The Third Auction (2) - Appetizers!

"Clang—"

A clear, lingering bell rang out.

In an instant, the auction house, which had been seething with noise, fell silent. Countless gazes turned in unison toward the high platform ahead.

There, Li An straightened his back, a professional smile on his face.

He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Honored guests, welcome to the Seven Treasures Auction House."

"Tonight's auction begins now."

"However..."

Li An paused, then abruptly raised his voice.

"Before we formally begin, I would like to announce a piece of good news on behalf of this auction house."

"Starting today, the commission fee on all auction items in this auction house will be permanently reduced from the original ten percent to three percent."

"Whoa—"

The crowd exploded.

"Three percent? Did I hear that right? Has the Seven Treasures Auction House gone mad? Will that profit even be enough for them to operate?"

"People used to fight to get in when it was ten percent, and now it's only three percent?"

Seeing this, Li An's smile deepened, and he raised a hand to signal everyone to calm down.

"And that is not all."

"All guests who take part in today's auction may, after the auction ends, use their seat number plaques to collect one hundred gold soul coins outside the venue."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. Then it boiled over completely. Screams and cheers nearly lifted the auction house's dome.

"One hundred gold soul coins, for everyone!"

"What generosity. This is truly an enormous gesture."

One had to know that there were over a thousand seats in the hall.

That meant the Seven Treasures Auction House would be giving away as many as one hundred thousand gold soul coins tonight alone.

Such boldness was simply unimaginable.

On the top floor, inside the Field Master's Office where Ning Liu was, Ning Rongrong's small mouth hung slightly open, somewhat dazed.

"Senior Brother, your auction house is way too rich."

Ning Liu only smiled and did not explain.

One Hundred Thousand Gold Soul Coins were not much to him.

Now that the Seven Treasures Auction House was rising in his hands, what he wanted to do was turn this place into the auction holy land of the entire continent!

"I hope everyone will be able to win the items they desire tonight."

Li An bowed deeply, then turned and withdrew.

The lights suddenly dimmed, then lit up again the next moment.

A graceful figure was already standing prettily at the center of the high platform, her white dress making her skin look fairer than snow.

"Good evening, my dear guests."

Doudou's voice was clear and pleasant, with a trace of playfulness.

"Three days have passed. Did you miss me?"

Below the stage, a wave of enthusiastic whistles and cheers instantly rang out.

"Goddess Doudou!"

"Doudou, I love you!"

Ning Rongrong looked at Doudou, who was the center of everyone's attention on stage, then lowered her head to look at her own little chest and unconsciously curled her lips.

She had heard Li An say that changing the auctioneer had been Senior Brother's decision!

Could it be that Senior Brother liked that type?!

What was so great about that? In another couple of years, she would definitely have more to show than her!

On the high platform, auctioneer Doudou gave everyone a graceful smile.

"I'm very happy to meet everyone again."

"Doudou would first like to wish you all a rewarding night."

She paused, and a touch of mystery entered her tone.

"Old friends familiar with all the auction houses under our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should know this well."

"In all the Seven Treasures Auction Houses across the empire, over the past ten years, there have only been three recorded auctions of Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones."

Before she had even finished speaking, the breathing of the people below grew a little quicker.

"What? Could there be a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone up for auction today?"

"Heavens, this news is explosive. No wonder the imperial family's people came."

"This is madness, absolute madness. Once a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone appears, I'm afraid even Titled Douluo-level experts will make a move to seize it."

"Of course! A treasure of this level—what sect or clan wouldn't want to bring one back as a family heirloom?"

"I remember the last time a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone was auctioned was three years ago, right? I think it was won by His Excellency Poison Douluo."

"You're right. I heard that in order to win that soul bone, that Excellency is still paying off his debt to the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family even now."

Voices of discussion rose and fell.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone was a supreme treasure countless soul masters dreamed of!

Before this, auctioning a Thousand Year Soul Bone here had already been astonishing enough!

Doudou listened to the discussions below, the smile on her face growing even brighter.

She extended a slender jade finger and shook it lightly.

"Everyone, please be patient. Doudou is only warming things up for you in advance!"

"Our first auction item tonight is not a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone."

When everyone heard this, the fervor in their hearts cooled slightly, but they were not disappointed.

After all, the first auction item was usually only an appetizer.

Doudou continued, "Of course, it is also extremely rare. One could even say that in terms of rarity, it is no less than some ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones."

"It could even serve as a family heirloom for a clan or sect!"

These words once again stirred everyone's curiosity.

Doudou gently raised her right hand and snapped her fingers with a crisp sound.

Snap!

From behind the auction stage, four burly soul masters walked out with steady steps.

The Soul Power fluctuations around these four were powerful; they were all clearly Soul King-level experts.

Together, they carried a huge tray.

On top of the tray, a massive red cloth covered it tightly.

One could only vaguely make out that it was a round object.

"Four Soul King experts personally escorting it? Looks like this first auction item really is extraordinary."

"It's round. What could it be? Could it be some kind of powerful Soul Tool?"

"I think it looks like an egg."

"A soul beast egg? What kind of soul beast egg would require such solemn treatment?"

Everyone guessed one after another, their curiosity drawn to the limit.

Doudou walked to the side of the tray, her delicate hand resting on the red cloth.

She looked around the entire venue, and her sweet voice rang out once more.

"Next, let us unveil tonight's first precious item together."

As her voice fell, she suddenly pulled the red cloth away.

The red cloth drifted down, and on the tray, an enormous egg covered entirely in strange patterns abruptly appeared before everyone's eyes.

It really was an egg.

Only, this egg was far too large.

Its diameter was a full meter, and it emitted a faint aura of life.

"I believe everyone is very curious about what kind of egg this is, correct?"

Doudou's gaze swept across everyone's faces. She did not directly reveal the answer, instead deliberately keeping them in suspense.

"Then, before revealing its true identity, I would first like to ask everyone a question."

"In your hearts, on Douluo Continent, what type of soul beast is the most powerful?"

As her words fell, the audience below immediately broke into discussion.

"Does that even need to be said? It has to be top-tier predator soul beasts, like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear or the Titan Giant Ape."

"I think soul beasts with ultimate attributes are stronger, such as the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion and the like."

"Could it also be those with special abilities, such as Mental-type soul beasts?"

For a time, all kinds of opinions emerged, and the debate continued without end.

Doudou listened quietly, the smile on her face unchanged.

Only after the hall quieted a little did she slowly speak.

"Everything everyone has said makes sense."

"However, there is one kind of soul beast that, since ancient times, has been hailed as the king of all beasts, the chief of all scaled creatures."

"Their strength is beyond doubt."

"That's right."

Doudou's voice suddenly rose, carrying a trace of excitement.

"They are dragons."

"Among martial souls, the dragon is revered above all beast martial souls."

"And this egg before us..."

She reached out and pointed at the giant egg, enunciating each word with absolute clarity.

"It is precisely a dragon egg."

In an instant, the entire auction hall fell into dead silence.

Everyone's eyes went wide, their faces filled with disbelief.

A dragon egg? It was actually a dragon egg!