With a thud, a whiskered man who'd been staring at me bug-eyed crashed into a roadside pillar.
The hundred and seventy-eighth, I counted silently.
With a splat, another woman who'd been gawking at me took a spectacular spill on flat ground.
One hundred and seventy-nine...
"Hey, where are we going, anyway? We're almost at one-eighty!"
"What's one-eighty?"
"Never mind..." My brows drew together, and I sighed. The casualty count instantly rose to one hundred and eighty-three.
"Don't sigh, Xiao Ye. We're almost there~" Si Nan Ying pointed ahead.
Before us stood a huge, square building with snow-white walls, a perfect cube. It looked just like—
"A dice?"
"It's an auction house!" At her reminder, I finally noticed the large characters on the roof: Jianshide Auction House.
An auction house... Wait, an auction house!?
I couldn't help getting excited. At last, the moment had arrived! Since time immemorial, auction houses had been indispensable in novels! Every sort of protagonist—whether a Dragon Proud Heaven, a good-for-nothing, a pretty boy, or whoever else—always had a few pieces of equipment, spiritual treasures, or even harem members they'd won at auction. Whenever they got a collection quest, at least one key item came from an auction house. And that wasn't even mentioning how, after the auction ended, some villain (good guy) would always try to rob the protagonist, only to get robbed in turn... In short, the ironclad rule was that a protagonist who entered an auction house was guaranteed to make a killing!
"Come on, come on, let's get inside! Auction house, auction house~" My big X was already itching to get started!
"Why are you excited again... Don't rush. Take this Purple Gold Card first." Si Nan Yuan handed me a purple-gold card, made of an extraordinary material and radiating wealth.
"Only super VIPs get a Purple Gold Card. Fewer than five factions in the entire Imperial Capital are qualified to use one..."
"Then I'll take it!"
"Wait, let me finish!" Si Nan Yuan quickly snatched the card back, looking at me like I was a pauper. "I only brought it to show you. We don't need any credentials to enter this auction house, because it belongs to the Si Nan Family."
"Ah, so that means..."
"As the Patriarch's daughter, the young lady can spend without limit, pay no commission on auctioned items, and enjoy the finest suite and service. Of course, those of us with her get to enjoy the perks, too."
The world of the rich was something else...
The auction house's lavish interior stood in sharp contrast to its overly plain exterior. With its spacious hall, rows of seats, and VIP rooms perched high above, it looked more like a top-tier opera house than an auction house.
I'd never been inside an auction house back on Earth, so everything here felt new to me. What surprised me was that we hadn't come merely as buyers: Si Nan Yuan had also brought an item to put up for auction. And it was none other than my spoils... a Desolate Beast core!
It turned out that not long after we left the mountain range, a family member had retrieved the Desolate Beast core. Though it had lost its life force and was no longer useful, it was still quite valuable as a decorative piece.
"Miss Yuan, this thing..."
"Don't worry. I know it's your spoils. Whatever it sells for is yours."
"Thanks!"
"Quiet, it's starting!"
The lights in the entire hall suddenly went out, leaving only a few spotlights trained on the center of the stage. A blonde beauty in revealing clothes appeared beneath them. Her eyes were bewitching, her slender waist swayed like a snake, and every frown and smile sent out waves of charm. All the men in the auction house straightened up at once.
"Hello again, dear guests. I'm your old friend, the auctioneer Su Ya~"
""""Ohhhhh!!!""""
The auction house, silent just a moment ago, erupted in cheers and whistles. The beautiful auctioneer was clearly very popular. Unfortunately, I'd grown used to beauties lately—especially whenever I looked in the mirror—so I wasn't all that impressed by her anymore.
"I'm delighted to see so many friends at our auction today. Thank you for your support and trust! Enough chit-chat; let's get down to business. First up, our opening item. Please welcome A Zuo and A You~~"
Two handsome young men, presumably A Zuo and A You, carried over an object hidden beneath a silk cloth and set it on the long table in front of Su Ya.
Su Ya's snow-white hand gently lifted the cloth, revealing a very beautiful... porcelain piece?
"A Sky Blue Glaze Phoenix Pattern Sunflower Wash, crafted three hundred years ago by the master ceramicist Zhou Shuren! It has been appraised and found to be in perfect condition, without a single flaw—a rare national treasure! Bidding starts at eight million Tong Coins!"
Wait... This was really just an ordinary piece of porcelain? It wasn't a Spirit Artifact, Spiritual Medicine, or some heaven-defying material? And it was still that expensive?
"Nine million!" someone called out from below while I was still puzzled.
"Ten million!"
"Fifteen million!"
Bids rang out one after another. Before long, the little plate-shaped object had more than doubled in price. In the end, a young master from some family won it for twenty-three million.
The next three or four items were all kinds of works of art... Good grief, how was this any different from an auction on Earth? Couldn't they bring out some high-tier equipment, at least? This was another world, after all!
But then again... combat wasn't everything in this world. It would be strange if they auctioned nothing but weapons and medicine. The good stuff was probably coming later. I'd just have to wait.
"Xiao Ye, look! It's your thing!" Si Nan Ying suddenly shouted excitedly, loud enough for the whole auction house to hear. Countless gazes shot our way, and I hurriedly lowered my head to hide my face, mortified.
"A Blue Background Jacquard Gourd Kernel Carving, crafted by the contemporary master Zhang Dawan from an entire Desolate Beast core. The core itself is flawless and of superb quality, and the master's artistry only adds to its value! Bidding starts at ten million Tong Coins!"
I was so nervous... I'd personally obtained the Desolate Beast core used to make it. I wondered how much it would fetch.
"Judging by that voice just now, could that be the good-for-nothing daughter of the Si Nan Family?"
Before anyone had a chance to bid, a sharp, grating woman's voice suddenly came from a VIP room on the other side of the auction house.
"The dignified Si Nan Family is selling a useless core that's lost all its life force? Anyone with eyes can see this thing isn't worth much. Why not spare us the embarrassment?"
"Y-you! What did you say!?" Stung, Si Nan Ying jumped up and shouted angrily.
"It's someone from the Cleon Family. Don't do anything rash!" Si Nan Yuan immediately pushed Si Nan Ying back into her seat.
"We don't know how many people they have, and we brought too few. A direct confrontation would put us at a disadvantage."
"But Xiao Ye..."
"I'm fine," I hurriedly said. "If I answer back now, I'll be doing exactly what they want."
Honestly, it didn't feel good to hear someone mock my spoils, either. But I couldn't lose my composure over a little provocation.
When we didn't give them a proper response, the Cleon Family's room rang with that awful voice again. "Good-for-nothing is as good-for-nothing does! I say a couple of words, and you turn into a turtle hiding its head?"
"My esteemed guest, our rules strictly prohibit provoking people in public. If you don't watch your behavior, we'll have no choice but to ask you to leave," auctioneer Su Ya said with a bright smile. Her tone was light, but it carried a hint of coldness.
Come to think of it, this auction house belonged to the Si Nan Family. Naturally, the auctioneer would take their side.
"Ha. Since Miss Su Ya has put it that way, let's leave it there. We were indeed in the wrong this time." To my surprise, the sharp-tongued person apologized with unexpected ease. I couldn't make heads or tails of their intentions.
The auction continued, and the Desolate Beast core carving eventually sold for twenty-eight million—a pretty good result.
"Well then, that concludes the auction of the artworks. The real event begins with the items up next. Please feast your eyes on our carefully selected... Spirit Artifacts!"
Before you continue