NOVEL NEXT Chapter 139: Dispute at the Auction
Qi Han and Pururu played around in their seats, waiting eagerly for the start of the large auction.
A mist rose, and as it dissipated, six beautiful women in different colored long dresses sat behind six harps, delicately playing elegant music.
As the song ended, a girl in a fishtail gown with a starry tone stepped forward, a smile on her face, her fair face lightly adorned with makeup, enhancing her beauty.
With her long dress trailing on the ground and the hem adorned with starry clouds, she looked extremely splendid.
She was Xu Yilian, the chief auctioneer of Starlight Auction House and the daughter of Xu Changge, the owner of Starlight Auction House.
“Sister Yilian looks so beautiful.”
As Xu Yilian appeared, Xu Yiyun couldn’t help but speak softly beside her.
Sitting next to her were Xu Changling and a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to Xu Changling.
“Yilian is only a few years older than you. In a few years, you won’t be any worse than her.” The middle-aged man who resembled Xu Changling chuckled and ruffled Xu Yiyun’s hair.
Xu Changling and Xu Changge were brothers. While Xu Changling worked tirelessly day and night for the empire’s affairs, Xu Changge had settled down and started a family shortly after inheriting the Starlight Auction House. Therefore, his daughter Xu Yilian was a few years older than Xu Yiyun.
Xu Yiyun fell silent, her gaze curiously scanning the guests on the first floor through the window of the VIP room.
“Huh?”
She suddenly spotted an acquaintance she had just met last night, unexpectedly present here.
“Boss Qi is here too?” Cao Rang glanced out the window unintentionally, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.
Not long after finishing hot pot at Qi Han’s new store and returning to the hotel, Cao Rang and the others received an invitation from Starlight Auction House to attend the annual large-scale auction.
This was a common occurrence; given Shrek City’s status, Shrek Academy received invitations to Starlight Auction House’s major auctions whenever they participated in competitions. Similar invitations would also arrive when they competed in Heaven Dou Empire’s Heaven Dou City.
Cao Rang quickly averted his gaze from Qi Han, considering his presence here quite normal and not worthy of much surprise.
As the girl in the starry fishtail dress stood firm, a soft and gentle voice, enhanced by Spirit power, entered the ears of every guest, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”
“I am Xu Yilian, the chief auctioneer of Starlight Auction House. I am responsible for this large auction. On behalf of Starlight Auction House, I welcome you all.”
“I believe you have all been waiting for a long time. Without further ado, please take a look at our first item!”
After a few pleasantries, Xu Yilian swiftly moved on to the main topic. A maid behind her approached with a tray covered in red cloth, with a slightly protruding object in the middle.
Without further suspense, Xu Yilian lifted the red cloth, revealing a jade box on the tray. As the lid of the jade box was opened, a faint light appeared, revealing a spiritual plant inside.
“A treasure of heaven and earth, the Millennium Pure Jade Dragon Mushroom. This immortal treasure has the effect of stabilizing foundations and purifying marrow, suitable for Spirit masters with excessively fast progress and unstable foundations. It also has miraculous effects for Spirit masters with lower talents. The starting price for the first item is ten thousand Gold Coins, with increments of no less than one thousand Gold Coins.”
This was just the first auction item, yet it was already extremely precious, indicating the scale of the large auction and igniting the enthusiasm of all the guests.
In the end, this item was sold for a price of sixty-two thousand Gold Coins to the second VIP box.
In the second box, a man in a golden robe sat in the center, with three other black-robed individuals beside him, all showing a hint of satisfaction on their faces.
“Not bad. This first item solved my urgent need in the Tang Sect. It’s quite lucky.” Tang Qianqiu’s face showed a hint of satisfaction. In the Tang Sect’s medicinal classics, the position of the Millenium Pure Jade Dragon Mushroom was high, being an essential ingredient for several advanced elixirs. However, it was extremely difficult to find in the natural world, with very harsh living conditions.
Although there were some in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the biggest advantage there was the tenfold growth rate of immortal treasures. While all sorts of immortal treasures were abundant there, it didn’t mean that there were many of each specific kind.
The Pure Jade Dragon Mushroom there had long been plucked clean by Tang Qianqiu. If not for fear of exhausting the resources, even the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well might not have any Pure Jade Dragon Mushrooms left.
Subconsciously glancing at Qi Han sitting among the crowd on the first floor, Tang Qianqiu’s face showed a thoughtful expression.
Was Qi Han here because the forces behind him had some new actions?
Surely he didn’t come just to join in the fun, right?
As each subsequent item was revealed following the successful auction of the first item, the rarity of each item was no less than that of the Pure Jade Dragon Mushroom, sparking waves of bidding frenzy in the venue.
The third VIP box remained silent until a leg spirit bone with a lifespan of twenty thousand years appeared, stirring the enthusiasm of all the bidders. It was then that the third box made its first bid.
“120,000 Gold Coins!”
The starting price for this leg bone was 60,000, but the third VIP box doubled it with their initial bid.
“121,000 Gold Coins!” A slightly younger voice came from the first box, bidding just after the third box.
“130,000 Gold Coins.” The third box raised the bid again by another ten thousand.
“131,000 Gold Coins.” The voice from the first box countered, increasing it by one thousand.
The others suddenly fell silent.
It was evident to everyone that the bidder from the first box intentionally suppressed the third box with the lowest bid twice in a row. This deliberate action was unmistakably targeted.
Few knew who was sitting in the first VIP box of the Starlight Auction House, but everyone knew which family it belonged to.
That box was reserved specifically for members of the royal family of the Star Luo Empire.
This was intriguing. So, who was sitting in the third box that warranted such deliberate targeting by the Star Luo Empire’s royal family?
Could it be… from the Heaven Dou Empire?
In the first box, a young and handsome figure lounged on a soft sofa, one hand around a charming woman, the other playing with a wine glass, a fleeting shade of malevolence flickering in his eyes.
He knew exactly who was in the third box.
The Heaven Dou Empire?
No, the team in the third box belonged to Shrek Academy.
As he watched the dark red liquid in his cup sway, the young man seemed to be transported back to that day six years ago.
“Dai Tonghua, due to the act of hiding multiple high-level Spirit masters within Shrek City and to told them to severely harm your competitors, from here on are now expelled from Shrek Academy, marked as a dropout.”
“How dare you? I am the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire, the future Emperor of the Star Luo Empire. How dare you expel me?”
“Your title holds nothing in here, get out.”
Thinking of the past, the man’s face gradually twisted with malice.
“Cao Rang. Shrek Academy. The shame you gave me in the past. I will slowly repay it.”