"Welcome, welcome," Caz said excitedly to John as he arrived before John, who greeted him back in return with a slight head nod.
"You seem quite happy to see me. I take it the tea leaves sold well," John replied with a small smile on his face.
"Haha, straight to business. I like that," Caz laughed as he patted John on the shoulder, "and it seems you've seen right through me."
"What other reason could you have so called for me so enthusiastically, if not for the tea leaves?" John replied.
"What? Can I not be happy to see a friend again?" Caz asked, his expression as if he were taken aback by John's words.
"I don't think we can call ourselves friends just yet," John replied, "but if you can make me a lot of money, that just might change."
"Hahaha, spoken like a true businessman. I knew I was right about you. You and I will get along very well," Caz replied, his large smile returning to his face.
"Come, come, follow me. I have an exclusive room for us to discuss further business. Come," Caz said as he guestured for John to follow.
"Lead the way," John nodded, and followed Caz up the large bridge leading to one of the buildings entrances.
His gaze shifted upwards as the building towered overhead, seeming to stretch up into the clouds high above. The exterior of the pagoda-like building was covered with ornate statues and decorations, each more impressive than the last.
The eaves of the building stretched out quite far, with many balconies overlooking the land located beneath each eave.
John's gaze shifted down over the nearby bridge edge, and gazed at the many boats traveling beneath in both directions. A glowing formation existed beneath the bridges and building, acting as some sort of barrier that only allowed approved ships to pass through.
As they reached the top of the bridge, a host of Peak Dao Transformation guards protected the entrance.
The guards nodded at Caz as he passed by, who returned the casual greeting before leading John through the entrance and into the building.
The inside of the building was even more impressive, and was enough for someone as experienced as John to nod his head in approval. Statues, ornate furnishing trimmed with gold and gems, beautiful fountains and more sprawled throughout the open first floor, while thousand of people roamed about as well.
Caz confidently strode through the main lobby, and after walking for several hundred yards, arrived before a glowing formation etched into the ground. He stepped onto the formation, and beckoned for John to follow.
"Floor one hundred and two," Caz said to a person stationed next to the platform, who nodded and activated the formation.
Flash!
John felt his body move through space for an instant, and appeared in a different place almost immediately after.
"You have transportation formations for moving between floors?" John asked
"This building has over two hundred floors. It would be a waste of time and efficiency to traverse them physically," he explained as he stepped off the formation and started striding down the hall to their right.
"I guess that makes sense," John replied, but couldn't help but think of how many spirit crystals the Mystic Trade Hall spent each day just on such a trivial thing.
‘Must be nice…being this wealthy,' John mused as he followed behind Caz, who strode through several large hallways with practiced efficiency.
Other cultivators and members of the Mystic Trade Hall strode by occasionally, but compared to the main floor, the hundred and second floor was much quieter.
"Young Master Caz," a middle aged woman standing outside a closed door, wearing similar styled black and white clothes as the male attendant before greeted as she spotted him. "Everything has been prepared accordingly," she continued.
"Excellent," Caz replied as the woman opened the gold-trimmed door, through which Caz and John entered. The woman closed the door behind them as they entered, while John gazed about the room.
The room was quite large, roughly fifty yards in both directions. Like the first floor it was covered with beautiful statues, furnishings, paintings, and even had a private water fountain, which formed images of majestic beasts soaring through the air. Most impressive of all was the view, as the far wall was covered from floor to ceiling with windows, granting a beautiful view of the sprawling city.
"Impressive," John said in approval.
"I'm glad you like it," Caz smiled as he walked towards a lounge at the center of the room. "This is my private business room. Please, have a seat," he said to John as he sat down on one of the couches, while John sat on a couch opposite him.
A pot of tea was on the table between them, with steam coming out of it, indicating that it was freshly brewed. John took a whiff of the tea, and smiled knowingly.
"You prepared this using my leaves?" John asked.
"Naturally, as you deserve the best for bringing me such a marvelous business opportunity," Caz replied as he lifted the tea pot and poured John some tea, and then himself.
"Thanks," John said as he took his cup, savored the aroma, and then took a small sip. A delicious, refreshing, and profound flavor touched his palate, which John silently savored.
However, the taste was not the best part, which was instead the profound insights that filled his mind with each sip. Each sip was as if he were tasting the Daos themselves, increasing his comprehensions towards the Daos and the Heavens slightly.
"Truly marvelous," Caz said after taking a sip. "No matter how many times I enjoy this tea, it always provides more insights with each sip," he said as he placed his cup on the table.
"Tell me. What insights came to you just now?" Caz asked John.
"Some insights on the lightning Dao, and some on the essence Qi Dao," John replied. "And you?"
"The Dao of Business, and the Dao of Art," Caz replied.
"The Dao of Business? Is there actually a Dao for something like that?" John questioned.
"Of course. The Dao is endless," Caz replied. "If it exists, there is a Dao for it. If there is a word for it, there is a Dao for it. If there is a concept, there is a Dao for it. The Dao is the universe, and so for it to exist, there must be a Dao for it," Caz explained.
"I never thought about it that way, but that makes sense," John replied after thinking it over.
"And that is why I am excited to discuss further business with you regarding these tea leaves," Caz said. "These leaves seem to contain the infinite Dao, and each person who tastes it gets different insights into the Daos based on their natural comprehensions and affinities.
I held several auctions for these leaves, with the news of the leaves spreading like wildfire between each auction, as those who purchased it spread the wonders of the leaves. Each auction attracted skeptics and hopefuls alike, but soon the legitimacy of the leaves were confirmed by too many to be false.
Your leaves have quickly become one of the most desired products on the continent," Caz said before taking a sip from his tea cup.
"While I can see enthusiasm for the tea leaves, it seems the excitement and demand has come a bit too quickly, as it's been just half a year since I gave them to you. It seems like there's more to it," John replied.
"You're right. No matter how marvelous an item, it would normally take years to gain this level of desirability," Caz confirmed.
"The last push that propelled these leaves to mythical status was this. One cultivator had been stuck at the Peak of the Dao Transformation realm for thousands of years, unable to break through. He tried everything under the sun, but could not ascend to the next realm. Due to his old age, his life was soon to end unless he broke through to extend his lifespan.
He heard of the leaves through trade discussions, and sought out one for himself. He acquired a single leaf, and after just one pot of tea, he managed to gain that last sliver of needed insight, and stepped into the World Expansion Realm. I'm sure you can understand the hysterical demand that would create," Caz said with a smile on his face.
"So that's what happened. If that's the case, then it makes sense," John replied calmy, although internally he was shocked.
‘I knew the leaves were amazing, but didn't think them to be this amazing.'
Ping!
A soft metallic sound rang out as Caz placed a spatial ring on the table and slid it over towards John.
"As we agreed, seventy percent of the profits are yours," he said, and his smile widened as he saw Johns eyes widen as inspect the ring.
"This! I only gave you a single jar of leaves. Just how much is here?" John asked, almost unable to believe his eyes.
"Indeed it was only a singular jar, and yet that alone fetched five hundred million low grade spirit crystals!"
