Chapter 289
Please help me, I beg you
Ning Rongrong's palms were covered in cold sweat.
Just how outrageous is this premium? She had absolutely no idea!
All she knew was that within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, buying things never required such "bidding," let alone offering any free soul bones, minerals, or effects!
It was her turn to make a price offer.
All eyes instantly focused on her, filled with scrutiny, curiosity, mockery, and undisguised predatory desire.
His gaze was so intense it felt like it was tangible, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
"Seven Treasures...Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School..."
Ning Rongrong spoke, her voice trembling slightly, as she tried to imitate Xue Qinghe's calm tone.
“I’m willing…I’m willing to pay…” How much of a premium? Her mind was a complete mess.
"...A 22% premium! I want...I want 20% of the share!"
She practically shouted out this price, which she thought was a "compromise," with her eyes closed—slightly higher than Xue Qinghe and Ju Douluo, and slightly lower than Davis.
She even forgot to set any additional conditions like everyone else!
In her naive mind, a high price should mean you can buy something.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Davis across from her curl up in an undisguised sneer.
Zhu Zhan snorted coldly, his eyes sharp as knives, sweeping across Ning Rongrong's pale face.
"Nonsense! Ning Fengzhi is truly senile! Sending a greenhorn to waste our time! Such childish talk is hardly worthy of being presented! If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has no intention of competing, they should withdraw as soon as possible!"
A soft, effeminate laugh rang out from Ju Douluo Yue Guan, the petals of the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum swaying gently at her fingertips, radiating a dangerous luster.
"Heh, little princess, your offer is not only disrespectful to everyone present, but also a desecration of Lord Lin's intellectual achievements. A 22% premium? You want to monopolize 20%? Do you know what that means?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone suddenly turned cold.
"This means that your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School wants to take away important resources that should belong to all of us at a 'preferential price' far below their strategic value! You have quite the appetite, but unfortunately... your teeth are too tender."
"Sect Leader Ning's actions are truly perplexing."
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe spoke gently, but the weight of his words was undiminished. In the depths of his clear eyes was a calm that saw through everything and a hint of scrutiny that was not easily detected.
"Lord Lin, this matter is of great importance. Miss Ning is new to this, so it's understandable that she might not have considered things thoroughly. Perhaps..."
His words were interrupted by Yu Luomian's slightly hurried voice.
"Lord Lin! The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan is showing great sincerity, offering a 20% premium plus priority supply rights for 'Thunder Ore'! Please consider this carefully, Lord Lin! Time is precious; let's not let useless words delay important matters!"
His anxiety was almost palpable, and his gaze toward Ning Rongrong was filled with impatience and dissatisfaction.
The leaders of the four lower sects exchanged knowing glances, greedy smiles playing on their lips. Huyan Zhen spoke in a gruff voice.
"Lord Lin! The Elephant Armor Sect is willing to add another 10% premium! Let this share be allocated to those who truly have the strength and know the rules!"
The implication was that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had been excluded by them.
Harsh doubts, cold mockery, blatant contempt, impatient eagerness... like countless cold steel needles, densely piercing Ning Rongrong's ears, penetrating her faltering psychological defenses.
She felt like a counterfeit item thrown onto an auction stage, subject to everyone's arbitrary comments, belittling, and contempt.
"It's all over."
……
Her father's desperate and worried eyes resurfaced like a nightmare, accompanied by an overwhelming malice that gripped her heart tightly.
A wave of suffocation washed over her, and her vision began to blur and spin. She bit her lower lip hard, the taste of blood filling her mouth, yet she felt no pain, only a bone-chilling cold and helplessness. She wanted to argue, to roar, to prove herself… but her throat felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and she couldn't utter a sound. Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and her fingertips were icy cold.
Just then, a calm and unwavering gaze fell upon her.
It's Lin Xia.
He remained seated in the main seat, relaxed and at ease. The silver coin between his fingers had stopped spinning at some point and lay quietly on the table.
He didn't look at those aggressive giants; his deep, dark eyes, as cold as a pool, simply gazed calmly and without any ripples at Ning Rongrong.
There was no blame, no anger, not even disappointment in his eyes. Only an almost indifferent scrutiny, and a knowing calm. It was as if he were silently asking:
'Did you see it clearly?'
'Is this the simple transaction you described, where you just pay and take the goods?'
'Is this the battlefield your father poured his heart and soul into maintaining, the battlefield upon which the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School depends for its survival?'
Your so-called pride and status are worthless here.
That silent gaze was more penetrating than any verbal insult. It was like a cold mirror, clearly reflecting Ning Rongrong's current embarrassment, insignificance, and that "confidence" that seemed especially ridiculous due to her ignorance.
"Om-!"
Ning Rongrong's mind went completely blank.
All the stubbornness, resentment, and anger were utterly shattered and crushed into dust by the cruel reality and the cold gaze at this moment.
A strong sense of shame surged through her veins like magma, burning her cheeks while her whole body felt ice-cold.
She finally understood completely.
I felt like a toddler thrown into the cruelest arena, facing hungry tigers and lions.
Her pitiful understanding and pride are incredibly fragile in the face of a true struggle for power and interests.
She messed up.
It was a complete and utter mess.
The father's worried gaze was no longer just a figment of his imagination, but a reality about to unfold. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School… could truly be destroyed because of her foolishness and powerlessness today…
Overwhelmed by immense panic and despair, she instinctively raised her head as if grasping at a last straw. Her glassy eyes, brimming with helpless tears and filled with the most humble plea, looked over the suffocating figures at the round table and fixed their gaze on Lin Xia, who sat at the head of the table.
Those eyes were screaming.
Please help me... I beg you...
Lin Xia received Ning Rongrong's silent, almost desperate cry for help.
His deep eyes remained calm, but beneath that calm, well-like surface, something seemed to flash by swiftly—a barely perceptible sigh, perhaps pity, or perhaps an understanding that he had long anticipated the outcome.
He didn't look at Ning Rongrong, who was on the verge of collapse, and calmly swept his gaze over the powerful figures around the round table, each with their own agenda.
The playful expression of Chrysanthemum Douluo, the mockery of Davis, the impatience of Zhu Zhan, the scrutiny of Xue Qinghe, the anxiety of Yu Luomian, the greed of Hu Yanzhen and others... all paint a vivid picture of humanity.
Just as the air seemed to thicken to the point where it would crush Ning Rongrong, Lin Xia spoke. (End of Chapter)