"And that's when I lost it! I whipped out my trusty stick and really gave that goat something to fuss about!"
Laughter erupted from the dozens of Obsidian Treasury employees that sat around Jin Huang in the staff lounge.
After another day of gathering items, logging them and dealing with excited customers, they were relaxing in the lounge as they awaited the Owner's appearance.
"Who would have thought that the Great Glutton, Jin Huang, would have such humble origins!" Laughed a stoic man in black with a strong build.
"Your parents sound like they were such sweethearts. I'm sorry for your loss." A young woman said with a tearful expression.
Jin Huang laughed warmly, "Yeah. They were the best."
Xiao Chen entered the room and exhaled. "Owner's coming, guys. Let's go."
They all got up and headed out. Once they were all lined up, the owner's bodyguard came from the direction of the office.
Behind her, that mysterious figure appeared again. Everyone held their breath, hanging on every word and action that the owner made.
Jin Huang frowned, "Something's... off about them."
Xiao Chen eyed him strangely. "Off? What do you mean?"
"When they first appeared, their aura was more... grand. It seemed somewhat familiar. Now, it just smells... fake." Jin Huang scratched his head.
Xiao Chen's expression remained calm and he nodded with a 'hm,' but behind his eyes he was stunned and confused- even a bit panicked.
How was Jin Huang able to tell? He knew the lad wasn't ordinary, but surely he wasn't that amazing.
Right?
And what did he mean it smelled fake?!
The 'owner' carried out their appraisals, and soon the day's work was over. Numerous customers left the building with their heads held high, while others could only lament.
Not everyone's treasures were good enough for the main branch's upcoming auction.
Since the Obsidian Treasury was no longer interested in anything below a certain rank or grade, they didn't even so much as purchase any B-Rank items or below.
In light of the sheer scale of the main branch's upcoming auction, the owner made it a point to halt all other auctions in the other branches.
All personnel needed to be working toward this one aution. It would be the most spectacular event in all the world, not just the Scarlet Dominion.
Rumors had even started circulating that other monarchs would be making appearances. Various sect masters, Kings, Queens, Emperors, Empresses and such.
Some crazy people even went so far as to say that Fiendgods would be descending from higher worlds just to attend.
There was no shortage of excitement.
Later that day, Jin Huang exited his quarters on a higher floor of the building, having just taken a relaxing bath.
He was given various black uniforms, and was currently wearing one. The sleeves hugged his arms a bit tightly, and the long pants and shoes perfectly completed the look.
He fit right in with the other employees.
While on his way to the staff lounge, he heard a clear and loud harrumph from behind him.
Turning, he saw the giant woman bodyguard standing there and he jumped in fright. "Gah! When the hell did you get here?!"
Meng Lan maintained a straight face and she pointed with her thumb lazily, "The owner wants to see you."
Jin Huang froze in place as puzzlement overcame him. "???"
He followed her back to the owner's private office, entering to see a luxurious space and large windows.
He saw the owner sitting behind their desk, a large stack of papers in front of them. When they saw Jin Huang, the owner stopped and interlaced their fingers.
"Welcome, Jin Huang."
"Hey," Jin Huang waved dismissively, his senses already telling him that something about this person was different compared to their first appearance.
"I'm told by Manager Xiao that you have a rather special relationship with food. Is this true?" The Owner asked, their body strangely stiff.
Meng Lan was off on the owner's right side, standing there with her eyes closed.
Jin Huang heard 'food' and immediately started to wonder whether he would be fed at the end of this surprise meeting.
Nodding, he proudly decalred, "That's right! There's no one more profoundly connected to food than I!"
"Let's test that, shall we? Meng Lan." The Owner snapped their fingers.
Meng Lan opened her eyes and nodded, then walked to the office door and opened it.
In came Xiao Chen, looking a bit sweaty and out of breath. He was holding a small metal box in his hand.
As he brushed past Meng Lan, the giant woman turned, her face noticeably redder than it was.
"Xiao Chen?" Jin Huang folded his arms. "What are you-"
"I have it, Owner." Xiao Chen nodded to the mysterious figure.
"Good," the owner said, gesturing.
When Jin Huang looked at them both, a peculiar glint appeared in his eyes. He took a big sniff and then smirked.
"Hold on a second..."
Xiao Chen glanced at the 'owner' and took a big gulp. He even saw that Meng Lan was looking a bit anxious. Having no other choice, he quickly opened up the metal box.
"Look at this, Jin Huang."
Before he could finish his thought, Jin Huang's brain was hijacked by a strong aroma that instantly made him hungry.
"What in tarnation... ?"
Gazing down at the object in the box, Jin Huang saw a pure-white, spherical pill. Aside from a slight glitter on its surface, the pill looks absolutely ordinary.
"What is this?" He said as he grabbed the box and brought it closer.
Xiao Chen's smile appeared to be crooked before he coughed and said, "This is a Divine Opening Pill, concocted by the Legendary Alchemist Yuan Zhi!"
"Wow," Jin Huang took another big sniff. "It does smell rather legendary. Can I eat it?"
"Cough!" Meng Lan suddenly threw a hand over her mouth and turned her back to them, walking toward the window.
The 'owner' briefly stuttered before clearing their throat and saying, "Part of the reason why I asked Manager Chen to bring this here was because he said you had an insatiable appetite. This likely means you have a special body."
Jin Huang shrugged pretentiously, "I guess."
The 'owner' continued. "If you do indeed possess such a body, then this pill will be perfect for you. However, you must be warned."
"This is a completely new type of medicine that isn't yet on the market. No one knows just what kind of effects it may have. Yuan Zhi gave it to us for the purpose of finding someone willing to test it. Someone with a special body that-"
Meng Lan coughed; the owner paused; Xiao Chen's jaw fell wide open.
Jin Huang had already swallowed the pill.
Meng Lan and Xiao Chen got closer to him, their eyes wide and in disbelief.
"How do you feel? Is anything happening? Describe everything!" Xiao Chen pressed.
"Mm!" Meng Lang leaned forward and looked down at Jin Huang, scouring his face for any signs.
Jin Huang smacked his lips a few times, then burped loudly. "It didn't really taste like much... but there's a really warm feeling in my stomach and..."
"Is that energy I feel?"
Xiao Chen nodded fiercely, "Yes! You should be feeling a very potent mana coursing through your channels right now. What else do you feel?"
Meng Lan mirrored Xiao Chen's mannerisms. "Mm! Mm!"
Jin Huang thought they were acting quite strange, but ignored it. "Well... that's really all I feel. In fact, the feeling's already gone. Was nice while it lasted, though."
Meng Lan and Xiao Chen looked at each other, both totally at a loss.
"Uh-" Xiao Chen started, but did not know how to continue. He had no idea what to say.
"I knew something was wrong here!" Jin Huang had, at some point, slipped past them and gone poking at the 'owner's' face.
The 'owner' was just letting him do it, and saying nothing.
"Shit!" Meng Lan reacted quickly, and the owner turned slowly to look at Jin Huang.
"Stop that," they said in a deadpan tone.
Jin Huang scoffed. "You don't smell the same. You don't even feel the same. But you," he pointed at Xiao Chen.
"When you entered the room I realized why the owner no longer felt familiar. It's cause they were lacking one key thing."
Xiao Chen gulped; Meng Lan took a couple surreptitious steps away.
"They no longer had that trace of presence. Your presence." Jin Huang laughed.
"I had a mind you were the owner, Xiao Chen."
Xiao Chen raised a brow, "Really? I did that bad of a job hiding it?"
Jin Huang shook his head. "Not really. But you just confirmed my suspicions by saying that so... Ha!"
Meng Lan slapped her face.
Xiao Chen's lips came together in a flat smile. He suddenly felt like strangling Jin Huang.
"Why did you feed me a pill? Do I look sick?" Jin Huang frowned.
Suddenly remembering that, Xiao Chen snapped his fingers, "Right. Here's a better question, though..."
"How are you fine?"
Jin Huang slapped his stomach and triumphantly proclaimed, "I am the Great Glutton, am I not? I simply 'eat' better!"
Xiao Chen looked to Meng Lan, who avoided his gaze.