Chapter 836: Chapter 836 The Price Of Entry
The man in the portrait had a tall, straight build with long, jet-black hair. Even though it was just a painting, it gave off this intimidating vibe.
But the painting only showed his back.
Even that silhouette shocked me!
I knew this man - this sudden recognition made me almost shake!
I looked up sharply at Saumel Baton. "Is there only a silhouette?"
"Yeah, it’s pretty rare to even have that much," Saumel Baton said casually.
My face showed a mix of complicated emotions, full of shock that confused Saumel Baton.
"What’s wrong?" Saumel Baton asked curiously.
I shook my head, trying to calm down. "I’m fine."
Saumel Baton nodded and said carefully, "If you get the chance, you can see it in person at my place."
"Alright." I answered quickly.
Looking kind of lost, I walked back to my seat on the couch. Wilbert Jaxon handed me a bottle of wine, but I ignored it.
I was completely shocked.
The reason was simple - the Guardian’s portrait looked way too much like my own father. It was almost identical!
"Could it be... is the Guardian my father?" I muttered to myself.
If this were true, I wouldn’t know whether to feel happy or sad.
Happy because my father was alive, but sad because he never came to see me.
"Today’s really lively - even this heavy snow can’t cool everyone’s excitement," Zora Solomon said, making small talk with me.
I just nodded, casually replying, "Yeah."
Zora continued, "Mason, my father wants to meet you. You okay with that?"
"Your father? You mean the famous Harold Solomon?" I was surprised.
"Yes. Don’t know why, but my father brought it up," Zora replied, nodding slightly.
I stayed quiet.
I realized that if I was going to officially declare war on the Capital City Martial Arts Association, I’d need these people’s support.
After thinking it over, I agreed, "Alright, but it’ll have to be later."
"That’s fine, you can pick the time," Zora waved his hand.
"Alright." I nodded.
Right then, Zora couldn’t help but snort, "Look, the Four Young Dandies of the Capital City are here."
Looking up, I could see four well-dressed young men walking in.
"What are these Four Young Dandies of the Capital City?" I asked, confused.
"Just some well-known rich kids in the Capital City who gave themselves that title. Bunch of arrogant jerks." Zora responded coldly.
When he mentioned the Four Young Dandies, Zora seemed pretty disgusted.
I laughed, "Did they tick you off?"
"Not really, I just can’t stand their attitude," Zora replied.
"These people look down on us martial artists. If this wasn’t a law-abiding society, I would’ve killed them long ago."
I just laughed helplessly. I didn’t really care about these people or have any interest in them.
As long as they didn’t cause trouble for me, I didn’t care what they thought.
As more people showed up, many of the martial artists started gathering around my table.
The atmosphere was full of lively chatter, most of the talk revolving around martial arts stuff.
Seeing the timing was right, I asked, "Everyone, do you know where someone could get top-quality herbs? Or how?"
"Top-quality herbs?" Elena Green jumped into the conversation.
I nodded. "The older the better - if it’s over ten thousand years old, that would be perfect."
"A herb over ten thousand years old is pretty tough. Even one of those could get major forces’ attention." Someone commented from the side.
"Yeah, even in the various worlds, there aren’t many."
"Those are life-saving treasures. A single ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herb might not actually bring someone back to life, but it’s close."
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but sigh.
Looks like it won’t be easy to find a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herb.
"Mason, you could try the Exchange Meeting," Saumel Baton suggested.
"Exchange Meeting? What’s that?" I asked, puzzled.
Saumel Baton looked around the crowd. "Since the Mystic Realm is public knowledge now, no need for me to keep it secret from you all."
Everyone’s eyes focused on Saumel Baton, waiting for what he’d say next.
Saumel Baton continued, "There are many mystical realms in this world, and most are owned by martial aristocratic families with countless years of history, usually with deep foundations."
"For the present world, ten-thousand-year-old medicinal materials are incredibly rare. But in the Mystic Realms, they’re still rare and precious but not impossible to find."
"If you all have any top-notch treasures, you might be able to bring them to the Exchange Meeting to trade."
Before I could respond, Wilbert Jaxon asked, "Where’s this Exchange Meeting held? And how do we join?"
Saumel Baton chuckled, "I won’t lie to you. The Exchange Meeting is held by the major families that own the mystical realms, and our Baton Family is one of them."
"The Exchange Meeting’s location is, of course, also in a Mystic Realm."
"After all, the treasures exchanged at the meeting are many and varied, all from within the mystical realms, so the slots aren’t many. I only have four of them, and I’m not sure how to hand them out yet."
Wilbert laughed lightly. "Mr. Baton, no need to beat around the bush. Just say it - how can we earn a slot?"
Saumel Baton looked at everyone. "I’m not a charity. If you want a slot, you naturally have to trade a treasure for it."
"Whoever can offer a valuable enough treasure can get a slot. Let’s compete fairly."
The crowd went quiet. Everyone’s minds were going crazy. Ever since the Mystic Realms appeared, the major martial arts families’ resources seemed somewhat lacking.
"When exactly will this happen?" I asked.
Saumel Baton smiled lightly. "In three days - we’ll leave after three days."
At his words, everyone eagerly agreed, "Alright, within three days, we’ll definitely present our treasures."
I also started thinking.
Treasures? I had quite a few, but didn’t seem like many were worth using.
And my opponents were elite heirs of major families. They must have lots of treasures.
"Mr. Raymond, may I have a word with you?" Saumel Baton suddenly approached me.
I didn’t refuse and followed him to the side.
Saumel laughed lightly. "Mr. Raymond, you definitely want a slot, right?"
I didn’t pretend otherwise and sighed bitterly, "Who wouldn’t want a slot like that."
Saumel Baton said calmly, "Actually, there’s something you have that could interest me. As long as you’re willing to give it up, not just a slot - I could even give you a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal material."
My eyes narrowed and my face suddenly turned cold.
I had a pretty good idea what Saumel Baton was after.
