Chapter 115: 115 Underground Black Market (4)
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Nina was slightly confused about what seemed wrong, but she instinctively chose to trust Jacob. Unconsciously, she had completely put her faith in him and quietly observed the crowd as they continued bidding.
It was obvious that many people in the crowd had been deceived. The price of this Pokémon egg quickly rose from two million to five or six million Pokédollars, finally settling at eighteen million.
The wealth of the people in the capital was beyond Jacob's imagination. Eighteen million Pokédollars to buy a dead egg, and the key was that the buyer thought they had scored a great bargain.
...
As the Pokémon eggs were sold, the crowd gradually dispersed, but discussions about the Trapinch didn't die down.
"Follow me," Jacob said to Nina, and the two of them trailed after the man in the suit who had been arguing with them earlier.
"Excuse me, I have a question," Jacob said, glancing at the crowd around them as he approached the suited man. "Where did you get that Trapinch egg from?"
The reason Jacob stopped the man was to ask about the origin of the Pokémon egg. Although it was just a dead egg, even a dead Trapinch egg wasn't something ordinary people could obtain.
"Don't bother me. Didn't the old man say that the eggs were found on Wyvern Mountain?" The man in the suit frowned, looking alert and glaring fiercely at Jacob. However, Jacob's height and well-trained physique intimidated the young man.
"I want to hear the truth," Jacob lowered his voice. "Believe it or not, I'll go back and tell the person who bought the egg that it's a dead egg. Guess what will happen to you if someone who can immediately produce that much money discovers you've cheated them?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" The man's eyes showed a trace of panic. "What lie? I don't know anything about that!"
"Fine, then I'll go tell him." Jacob turned around, frightening the suited man, who quickly spoke up.
"Wait, don't!" The man said hurriedly. "I'll tell you how I got this egg. Go to Treasured Jade Palace in the black market. They specialize in buying rare Pokémon eggs that are dead or dying and use them as ingredients. Many wealthy people are into that."
"Treasured Jade Palace? Come on, take us there."
...
The suited man was forced by Jacob to lead them to Treasured Jade Palace. Jacob had actually passed by here before and thought it was just a restaurant, so he'd skipped it. He hadn't expected something else was happening inside.
"You can go now." Seeing that the suited man hadn't lied to him, Jacob chose to release him. After all, they were in public, and he was wearing a mask and hat, so others couldn't recognize him.
By the time the suited man was released, Nina beside him could no longer contain her curiosity. "How did you know the Pokémon egg was dead?"
"Feel with your heart."
"..."
Nina frowned as she looked at Jacob. Although he spoke very seriously, she always felt his answer wasn't very reliable.
While she could use her abilities to determine the egg was dead, she would never use this power in public.
The two walked into Treasured Jade Palace, and soon a waiter came to greet them. "What would you like to eat?"
"We were introduced by a friend. Let's see your special dishes. We're interested in the dragon-related ones," said Jacob.
"Of course. Would you like to go to the back and select one? See which appeals to you?"
"Let's take a look."
Jacob and Nina followed the waiter into a storage room filled with Pokémon eggs.
"Here are the Dragon-type Pokémon eggs. Take your pick." The waiter pointed to a cold freezer where more than a dozen Pokémon eggs were stored.
Jacob's eyes scanned these eggs, all Dragon-types. Naturally, there were no Legendary Pokémon eggs here. Those were far too precious. Even if the store owner had extraordinary connections, obtaining them would be impossible. All the eggs were dead, which disappointed Jacob.
"Is there nothing else?" Jacob couldn't help but ask.
"It seems you two aren't satisfied with our selection." The waiter smiled. "We have some premium merchandise that just arrived. They aren't dead yet, but they can't be saved and will die soon. The price is naturally higher."
"Let's see them." Jacob wanted eggs that weren't dead yet, so he naturally wanted to investigate.
"Very well, follow me." The waiter led them to another nearby warehouse. There was a temperature-controlled incubator installed, with more than a dozen eggs placed inside.
"These eggs are alive, but they all have issues preventing them from hatching," the waiter explained. "Of course, these eggs are the freshest—they taste better and are more nutritious, so they're naturally more expensive than the frozen ones. You see, we even use incubators to keep them alive a little longer."
Jacob examined these Pokémon eggs. They were mostly rare species with excellent potential. It was obvious at a glance that they came from hidden grottoes.
Among them were two Dragon-type eggs, but their vital signs were extremely weak. They would likely become dead eggs in a few days.
Jacob focused on the only two Dragon-type eggs. One was an Applin with Quasi-King potential, but due to its damaged vitality, its potential had fallen to rare level.
[Pokémon Egg]
Applin
Gender: Female
Type: Dragon/Grass
Potential: Rare (vitality damaged, originally Quasi-King level)
Ability: Bulletproof
Moves: ???
Note: The Applin's vitality is extremely weak. To revive and successfully hatch it requires a large amount of Grass-type and Dragon-type energy. It must be hatched in a Dragon-type or Grass-type Secret Realm. It will take at least six months to revive and hatch successfully.
Hatching requirements: Provide substantial Dragon and Grass energy nutrient solution. Grass energy nutrient solution (0/10), Dragon energy nutrient solution (0/10), and hatch in a location rich in Dragon energy.
A bottle of Dragon energy nutrient solution costs 1.5 million Pokédollars, and ten bottles cost 15 Million. A bottle of Grass energy nutrient solution costs 1 million, and ten bottles cost 10 million. It wasn't actually a bad deal to obtain an Applin with Quasi-King potential for this price.
Generally speaking, a Pokémon with good potential costs around hundreds of thousands, and a Pokémon with great potential costs around three million Pokédollars.
Starting with Overlord potential Pokémon, prices fluctuate greatly. The cheapest Overlord-level potential Pokémon sell for around five million, while powerful ones can reach ten million Pokédollars.
Quasi-King level Pokémon start at 10 million, with the most desirable reaching tens of millions of Pokédollars.
As for King-level Pokémon, prices instantly skyrocket to over 100 million, and basically no one would choose to sell them.
As for Pokémon with champion level potential, no one would consider selling them.
Whether to buy this Applin was a question. Jacob definitely couldn't use it himself, but he could give it to someone else. Moreover, this Applin was female, which was special. Female Pokémon can lay eggs, making it easier to get a return on investment in the future.
However, for Applin to evolve into Flapple or Appletun, it needs either a Tart Apple or a Sweet Apple, which costs more money.
To be honest, from a profit perspective, Jacob wouldn't save this Applin. The payback period was too long, and its potential wasn't sufficient.
But this Applin could be given to his father. The Grass-type Secret Realm was about to open. Having a near-elite level female Applin that could breed high-quality Applins would actually be quite beneficial.
It's decided!