The final wooden crate slid into place with a dull thud.
"There." One of the black-clothed employees wiped his brow. "That was the last one."
A tired cheer spread throughout the reception hall. At some point, the endless stream of customers had stopped.
Outside, the plaza had become quiet.
Every individual whose treasure had been accepted for appraisal now waited patiently inside specially prepared rooms scattered throughout the Obsidian Treasury.
Not a whisper escaped those rooms, and not a whisper entered them. Every room had been warded.
Jin Huang stretched until his back cracked. "I'm still alive... somehow."
"You almost didn't make it," another employee laughed.
"I feel like I'm starving to death."
"You've eaten four times."
"Exactly my point. I've only eaten four times. I'm dying here." Jin Huang fell onto his back.
The employees laughed.
Over the course of the afternoon, Jin Huang had become surprisingly popular.
Despite being new, he worked hard when he actually understood what he was supposed to do.
More importantly... he talked constantly.
That alone had made the repetitive labor much more bearable.
"Come on." One employee motioned toward a nearby corridor. "Let's take a break."
---
The employee lounge was far more comfortable than Jin Huang had expected.
Soft chairs, long tables, tea and snacks.
He immediately sat beside the snacks, not even caring about decorum as he started stuffing his face.
Xiao Chen entered along with them, shaking his head.
A young woman wearing the Obsidian Treasury's black robes smiled. "So, I heard you came all the way from Greenwind Province's eastern frontier."
"I did," Jin Huang said while chewing on a rice cake.
"What's it like?"
"Dangerous."
"...Really?" She blinked.
"Sometimes demons come in from the Eastern Mountains."
"I had heard that there was an area near the mountains that demons appear in quite frequently. Last I heard, a Sea Expansion realm demon caused some panic there."
"Yeah, but we handled it. The real menace was the Cloth Demon. A real glutton, that one."
She nodded thoughtfully, "I've actually heard lf that one. Thankfully, it was only interested in food."
"This Cloth Demon sounds oddly similar to Jin Huang, doesn't it? Hahaha!"
Laughter spread through the room. Jin Huang was the only one not laughing, instead almost choking on his food.
Nearby, Xiao Chen quietly sipped tea while reading yet another enchanted letter.
One employee leaned forward excitedly. "Speaking of travel... Has anyone here ever ridden with the Slow 'N Steady?"
Several hands immediately shot into the air.
"They're incredible."
"The flying tortoises are super awesome."
"And amazing."
"They're so calm."
"I heard one delivered a package during a thunderstorm without spilling a single cup of tea."
"No way."
"It's true."
"Why did the tortoise have tea?"
"They're the most reliable delivery service on the continent."
Jin Huang slapped the table. "I SAW ONE!"
Everyone looked over.
"It was flying," he continued, "and it was a tortoise! I wanted to eat it. Never tried tortoise before."
Silence. One employee coughed.
"Please don't eat the Post-Tortoises."
"I... was just kidding." Jin Huang lied.
"Right." They clearly did not believe him.
"Why don't you tell them about the homeless guy that felt so sorry for you that he gave you money!" Xiao Chen butted in, expertly changing the topic.
Once again, the room erupted with laughter. Xiao Chen quietly smiled into his teacup as Jin Huang gave him a meaningful look.
Just then, another enchanted parchment appeared before him. He caught it before anyone else noticed, his eyes moving quickly across its contents.
Then he stood. "Something important's come up."
Setting his empty teacup aside, he smiled toward the others. "If the owner shows up, don't wait for me. Attend them well."
Without another word, he departed.
After Xiao Chen left knly a few minutes passed before the lounge door burst open.
A young woman from the reception hall stood there breathing heavily. "The carriage!"
Everyone looked over.
"The Obsidian Carriage!" She pointed frantically toward the front entrance.
"It just descended!"
There was silence... then realization.
"The Owner!"
Every employee sprang to their feet. Even Jin Huang found himself swept along by the excitement.
They hurried through the corridors and toward the grand entrance. By the time they arrived, every employee had already formed neat rows.
Anticipation overcame them all as they stared at the massive doors.
BOOM.
The towering obsidian double doors opened. The first figure to enter was impossible to ignore.
She was extraordinarily tall and broad-shouldered, powerfully built. Her exposed arms and upper torso bore countless old scars.
Across her back rested a sword so enormous it scarcely seemed practical. Brilliant runes glowed softly along both its hilt and blade.
Her fierce yellow eyes slowly swept across the hall, calm and measured. Everything about her seemed unshakable.
Every instinct Jin Huang possessed told him one thing: She was terrifying.
Behind her, another figure entered. Long black robes concealed every inch of their body.
A mask resembling the face of a shadow demon hid their features entirely.
There was no possible way to tell their age, gender or identity.
Only their presence could be ascertained.
It felt...
Jin Huang frowned as he soliliquized, "Why do they feel familiar?"
Around him, every employee bowed deeply.
"Welcome, Owner."
The masked figure inclined their head.
When they spoke, their voice resembled wind passing through distant mountains.
Impossible to identify, yet every word reached each listener with perfect clarity.
"Let us begin immediately."
So, immediately, the first treasure was presented.
The masked owner observed it only briefly.
"This is not good enough."
A nearby employee quickly bowed.
"Return it, and thank its owner for their efforts. Provide them fifty gold pieces for their trouble."
"At once, Owner." The employee hurriedly left, another employee helping them carry the item.
Next, a crystal sealed within enchanted glass. The owner examined it.
"This is extraordinary. A Rank item."
Several employees immediately became alert.
"Send someone to negotiate a ratio. The Treasury's share is to be no lower than forty."
"The consignor shall receive, at most, sixty."
"Understood, owner."
Another item, another judgment, another batch of employees left. And so it continued.
Hours seemed to pass in moments. Nothing escaped the Owner's notice.
One glance was enough to determine quality, history, potential and, ultimately, value.
Everything was decided almost instantly.
Jin Huang watched with growing fascination. "That owner sure is something."
Pretty soon, the final treasure was appraised.
The masked owner closed the ledger before them, handing it to a female attendaant.
"Let us proceed to my office. I will meet with the manager of this branch shortly."
The towering swordswoman turned immediately. Without another word, the pair disappeared deeper into the Obsidian Treasury.
Only after they vanished did the atmosphere loosen. Everyone collectively exhaled.
"That... was intense."
Before anyone could say more—
"Hah..." A familiar voice echoed from the corridor.
Xiao Chen hurried back into the hall. "My apologies."
He looked around. "Seems I just missed them."
Several employees nodded.
"You did, Manager."
"What a shame." Xiao Chen smiled warmly.
"That was something else, wasn't it?"
The room immediately became lively.
"They're exactly how I imagined!"
"No... Even more impressive."
"I couldn't even breathe."
"Did you see that bodyguard?"
"That sword..."
"I've never felt magical pressure like that."
Jin Huang nodded enthusiastically. "They felt..."
He frowned. "Weirdly familiar."
Nobody paid much attention to that remark as there was still work to do. Accepted treasures were carefully gathered together.
Each received fresh documentation, protective seals, transportation manifests and specialized storage cases.
The employees moved with renewed purpose. These were no ordinary consignments.
Soon, every one of these treasures would depart for the Obsidian Treasury's main branch.
There, beneath the eyes of emperors, sect masters, clan patriarchs, and the greatest cultivators on the continent...
Their true worth would finally be decided.
__________
In the Owner's office.
A call had been made for Manager Xiao to come in, alerting pretty much every employee.
Jin Huang wished him luck as he saw him off.
Xiao Chen made a show of taking a few deep breaths before departing for the owner's office.
When he finally entered, he saw the evening light spilling in through the glass panes of a large window, illuminating the room.
The desk was there, but no one sat behind it.
The bodyguard was standing off to the side, but she seemed to stiffen when she saw Xiao Chen, and hurried to stand before him.
Bowing deeply, she said, "Master-"
Xiao Chen shushed her. "For now, I am Manager Chen. Do not forget that, Meng Lan."
She bowed even deeper. "As you wish, Manager Chen."
Xiao Chen sighed, "We'll have to work on that too. Anyway, I can't always appear in person like that. I don't want anyone suspecting me just yet."
"Show me your body double."
Meng Lan did as she was told, her yellow eyes glowing as a powerful mana overflowed in them. Part of her presence seemed to split off before becoming its own person- a replica of her.
"It has almost no presence. Good. Now-"
Xiao Chen was about to instruct her on what to do from there, but she took the initiative.
"Already on it."
The body double changed, no longer looking like her. Instead, it assumed the appearance of the mysterious owner, even replicating that remarkable presence.
Xiao Chen observed it closely, seeming pleased. "Well done, Meng Lan."
The towering women nodded deeply, "Thank you."
"I shall send instructions eventually. For now, just enjoy my office."
Xiao Chen turned and left, a small smile on his face.
Behind him, Meng Lan turned and walked to the window, looking out at Spearhead City.
"Just what is your goal, Master?"