Information from the Ruins

It wasn't that Canossa lacked charm; on the contrary, in Rein's eyes, both her figure and her partially concealed beauty were a stunner that could strongly stimulate testosterone production.

One reason Rein had conjured so many conspiracies upon meeting her was the "Smart Brain's" unromantic real-time physical status prompts.

But more importantly, the gender concepts of the two worlds differed too greatly.

Canossa's seemingly proactive teasing behavior wasn't because she was naturally promiscuous, but because the vast majority of people in this world held such bold views.

The wealthy elite of high society might still be more reserved and conservative. But for the wasteland hunters who made a living in the Ice Ridge Wasteland, they couldn't guarantee they'd live to see tomorrow, so when they had the chance to indulge, they certainly wouldn't deny themselves.

Regardless of gender, when they encountered someone of the opposite sex they fancied, they would invite them without hesitation for a night of pleasure.

However, Rein had only recently "regained his freedom" and was just beginning to experience the local customs of this world. His views on relationships were still relatively conservative, carried over from his previous life.

Therefore, Canossa's normal teasing, which she felt was completely flawless, would have ensnared any normal man. But in Rein's eyes, it seemed too forward, making her appear to have ulterior motives.

"You like dead bodies?"

Canossa blinked.

Upon hearing this, not only was there no hint of displeasure on her pretty face, but her beautiful eyes lit up with a hint of mischief.

Canossa had initially thought that a man who could share a room with the Grand Princess would be somewhat special.

Now, it seemed he truly was very special!

Where else could the Black Gold Merchant Guild president, who was fawned over wherever he went, ever experience such treatment?

She had only come out of curiosity, but she hadn't expected to find so much amusement from this test.

Canossa suddenly felt that compared to this cheeky little doctor, her servants and subordinates were utterly boring.

A shrewd woman like her could easily tell that Rein was deliberately avoiding the topic.

Although his gaze tried its best to hide it, there was still a flicker of evasion, a reluctance to meet her eyes directly.

Moreover, the scent of restless hormones couldn't be faked.

Men... always saying one thing and meaning another!

At this moment, she regained her confidence in her own charm.

Rein felt he had already shown enough coldness.

But the more he acted this way, the more intrigued the vice president of the "Black Gold Merchant Guild," who had never been rebuffed by a man, became.

She suddenly felt that this tedious journey held nothing more interesting than teasing this little doctor before her.

"Doctor, you are truly too humorous..."

Canossa laughed, her body shaking with mirth. She knew very well how to deal with such men.

Feeling she should take the initiative, she leaned forward, wanting to get closer.

Rein remained still, determined to maintain his aloof persona.

Unexpectedly, this woman came so close that she was almost whispering in his ear, saying boldly and charmingly, "I've heard that you doctors sometimes need live subjects to study human anatomy... Dr. Jieshibang, do you think I can be of any help?"

Her words were already very explicit, and the air was filled with a thick, ambiguous scent.

Since you want to retreat, I won't give you any room.

"..."

Hearing this, Rein was immediately speechless.

Even though he had guessed that the woman in the qipao had ulterior motives, looking at her alluring red lips and the faint fragrance that entered his nostrils, he felt his mouth wanted to betray his thoughts and agree for him.

He tried hard to remain calm and said, "Oh, unfortunately, that's other doctors. I'm a veterinarian. Usually, I prefer studying monkeys."

"Oh my, I haven't encountered a veterinarian yet. That must be very interesting~"

Canossa noticed the trace of awkwardness in his eyes and immediately pressed her advantage, teasingly saying, "Then, after the auction, can I invite you to your room to watch you dissect monkeys?"

Rein: "..."

Ambiguous?

No, it was ulterior motives.

Rein chose to remain silent and no longer paid attention to the woman.

He really couldn't understand why such a distinguished-looking, beautiful woman would be interested in him.

He felt the only thing about him that could pique such a woman's curiosity was "Baron Morin's relics."

But clearly, that wasn't her intention.

Rein didn't speak anymore. He couldn't win against this woman in a battle of wits, so he didn't intend to speak again.

Besides, the auction items he was most interested in were about to begin.

On the auction stage, a bunny girl brought out a tray and lifted the red silk cloth, revealing ten black crystals the size of pigeon eggs on the platter.

They looked as pure as diamonds, shining with a dark luster under the lights.

"Next is one of the highlight items of this auction. These are ten pieces of High-Combustion Coal with an average purity exceeding 20%. The starting bid is thirty thousand Lis!"

As soon as the auctioneer said this, the guests in their seats immediately showed suspicious looks.

"High-Combustion Coal," while a strategic resource controlled by the Empire, wasn't entirely inaccessible to the distinguished individuals present, as channels for purchase did exist.

Moreover, the quantity was too small to even pique their interest.

"Hey, hey, hey, Thornbird Merchant Guild, are you out of items? You're putting something like this on the final auction?"

"Yeah, it's not a major auction. Only ten pieces? Even with this decent purity, it's not suitable for this kind of auction."

"."

Some guests couldn't hold back and questioned them impolitely.

But it was clear that the Thornbird Merchant Guild's purpose in presenting this item wasn't that simple.

"Esteemed guests, please remain calm."

At this moment, the auctioneer smiled mysteriously and explained, "The reason we're auctioning these ores isn't to sell them as auction items. It's to show everyone that this isn't specially selected high-purity High-Combustion Coal, but rather the average quality of ore randomly mined from the shallow layers of a newly discovered large coal mine."

"What! Shallow coal mines can produce High-Combustion Coal with this purity?"

At this, a noble with expertise in mining exclaimed in surprise.

He looked incredulous, "As far as I know, the average purity of High-Combustion Coal in the Empire's best coal mine, the Daklos Mountain Coal Mine, doesn't exceed 15%! Which mine are you talking about? And what are its reserves?"

(Note: The purity limit for ore is 30. 1-10 is ordinary, 11-20 is good, 21-30 is superior.)

"The reserves of the mine haven't been fully explored yet... However, according to the information our guild has received, the already known reserves are richer than any mine in the Omah Kingdom!"

The auctioneer's tone was very confident, making people inexplicably excited.

He paused, then added, "Of course, as I said earlier, this is a newly discovered mine that hasn't been named yet."

"This..."

Upon hearing this, almost everyone present was moved.

Iron ore and coal were the two most important minerals in the world. Whoever owned a mine with rich reserves would mean they could join the ranks of the top tycoons.

If what the auctioneer said was true, if there really was such a super-large mine, and if the shallow layers could produce High-Combustion Coal of this quality...

Then, whoever obtained the mining rights would undoubtedly gain unimaginable wealth!

At this point, the steward of the mining magnate family stood up again and said impatiently, "What do you mean by releasing this news, your guild? Are you looking for partners for mining, or what? Our Lafayette Family is very interested in this news!"

"No, this mine does not belong to our Thornbird Merchant Guild. Furthermore, I can tell you all clearly that this mine is currently ownerless!"

The auctioneer no longer played coy. He clapped his hands and signaled for a lady to bring out the last few auction items.

He pointed to the animal hides discovered in the ancient ruins and said to everyone, "Esteemed guests should have seen on the auction catalog that the last few items in our auction this time were all artifacts discovered in the same ancient ruin. To be frank, this mine and that ancient civilization ruin are in the same area!"

"What, an ownerless mine?!"

"I haven't heard of any large ancient civilization ruins being excavated recently..."

"If there were such a large mineral deposit in the Empire, it would have been discovered long ago. Could it be a newly explored mist zone?"

"."

As soon as the news broke, everyone began to discuss it.

Not only the coal merchants but also the experienced wasteland scavengers were moved.

In everyone's eyes, it was as if a mountain of gold was beckoning them.

Clearly, the Thornbird Merchant Guild was sharing this news, which implied there might be some fatal danger in the mine.

But no one cared!

After all, the vast majority of people present were wasteland scavengers; they were a group of people who risked their lives for wealth.

Below, they finally got to the main topic.

The auctioneer finally brought out the last auction item: a sealed intelligence scroll.

He said, "Detailed information about the ruins and the mine is one hundred Gold Kron per copy, limited to one hundred copies! And our Thornbird Merchant Guild can guarantee that you will be the first to receive this information, and this is currently the most detailed information available!"