After dinner, Niu Jinfeng took Yang Podi by the hand and brought him to the Heaven Dou Auction House.
The first thing that greeted them upon arrival was an enormous circular building, somewhat like a large sports stadium from a later era. The auction house was nearly five hundred meters in diameter, with its highest point exceeding eighty meters. Entirely white, it looked lavish yet dignified.
Four beautiful young women stood at the entrance. All four had lovely faces and tall, slender figures, each reaching 1.75 meters in height. Their long dresses showed off their exquisite curves, and judging by their faces, none was even twenty.
Their movements were practiced yet elegant, clearly the result of extensive training.
One of the young women approached Yang Podi and Niu Jinfeng and bowed slightly. "How may I help you both?"
A black card appeared directly in Niu Jinfeng's hand. She handed it to the young woman who had approached them. The card bore an image of the auction house.
The young woman examined the card carefully, then immediately returned it to Niu Jinfeng. "Esteemed black card member, welcome to our auction house. Would you like to go to the main hall or directly to a private box?"
"A private box. Arrange one for me."
"Certainly, esteemed black card member. Please follow me."
Without another word, the young woman led Niu Jinfeng and Yang Podi into the auction house.
Inside, the auction house did not feel glittering or ostentatious. The floor was milky-white marble, and the surrounding walls were decorated with reliefs in a restrained palette. The effect was clean, bright, and extremely elegant, displaying the auction house's caliber. Their guide was highly professional, stopping roughly every ten steps to gesture them onward and clearly indicate the way.
Of course, there were also quite a few guards along the way, presumably to maintain order and prevent fights or robberies.
Before long, the three arrived at a private box. The young woman said, "Most esteemed black card member, this is the box we have arranged for you. Please wait a moment. The auction will begin shortly."
Once Niu Jinfeng nodded, the young woman left the box.
Yang Podi examined the box carefully. Its interior was very simply decorated, with only eight seats. Glass stood before each seat, directly facing the center of the auction house and providing a clear view of the entire venue. Clearly, it was all one-way glass, preventing anyone outside from seeing into the box.
Looking out from the box, he saw that the auction venue was divided into five main sections. The three rows closest to the stage were red, followed outward by black, purple, yellow, and white. Each section had both private boxes and seats, presumably for people to choose according to their preferences.
Before long, an attendant knocked on the door. The woman who entered was another beauty, and she brought them tea and refreshments.
From Yang Podi's observations, every attendant in the auction house was female. They were about as tall as the four at the entrance, but their figures were even more voluptuous and their clothing relatively more revealing. Both their necklines and the openings of their skirts offered tantalizing glimpses of flesh.
"Mom, how come you have a black card for the auction house?"
"Son, who do you think your mother is? How could I not even have a black card? I just haven't come here much lately, so I haven't applied for a red card. Your grandfather even has a red card."
Yang Podi paid no attention to his mother's words, instead carefully observing the entire venue. Just as Ning Fengzhi had said in the original story, those beautiful attendants wore rather flat expressions, and their eyes could even be described as slightly vacant. According to Ning Fengzhi himself, these beauties had lost their souls and could only let others do with them as they pleased.
When Yang Podi had first heard those words in his previous life, he had found them reasonable, yet always felt something was wrong. The second time, he had felt they were utter nonsense. If someone no longer even had a body, what was the point of talking about whether they had a soul? Although these people looked vacant now, if someone took them home and nurtured them for a while, who would dare say they could not return to normal? What they lacked was hope and freedom.
Before long, the auction officially began. Its host was a sexy beauty in a red dress. Her height, looks, and figure were all stunning, and her eloquence was even more outstanding. Her ability to stir emotions and command the room far surpassed that of the so-called excellent hosts he had seen in his previous life.
As the auction got underway, items appeared one after another on the central auction stage. At the same time, the large screen overhead displayed enlarged images of each item, allowing everyone present to see it clearly from every angle.
The host gave detailed introductions to the items' origins, uses, and value, even adding some emotionally stirring words before announcing a starting price. Those present then bid according to their understanding of the goods.
In short, the entire venue was bustling. Some discussed the items' actual value, others regretted not bringing enough Gold Soul Coins, and still more discussed the prices the auction items sold for.
The goods offered covered all manner of things, with widely varying values. Cheaper items included ancient swords and antiques, while expensive ones included Soul Tools and aged medicinal herbs. They even auctioned off a catgirl, just as in the original story. Naturally, there were also some precious metals.
Suddenly, a very interesting item appeared.
The beauty in red introduced it. "Distinguished guests, the next item up for auction is an exceptionally rare treasure."
Displayed on the auction tray was a fist-sized black object. Fine lines ran across its surface, and it looked gelatinous.
"As you can see, this auction item is a piece of whale rubber, and ten-thousand-year whale glue at that. For gentlemen who need it, this is a potent tonic that can also restore their masculine vigor."
At those words, many of the men present erupted with excitement.
"Distinguished guests, this piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue starts at ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"Eleven thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"Twelve thousand Gold Soul Coins."
Soon, the price of the whale rubber reached thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins.
"Mom, hurry and win that piece of whale rubber."
Niu Jinfeng looked at Yang Podi in bewilderment. "What would a little child like you know about what whale rubber does?"
"Mom, I've read quite a few books lately. Whale rubber might have other uses. Buy it and take it back for Dad. It's sure to be very useful."
Although Niu Jinfeng hesitated for a moment, she ultimately could not resist her son's request and won the whale rubber outright for fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins.
The venue fell silent as well. This seemed to be the first time they had encountered a woman bidding on whale rubber. Could her husband be incapable?
Niu Jinfeng was speechless too. What kind of situation is this, a woman like me coming here with her son to bid on whale rubber? If anyone else finds out, won't they laugh themselves to death?