Chapter 1144

Chapter 1144 No Need For Pretense For that reason, Neera really wanted to refuse. However, she could not do so. We still need his help to stabilize the situation, so it wouldn’t be right to refuse such a small request. Besides, since he’s in a good mood and wants to treat me to a meal, I should just go. It’s really not a big deal.

With that in mind, she nodded in agreement after a brief moment of hesitation. “All right. Just let me get changed.”

Avery chuckled gently. “No rush.”

Even after going upstairs, she could not shake off the feeling of uneasiness when recalling his expression earlier. In the end, she decided to bring Zephyr with her.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me to protect you?” Avery asked as they got into the car, feigning nonchalance.

She hastily explained, “No, not at all. I’m used to having Zephyr with me whenever I go out. Besides, you haven’t fully recovered and can’t afford to overexert yourself. If something happens, it’ll be better to let Zephyr handle it.”

It was unclear whether he believed her, but seeing that he said nothing more, she finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Soon, the car drove up to a restaurant, and the pair entered the private room that had been reserved in advance.

Avery was very attentive during the meal, serving her food and behaving in a very affectionate manner.

She stared at the heaping plate of food, not feeling hungry at all. “Mr. Cox, you don’t have to do this.

We’re in a private room now. No one can see us, so there’s no need for this pretense.”

Despite sensing her resistance and desire to keep her distance, he did not appear to mind or pressure her. Knowing better than to overdo it, he simply nodded and started chatting casually with her. “The Medical Practitioner Guild is having an auction tonight. They might be auctioning off some valuable medicinal materials. Would you like to go take a look?”

Her eyes lit up at the mention of the rare medicinal materials, and she asked in surprise, “What’s this Medical Practitioner Guild?”

“It’s an organization similar to the World Medical Alliance that brings together many medical practitioners from Phison. They come from families of ancient medical practitioners and are no less competent than those in the World Medical Alliance. The guild possesses hundreds, if not millions, of medical books. Every month, they hold an auction selling particularly precious medicinal materials.

Such an opportunity is hard to come by. Under normal circumstances, one wouldn’t be able to buy them even if one had all the money in the world,” he replied.

Neera was pleasantly surprised to make such a wonderful discovery. It piqued her interest instantly, and her excitement was clearly visible. “Absolutely! Of course, I want to check it out!”

Laughing, he sliced a piece of steak and pushed it toward her. “In that case, hurry up and eat. I’ll take you there once you’re done. We should still be able to make it on time.”

She nodded. Her spirits lifted, and her heart was filled with anticipation.

The two set off upon finishing dinner. After driving for over twenty minutes, they finally pulled up in front of a large, distinctive building.

It was her first time seeing a building like that, and she looked at it curiously. “The architecture is quite unique.”

Avery walked around the front of the car, went over to her, and stood by her side. “It is. This entire building is an auction house. There are seven or eight floors and an auction hall on each floor. The more valuable the items, the higher the floor that they get auctioned on. The prices also tend to be relatively higher.”

Awed by the building’s grandeur, she studied it in astonishment while swallowing hard.

Behind them, Irwin and Zephyr had also parked their cars. Irwin stepped forward first and identified himself to the security personnel at the entrance.

After verifying their identities, the security personnel bowed respectfully to Neera and Avery, then invited them in with utmost reverence.

Upon walking in, Neera found the interior to be grand and imposing. She could not help glancing around a few more times before asking, “Which floor are we heading to?”

Avery, who had stood patiently next to her all this while, smiled and said, “Naturally, the most precious medicinal materials are on the top floor. Come, I’ll take you there.”

As he spoke, the group entered the elevator and headed straight to the top floor.

Avery had already reserved their seats beforehand, choosing those in the VIP section. Only after, walking to her seat did she realize that the auction’s setup was quite different from the ones she had seen before.

The stage was in the center of the venue while the seats encircled it, making it look even grander.

“This building’s unique design carries through from the exterior to the interior!” she exclaimed.

“That’s correct. To be more precise, everything in Phison is different from other countries. That’s also what makes Phison unique,” he responded with a faint smile. After a brief pause, he added, “Ninety percent of those here tonight are skilled in medicine.