A moment later, Leaf Gray sat in a partitioned room, surrounded by screens that blocked prying eyes.

The female demon cultivator had already disappeared, but before leaving, she told Leaf Gray to wait here, as a manager would soon come to trade with him. If he had any other requests, he could shake the bell nearby, and someone would come to attend to him.

There was a pot of brewed tea on the table. Leaf Gray poured himself a cup, and after taking a sip, immediately showed a surprised expression because the tea didn't seem ordinary; the tea water contained some spiritual power, albeit not much, but it was definitely there.

This discovery made Leaf Gray appreciate the vast financial resources of the Providentia Merchant Alliance even more. This was merely tea served to guests - who knew how much was consumed daily? Without profound foundations, they couldn't sustain such extravagance.

He then drank in large gulps. After finishing one pot, still no one came to attend to him. Leaf Gray wasn't in a hurry though; he gently shook the bell nearby.

Immediately, a maid from the Providentia Merchant Alliance entered: "What does the guest require?"

Leaf Gray pointed to the empty pot on the table: "Refill!"

The maid was momentarily stunned, but she reacted quickly and soon understood what 'refill' meant. She smiled, picked up the empty pot, and went out.

A moment later, she returned carrying another pot of spirit tea, gently placing it down: "Please enjoy, guest."

It wasn't until Leaf Gray had drunk three pots of tea and was so full he was burping that a woman finally walked in: "Apologies for keeping you waiting, fellow Daoist. This humble one, Seraphina Vale, pays her respects."

A faint, natural fragrance immediately wafted around Leaf Gray's nose. Looking at the woman who had entered, she was dressed lightly, with large areas of fair skin exposed, complemented by her soft, melodious voice. The atmosphere in the small room became somewhat ambiguous.

"It's fine." Leaf Gray nodded.

The woman named Seraphina Vale pulled out a chair opposite Leaf Gray and sat down, then picked up the teapot and personally poured a cup of tea for Leaf Gray. She leaned forward significantly, the outline of her entire back appearing utterly captivating. The snowy white visible at the parted neckline of her dress made Leaf Gray dizzy.

He quickly took a sip of tea to calm his shock.

When she entered, Leaf Gray had checked her spiritual light and deduced that this woman was probably at the third layer of the Spirit Creek realm, though her spiritual light wasn't very clear, indicating she was also the type who often used pills for cultivation.

Putting down the teapot, Seraphina Vale said, "I wonder what fellow Daoist wishes to sell?"

Leaf Gray then took out the ores he planned to sell from his storage bag. Of course, he wouldn't take them all out at once; this being his first contact with the Providentia Merchant Alliance, he wasn't clear about their character yet.

He took out the same ones he had displayed at his stall earlier.

Placing the ores one by one in front of Seraphina Vale, she casually picked up one piece, examined it for a moment, and nodded slightly: "This Crimson Essence Iron is of good quality, but unfortunately, it's a bit small. If it were larger, it could be forged into a long sword."

She picked up another piece, her beautiful eyes lighting up: "This Star Moon Stone is also acceptable, with very few impurities."

Then she took a third piece...

Leaf Gray witnessed what professional expertise meant. This woman named Seraphina Vale was intimately familiar with the ores before Leaf Gray, and her comments all hit the mark, even though Leaf Gray didn't really understand much.

Finally, she picked up the Metamagnetic Ore, a smile playing on her lips: "This item is quite rare in the outer circles of the battlefield. It should fetch a good price."

She put down the Metamagnetic Ore and looked at Leaf Gray: "The Trade Union can offer fifty-five spirit stones for these items. If fellow Daoist finds the price acceptable, we can proceed with the transaction."

Thanks to his observations in the market earlier, Leaf Gray had a rough idea of the purchasing power of fifty-five spirit stones, and this price was within his expected range.

While many had tried to lowball him when he was setting up his stall, overall, Leaf Gray had managed to gauge the general value of his ores through those interactions.

One could say the price quoted by Seraphina Vale wasn't far off.

He frowned slightly and said, "It's a bit cheap."

Seraphina Vale smiled: "It is somewhat cheaper than if fellow Daoist were to sell them piece by piece himself, but it saves you a lot of trouble, doesn't it? The Trade Union is a large establishment with many people to support. Fellow Daoist should allow some profit margin for people like us."

"Add a bit more."

Seraphina Vale raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, looking as if she had a headache. However, with her natural good looks, this expression didn't cause annoyance but instead added to her charm.

"Alright, since fellow Daoist is sincere about selling, I'll take the initiative to add four more spirit stones. But fellow Daoist absolutely must not bargain any further, otherwise I'll have to cover the loss for this deal out of my own pocket." She looked at Leaf Gray pitifully, as if she had been wronged.

Leaf Gray naturally didn't believe her, but seeing her like this, he knew he couldn't push the price further. So he said, "Acceptable."

Seraphina Vale immediately beamed like a flower: "How would fellow Daoist like the payment? Spirit stones or spirit pills?"

"How do you sell spirit pills here?" Leaf Gray asked, somewhat surprised that spirit pills were an option for payment. He had originally planned to buy spirit pills after receiving the spirit stones, but on second thought, many low-level cultivators probably did the same. This payment method by the Providentia Merchant Alliance undoubtedly saved a step.

"One bottle of Spirit Nurturing Pills contains nine pills, priced at ten spirit stones."

Leaf Gray frowned: "Don't cheat me. Outside, they sell for one spirit stone per pill. Why are yours more expensive here?"

Seraphina Vale explained: "Although they are all called Spirit Nurturing Pills, the quality differs depending on the alchemist who refines them. The alchemists refining Spirit Nurturing Pills for the Trade Union are all highly skilled great cultivators, not comparable to those outside. If fellow Daoist doesn't believe me, you can buy some and compare; you'll be able to tell the difference. Moreover, if the quality of the Trade Union's spirit pills was really problematic, there wouldn't be so many cultivators coming to buy from us."

Leaf Gray nodded: "What you say makes some sense. Then give me five bottles of spirit pills, and the rest in spirit stones."

"Certainly!" Seraphina Vale nodded, stood up, and said, "Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist."

She turned around, swayed her hips, and left the room. She soon returned, placing five bottles and four spirit stones in front of Leaf Gray: "These are for you, fellow Daoist."

The transaction completed, each party stored their items in their respective storage bags.

Before Leaf Gray could rise, Seraphina Vale said, "It's getting late. Does fellow Daoist have a place to rest?"

Her question suddenly reminded Leaf Gray of something: there didn't seem to be any inns or similar accommodations in this market, at least he hadn't seen any.

Seeing Leaf Gray's expression, Seraphina Vale understood and said, "The floors above the third level of the Trade Union serve as an inn. It costs just one spirit stone to stay for one night, guaranteeing that your rest and cultivation will not be disturbed. Additionally..."

She leaned close to Leaf Gray's ear, her breath like orchid: "...If fellow Daoist has any other needs, they can also be accommodated. Just speak to the manager over there."

"I'm not that kind of person!" Leaf Gray said sternly, while inwardly surprised that the Providentia Merchant Alliance really did all kinds of business!

Seraphina Vale had seen many like Leaf Gray and pretended not to hear his words, saying in a soft, sweet, and alluring tone, "This humble one finishes duty at midnight. If fellow Daoist desires this humble one's services, you can ask the manager to find me at that time."

Leaf Gray felt his head swelling: "I'm really not that kind of person."

A moment later, Seraphina Vale watched Leaf Gray's departing back, the smile fading from her face as she said irritably, "Stingy man!"

Normally, when cultivators made large transactions here, they would give a tip of one or two spirit stones, especially after Seraphina Vale had raised the price for Leaf Gray.

This was an unwritten rule.

Unfortunately, it was Leaf Gray's first time trading here, so he naturally didn't know about giving tips.