"Are you the one selling the Grade-1 fruits?" Young Master Robin asked as he walked toward Ethan.
"Yes," Ethan replied nonchalantly.
"How disrespectful!" At that moment, one of the people behind Young Master Robin stepped forward aggressively, clearly trying to curry favour. "Kid, do you even know what you're doing? Do you know who you're talking to? This is Young Master Robin from Sacred Fire Academy—the core disciple who is about to enter the Royal God Sect! Show some respect!"
"Who the hell are you?" Ethan snapped coldly.
"What?" The man was startled. He never expected Ethan to talk back.
He shouted angrily, "What do you mean 'who am I'? I'm telling you that Young Ma—"
"I know exactly what you're trying to do," Ethan interrupted him mid-sentence. "You're trying to curry favour with this young master. I'm just here to sell some fruits and make some money. If you're interested, buy them. If you're not, shut your fucking mouth and get lost."
Ethan's voice grew colder.
"Don't try to act righteous in front of me. Either you buy, or you leave. That's all. You don't need to do anything more."
The man burned with anger. In fact, everyone who had mocked Ethan earlier was now furious. They were convinced he was a poor fraud—the tiny stall only reinforced that belief.
Ethan continued calmly, "How exactly am I being disrespectful? Did I insult your young master? Did I curse him? I'm just a merchant selling Grade-1 fruits. That's all. If you want to buy them, stand in line. If not, get the hell out of here and mind your own business."
The atmosphere grew tense. Ethan had completely antagonised the crowd. At this point, it wouldn't have been surprising if they tried to gang up on him.
"Enough."
Young Master Robin spoke bluntly before things escalated further.
He looked at Ethan and said, "I don't care about them. I don't even know who they are. And I'm not the kind of person who uses his academy's power to bully others. Like you said, I'm here to buy fruits. Nothing more."
He then continued, "However, you claim these are Grade-1 fruits. I'm not accusing you of lying, but your stall doesn't match the value of your claim. Before I buy anything, I want to examine the fruits myself. Is that acceptable?"
"Sure. No problem," Ethan replied and handed the fruits to Young Master Robin.
Young Master Robin began inspecting them carefully. Ethan didn't know what method he was using—and honestly, he didn't care.
All he needed was money.
He wanted to open a clinic. It didn't matter how small it was. As long as he had enough funds to start, that was enough. As a management student back on Earth, Ethan understood one thing very well—everything has a beginning.
Even a single wealthy patient with a complicated illness could skyrocket his reputation.
Ethan knew he wouldn't stay in this place forever. His ultimate destination was the Profound Continent, where true experts gathered. Grace Continent—and even Snowflake Continent in the future—were merely temporary stops.
Opening a clinic here was only to gain Skill Points and clear his credit. Once that was done, he planned to return to Sacred Wind Academy. Until then, patience was key.
Young Master Robin continued his inspection.
He had read about Grade-1 fruits before. According to ancient texts, true Grade-1 fruits emitted a faint golden radiance—so subtle that it was invisible to the naked eye. Only special methods could detect it.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"This…" he muttered, stunned. Then he spoke louder, his voice filled with disbelief.
"These aren't just Grade-1 fruits… they're Extreme Quality!"
"What?!"
The crowd exploded in shock.
If anyone else had said it, they would've doubted it. But these words came from Young Master Robin himself. No one dared question it.
"Where did you get these fruits?" Young Master Robin asked hurriedly.
Ethan remained silent.
Seeing Ethan's reaction, Young Master Robin wasn't angry. He immediately realised that this question touched on Ethan's livelihood.
He sighed. "I understand. I won't ask further."
Then he said decisively, "I'll buy all of them. Fifty Gold Coins per fruit. Ten Gold Coins is far too low for Extreme Quality. Fifty is fair."
Ethan smiled politely, but inwardly, he was ecstatic.
The currency system here was exactly like the novels he had read:
100 Bronze Coins = 1 Silver Coin
100 Silver Coins = 1 Gold Coin
Fruit quality was divided into Low, Medium, High, and Extreme.
Grade-1 fruits were already legendary. Extreme Quality Grade-1 fruits? Priceless.
Fifty Gold Coins per fruit was more than reasonable.
Ethan immediately agreed to the deal.