With a slight sigh of relief, Xia Nan turned his gaze toward the operating table.

A tall and slender figure was scrutinizing the details of the operating table with intense focus.

The man wore a finely tailored, high-quality suit as if he were a noble attending an important banquet;

His features were striking, with fair skin, and he had a youthful appearance, though the temples of his neatly combed golden hair had already turned completely silver-white;

His eyes were a shade of silver-gray, not entirely pure, and from a distance, his ears seemed normal, but up close, one could notice that the tips were slightly pointed.

He had one-eighth High level Elf lineage, which technically made him part of the Half Elf race.

Of course, Xia Nan hadn’t observed this detail on his own; though his Perception Ability was decent, his knowledge wasn’t enough to accurately determine the racial proportion of a hybrid at a glance or to be highly familiar with the features of various Elf races.

He was able to know such details completely because he had done his homework beforehand.

Aurie Silver Heart, a renowned collector, merchant, and appraiser from the Southern Islands.

Unlike Xia Nan, who had appeared out of nowhere as a mysterious figure, Aurie had a clear and well-known life history.

Aurie’s great-grandfather was a High-level Elf scholar, and his great-grandmother was an ordinary Human. The two ran a Grocery Store together at Suo Yu Bay.

The business was quite successful, and occasionally his great-grandfather’s scholarly background allowed them to take on private side jobs for extra income.

Their family life was complete and happy, but the union between different races sometimes faced insurmountable challenges.

Lifespan was the most vital and suffocating of these.

Especially for Elves, who, with their long lives, only reached adulthood at the age of a hundred.

Aurie’s great-grandfather could only watch his beloved wife age day by day, while time left no mark on him.

In the enduring pain leading to an irrevocable ending, he decided to focus his energy on the offspring of their love.

Thus, Aurie’s grandmother inherited the profound family knowledge passed down from the previous generation and married a Human merchant from Suo Yu Bay, turning the original Grocery Store into a famous pawnshop.

While Half Elves have a much longer lifespan compared to ordinary Humans, it still cannot compare to that of a pure-blood Elf.

Thus, Aurie’s great-grandfather had to watch once again as his daughter aged and died before him.

Fortunately, she left behind the fruit of her love, Aurie’s father.

As time passed, the little Grocery Store primarily found in an alley corner, thanks to the efforts of Aurie’s family over generations, became one of the most famous Auction Houses in Suo Yu Bay.

Growing up amidst such sights and sounds, Aurie’s childhood spent at the Auction House laid the foundation for his future as a collector.

Later in life, he became deeply immersed in those treasures steeped in the marks of time and cultural history, finding it difficult to extricate himself.

Three years ago, after the passing of his great-grandfather who provided the one-eighth High-level Elf bloodline, Aurie immediately relinquished his role as the Auction House owner, exchanging it for vast wealth and countless treasures, officially becoming a collector and appraiser.

His family’s tumultuous history and his own rebellious yet understandable personality made Aurie quite famous in certain circles of Suo Yu Bay.

His inherited profound family knowledge further distinguished his expertise in appraisal, ranking him among the best in Suo Yu Bay.

At this moment, the person interested in the Blood Vein Rock Comprehensive Surgery Bed was this renowned half-elf expert in the field of collections and appraisals.

His silver-gray eyes reflected the cold, white marble of the operating table before him, while the tip of his right index finger gently brushed the natural blood-red patterns on the surface of the surgery bed.

Xia Nan had just entered the room and didn’t know how long the other had observed it before.

Yet this seasoned appraiser, originally from the Auction House, pinpointed the origin of the operating table with just his first sentence.

"This object shouldn’t belong here in the Southern Islands; such peculiar marble with red patterns wouldn’t be found anywhere in the entire Su Bin Province."

Before anyone could respond, he continued to elaborate on his findings.

"The number of times this thing has been used... hmm, or rather used frequently in the past, the blood has deeply seeped into the stone, becoming one with it."

"Multiple times, the same area, spanning a period of at least thirty years."

Not hiding the origins of the operating table, hearing Aurie’s words, Lorin added:

"We discovered this item in the Twin Canyon, where there appears to be signs of Ancient Ruins re-emerging. A team member thought this might be useful, so I brought it back with my companions."

"Ancient Ruins!?"

Aurie suddenly looked up, seeming astonished and excited about the potential relics in the Twin Canyon, but then his expression quickly shifted as if frowning unconsciously.

Given the current state of the item, it doesn’t seem like it’s something from an ancient era left intact over countless years.

Perhaps... it possesses some kind of special preservation technique?

Considering discussing more about the ruins with the Vengeance Blade Blade Squad later on, Aurie’s attention returned to the surgery table.

He straightened his torso, previously bent forward for close examination, and even took two steps back, surveying the entire surgery table from above.

"The metal clasps on either side of the surface, covered in leather, appear to be restraining devices, yet they also offer protection, more like some compulsory security apparatus—to fixate people."

"The smooth circular copper plate—is it for lighting or reflection? Hmm, the tray below should be for temporary item placement, and the mechanical arm is very flexible."

"The design is unique, constructed without any flashy techniques, not even basic decorative embellishments, with an extreme focus on practicality."

"However, the craftsmanship is somewhat odd; it appears seamless and flawless, like a master’s work, yet it lacks the soul of its creation, resembling a standard product."

Lips moving, he seemed to murmur to himself.

Aurie suddenly turned his head, looking towards Lorin not far inside the meeting room. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"You were right; this likely isn’t an execution device. On the contrary, it might have been crafted to save lives."

Only then did the highly focused Aurie notice that the meeting room now had two additional people compared to before.

His gaze casually swept over, but his eyes discreetly lingered on the Practice Staff hanging from Hai Yin’s waist and the sheer number of Longswords, armor, Arm Shields, and Leg Armor on Xia Nan’s back... Wait, how can there be so much!?

Aurie’s expression briefly faltered, a touch of inexplicable peculiarity revealing itself unintentionally.

As an experienced and self-assured expert collector and appraiser, how could he not notice the youth’s attire, which was that of assuredly Good if not Enchanted Equipment?

But... isn’t there too much of it?

He had seen higher Level professionals, most of whom are also well-equipped, but the concentration of suspected Enchanted Equipment was rarely comparable to that of this young man.

Aurie’s thoughts paused quietly.

He slightly set aside the marble operating table before him, turned around, and greeted Xia Nan proactively:

"Nice to meet you. This must be the renowned ’Haiya’, correct?"