30 Chapter30-Breakthrough Stone
Upon entering the building, John was greeted by a splendid lobby.
The place was bustling with awakeners, and at the far end, a vast virtual projection displayed a wide array of awakener items including equipment, spiritual herbs, and medicines.
As John stepped into the trading hall, a woman dressed in a professional black silk outfit approached him.
She wore a welcoming smile and said, "Hello, sir. How may I assist you today?"
The receptionist's demeanor was impeccable, showing no sign of judgment towards John's attire.
It was common for individuals here to prefer anonymity, and her smile and posture clearly indicated professional training.
John got straight to the point, "I have some bronze-tier and iron-tier equipment ranging from level 5 to level 10 that I wish to sell. Additionally, I'm looking to purchase some skill scrolls."
The receptionist's interest visibly piqued upon hearing about the skill scrolls, and she promptly responded with even greater respect,
"Certainly, sir. Let me first take you to a reception room and then I will call an appraiser to evaluate the price of your equipment."
John wasn't surprised by the receptionist's change in attitude.
While low-level equipment and materials might not fetch high prices, skill scrolls could go for millions, and he was not looking to buy just one, clearly marking him as a significant client.
Following the receptionist to a reception room, John enjoyed a cup of coffee while waiting. Soon, a middle-aged, balding man with glasses entered the room.
John decided not to reveal all his items at once, instead starting with a rather ordinary bronze-tier armor to gauge the pricing.
After inspecting the armor placed on the coffee table, the balding man adjusted his glasses and offered,
"Sir, there are no issues with this piece. We're willing to purchase it for 230,000 federal coins. Would that be acceptable to you?"
Prices for low-tier bronze-tier equipment typically ranged from a few hundred thousand to a million, depending largely on the equipment's quality and attributes.
The equipment John had presented was of common quality with rather average attributes, so its price wasn't high, typically around 250,000 in the market.
Given that All Seasons Trade Association was a well-known large-scale trading center in the Federation, the appraiser's offered price was quite fair, and John was satisfied with it.
John then inquired, "Do you accept all types of equipment and materials?"
The bald appraiser nodded, "Indeed, we accept all awakener equipment and materials, and we assure fair pricing. Our name, All Seasons Trade Association, carries some renown in the Federation. You can trust us with your sale without any concerns."
The appraiser's last remark, clearly noticing John's desire for anonymity, was meant to put John at ease.
John nodded, not expecting such a large trade association to fuss over his items, and proceeded to bring out the rest of his equipment from his storage ring.
With a flash of light, the reception room was instantly filled with various pieces of equipment.
The sudden mountain of equipment in the room took both the receptionist and the appraiser by surprise.
They hadn't anticipated John having so much equipment, assuming he only meant one or two pieces.
John calmly said, "Let's start with the appraisal."
Had John not been considerate about space and taken out the materials as well, they probably wouldn't have had any room to stand.
The materials he had gathered in the Phantom Ruins filled two entire storage rings, a testament to his substantial loot.
The staff members of the trade association quickly recovered from their initial shock.
While rare, they occasionally encountered clients like John, usually awakeners who had spent a long time in dungeons and came out to clear their inventory.
It wasn't too surprising for them.
Soon, the two staff members had almost completed the inventory of the equipment.
There were over thirty pieces of equipment in total.
Most of them were iron-tier, with only seven or eight pieces of bronze-tier gear, including the gale staff and some equipment he had worn.
John kept one storage ring, planning to replace it with a larger one when he had more funds.
The appraiser valued each piece, ultimately offering John a total of 3.78 million for the equipment.
The lower-level materials, though not of high grade, were plentiful and fetched 730,000.
In the end, John netted a total of 4.51 million federal coins.
Adding the 1.2 million he obtained from the Wanderer and the 5 million from Seraphina, his assets had surpassed 10 million federal coins!
To the average person, this sum could ensure a comfortable life, but for an awakener, especially one with expenses like John's class, it wouldn't last long.
After selling all the surplus materials and equipment he had, John headed to the skill section on the twelfth floor.
The area was lavishly decorated but sparsely populated, with various display cases neatly arranged throughout the hall.
Each case contained a skill scroll, softly glowing within.
John moved to the section selling low-level magus skill scrolls and began to examine them one by one.
[Item]: Skill Scroll
[Skill]: Vine Bind
[Level]: Lv5
[Tier]: Basic Skill
[Classes]: Greenwood Magus, Vine Sorcerer, Great Tree Envoy...
[Price]: 820,000
...
[Item]: Skill Scroll
[Skill]: Gold Armor Spell
[Level]: Lv5
[Tier]: Basic Skill
[Classes]: Golden Light Magus, Alchemy Wizard, Golden Resonance Envoy...
[Price]: 1.09 million
...
[Item]: Skill Scroll
[Skill]: Wind Blade
[Level]: Lv10
[Tier]: Basic Skill
[Classes]: Wind Spirit Magus, Gale Sorcerer, Storm Priest...
[Price]: 2.84 million
...
Even with mental preparation, John couldn't help but gasp at the prices of these skills.
Ordinary basic skills usually cost under a million; they're affordable, but the skills are quite standard with average effects.
However, any decent skill starts in the millions and is incredibly rare.
Although John had over 10 million federal coins, he needed to reserve a significant portion for purchasing Breakthrough Stones, leaving him with roughly 5 million to spend.
There were many low-level skills in the skill section, but John had specific needs, limiting his choices to just a few.
Before long, John had selected the skills he wanted:
[Basic Skill]: Gold Armor Spell
[Price]: 1.09 million
...
[Basic Skill]: Rock Mail
[Price]: 2.15 million
...
[Basic Skill]: Storm Blade
[Price]: 2.84 million
...
This time, John primarily focused on purchasing defensive skills.
The vulnerability of magi is too evident; no matter how high their output, it's futile without sufficient survivability.
With [Gold Armor Spell] and [Rock Mail], John could significantly enhance his ability to survive.
Once these skills reached their maximum levels, they would greatly improve his margin for error, ensuring he wasn't constantly at risk of being instantly defeated.
[Storm Blade] was chosen to boost his area damage and mob-gathering capabilities, facilitating leveling up in dungeons or secret realms.
After selecting his skills, John, with a heavy heart, paid the price under the guidance of the receptionist.
Watching his funds halve in an instant, John, who had just felt wealthy, was once again reminded of his financial constraints.
Although his class and talent were strong, they required substantial federal coins to expand his skill set.
John understood this was unavoidable.
He considered himself fortunate; if he were an average awakener, even the desire to spend money for improvement wouldn't be feasible.
He had no grounds for complaint.
Since this wasn't the place to learn skills, John planned to use the skill scrolls after returning home.
His next task was to purchase a Breakthrough Stone.
Without it, he couldn't level up or enter dungeons, making it his current priority.
Acquiring the Breakthrough Stone turned out to be much quicker than John anticipated.
Although the trade center had a limited supply, John's willingness to pay ensured a swift purchase.
He secured an iron-tier Breakthrough Stone for 3.3 million, paying a 10% premium over the market price.
[Item]: Breakthrough Stone
[Level]: Iron-tier
[Quality]: Rare
[Description]: Upon use, you will break through the iron-tier level limitation and reach bronze-tier.
