Chapter 201 : The Youth Necklace
Chapter 201: The Youth Necklace
"Welcome to the Watermarsh Auction House, miss. May I help you with anything?"
Janna had just stepped through the glass revolving door when a short-haired saleswoman with a friendly smile approached her.
"I’d like to see the latest auction items."
"Of course, please follow me."
Though the woman's face was obscured by a wide Wizard Hood, her ethereal voice, as melodious as the Voice of the Heavens, still caused a flash of awe in the short-haired saleswoman's eyes.
"This catalog contains the items that will be presented at tomorrow night's auction."
Hearing this, Janna took the catalog handed to her, sat on a sofa in the lobby, and began flipping through it.
"Miss, here’s the black tea I just prepared for you. Please enjoy."
Just as Janna started flipping through the catalog, the short-haired saleswoman brought over a cup of fragrant black tea with enthusiastic care.
Seeing this, Janna removed the scarf around her neck that had gotten a bit warm and accepted the teacup with a smile.
"Thank you."
"Y-You’re very welcome."
The enthusiastic smile froze in an instant. Even with just a fleeting glance, the lower half of Janna's face exposed beneath the scarf—exquisite as though sculpted by a god—caused the saleswoman’s voice to tremble.
"May I… may I ask—are you Miss Janna Roland?"
Hearing the other’s voice, trembling despite an attempt to suppress it, made Janna raise her head as she sipped her tea.
"You know me?"
Seeing the other’s face flushed with excitement, Janna hadn’t expected someone to recognize her even here in Watermarsh City.
"Oh my! It really is you! I actually met Janna Roland in person!"
Emily, who had secretly watched a pirated Image Stone recording of Song of the Ocean countless times, had long etched the image of Janna playing Olivia deeply into her heart.
Moreover, since the night before last, Emily had heard from insiders at the Otter Opera House that Song of the Ocean was going to tour in Watermarsh City.
So, as a devoted fan of Janna, Emily had guessed her identity even before Janna fully revealed her face.
"My apologies for the outburst."
Though Emily tried to control herself, her unusual behavior still drew the attention of nearby people.
"It’s fine."
Janna, long used to such situations, merely smiled in reassurance and lowered her head again to continue flipping through the catalog.
"The Youth Necklace..."
Looking at the emerald necklace displayed in the catalog, Janna’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly.
Just as Janna was about to ask the short-haired saleswoman about the necklace, a crisp task notification tone rang in her mind once again.
[Today’s Task: Obtain the Verdant Necklace:
Task Reward: 100 points of Talent EXP, 500 points of Skill EXP, and one random reward.]
"Verdant Necklace?"
Reading the content on the Quest Panel, Janna couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
"Could this necklace be like the Verdant Wand, also originating from the Fairy Ruins?"
Hiding her doubt, Janna composed herself and looked up at the saleswoman with a gentle expression.
"I’d like to ask about this necklace."
"Ah, you mean this Youth Necklace?"
Seeing Janna nod, Emily suppressed her excitement, cleared her throat, and enthusiastically began introducing it.
"This Youth Necklace was acquired from a fallen noble in the Lower District. Its effect is singular—it allows the wearer to retain their youth. However, it only works if the wearer possesses the [Plant Affinity] talent. Otherwise, it’s just an ordinary necklace..."
After hearing the saleswoman’s explanation, Janna became more convinced that this necklace must also come from the Fairy Ruins. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have a requirement limited to those with [Plant Affinity].
After all, in this world, those with [Plant Affinity] were typically White Tower Apprentices like Janna, or long-lived beings like Green Elves, Fairies, Tree Spirits, or Flower Sprites.
"May I ask what the starting bid for this necklace is?"
Emily’s face showed a trace of hesitation. Normally, auction items remained “to be priced” until their official unveiling, and starting bids weren’t disclosed to the public in advance.
Of course, this rule only applied to new customers. For long-term, wealthy patrons, the auction house would send the catalog and starting prices a day in advance via dedicated staff.
"Miss Janna, the starting bid for this Youth Necklace is 300 Gold Surrel—please don’t mention it to anyone."
"Thank you, I won’t tell anyone."
Hearing Janna’s assurance, Emily nodded with relief.
Though Emily personally admired Janna greatly, the Watermarsh Auction House viewed her as a new customer who technically wasn’t eligible to know any starting bids in advance.
Still, looking into those magically beautiful eyes, Emily believed that even the most rigid and strict manager would never have the heart to deny Janna such a small request.
After asking about a few more auction items, Janna stood up and returned the catalog to Emily.
"Miss."
Just as Janna was about to leave, a man’s voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
"You forgot your scarf."
Upon hearing this, Janna touched her neck and realized that she had indeed left her scarf on the sofa.
"Thank you for the reminder."
"You’re welcome."
The man who reminded Janna about the scarf was very tall, with a gentle demeanor, and appeared to be in his forties.
Judging from his luxurious attire and the respectful attitude of the saleswoman beside him, Janna easily guessed that he must be a high-ranking executive of the Watermarsh Auction House.
"This is my card. If you need anything, feel free to contact me."
[Jarvis Roland: Chairman of the Watermarsh Auction House & Chief Director of the Otter Opera House]
Taking the card he handed her, Janna’s attention was immediately drawn to the name and the titles listed.
"So this is Jarvis Roland—"
Aside from the coincidental surname match, the title of "Chief Director of the Otter Opera House" alone told Janna that this Mr. Jarvis Roland must have known her identity from the moment she entered the auction house.