The next day.
Early morning.
After a simple breakfast, Yechen and the two women headed straight for the auction house.
They had already asked where it was the day before. The auction would begin at eight sharp, but when they arrived at half past seven, a long line had already formed outside.
They were civilized people, so naturally, they would not cut in line. Instead, they moved slowly along with the queue.
Twenty minutes passed, and it was nearly their turn to enter when a man in black walked out of the auction house.
Perhaps sensing something extraordinary about Yechen, he approached with a smile.
"Sir, is this your first visit? Someone of your bearing shouldn't have to wait in this line. I can arrange for you to enter through a special passage and go straight to the auction floor.
"But I need to ask how much you would be willing to bid if something caught your interest. That will determine where we seat you."
"It's hard to say. If the right item comes along, I can afford to bid even several hundred million Belly."
Yechen was not boasting. The money he had taken from the pirates last time had not amounted to much, only a few million Belly.
But he had made ample preparations before coming to this world. He had brought no other currency, but he had brought ten million gold coins, the equivalent of ten billion Belly.
That sum would be enough for him to splurge here for a long time.
The man in black's eyes lit up. He had suspected Yechen was a wealthy patron, and now his guess had been confirmed. Naturally, a distinguished guest like this could not be neglected.
This was precisely why he was there: to show wealthy patrons the way.
The