Auction Ongoing

Seeing that a soul bone obtained from a casual hunt had actually sold for 350,000 gold soul coins.

Jiang Nannan's expression was one of pure joy.

"That's wonderful! That's wonderful!"

She gently tugged at Jiang Mu's hand. As the little money-grubber of the pair, she was thrilled that their little nest egg had suddenly grown by so much.

If the setting had been more appropriate, she would have wanted to kiss him.

"Hehe, we'll earn more and more in the future. Since we're starting a sect, we'll definitely need seed money."

"And I'll need Nannan to help manage the finances in the future. After all, you're a little money-grubber. You'll surely be careful with every expense and won't let me lose money."

Jiang Nannan puffed out her cheeks at once. "What do you mean?"

"How dare you say that about your big sister!"

With her cheeks puffed out, Jiang Nannan raised a hand and wildly pinched Jiang Mu's face, putting on the full airs of an older sister.

Jiang Mu did not know whether to dodge or not, and so he simply let her pinch him.

"If you don't let your big sister, someone close to you, manage the money, aren't you afraid someone else will swindle you out of everything?"

Tang Ya, sitting beside them, frowned. Why did she feel as if he was implying something?

She did have some thoughts of her own, but she would not go so far as to scam him for money. What she wanted was to win Jiang Mu's heart.

And it was not as though she wanted to throw him away after tricking him. She wanted to stay with him.

Unable to say anything, she took the initiative to change the subject and continued watching the auction.

Jiang Mu and Jiang Nannan exchanged a few casual affectionate words before letting the matter drop. They often fooled around like this, but it never lasted more than a few sentences.

The auction continued.

"The third auction item is an exquisite hair ornament crafted by Master Tang."

"It is forged from refined ore from the sea and is exceptionally beautiful. Wearing it also brings special benefits, calming the mind and nourishing the spirit."

Tang Ya rolled her eyes when she heard that. "What an overblown sales pitch. Isn't it just an ordinary pendant? I seem to recall that the ore itself has the same effect, doesn't it?"

Hearing this, Jiang Mu turned to look at Tang Ya, seemingly seeking her confirmation.

Tang Ya spread her hands and explained.

"This thing looks delicate and impressive, but it is really just simply carved. They took out the ore core, set it in the center of the necklace, and warmed it with soul power. It does make you feel cool and refreshed, helping soothe the mind, but that's all."

"So it's that simple?"

Even as a transmigrator, Jiang Mu was not omniscient. He did not know about such trivial matters. Seeing that Tang Ya did, he nodded and praised her.

"Impressive."

Jiang Nannan, whose eyes had been sparkling beside them, sighed when she heard that.

She understood now. The glittering thing that had caught her eye could actually be made so simply.

Even if she wanted it, she had to suppress that feeling and slowly rein in her emotions.

Since it was being sold at an auction and came after the soul bone they had auctioned, it was certainly not cheap.

She could not bear to spend the money. No matter how pretty it was, it was not worth it.

"Whether it is given to the one you love or to the person you have long dreamed of, it is absolutely a top-tier gift."

The auctioneer praised it as extravagantly as possible, truly dedicated to his work.

After Tang Ya's explanation, Jiang Mu was speechless when he heard those words.

But to his surprise, just after the auctioneer finished speaking, a very clear voice rang out in the hall.

"Mhm, this young lady wants that..."

Following the voice, Jiang Mu looked up and saw that it came from a woman dressed provocatively, her midriff and slender waist exposed, her face heavily made up, and her legs clad in stockings.

As expected of a fantasy world, there truly were no ugly women. Every one of them could be considered pretty, but her temperament... Forget it. It made him sick. No comment.

A man was being embraced by the frivolous woman beside him. He wore glasses and was obviously a wealthy patron. Hearing her sweet call, he was clearly carried away, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Ahaha, buy it, buy it, buy it."

Of course, she was not the only one in the hall, and there might even be others in the private rooms. Seeing that the atmosphere was about right, the auctioneer finally announced the starting price.

"The Clear-Mind Necklace starts at three thousand gold soul coins."

He had thought the opening bid would be over ten thousand, but he had not expected it to be so low.

Bidding soon began throughout the hall. Whether people were buying it for a lover or for a beloved, the price rose extremely quickly. Three thousand gold soul coins soon became ten thousand, then twenty thousand.

In the end, the necklace sold for forty thousand gold soul coins.

Jiang Nannan sighed and complained helplessly.

"Is their money really not money? They actually spent so much on a lousy necklace."

"What they bought wasn't a necklace. It was loneliness."

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya both turned to ask him.

Jiang Mu found their curious gazes rather strange.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

He had heard more than once of people, whether out of necessity or willingness, making certain requests and using purchases as bargaining chips for special nighttime activities.

Curiosity appeared on both Jiang Nannan's and Tang Ya's pretty faces as they nodded emphatically.

"Why do you say it's loneliness? We really want to know."

Jiang Mu had no choice but to lean closer and whisper as if nibbling at their ears.

"Loneliness is hard to bear."

On the precocious Douluo Continent, those four words alone were enough for Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya to understand.

"Xiao Mu..."

"..."

Jiang Nannan's and Tang Ya's faces both reddened like apples.

Their snow-white, tender skin carried such a girlish charm that Jiang Mu wanted to take a bite.

"Haha, you two were the ones who wanted to know. Besides, it isn't anything rare."

In this world where Douluo nobles were everywhere, such exchanges were common, like someone walking into a hotel with a pair of twins in their arms.

As long as one had money, let alone twins, there were even more outrageous things available.

"Even if it isn't rare, you can't say that in front of us. You're really becoming more and more of a pervert."

Jiang Nannan had recovered and softly pushed Jiang Mu once to show she was angry.

Yet it did not look like anger at all. It looked more like she was acting cute.

She crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and looked at Jiang Mu.

Tang Ya said nothing beside them. They were not close enough for her to joke around with him like that, so she could only sit there quietly, watching the two of them with envy.

The auction continued.

"Come, let us present the next auction item."

After a brief pause, what was pushed out turned out to be a cage covered by a black cloth.

Seeing this, Jiang Mu thought it might be another cat-eared girl with a mutated martial soul.

Whoosh!

The cloth was abruptly pulled away, revealing what was inside.

"Hiss—"

Everyone in the hall sucked in a breath.

The auction item was not what they had expected, but the incomparably ugly face of a soul beast.

"Holy crap, are you trying to scare people to death?!"

The hall instantly erupted with curses.

It was completely different from the beautiful girl or anything else they had imagined.

A smile appeared on the auctioneer's face. This minor disturbance did not affect his mood or change his expression as he continued his explanation calmly.

"Hehe, everyone, please do not get worked up. Although this soul beast looks ugly, it has been confirmed to possess an extremely rare spiritual attribute. Absorbing it can greatly enhance one's spiritual power. I believe everyone knows how important spiritual power is to us soul masters!"