A Costless Business with Enormous Profits

Soon,

a magnificent, golden-domed building came into Ye Qiu's view.

Even from a distance,

the dome looked to be at least five hundred meters across.

Even the marble doorframe was inlaid with dazzling gemstones.

The lavish, imposing facade

made even Ye Qiu curse the filthy rich bastards under his breath!

But he also knew

that this auction house stood in Heaven Dou City, right under the emperor's nose, yet still dared to openly engage in human trafficking, a business expressly forbidden by both empires!

Its backing certainly couldn't be simple, and the entanglement of interests involved was easy to imagine...

At the very least, it was definitely connected to the imperial family.

"We're here."

Dugu Yan planted one hand on her hip, raised her chin, and glanced at Ye Qiu with narrowed eyes.

"This is the biggest auction house in Heaven Dou City. Aside from the imperial palace, the only building bigger than it is the Soul Fighting Arena."

"It really is big."

Ye Qiu studied the building before him, but his interest had turned to the Soul Fighting Arena... He had long planned to go there and fight a battle to the death.

It wasn't that he liked fighting for the sake of it, but he had long heard how cruel the Soul Master World was.

Getting used to the taste of killing sooner

would do him good.

"Come on, I'll take you inside."

Dugu Yan tilted her chin at Ye Qiu, took his hand, and headed inside.

Ye Qiu said nothing and let her pull him along.

"Welcome-!"

As soon as the two approached the entrance, the four women stationed there, all around twenty years old, bowed slightly and greeted them respectfully.

They were much the same height, with pretty faces and slender figures. They wore floor-length white dresses threaded throughout with silver, lending them a touch of elegance, and their faces bore practiced, gentle smiles...

One of the women stepped gracefully forward and bowed. "Welcome, honored guests. How may I help you both?"

"I'd like to consign some items for auction here."

Dugu Yan spoke directly, casually producing a gold-and-red card.

"!!!"

At the sight of the card in Dugu Yan's hand, a hint of surprise appeared on the woman's face, immediately giving way to warmth and respect.

She bent at the waist and gestured for them to follow.

"Welcome, honored guests. Please follow me. I'll take you to the appraisal room right away~"

"Mm."

Dugu Yan nodded slightly and followed, pulling Ye Qiu along.

The hall they entered was so spacious it made their jaws drop. A dazzling array of goods filled the display counters, including precious items such as Soul Tools.

Crystal lamps hanging on the walls and ceiling gave off a soft glow,

illuminating the reliefs and murals throughout the hall.

Ye Qiu gave them only a cursory glance before asking curiously, "May I ask what requirements one generally has to meet to participate in your auctions?"

The woman showed no sign of carelessness at the question. Folding her hands in front of her, she explained softly, "Young master, there are two main ways. The first is to have your assets verified and possess more than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. The second is to consign items worth more than one thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Oh~ What about the handling fee?"

Ye Qiu continued.

"The handling fee here isn't cheap."

Dugu Yan suddenly cut in. "Without honored guest status, they take ten percent of the sale price as a handling fee."

"This young lady is right."

The woman nodded and smiled. "However, honored guests of your level receive a seventy percent discount on the handling fee."

"Well? I really did save you money, didn't I?"

Dugu Yan looked at Ye Qiu smugly.

"You certainly saved me a lot."

Ye Qiu nodded repeatedly.

With a seventy percent discount, the ten-percent handling fee became three percent.

If the items he consigned sold for a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, he would save at least seven thousand.

Seven thousand Gold Soul Coins would cover the everyday expenses of every resident of a small village for several years.

Wouldn't it be great to take it back and hand some out to the villagers from time to time?

Before long,

Ye Qiu and Dugu Yan were led into an exceptionally bright, tidy room. A round table stood inside, with seven old men wearing monocles seated across from them.

The eldest among them gestured for the two to sit and asked, "What would you honored guests like to auction? We will certainly do our utmost to serve you both..."

Dugu Yan sat down and looked at the young man beside her.

Ye Qiu raised a hand to the Crystal Love at his collar and placed four pills in a row on the table. "I have four pills here," he said calmly. "Three Soul Ascension Pills... They can raise the Soul Power of a Soul Master below level fifteen by one level, unconditionally and without side effects. One Healing Pill... It can instantly heal physical injuries other than disabilities. Both types of pills will be at their most effective in ten days."

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you appraise them...?"

Ye Qiu pushed the pills over.

He hadn't explained their effects in too much detail; in any case, they wouldn't harm anyone who took them.

"Hiss... Pills like these actually exist?"

The old man was astonished. The other six looked equally surprised and immediately picked up the pills with great care, examining them closely.

"..."

A long while later,

Ye Qiu and Dugu Yan finally emerged from the appraisal room.

The old men's skills were lacking.

Only after Ye Qiu took out another Healing Pill and had them find someone to test it on did they dare confirm the pills' effects.

As compensation,

they took it upon themselves to waive the handling fees for the next three batches of items Ye Qiu consigned.

In the end, the three Soul Ascension Pills were given a combined starting price of ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, while the Healing Pill was assigned a separate starting price of five thousand.

Naturally, Ye Qiu had no objection to those prices.

It was a costless business to begin with, requiring only a little of Sister Yun'er's Soul Power. It was already a surprise that they could sell for such sky-high prices!

Besides, those were only the starting prices. Doubling or tripling them at auction would be no problem.

After all, Tang San's Hidden Weapon, Sand Shooting Shadow, which was said to be absolutely lethal to Soul Masters below level thirty, had a starting price of only one thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Ye Qiu first followed the hostess backstage to complete the relevant formalities.

They weren't complicated; all he had to do was set up an auction-house account linked to his Gold Soul Coin savings card.

Once the items sold, Ye Qiu would receive the corresponding amount through it.

After that,

the hostess led Ye Qiu and Dugu Yan to the auction itself.

All the way there,

Dugu Yan's gaze remained fixed on Ye Qiu.

At last, Ye Qiu couldn't help asking, "Yanzi, what are you thinking about?"

Dugu Yan stared at him and said seriously, "I'm wondering... just how many more secrets are you hiding?"

"Then wonder all you want, but why do you keep looking at me like that?" Ye Qiu shrugged helplessly and joked, "If you keep that up, I'll get shy."

"You! Go to hell!"

Dugu Yan glared at Ye Qiu and raised her delicate fist to punch him.

Ye Qiu easily dodged Dugu Yan's fist. "Haha! I was only joking. I'm not that thin-skinned."

"Hmph! I can tell..."

Dugu Yan snorted and turned her face away, a faint blush spreading across her lovely cheeks.

"..."