Starlight Auction House.
Night fell.
The streets of Star Luo City were illuminated as brightly as day by the Soul Guidance Streetlights, with a constant stream of vehicles and brightly lit shops. From a distance, it looked like a long river woven from light and shadow.
Bao Liang and his group left the Star Emperor Hotel and headed towards the Starlight Auction House along the main road.
Along the way, they met many fellow travelers.
Those people either rode in luxurious soul-guided vehicles or walked surrounded by guards. Each of them was dressed in a rather unusual manner, and they all carried an air of authority.
Clearly, they were all VIPs who had been invited to attend tonight's top-tier auction.
However, only a few forces are ultimately qualified to receive an invitation.
A rough estimate suggests that it could barely reach double digits.
After all, the lowest price for any item in this auction is seven figures in Gold Soul Coin.
As for the Snow Empress Embryo, it was a priceless treasure sold for a nine-figure sum in the original story.
What ordinary power has the resources to participate in an auction of this caliber?
Even if you were lucky enough to receive an invitation, you might not dare to actually walk into the auction house.
After all, an invitation is just a qualification for entry, not a free lunch.
It's truly embarrassing to see something you like but can't afford it.
Bao Liang walked at the front of the group, in a very good mood.
He had made thorough preparations for tonight's auction.
Soon, a building decorated even more extravagantly than the Star Emperor Hotel appeared before everyone's eyes.
Starlight Auction House.
The two rows of pillars carved from single pieces of white jade at the entrance alone are enough to inspire awe in ordinary people.
Not to mention the row of gilded characters outlined by Soul Guidance Lamp above the door.
It glittered in the night, as if afraid others wouldn't know there was money here.
Xiao Hongchen looked up and his eye twitched.
"His darling."
Do the Star Luo Empire people have some misunderstanding about the color gold?
"Hotels are made of gold, and auction houses are made of gold too."
"If this continues, I suspect they'll even be covering the city walls with gold leaf tomorrow."
Bao Liang glanced at him.
What do you know?
"That's called wealth and status."
Xiao Hongchen's lips twitched.
"All I see are nouveau riche."
The group walked to the entrance of the auction house while complaining.
Qing Ya, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stepped forward to greet her.
She wore a polite smile and gave a slight bow to Bao Liang and the others.
Good evening, distinguished guests!
"Welcome to the Starlight Auction House, please follow me."
With a smile on her face, Qing Ya gestured for guidance, then turned and led the way.
Good evening, Auctioneer Qing Ya.
Bao Liang smiled and nodded in return.
After all, this person is a lucky workaholic.
In the original story, she was present at almost all the good items at the two auctions.
On one occasion, she even personally acted as a go-between, enabling Huo Yuhao to successfully obtain what he wanted.
Since metaphysics exists, it's best to be a little cautious.
What if this lucky model worker surprises him with something good today?
Besides, Bao Liang isn't the kind of person who gets arrogant after a few good days.
He still possesses basic manners and politeness.
Of course, this only applies to ordinary people.
If it were someone like Xu Jiawei, an old geezer, whether Bao Liang could maintain his politeness would depend on whether the other party could make him do so.
Qing Ya was slightly surprised by Bao Liang's refinement and manners.
The smile on her face became more natural, no longer as purely professional as before.
Having worked at the Starlight Auction House for many years, what powerful and influential figures hadn't she seen?
Those big shots who usually pride themselves on their elegance still put on airs in front of her.
But people like Bao Liang, who can greet auctioneers with a smile, are indeed rare.
"Distinguished guests, please follow me."
Qing Ya led everyone through the hall and onto the private soul-guided elevator, quickly arriving at the second floor.
"This is your VIP box."
She pushed open a heavy, golden door.
"The private room number is two. An auction terminal, a rest area, and refreshments have been prepared for you inside."
The group entered the private room.
The next second, a nouveau riche-style gold-plated decoration once again dazzled the eyes of the Sun Moon Team members.
The group, who were well-prepared, moved in perfect unison.
Brush!
Everyone simultaneously pulled out a pair of sunglasses from their Storage Soul Tool, their movements so fluid as if they had rehearsed countless times, and then seamlessly put them on their faces.
Qing Ya was stunned for a moment.
"Luckily, I was prepared."
Xiao Hongchen adjusted his sunglasses, his face expressionless.
Otherwise, I'll be blinded by the light again.
He looked around and couldn't help but complain, "Seriously, do all the people from the Douluo Continent like this kind of pure gold, glittery design?"
"Don't you find it dazzling?"
Qing Ya didn't actually think there was anything wrong with it before.
After years of working, she had long since become completely desensitized to this pure gold design.
After all, no matter how flashy the money and houses are, they don't belong to you.
And after seeing it for a while, it really does get dazzling.
Over the years, she has spent a lot of money just on doctors treating her eyes.
This refers to a state where one is interested in money, but has absolutely no interest in money that doesn't belong to them.
"Alright, stop laughing."
Bao Liang patted him on the shoulder.
"Stop arguing."
"Oh my!"
Xiao Hongchen immediately turned his head, his face showing a look of utter disbelief.
"You Bao Liang, actually contradicted me?"
Bao Liang replied matter-of-factly, "What else can we do?"
"You can't possibly hate money, can you?"
Xiao Hongchen paused for a moment.
"That makes sense."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Even Qing Ya couldn't help but smile.
"Auctioneer Qing Ya, please have a seat as well."
Ma Rulong pointed to the sofa on the side.
"Then I shall respectfully comply."
Qing Ya nodded gently and sat down a little distance away from the others.
This way, it won't interfere with introducing the auction items to the audience, nor will it seem too intimate.
"Distinguished guests, there is still some time before the auction begins."
"Why don't you try these fruits and drinks first?"
"This was specially prepared by our auction house; it tastes excellent."
It must be said that Qing Ya's professional ethics are indeed very good.
While waiting for the auction to begin, she would find topics to talk about with everyone.
Sometimes it introduces the history of Starlight Auction House, and sometimes it tells a few interesting stories that have happened in the auction house.
It won't seem deliberate, nor will it feel boring.
As Bao Liang ate fruit, he listened to her recount the anecdotes from the auctions, and his mood gradually relaxed.
Time slips away quietly.
As the lights in the private room gradually dimmed, everyone realized that the waiting time had unknowingly passed.
The auction has officially begun.
As the lights went out, the ostentatious gold decor in the private room finally stopped vying for attention.
Instead, there was a wall made of a special material in front of everyone.
A faint glow emanated from the wall, and a figure gradually emerged.
She was a beautiful young woman wearing a red dress, with a noble and elegant demeanor.
No one was surprised.
They had already recognized where this wall came from.
Although Soul Guidance Screens are considered rare in the Sun Moon Empire, they are not uncommon within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Almost every classroom has a soul-guided screen to assist in teaching.
They were actually more interested in the girl appearing on the screen.