Chapter 96: Academy Guild, Selling the Loot
The Grandmaster tapped a glowing override rune etched directly into the surface of his crystal desk. The broadcast owl perched on Solomon’s shoulder whirred back to life. Its optical lens clicked open and projected a faint green light to indicate the stream was active.
"Try not to start another war on your way back," the Grandmaster sighed.
Solomon offered a faint smirk. He stepped out of the office and let the heavy doors close behind him.
The moment he entered the hallway, a translucent interface materialized directly across his retinas. Lines of text rapidly scrolled at the very edge of his vision as viewers flooded back into the channel.
[User12]: WE ARE BACK LIVE!!!
[1Fizzy]: What exactly happened? The broadcast just cut to black for almost an hour!
[BloodKnight]: The administration likely needed to debrief him. Standard procedure.
[LazyCat]: I honestly thought he got banned for that arena beatdown lmao.
[GoonLord]: THE KING HAS RETURNED!
Solomon shifted his gaze to read the floating messages but chose not to answer their questions. He navigated the bustling corridors and headed straight toward the Vanguard Exchange of the academy guild.
The sprawling facility served as the primary hub where students accepted commissions, traded dungeon materials, and managed their official rankings.
He had collected several loot and miscellaneous items during his trek through the ruined Eden Kingdom. Although his account currently overflowed with points from all the challenge completion gifts and the arena gambling pool, carrying useless loot made no logical sense.
He intended to liquidate the materials for standard currency.
Beyond selling his spoils, he primarily needed to secure his official Adventurer’s License. The Grandmaster had mentioned that the global Adventurer Association stationed a permanent representative inside the guild hall.
Normally, acquiring a license required a lengthy series of physical tests, written exams, and practical combat demonstrations.
However, the recorded broadcast footage from the labyrinth provided enough empirical proof of his combat proficiency to skip the standard evaluation entirely.
’I will just lie about my talent and come up with some bullshit. Maybe something healing related as I can’t hide my regeneration power forever, especially when I will be constantly live streaming.’
Solomon pushed open the glass doors of the Vanguard Exchange.
The spacious hall buzzed with overlapping conversations. Students bartered fiercely over harvested herbs at the trading counters. Groups of upperclassmen stood around glowing holographic boards to scroll through available weekend raid commissions.
Solomon ignored the crowded trading desks and scanned the perimeter of the room. He spotted the distinct golden crest of the Adventurer Association hanging over a quiet booth in the far corner.
He bypassed the Adventurer Association booth for now and headed directly toward the primary appraisal counters. He needed to empty out his drone’s spatial inventory first. He approached an open desk manned by an older, stern-looking appraiser wearing thick spectacles.
"I need to liquidate a few items acquired from a recent labyrinth clear," Solomon stated. "It’s in the owl’s inventory. I don’t know how to access it."
"Place it on the designated scanning mat," the appraiser replied in a bored tone, not even bothering to look up from his ledger.
As soon as Solomon did that, he gained access to his inventory. A metallic flash illuminated the counter as a battered, rusted set of plate armor materialized onto the padded mat with a heavy thud.
The appraiser adjusted his spectacles and poked the rusted breastplate with a metal rod. "Decayed undead armor. The structural integrity is completely compromised. The metal itself is basically scrap iron. I can offer you thirty silver coins for the salvageable ore."
[User12]: 30 silver?! This guy is robbing you blind!
[LootGoblin]: honestly, that’s a fair price for garbage tier scrap metal.
[IronBreaker]: Yeah, unless you plan on melting it down yourself, take the silver and run.
[MysticMage]: I didn’t even know you could loot rusted armor like that lol.
’Oh?! I see new names in the chat. I guess they decided to comment because they like this... trading stuff?’ Solomon wondered.
Solomon accepted the offer with a simple nod. He accessed his inventory again and deposited the silver goblet he had pocketed from the flooded palace storage room.
The appraiser picked up the goblet and examined the intricate, tarnished engravings. His bored expression shifted slightly. "This is royal craftsmanship. The silver purity is remarkably high despite the water damage. A noble family from the outer rim might purchase this for their antique collection. I will authorize fifty gold coins for this piece."
"Done," Solomon said.
The appraiser processed the transaction and transferred the digital currency to Solomon’s academy account. "Is that all for today?"
Solomon shook his head. He reached into his digital inventory one last time. A soft, pulsating blue light washed over the appraisal desk as he carefully placed a perfectly smooth, crystalline glowing orb onto the scanning mat.
The appraiser froze. He dropped his metal testing rod and leaned in close to the sphere. The bored demeanor vanished entirely, replaced by wide-eyed astonishment. Several students lingering near adjacent counters stopped their conversations and turned to stare at the radiant object.
[DeepDiver]: BRO. IS THAT THE ORB FROM THE FIRST CORRIDOR?!
[LoreMaster]: holy shit... that’s an unblemished mana core.
[GoonLord]: THE BAG IS SECURED!!!
[TreasureHunter]: wait, didn’t someone say that could be worth 10k gold?!
The appraiser pulled a complex, jewel-encrusted monocle from his pocket and pressed it against his right eye. He carefully rotated the orb without physically touching the glowing surface.
"This is..." The appraiser swallowed hard. "This is an exceptionally pure crystalline vessel. The elemental density is incredibly dense. I cannot accurately determine the exact core origin or the base elemental affinity with standard equipment."
The older man removed his monocle and looked up at Solomon with genuine respect.
"I cannot offer you a price for this right now," the appraiser explained. "We need to send this to the high-tier appraisal department for a comprehensive elemental breakdown and structural analysis. The evaluation process will take at least three days. However, I can confidently tell you that the baseline starting value for a vessel of this purity easily exceeds fifteen thousand gold coins."
"That’s great." Solomon nodded. "However, consult me before finalizing the deal. I might not sell it. Only appraise it."
"If you decide to not sell it, you will have to pay the appraisal fee."
"Yeah, that’s fine." Solomon turned around. "Let me know when the results come in."
Solomon accepted a digital receipt from the appraiser and left the glowing orb in the Vanguard Exchange’s custody. He turned away from the trading counters and navigated through the noisy crowd toward the far corner of the hall.
Now, it was time to head to the Adventurer Association booth and finally get his adventurer license.
