Versatile Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-1028

Chapter 1028: The Zhao Brothers

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“What a surprise, they were sold for two hundred and fifty million in an auction. Mo Fan, you’ve made bank this time!” Zhao Manyan exclaimed to Mo Fan excitedly.

Since Mo Fan rarely had a chance to see Xinxia, he had spent a few days with her. He also went to visit some great attractions together, experiencing how it would feel to go on a honeymoon trip together in advance.

“Not bad! Are there any nice Soul-grade Seeds?” Mo Fan asked.

Mo Fan had just sent Xinxia off. It was time for her to return to the Parthenon Temple. After the training, she would become an official member of the Parthenon Temple’s Hall of the Goddess. He could easily tell how impressive it was when he saw the shock on Nanrong Ni’s face before.

“Head to Venice; the City of Canals will surely have the thing you are looking for. The world’s biggest auction house is there. You can buy many things as long as you have the money!” Zhao Manyan told Mo Fan.

Mo Fan now had a total of eight hundred and fifty million. It was quite an insane amount of money. He never thought he would be this rich one day back when he was studying at school.

That being said, Mo Fan never thought he would be spending even more while he was getting richer. The money he had was only enough to buy a single Soul-grade Seed!

After arriving in Venice, they found the city built on water had a unique charm that no other city in the world had. The old clock towers, churches, and colorful buildings from the Middle Ages was like going back in time to revisit Europe’s history.

Venice did not have vehicles, and it did not even have bicycles. All their transportation consisted of boats and a Water-type beast called a Gondola.

The Gondola Water Beast perfectly suited the atmosphere in Venice. Their backbones were slightly sunken, but around their tails and heads a bone poked up. If they were lying still with half their bodies in the water, they perfectly resembled a small, crescent boat that could fit around five people.

These Gondolas could be thought of as the cabs of Venice. They were specially trained, and each was ‘driven’ by a special person. The Gondolas were able to bring visitors and the locals to any corner in Venice. Going out to the sea was an option, too!

When Mo Fan arrived in Venice, he immediately went to take a ride on the unique beasts as he explored the City of Canals.

“I heard every person in Venice is a Water Mage, is that true?” Mo Fan sat on the Gondola and asked the driver.

The driver was an old man. Perhaps because of being exposed to the sun too much, his skin tone was as dark as an African, even though he was a European. He was extremely friendly. He explained to Mo Fan with a smile, “Not everyone, but at least half of the people here can cast one or two Water Spells. Unfortunately, I’m from the other half.”

“Half of the people are Water Mages, that’s pretty scary!” Zhao Manyan exclaimed.

The ratio of Mages to ordinary people was extremely low, so it was quite shocking to learn that half of the people in Venice were Water Mages!

“If you’re heading for the San Marco Auction Hall, you’ll find it by going down this way. The World College Tournament is just around the corner, meaning that there will be lots of people coming to this city. I bet I will be quite busy soon too,” the driver smiled.

Saying this, he handed a card to Mo Fan, telling him that he was available if Mo Fan was interested in booking the Gondola.

When the two went ashore, the Piazza San Marco was right in front of them. The luxurious San Marco Auction Hall was within sight too, with two griffins guarding the entrance. The place looked stunning!

“Zhao Manyan!” As soon as they went in through the entrance, a handsome man in beach shorts with a pair of sunglasses came up to Zhao Manyan.

Beach shorts and slippers, the man’s simple outfit did not really suit the environment. Only the branded sunglasses were able to slightly offset his casual temperament.

“Big Brother, you’re so busy, why did you bother waiting here to receive me…” Zhao Manyan said excitedly when he saw the man with sunglasses.

However, before he could finish, the man raised his brows and said, “Why the heck are you here?”

“I told you I was coming! Did you seriously not read any of my messages?” Zhao Manyan was left speechless.

“Oh, I didn’t pay much attention to it. Speaking of which, didn’t dad send you to some other countries for training? Why are you here, then? I’m warning you, it’s useless trying to hide here if you have done something shameless. I’m too busy to even care about you, every minute of mine is worth a hundred million, do you understand?” the man berated him.

Zhao Manyan’s face darkened. He forced the words out between the gaps of his teeth, “I’m here for the World College Tournament. Could you at least pay some attention to me?”

“Oh, oh, I heard someone mentioning it before, saying that you’ve wasted a lot of money,” the man murmured.

Mo Fan could easily tell that the man was none other than Zhao Manyan’s brother, Zhao Youqian.

As a matter of fact, Mo Fan was struggling to understand what Zhao Manyan’s parents were thinking. The name they gave to their second child, Zhao Manyan, was fairly restrained, yet they had to give their eldest son such a blatant name. Youqian, anyone could easily tell it meant he was loaded!

{TL Note: Youqian sounds the same as the term ‘have money’}

“This is my good brother, Mo Fan, the one I mentioned to you before… oh, forget it, I bet you didn’t read any of my texts. I was asking you to help me…” Zhao Manyan said.

Before Zhao Manyan could finish, Zhao Youqian interrupted, “Just head inside, I have an important guest to receive.”

“…” Zhao Manyan was left speechless. He had no choice but to bring Mo Fan inside the San Marco Auction Hall.

Only the richest and most powerful people in the world were able to hold shares of the San Marco Auction Hall. The Zhao Clan was the richest family in China, and the main reason was that it owned quite a huge share of the San Marco Auction Hall, meaning that their clan was involved in every world-class auction that was held here.

“Your brother is quite interesting!” Mo Fan could not help but burst out laughing.

Zhao Manyan said helplessly, “It’s been the same since I was born. I’m always invisible to him. To be honest, I’m quite surprised that he was able to recognize me just then from so far away. The guy only has money in his eyes. If I say an extra word, he thinks that I’m wasting time that he could use to earn more money. He is not interested in women, food, magic, or any kind of relationship. His only interest is making more money, just like my dad.”

“So, did your family adopt you?” Mo Fan said.

“Maybe, if I was not relatively talented as a Mage to cover up for the Zhao Clan not having any powerful Mage, I bet no one would bother to come and find me if I went missing,” Zhao Manyan admitted.

“Why does it sound so sad coming out of your mouth? Do you know how many people are jealous of how you can use the money of your clan as you wish without being restricted at all? If I was born in your family, why the heck would I bother killing demon creatures? Why would I choose a harder life?” Mo Fan said righteously.

“You asshole, since the incident related to the Mother Scale Skin Phantom, how many times have I risked my life following you? It’s true that I’m rich, but I need to be alive to spend the money!” Zhao Manyan countered instantly.

“I’m just trying to add some fun to your boring life. If you don’t have any ambitions, how different are you than your brother?” Mo Fan replied.

As the two were bullshitting, they had entered the most luxurious VIP cabin, reserved for the Zhao Clan. The cabin was as luxurious as a royal palace. Having money alone was far from enough to create this sense of luxury. Mo Fan was struggling to comprehend how these rich people enjoyed their lives!

The waitstaff inside the royal cabin, outfitted in long blue dresses, were incredibly gorgeous. Their breasts and bottoms were tightly wrapped by the dresses, possessing irresistible charm.

“Do you always pick on these women?” Mo Fan asked in an evil voice.

Normally, Mo Fan would not have such random thoughts, but it was just that the waitresses were all so damn pretty!

“Don’t be ridiculous, these women aren’t the kind that you can touch even if you want to. They have to be virgins to work here, and any who lose their virginity will be fired straight away. They are purely here to receive the most respectable guests without being involved in any kind of sex trading. Can you stop thinking that the rich are only a vile and filthy bunch? These women aren’t that desperate for money. Money alone isn’t enough for them to sell themselves… the person will need to have a perfect, handsome face like mine!” stated Zhao Manyan confidently.

Soon, a receiving staffer in a blue dress came up to them and said with a smile, “Mister, we only accept reserved guests here, may I ask you to move to the next cabin?”

“I am Zhao Youqian’s brother,” Zhao Manyan told her calmly.

“I’m sorry, but Director Zhao has made it clear that this cabin is reserved for a VIP guest. I will bring you to the next room. You can ask the staff there to make arrangements for you,” the woman said.

The woman was of mixed blood. She had the solid, attractive features of a Westerner, and the elegance of an Asian. Zhao Manyan was taken by surprise by her polite, yet firm attitude.

“Let’s head over to the next cabin, HAHAHA!” Mo Fan simply burst out laughing.

Zhao Manyan’s expression darkened.

Normally, Mo Fan was superior because of his outstanding strength. Zhao Manyan was completely no match for him. However, when he finally had the chance to impress Mo Fan with his background and money, he kept bringing shame upon himself instead. Zhao Manyan was starting to feel anxious. “Humph, even though Zhao Youqian is fully in charge of this place, you must know that I do have a certain amount of shares here. I’ll be taking this cabin, and if there’s any problem, ask Zhao Youqian to come talk to me, I would like to see who the VIP guest is!”

Zhao Manyan sat on the couch made of the feathers of swan like a properly arrogant fuerdai.

The woman in blue dress was stunned. She did not expect Zhao Manyan to be this unreasonable!

Mo Fan was fairly surprised, too. Zhao Manyan did not look like the kind that would stir up trouble like this. He was willing to stay in both run-down inns and high-end mansions, so it was unlikely that he would insist on taking the luxurious cabin.

Could it be that the relationship between the Zhao brothers wasn’t as peaceful as he thought initially?