Chapter 324: Enigma
To Bai Rouyun, there were many ways to display one's riches. Some would be overwhelmingly extravagant, to a point where it would feel profligate, while others would have a way to display their wealth in an elegant and tasteful way.
This Lingcao Pavilion was not a graceful design, but instead appeared rather styleless.
It was not that Bai Rouyun did not see auction houses and big businesses before. She knew that this was a place of great wealth and that they would usually be more decorated than most places to display their high status, but even so, this decision of just pasting expensive materials on top of each other made it seem much more tasteless and childish.
Even so, Bai Rouyun took a deep breath as she prepared to enter into the pavilion itself. She knew well that you could never judge a book by its cover, so she did not dare to lower her guard as she stepped up the stairs leading to the entrance.
The steps were all polished and shone brightly in the light, but upon closer observation, Bai Rouyun found that they seemed to be inscribed with various runes.
Bai Rouyun was still not familiar with the various runes used for inscription, but she could sense a slight fluctuation in energy beneath her feet.
If not for the fact that she had just recently found some interest in inscription, she would not have noticed these small runes, and would have assumed that the energy she felt came from the stones themselves.
Perhaps this overly gaudy appearance of the building was not actually made to blind the customers with its brilliance in the way she had expected. It should not show off the wealth but numb the customers' senses and lower their guards.
Although there were various thoughts swirling within Bai Rouyun's mind, she did not hesitate as she kept walking forward. Her facial expression did not change either, and she appeared as if she had not noticed anything amiss.
Since the owners of the Lingcao Pavilion had worked so hard to make their defenses hidden beneath a shell of overindulgence, she was not going to question this decision.
She was, after all, not planning on having much connection with the Lingcao Pavilion in the future. To her, it was merely a place she was visiting now to get some spirit coins, and she could perhaps come by a few times later if she needed more money to purchase the things she wanted, but she did not plan to have a deeper relationship with this complex business.
"Welcome."
As Bai Rouyun stepped inside the store, she found that a sales assistant was already waiting for her by the side. When looking around, she found that every customer within the store was followed by a personal assistant, and none of them seemed impatient or arrogant as they guided them around, and they also managed to maintain their dignity and did not humble themselves either in an attempt to sell more items.
The quality of the staff members was very different from the overwhelmingly shiny exterior that made it look as if the staff within were all hedonistic and arrogant young masters and misses.
When comparing the arrogant exterior with the professional interior Bai Rouyun could not help but raise an eyebrow in amusement. She did not believe that the owner would have bad taste and simply use this overwhelmingly flashy design based on their personal preference, so what could it be?
It was not that Bai Rouyun had much experience with shops in general, but she had been best friends with Xue Jingyu for many years, and no matter how arrogant and prodigal he might seem in the younger generation, his acute sense of business was truly frightening. He had often explained things to her, and she knew that many low-key experts would intentionally steer clear of a shop that tried to show off in this manner.
However, Bai Rouyun did not mention anything but merely looked at the sales assistant that had been patiently waiting by her side as she surveyed the storefloor.
"I have some herbs I have gathered in the Forgotten Forest earlier. I was wondering if your shop is interested in purchasing these items?"
Bai Rouyun did not whisper nor did she raise her voice. She was speaking naturally, and many could hear her voice, but most also caught many pieces of information within the sentence.
The herbs she wished to sell had all been gathered in the Forgotten Forest. This meant that they were fresh and had been found recently. The herbs within the Forgotten Forest were naturally very useful, but it was extremely rare for someone to come across many treasures, so since she was walking into the store casually like this to sell her herbs, they would not be of a high quality.
At the same time, she mentioned that there were multiple herbs, and it seemed as if she wished to empty her inventory here, which made her of even less interest to the ones looking around, as she would have nothing of value after leaving. Even the spirit coins she would be able to earn, would not be enough to warrant the risk taken by trying to rob her on the way back.
"Please follow me to our herb appraiser." The sales assistant did not seem unhappy when he noticed that she did not plan on buying anything but was selling instead. He was as polite as before, and stretched his arm to lead her in the right direction.
Such staff-members were clearly the most suitable, and Bai Rouyun was very pleased as she nodded in gratitude and followed the path that had been pointed out.