Chapter 225: Appraisal in the Citadel

’This girl,’ Marcus thought with a fond smile, ’calling my name for no reason and slowing down my grinding.’

He looked down at Anya, who was curled comfortably in his arms like a small kitten. Her bright eyes were filled with pride and happiness as she gazed up at him, openly admiring him without the slightest attempt to hide it. The expression was so pure and delighted that Marcus couldn’t help lowering his sword and gently pinching her delicate porcelain nose.

They say the arms of a beautiful woman are the tomb of a hero.

Apparently, the saying had some truth to it.

Distracted for only a brief moment by the beauty in his embrace, Marcus had already fallen behind the rhythm of battle. His pets surged forward ahead of him, leaving him without the slightest opportunity to show off.

The next wave of Red-Eyed Bulls came thundering toward them, hooves pounding across the ground. Yet before Marcus could even think about raising his weapon, Lyanna’s Wyvern Impact, Pebble’s Hundred Phantom Strike, and Goldie’s Wing Storm erupted across the battlefield at nearly the same time. The devastating area-of-effect attacks crashed straight into the charging herd.

The results were immediate and brutal.

When the dust settled, the five-meter space in front of Marcus had been completely cleared out. The herd of bulls that had been charging toward him had already been wiped away, leaving nothing behind except his own army of pets standing triumphantly amid the aftermath.

Marcus lowered his sword slowly. There was nothing left for him to do.

’How relaxing.’

With such absurdly powerful pets fighting at his side, it was practically impossible for him to stay busy even if he wanted to. The situation had long since slipped beyond his control; his companions were simply too strong. All he could really do now was watch them tear through enemies while he stood comfortably behind them.

Since he couldn’t change the situation, he might as well enjoy it.

Marcus gave up on trying to compete with them and simply allowed his pets to rush ahead into the fray. The battlefield soon dissolved into chaos as his overly enthusiastic companions tore through wave after wave of Red-Eyed Bulls.

Meanwhile, Marcus adjusted his hold on Anya so she could sit more comfortably in his arms. He leaned closer and murmured teasing nonsense into her ear while casually following behind his pets, enjoying the steady and satisfying climb of his experience bar.

After a while, Anya suddenly looked up with bright excitement.

“Marcus, Chloe and I are level twenty!”

Given the overwhelming damage output of the group, their grinding speed was nothing short of brutal. Experience poured in at an astonishing rate. In just a little over two hours, both Anya and Chloe had already reached level twenty.

Marcus nodded, satisfied.

“Alright, let’s head back,” he said. “Time to get my new gear appraised. You two can also pick up your level twenty equipment.”

Although the Red-Eyed Bulls gave excellent experience, they had already spent more than two hours sweeping across the entire territory. The place had been scoured thoroughly, yet not a single boss-type bull had appeared. The area simply wasn’t rich enough in monsters to produce an elite.

There was no point wasting any more time here.

More importantly, Marcus was eager to identify the top-tier equipment he had obtained from the Mist Veil Palace.

His gaze drifted toward his pets, who were still brimming with energy.

’These guys really have incredible stamina.’

They had been fighting nonstop for more than two hours, clearing the bull territory three separate times, yet none of them showed even the slightest sign of fatigue. On the contrary, their fighting spirit seemed higher than ever.

Marcus couldn’t help feeling impressed.

With companions like these helping him grind, leveling up in the future would be ridiculously easy.

He recalled all of his pets and took out a Town Portal Scroll. A brief flash of light followed, and the group disappeared from the plains.

Moments later, they reappeared inside Marcus’s mansion within Dragon’s Peak Citadel.

After quickly sorting through the pile of unidentified equipment he had brought back, Marcus headed straight toward the Old Man’s appraisal shop, accompanied by the two beautiful women.

“Old man, I’m here to—”

“Stone, my boy, you’re here!”

The Old Man interrupted before Marcus could finish speaking. His cloudy eyes immediately brightened the moment he saw Marcus’s smiling face.

“You look awfully happy today,” the Old Man said eagerly, leaning over the counter. “Did you finally find some kind of dark-attribute treasure? Quick, let me see it! Maybe we can finally hatch that Dark Violet Sky Dragon!”

Marcus froze.

“….”

For a moment he didn’t even know how to respond.

Of course he was in a good mood. He had two stunning women by his side and a bag filled with high-grade equipment waiting to be appraised. Anyone would be smiling in his position.

Yet the Old Man had completely misunderstood.

The old fellow was practically obsessed with the idea of hatching the Dark Violet Sky Dragon. Ever since learning about the dragon egg, he had become slightly unhinged whenever the subject came up.

If dark-attribute treasures were that easy to find, they wouldn’t be called treasures.

“Old man,” Marcus said helplessly, “dark-attribute treasures aren’t exactly easy to come by. I’m here to get some equipment appraised.”

“You brat!” the Old Man snapped, glaring at him in irritation. “Then why are you grinning like a fool and shouting my name the moment you walk in? You got my hopes up for nothing!”

Marcus chose to ignore the old man’s complaints.

Instead, he began pulling equipment out of his inventory one piece after another, piling everything neatly onto the counter. Even the Golden-tier items he technically had the ability to identify himself were included in the stack.

Although Marcus possessed the Appraisal skill, it was still stuck at the Basic level and could only be used five times per day. Slowly leveling it up that way would take an absurd amount of time.

If he insisted on relying on that method alone, he might very well end up with a long white beard like the Old Man by the time he finally reached Intermediate level.

It was far more efficient to let the professional handle it.

Besides, Marcus had no intention of grinding the skill the slow way when a far better shortcut existed. If he could find a dark-attribute treasure and successfully hatch the dragon egg, the Old Man had already promised to upgrade his Appraisal skill directly to Advanced level.

Only an idiot would refuse a shortcut like that.

On top of that, Marcus still had another Guild Creation Token sitting in his inventory. Selling it later would bring in an enormous amount of gold, so there was absolutely no need for him to pinch pennies now.

Marcus wasn’t quite that extravagant, but there was no point deliberately making things inconvenient for himself either.

“The Dragon’s Crest costs five hundred thousand gold to appraise. The Sea Soul Demonic Jade Necklace, another five hundred thousand. The Blood-Fiend Cloak, two hundred and fifty thousand…”

The Old Man calmly listed the prices one by one as he examined the equipment.

When he finally finished calculating everything, the total appraisal fee exceeded 1.6 million gold coins.

Marcus’s eyes immediately lit up, he knew what that number meant.

Everyone on Earth already understood the unwritten rule: the higher the appraisal fee, the better the equipment.

Without hesitation, Marcus transferred the gold and waited eagerly for the results.

Soon, the first item’s true attributes appeared.

—

Dragon’s Crest (Purple Divine Artifact)

Requirement: Bound to Stonehaven. Cannot be dropped, traded, or destroyed.

Description:

A sacred crest carved by the Goddess of Dreams from the dragon crystal of the Chaos Saint Dragon. Over the course of one thousand years, the crest gradually gathers divine energy. Once fully accumulated, that power can elevate the wearer’s class to its ultimate form.

For example, a Knight or Paladin could advance into a Saint Knight, while a Knight or Dark Knight could ascend into a Death Knight.

Effects:

+50 to all four base attributes

+30% resistance to all negative status effects (Stun, Knockback, Confusion, etc.)

Skills:

Dragon Soul Aegis (Active)

Increases the wearer’s overall abilities by 30% for 30 minutes.

Usable three times per day.

Dragon Soul Ascension (Active)

Uses the thousand years of accumulated Dragon Soul energy to advance the wearer’s class, or the class of a chosen ally, to its highest tier.

Can only be used once every one thousand years.

Currently available.

Dragon Soul Revival (Ultimate)

The final hidden power of the Dragon’s Crest. Legend claims this ability can resurrect the Chaos Saint Dragon itself, unlocking even greater power within the crest.

Unfortunately, since the artifact’s creation, no one has ever succeeded in activating this ability. Not even the Goddess of Dreams who forged the crest.

—

’Powerful… this is a true Divine Artifact.’

Everyone present was stunned by the crest’s incredible attributes.

The final skill alone hinted that the artifact possessed growth potential far beyond ordinary divine equipment. Marcus had truly struck the jackpot this time.

Even the usually composed Old Man couldn’t hide his astonishment.

To see the legendary Dragon’s Crest, one of the four great crests of the continent, reveal its true power in his own hands was something he had never expected to experience in his lifetime.

The old appraiser shook his head slowly, letting out a long breath of disbelief.

He still couldn’t understand how this troublesome brat had managed to obtain something so priceless.

“Marcus, hurry up and use it!” Anya urged excitedly, practically bouncing where she stood. “Advance your class to the highest tier!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep