s the two-meter-long silver-striped eel skin? Which master are you talking about?”
A wizard wearing a fishing hat and holding a fishing rod appeared, having used teleportation magic to arrive.
Xing Xie took a deep breath, instantly recognizing this was Merlin the Wizard. He knew from a previous quest that Merlin was a high-ranking member of the Anglers' Association and also held a significant position in the Mage Association of Meluo City, making him one of the most powerful figures in the main city.
At this stage, players had generally come to understand the importance of “connections.” Initially, Xing Xie had stumbled upon the Anglers' Association because he discovered that many high-ranking members were prominent figures in some organization within Meluo City.
Where there was one, there were soon many more. The hall was soon filled with the spatial ripples of more teleportation.
Seven or eight men and women, dressed in various styles, appeared out of thin air, teleporting directly into the hall, eager to see the silver-striped eel skin and the Master Fisherman whose appearance Xing Xie hadn’t had the chance to fully take in.
In addition to those who had teleported, other high-ranking members were hastily arriving through the main entrance after receiving the news.
Xing Xie, still a novice member, couldn’t enter the high-end reception room and could only watch as the big shots he had longed to meet went inside.
What pained him the most was that he had missed the opportunity to connect with the Master Fisherman. Now, he could only helplessly follow Colin out, as a high-level auction was about to be held, restricted to members only.
In this situation, Xing Xie didn’t dare to linger. Players who pressed high-level NPCs in a main city often found themselves on the receiving end of a high-level spell that would send them outside the city to respawn.
As he reluctantly exited the association, Xing Xie could still hear the excited gasps coming from the room that had seemingly transformed into an auction venue:
“This is… the blood of a blazing sunfish?!”
“The bones of a golden koi! I never thought I’d see such a legendary fish in my lifetime!”
Just hearing those voices made Xing Xie’s curiosity itch. Based on past experiences, he was certain that the cloaked figure must be some big-shot NPC! A golden opportunity for connections, and he had let it slip through his fingers!
As for the possibility that the figure was a player? Xing Xie hadn’t even considered it.
At this point, aside from the keenly perceptive ancient civilization players who had reached level four in cooking, no other players in the Star Realm had managed to achieve such a high level in their crafting professions. It wasn’t just a matter of time spent grinding proficiency; it was that the materials available to players currently simply didn’t meet the requirements.
Frustrated, Xing Xie lingered around the Anglers' Association for a long time, but even after the auction ended and other members left, he still hadn’t seen that mysterious Master Fisherman again.
...
Around the same time, the teleportation array in Landu City shimmered with light.
That evening, Ye Bai and Otto Fis stepped out, entering the main city of the Chaos School in the Blue Star realm.
While in Meluo City, Ye Bai hadn’t anticipated that it would culminate in an auction. However, during that impromptu auction, she sold a total of fifteen materials, each priced around two to three hundred gold coins, netting a total of four thousand one hundred gold coins from the members of the Anglers' Association.
Even when leaving, she managed to take advantage of the situation, asking the wizards who had teleported in to send her directly to the teleportation array next to Meluo City, saving her some time.
With over four thousand gold coins in hand, Ye Bai teleported out of Meluo City, firmly securing her position as the wealthiest individual in the Blue Star realm, and arguably in the entire multiverse. As the gold coins were credited to her account, she received a new system notification:
[You have completed the achievement ‘Gold Coin Jingle’, and you have earned the title ‘Aura of Wealth’.]
The ‘Gold Coin Jingle’ achievement is awarded when a player’s total income exceeds five thousand gold coins. The title ‘Aura of Wealth’ has a special effect that activates when the player holds more than one thousand gold coins.
The specific effect of the title is: ‘You look very wealthy.’
This effect influences NPC attitudes towards the player. In safe environments, it brings many benefits, similar to the fashion value of clothing, allowing players to receive preferential treatment in various scenarios.
However, in the wild, it also increases the likelihood of encountering robbers. If a player is killed by such a special faction, they would indeed lose their possessions.
If one wishes to avoid the negative effects of this title, they can deposit their gold coins in the main city’s bank, but for Ye Bai, that was unnecessary.
This trip to Landu City was naturally for her third job transfer.
Although it was highly likely that other players had already completed the hidden first job transfer for Ye Bai, the player count in the Blue Star realm was relatively low compared to other civilizations' core planets, and there were still small hidden quests that might not have been triggered.
Moreover, Ye Bai also intended to establish a trade route from this chaotic main city to White Night Town, making it a convenient opportunity to confirm that as well.
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