Mittel Auction House's Invitation (1/?)

His cultivation had successfully reached the peak of the seven-star level.

Xiao Ze was very pleased.

However, he did not intend to head to the Magical Beast Mountain Range immediately.

A full week of cultivation had left him feeling quite weary, so he decided to rest in Wutan City for a few days to adjust his state before setting off for the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Just as he stepped out of his room, a servant of the Xiao Clan hurried over, saying that Patriarch Xiao Zhan wished to see him and requested his presence in the council hall.

He arrived at the council hall.

Upon walking in, he saw Xiao Zhan staring at two gilded invitations in his hands, his brows furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

"Patriarch Xiao, what business do you have with this old man?"

"Don't tell me the Xiao Clan is being bullied again?"

Xiao Ze sat down on a chair in a very casual manner.

Every movement he made was a blatant disregard for the rules of the entire Xiao Clan.

"Ancestor, you jest. In the current Wutan City, who would dare to stroke the whiskers of our Xiao Clan..." Seeing Xiao Ze arrive, Xiao Zhan quickly set down the gold-leafed invitations and spoke respectfully.

As for Xiao Ze's disregard for the Xiao Clan's rules, he simply chose to turn a blind eye.

What?

You say members of the Xiao Clan must maintain decorum in the council hall?

What does that have to do with the Great Ancestor?

What?

You say members of the Xiao Clan must bow and salute when meeting the Patriarch?

What does that have to do with the Great Ancestor?

If the Great Ancestor were not unwilling, Xiao Zhan would even be willing to vacate the throne beneath him that represented the position of the Xiao Clan Patriarch.

In the current Xiao Clan, the Great Ancestor represented everything!

Whatever the Great Ancestor did was right!

The Great Ancestor was the very heavens of their Xiao Clan!

The Ancestor...

"Enough. This old man doesn't have that much spare time. Speak, what exactly is the matter that you called me here for?" Xiao Ze asked impatiently.

He was planning to head to the Magical Beast Mountain Range next.

He didn't have time to deal with all these miscellaneous trifles.

"It is like this, Ancestor. Today, the Mittel Auction House specifically delivered two invitations, hoping that you, Ancestor, would attend tomorrow's Mittel Auction."

Xiao Zhan did not hesitate and immediately explained the matter in full detail.

"Mittel Auction?" After hearing this, Xiao Ze immediately frowned: "I'm not going!"

Joking aside, what kind of good items could a small auction held in Wutan City possibly have?

He was a Dou Huang powerhouse now; the only treasures that could catch his eye would have to be at least Earth-tier Dou Techniques or fifth-grade medicinal pills.

Let alone a mere branch in Wutan City, even the main branch located in the Imperial Capital might not necessarily have anything to attract him.

Attending such an auction was simply a waste of his time.

With that, he prepared to turn and leave.

"Ancestor, please stay!"

"What else is there?" Xiao Ze turned around, his face showing displeasure.

"Great Ancestor, please do not be angry; listen to this junior's explanation first." Xiao Zhan quickly spoke: "According to the information released by the auction house, all the items to be auctioned this time have been transported from the Imperial Capital and are incredibly precious."

"I heard that for this auction, the Mittel Clan of the Imperial Capital even dispatched a Dou Wang powerhouse to oversee it."

"From this, it is clear that the Mittel Clan attaches extreme importance to this auction."

"In this junior's opinion, this auction will surely be very spectacular; perhaps there will be items you require, Ancestor..."

"Oh?" Xiao Ze was somewhat surprised.

Subsequently, Xiao Zhan explained the sequence of events in detail.

It turned out that the reason the Mittel Auction House was making such a big move was entirely because of Xiao Ze.

A small auction house in a remote place like Wutan City would never have been able to stir the Mittel Clan of the Imperial Capital.

It was precisely because of Xiao Ze's appearance that the Mittel Clan began to pay attention.

To increase the fame of the auction house and to solidify their status in Wutan City, the Mittel Clan decided to hold a large-scale auction here.

To meet the demands of this large-scale auction, they had even transported many precious treasures from the Imperial Capital.

"..." After listening to Xiao Zhan's explanation, Xiao Ze was somewhat speechless. So, this auction was being held because of him.

However, having said that, if things were truly as Xiao Zhan described, then this auction did hold some appeal for him, and he could go and take a look.

"In that case, this old man shall go and join in the excitement," Xiao Ze said.

"This is the gold invitation from the auction house; please keep it safe, Ancestor..." Xiao Zhan hurriedly handed the gold invitation sent by the Mittel Auction House to Xiao Ze.

Xiao Ze took the invitation casually and was just about to toss it into his storage ring when he noticed a flicker of envy in Xiao Zhan's eyes.

"What is it? Is there a problem with this invitation?" he asked, puzzled.

"Ah?" Xiao Zhan snapped back to reality and quickly explained, "There is no problem with the invitation, it is just that this junior did not expect the Mittel Clan to use a gold invitation to invite you, Ancestor."

"This goes to show how highly the Mittel Clan regards you, Ancestor."

A smile appeared on Xiao Zhan's face. Being presented with a gold invitation meant that the Mittel Clan feared the Ancestor's strength, which was undoubtedly a great thing for their Xiao Clan.

"Oh? So these invitations have different ranks?"

Xiao Ze toyed with the gold invitation in his hand and asked curiously.

"Yes," Xiao Zhan said from the side. "The Mittel Auction House has three levels of invitations: gold, silver, and bronze. Generally speaking, ordinary factions can only obtain a bronze invitation."

"Only second-rate factions in the Gama Empire are qualified to hold a silver invitation."

"And the gold invitation is, without a doubt, the most prestigious invitation from the Mittel Auction House. Those who possess one are few and far between across the entire Gama Empire."

"Only first-rate factions barely meet the qualifications."

As he spoke, Xiao Zhan took out his own invitation. It was a crimson card embossed with silver patterns—it was clearly a 'silver invitation'.

"It is all thanks to you, Ancestor, that this junior is qualified to receive a silver invitation..."

With the Xiao Clan's original strength, they would not have been enough to hold a silver invitation, but because of Xiao Ze, the Xiao Clan had barely reached the threshold for a 'silver invitation' after annexing the Jalie Clan.

"Is that so? Interesting." Xiao Ze toyed with the gold invitation in his hand and then asked, "Does this gold invitation come with any special privileges?"

Xiao Zhan hurriedly replied, "Holders of the gold invitation are honored guests of the entire Mittel Clan. Not only do they receive the goodwill of the Mittel Clan, but they also enjoy a twenty percent discount on all auctions at the Mittel Auction House..."

Xiao Zhan rambled on at length.

In short, it all boiled down to one thing: the gold invitation was a symbol of strength and status.

"A twenty percent discount, eh?" Xiao Ze chuckled softly. "That is indeed a good thing."

He did not care at all about the so-called gold, silver, and bronze tiers; the only thing that could catch his interest was likely the phrase 'enjoy a discount'.

As for gaining the goodwill of the Mittel Clan?

What was that even worth?

As a dignified Dou Huang, did he need the help of a faction that did not even possess a Dou Huang?

What a joke!

After listening to Xiao Zhan's explanation, Xiao Ze tossed the gold invitation into his storage ring.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense. This old man does not have the time to listen to you prattle on here. I am off!"

With that, he flicked his long robes and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

He did not see the awkward expression on Xiao Zhan's face at all.