The Sect Leader System-Chapter 286: Economic Warfare

The visit to the auction house had been a lot of fun for Benton. While the lady at the counter hadn’t been nearly as expressive as Kang Lin, the clerk had definitely been awe-struck, both by the sword she examined and the floating ones. The appraiser, though, had been the highlight of the visit.

It was nice to have one’s work appreciated, and the man was greatly impressed by the craftsmanship. Apparently, Benton might have overshot his mark by a bit. While he’d understood that masterworks were rare, he hadn’t realized how rare. And valuable.

Five to ten swords probably would have been more than enough for his purposes.

On the other hand, the appraiser’s reaction had been priceless. Dollar signs—uh, tael signs?—danced in the man’s eyes. He was surely in for a great bonus once all the swords sold.

Since he was developing active relationships with different parties and factions in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, Benton was paying more attention to the concept of social debt. More specifically, he realized that asking favors incurred such debt, so he sought to avoid doing that. Thus, he’d been relieved when he’d grasped that the appraiser would be getting an enormous boon from the swords being auctioned off. That fact swung the balance of the relationship way to Benton’s side, meaning it was completely okay for him to make the simple requests he’d desired.

All in all, the trip to the auction house had been absolutely perfect. He’d gotten to see some fun, gratifying reactions; found out that his wares were so much more valuable than he’d anticipated that he should easily earn enough to cover all the materials he wanted to purchase; and gained the manager’s assistance in keeping Benton’s identity as the crafter secret and in procuring materials.

And he’d done all that without doing the stereotypical entitled cultivator thing of scaring weak juniors into doing his bidding. Instead, he’d been affable and exceedingly accommodating and polite. And his charm offensive had worked like a … well, charm.

He felt really good about himself.

His next stop was the Poison Claw Sect, and he almost simply teleported straight into Kang Ya-Ting’s study. Just before he triggered his technique, though, he recalled his newfound resolve to behave more like a sect leader, and sect leaders visiting allied sects didn’t simply pop into a friend’s study.

No, they went through a bunch of bureaucratic rigamarole instead. He sighed. That meant the front gate. Which meant he needed his actual sect robes instead of the wandering cultivator ones.

For a moment, he considered purchasing a technique to instantaneously change clothes but stopped himself. While that would be neat and convenient, it was also a wasteful use of Sect Points. Besides, he recalled something he’d read in a book once where a ring stored different outfits and twisting the ring instantaneously equipped the one corresponding to that setting.

Now that would be cool. And something he could sell. Even better, he bet that Kang Lin would find it utterly flabbergasting that he’d use his talents as a Formations Master and Master Blacksmith to create something so utterly frivolous. If nothing else, her reaction was sure to make crafting it totally worthwhile.

So instead, he used both his spiritual sense and enhanced physical senses to find an unoccupied house nearby, popping in there to change clothes. Though no one was currently present, the home clearly belonged to someone, and Benton felt bad about breaking in as he had. He dumped a handful of silver taels on a table to compensate for his rudeness.

It didn’t occur to him until after he did so that he had other options rather than invading someone’s house, like creating a wall of Shadow in an alley to provide him privacy. That didn’t seem very sect leader like, though. Ahh. He could have simply Teleported back to his office.

Yeah. That would have been best.

Oh well.

Finally decked out in his official sect robes, he Teleported outside the Poison Claw Sect gate. It only took an instant for the Foundation Establishment realm guards to notice his presence. They both looked at each other and gulped.

Benton couldn’t fathom the reason for their reaction. It was almost like they were scared of him. But that couldn’t be right. He was the nicest guy he knew.

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“Greetings,” Benton said cheerfully. “I’m Sect Leader Chao Su of the Rising Tide Sect, here to see my friend, Elder Kang Ya-Ting.”

There. Trying to be both friendly and formal was a tricky balance, but he’d totally nailed it.

After more kowtowing than he thought was necessary, an escort was summoned to take him to his destination.

“Friend Su,” Kang Ya-Ting said with a bemused expression, “your arrival was quite a bit more formal that usual.”

Benton chuckled. “I’m trying to act more like a sect leader. How am I doing?”

“Just fine, my friend. Just fine.”

“I stopped by the auction house.”

Kang Ya-Ting’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry. I wore a disguise. I let the manager know who I was, but he agreed to keep it on the down low.” Benton pulled the glaive he’d crafted for Elder Feng, one that converted the user’s qi to a Lightning attack, from his ring. A moment later he added the sword for Elder Dai that produced a Poison attack. “As you can see, I also brought the trade goods.”

Kang Ya-Ting was prepared for such an eventuality because he quickly extracted the rank 11 Shadow aspected beast core and the Ice Lotus from his ring, and the two quickly grabbed their new merchandise.

Benton grinned. With the new acquisitions, he now had eight out of the eighteen materials he needed. Ironically, the one he wanted most, the Fire aspect plant kernel that would complete his set for that element, was the item the Poison Claw Sect was providing in trade that he’d end up taking possession of last as it was still in transit to the village.

“Gratitude,” Benton said, cupping his hands.

“To you as well, Friend Su,” Elder Kang said, replicating the gesture.

“You’ll be at the auction, right?”

“Considering the swords you’re putting up for bid, Friend Su? This one wouldn’t miss it.”

“I guess I’ll see you there, then.”

There was no reason for Benton to stick around the city. Considering how easy his teleport skill made traveling, it was much more convenient for him to spend the few hours until he needed to be at the auction house in his office. Since he’d now visited the auction house’s courtyard, he could just pop directly back there when he needed.

The two—friends? Colleagues?—said their goodbyes, and Benton Teleported back to the sect.

Mao Biya was incensed. That man, the insufferable man, Chao Su, came to the city—her city! The way he insulted her sect was unacceptable. She could not let that slight stand. That he actually had the audacity to think he could just show up and attend an auction was just rubbing his threats in her face, thinking her impotent to do anything about him.

Well, he was wrong. She was born in Sixth Flawless Flowing City and had managed the Swift Blizzard Sect branch there for more than a century. Her ties ran deep, and she’d worked hard to expand her network.

The clerk at the Premiere Jade Treasures Auction House, Yan Chunhua, was a friend of one of Mao Biya’s nieces. The woman didn’t know much about the specifics as she hadn’t been able to hear much through a door, but Chao Su had shown up at the auction house early in the morning looking like a pauper—as if that could hide him from the Swift Blizzard’s spies.

He’d met with the manager for quite some time, partially to have some swords appraised. According to Yan Chunhua, the blades were crafted by an expert blacksmith and had arrays inscribed on them.

It seemed that the so-called sect leader needed money for something, probably for something that was being sold in the auction, and he clearly expected the trinkets he was putting up for sale to provide that income.

Mao Biya chuckled. Not if she had anything to say about it.

After the conversation with Teng Wuying a couple of weeks ago, she had realized that the auction was scheduled for too soon for the two of them to arrange an ambush, but thwarting Chao Su’s plans was a decent start to avenging the loss of face for her sect.

Sure, well made swords with formations crafted by a master were desirable. Valuable. Chao Su had to be confident that his creations would earn him all that he needed so that he could buy whatever it was that had drawn his eye.

But there was something that was infinitely more valuable than a well made sword—the continued favor of both the Jade Chameleon Sect and the Swift Blizzard Sect. Sure, the first of those had fallen on hard times, but they were still head and shoulders above any random small or mid-sized sect. Cultivators without major backing couldn't afford to go against them.

In contrast, defying the wishes of her sect was downright suicidal, especially within the confines of the city. There were so, so many ways she could make a cultivator’s life miserable.

Once word got out that Mao Biya would be quite displeased with anyone who purchased one of Chao Su’s swords at the auction, the market would dry up. Sure, she had no control over the Poison Claw Sect, but they could hardly afford to buy all the swords. And better yet, without competing bidders, the prices they paid would be severely depressed, leaving little to go into that heavens cursed man’s coffers.

The City Lord’s underlings were a bit more problematic, but she had levers she could pull, such as access to her sect’s enhanced cultivator rooms. The leader of her sect would throw a fit if he found out she was offering spaces to outsiders for such a reason, but there was no reason for him to learn of it. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

She’d cut Chao Su’s source of income off at the knees, and as soon as she figured out what it was he desired, she’d buy it right out from under him. His lesson not to threaten the Swift Blizzard Sect would be short-lived as he wouldn’t remain in existence much longer after the start of the tournament, but teaching that particular knowledge to him would be quite satisfying, nonetheless.

Confident in her plans, Mao Biya laughed.