Chapter 37 – The Special Butler

Su Ming said, “I have a collectible here. Could you take a look and tell me how much it’s worth?”

Su Ming brought out the fan that Vermilion Bird had just made. At this moment, Vermilion Bird felt a bit wistful too—after all, the first thing she had ever made for Su Ming was being sold off…

Su Ming comforted her, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll get you good food and drink when I get the chance.”

Vermilion Bird wasn’t really the type to be sentimental anyway. She had lived for centuries and seen it all. It was just that people in the past had always admired her immense power, while Su Ming didn’t look down on her in her fallen state.

Su Ming took out the feather fan, and the natural Vermilion Bird Flame on it immediately caught the butler’s attention:

“Are you truly willing to part with this piece, miss?”

Su Ming said, “To be honest, a little reluctant, but I’m a bit short on money.”

The butler said, “On behalf of my boss, I can promise you this: no matter what the final auction price is, I guarantee you at least five hundred thousand gold coins.”

Su Ming was puzzled. “This…”

The butler could tell that the person before him likely had connections and strength, but simply wasn’t very familiar with the market.

The butler said, “Let me be completely honest with you. The Vermilion Bird Flame in this piece can be refined into a Fire Seed, which can be used to forge any divine weapon or legendary blade. It’s worth at least two million gold coins.”

Su Ming didn’t know that, but his expression didn’t seem like an act.

Su Ming asked, “And what about your boss?”

The butler replied, “Ah, he doesn’t handle business matters. Although I don’t know exactly what your relationship with him is, please do put in a good word for me when you see him.”

Su Ming said, “Allow me to ask a question that might not be so appropriate—the money you earn, is it…”

The butler’s heart trembled, and his eyes showed a hint of panic. “Of course, I’m just keeping it safe for the boss until he comes to collect it.”

Suddenly, someone burst in from outside: “Butler, sir! The boss’s mother is here again!”

Su Ming was taken aback. The boss’s mother—wasn’t that the sect master of the Heavenly Saint Sect…

The sect master barged straight in, not even paying attention to Su Ming inside. “Tell me, when are you giving me the Soul-Returning Pill?”

The butler tried to calm her down. “Madam, I understand the boss’s condition is serious, but without a VIP Card, we’re already bending the rules by doing things for you. And the Soul-Returning Pill is truly hard to come by—we haven’t received such an item this month.”

The sect master was frantic. “Nonsense! I clearly remember you have a Soul-Returning Pill!”

The butler put on an innocent look. “I assure you, we don’t. If you don’t believe me, I’ll open up all the offices for you to search.”

The sect master didn’t care about appearances at all, acting like a complete shrew. “Fine, I’ll search! Let me tell you, you’d better pray I don’t find it, or else you’ll be in big trouble!”

Then the sect master stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Su Ming enjoyed the drama from the sidelines like a spectator munching on melon seeds—after all, she was the culprit herself. How satisfying!

Su Ming asked curiously, “So there really isn’t one? Not even a fake?”

The butler knew that some things could be shared with this young miss, but some things absolutely could not.

“Miss, let’s continue discussing the feather fan. If you’re willing to sell it, I’ll give you five hundred thousand gold coins right away, and after the auction ends, we can make up the difference.”

Su Ming asked, “May I ask, how often do you hold these auctions?”

The butler replied, “Roughly once every two to three months, depending on the number of items. Once we reach a certain threshold, we’ll send out notices half a month in advance.”

Su Ming said, “I’ve heard there are auctions elsewhere too. How are their returns?”

The butler waved his hand: “That’s because they’re not up to par. Ours is the best in the entire city.”

Su Ming looked unconvinced, and the butler immediately grew anxious:

“Miss, you may not know this, but the bosses at other establishments are money-devouring beasts. Our boss doesn’t meddle in affairs, and the surplus funds go toward better maintaining the auction house, so naturally we’re superior.”

Su Ming thought it over. The auction was extremely lucrative, and with the city lord collecting hefty fees as well, those VIP clients would certainly want to grab a bigger share.

Su Ming: “How about this—let’s negotiate a bit. Isn’t it five hundred thousand? Give me four hundred thousand, and I’ll take a Supreme Card. That’s not a loss for you either.”

Butler: “Very well! Within the hour, as you wish.”

Su Ming felt that from the way he handled business shrewdly and dealt with the sect master with ease, this fellow was genuinely capable. She just wondered if he had sticky fingers…

Half an hour later, the butler came over with a contract: “Miss, please take a look.”

Su Ming glanced through it. There didn’t seem to be any unfair clauses, so she signed the name Lin Yue’er and pressed her fingerprint.

The butler produced a Supreme Card and a bank card: “Miss, Room 206—the waiter from earlier will escort you there. The five hundred thousand gold coins have already been transferred to the special bank card of Half-Ghost City.”

Su Ming followed the waiter to the room. She felt the environment on the upper floors was better; the lower level had a heavier dampness.

Waiter: “Little miss, is there anything else you need?”

Su Ming: “Let me ask you something—how many years have you been working here?”

The waiter thought it was no big deal: “Five years.”

Su Ming: “Can you do me a favor? Just one.”

Waiter: “Is it getting some food?”

Su Ming: “Get me your accounting ledger to look at. Of course, it has to be done secretly.”

The waiter maintained her professional smile: “You must be joking, right?”

Su Ming pulled out her VIP Card: “Doesn’t seem like it. I’m quite serious.”

The waiter knelt down: “Are you the new boss?”

Su Ming: “No need to be so formal. Just steal a ledger for me, and you know nothing about it.”

Waiter: “I think you’re overthinking it. The butler really hasn’t embezzled anything, though he does bend the rules sometimes.”

Su Ming was curious: “How so?”

Waiter: “Sometimes he uses company funds for personal matters, but he also dips into his own money to cover the gaps.

“He does often swindle customers who sell their treasures, true, but our business is doing very well. And the money that should be distributed to you—he converts it all into gold bars and stores them in the safe.”

Su Ming: “A person that good? I don’t believe it. Does he have no other problems?”

Waiter: “I’m not lying. He truly loves this profession. He’s worked here for fifteen years. The previous bosses squeezed too hard, and although the last one didn’t meddle, his mother was a nuisance! The money he’d finally saved up was taken away by those two, mother and son, one after another.”

Su Ming still couldn’t believe it: “That tragic?”

Waiter: “The reason we’ve become the number one in Half-Ghost City is because we have a manager like him. He may not follow the rules, but his ability is plain to see.”

Su Ming: “It’s not that I don’t believe such a person exists—but let me ask you one thing. How do you know all this?”

The waiter said, “He has a rule that allows us, the low-level employees, to inspect him at any time, but the requirement is that we must not disturb his work. We’ve conducted multiple inspections and indeed found no issues.”

Su Ming nodded, not expecting this. It seemed there was still a certain level of credibility.

Su Ming asked, “Hasn’t he targeted you all?”

The waiter replied, “No, he treats us very well. He never delays our wages and provides certain benefits. Of course, he also admits that he uses the boss’s money to pay us, but since the boss doesn’t manage anything, who would know?”

Su Ming then asked, “So why are you telling me this?”

The waiter said, “It’s all recorded in the accounts, available for inspection at any time, and the amounts aren’t large. He said if anything happens, he’ll take responsibility.”

Su Ming thought to herself, this was getting interesting…