Chapter 167 The Divine Auction
The red light from the corner camera flashed by, like a drop of blood in the dim light, fleeting and ephemeral.
Not only the puppet in front of Yan Shi, but all the puppets in the entire room stopped moving almost simultaneously. Their mechanical joints jerked for a moment, then they all turned around, staring intently at Yan Shi with empty faces. Their cold metal shells stood silently, with a faint humming sound emanating from within them, like an energy flow that had not yet been extinguished.
Yan Shi raised an eyebrow: "Is this item enough to break the rules?"
No one answered.
The noisy corridor fell silent instantly, the air seemed to freeze, and the conversation between Archduke Lorenz and Libertas could even be clearly heard not far away. Their words were muffled, yet conveyed a sense of solemnity and repression.
After a long silence, the puppet's voice sounded again, with a hint of mechanical respect: "Madam, your request has been conveyed. The auction house is assessing the value of your item. Please wait."
Yan Shi looked at the stairs beside him.
But this floor is already the top floor, and there is no way to go further up.
The puppet in front of her suddenly made a clear movement of resistance, as if it wanted to stop something, but it seemed to be restricted by the control, its limbs twisting and waving, as if it were bound by an invisible force.
Finally, the puppet bowed and said, "Madam, please come with me."
The floating auction house will no longer be an auction house; it would be great if it switched to becoming a large-scale escape room venue.
Yan Shi followed the puppet through the complex and interconnected corridors of the auction house, his gaze sweeping over the wall lamps inlaid with gold patterns on both sides. The flickering light reflected off tightly closed doors, their surfaces engraved with intricate runes, resembling some ancient sealing technique.
How could anyone remember the route so clearly in such complex terrain?
At least she can't.
She followed the puppet around and around several times, until she could no longer recognize which direction her original auction room was in.
Finally, the puppet stopped in front of an extremely tall door.
"Destination reached," the puppet said, its runes flashing before finally going out. The puppet lay motionless on the ground, its limbs twisted, like a toy that had lost power.
"Huh?"
Yan Shi approached in surprise and squatted down to examine the puppet.
At this moment, the runes on the puppet's body had completely disappeared, and the intricate metal structure became even more clearly visible. Intricate patterns were inlaid on it, and traces of spirit stones could even be seen subtly embedded at the joints.
She reached out and tapped the puppet's metal joints; they felt cold, damp, and somewhat heavy.
"Perfect for being a housework robot." Yan Shi belatedly realized another value of the puppets in the auction house.
The entire auction house, from the carpets to the crystal chandeliers to the heavy curtains, was spotless. Could it all have been cleaned by these puppets?
Perhaps Yan Shi lingered too long observing the puppet at the door, because the door next to him clicked open a crack on its own.
"Enter."
The voice that had been echoing in her mind earlier came through the crack in the door and into the room.
Yan Shi stood up and turned his gaze toward the door.
The door to this room was completely different from the others; it was carved with intricate runes similar to those on the puppets, making it both ornate and mysterious.
It looks to be of excellent quality.
So it's also very heavy.
Yan Shi walked to the door and pushed it open.
The door remained completely still.
Yan Shi: ...
She increased her strength.
The door remained completely still.
That's not very friendly.
Yan Shi stopped, smiled, and the water spirit gathered and condensed at her fingertips, transforming into a sharp water blade that pierced through the crack in the door and went straight in.
The sound of metal shattering and falling came from inside the door.
Yan Shi reached out and pushed the door open again.
This time, there was no resistance whatsoever.
The door brushed against the carpet and slowly opened inward.
Yan Shi stepped inside and the first thing he saw was a pile of gear fragments scattered on the ground at the entrance, with water droplets still clinging to the cracks.
Her gaze swept across the interior of the room.
This is a typical European-style study. A magnificent crystal chandelier hangs from the soaring ceiling, and stained glass windows adorn the walls, allowing moonlight to filter through and cast dappled shadows on the floor.
In the center of the room stood a huge mahogany desk, piled high with various mechanical parts and blueprints. Behind the desk was a high-backed chair carved with images of angels and demons.
In the corner stood a huge mechanical statue.
The statue's face was blurry, like the monotonous puppets outside, but its eyes were lifelike, as if it were alive.
"Yanlan. Hello."
The sound came from the side, and Yan Shi turned his head to look.
A woman was squatting next to the gear fragments by the door, fiddling with them.
Because the doorway was dimly lit, and she was wearing a black robe, Yan Shi didn't even notice her when she entered the room.
The woman stood up, a few strands of red hair falling from her forehead. She casually brushed her hair behind her ear, revealing a mechanical eye that gleamed with blue light.
“My name is Gui Wujiu,” she introduced herself. “I live in the Floating City. I am currently the host of this year’s Floating Auction. I do not have awakened abilities and my perception of spirits is relatively weak. The spirits I am most compatible with are golden spirits, but that’s all I can do.”
As Gui Wujiu spoke, she stretched out one hand, her mechanical eye and her other eye intently staring at her fingertips, seemingly extremely focused. After a moment, a faint light appeared at her fingertips, flashing and disappearing in an instant.
Gui Wujiu sighed.
"And you?" After the demonstration, Gui Wujiu put her hands back into her black robe, the black fabric fluttering slightly with her movements, leaving a few creases.
She looked up at Yan Shi seriously. "I know your name is Yan Lan. You're the younger sister of the current head of the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs. A great water-type spirit master. And what else? Where are you from? What are your abilities?"
Yan Shi: ...?
Things took a turn that Yan Shi could not comprehend.
"To consign items for auction in the floating auction arena, an identity check is also required?" Yan Shi lowered her brows, trying to maintain her usual work-appropriate expression. The soft light reflected cold spots in her pupils.
Gui Wujiu's mechanical eye flashed blue light a few times, as if briefly adjusting its focus. Then she bowed slightly, placed her right hand on her left chest, and made a standard apologetic bow. "I'm sorry. I offended you."
She straightened up, her black robe cascading down, and then said succinctly, "Ms. Yanlan, I will now confirm the auction items with you." With that, she walked to the desk in the center of the room and sat down in a chair.
Yan Shi watched Gui Wujiu's actions without showing any emotion.
She pulled open a drawer behind her desk, took out something that looked like a printer, and swept aside the mechanical parts and blueprints in front of her with her arm, placing the printer in the center.
Under the light, the machine's metal casing gleamed with a cold luster, and a black tray sat atop it.
“This is the scales of value,” Gui Wujiu explained, raising his hand to lightly tap the side of the machine. A pale blue rune instantly lit up, spreading out like ripples on water. “As an ordinary being, I cannot judge the truth of your words. Everything is left to the scales to decide.”
Yan Shi: "Including deities?"
Gui Wujiu: "Including the gods."
What an arrogant tone.
Yan Shi chuckled, took out the spatial rift key containing Claire from the storage space, and placed it on the tray.
To be honest, she was also quite curious about Claire's value.
The small box, acting as a key to the spatial gap, fell into the tray, causing the tray to sink rapidly. The pointer beneath the tray instantly spun, pointing to infinity. It then oscillated incessantly at infinity, as if trying to break through some limit.
After the pointer swung for a few seconds, the printer underneath started working, its internal gears meshing softly, slowly spitting out a sheet of paper.
Yan Shi looked down.
[The item has been inspected. Estimated value: Exceeds the grade and cannot be measured.]
A brief silence fell over the air.
"It seems your scales are incapable of judging the gods," Yan Shi concluded.
She closed the gap in the room again and leaned against the desk, waiting for Gui Wujiu's reaction.
Gui Wujiu stared at the pointer on the value scale, which had now turned back to zero. His mechanical eyes blinked, and blue light reflected on the smooth metal surface.
After a long silence, she said, "The value assessment of the auction items is complete. The Floating Auction House will fully cooperate to ensure the success of this divine auction."
After saying that, she opened another drawer and took out a thin electronic screen.
"Ms. Yanlan, may I ask what the authority of the deity you are photographing is?"
Yan Shi: "History and Records".
She had already seen the contents of the electronic screen; it was a formal invitation.
Gui Wujiu explained while taking notes: "Because the items for auction are too valuable, the participants present tonight are probably unable to offer what you want. The Floating Auction will be upgraded to the Gods Auction and will reopen in two hours, inviting the rulers of all races in the world to participate."
After recording the authority, she paused and asked, "Ms. Yanlan, what is your desired price? Or do you have a specific item in exchange?"
Claire is indeed very valuable.
It's more valuable than expected.
It's so valuable that a new auction would be held for it.
Yan Shi remained silent. She felt the current atmosphere wasn't suitable for revealing that she only wanted money.
She stared blankly at the electronic screen, her brain trying to come up with a name for something.
Because Yan Shi remained silent, Gui Wujiu looked up and stared into her eyes.
These are very beautiful eyes.
Like the endless night above the floating city, it glows with a faint light, deep and pure.
At this moment, perhaps remembering something, those beautiful eyes were slightly vacant.
A deity with clear knowledge of authority is an extremely valuable and rare item. Given the beings' pursuit of power in the inner world, Yanlan could obtain almost anything she desired simply by asking.
In Gui Wujiu's view, all living beings have something they pursue.
Yanlan ultimately just shook her head.
She didn't want anything?
Gui Wujiu lowered his head, drew a slash in the "Intended Exchange Items" column with the tip of his pen, and submitted the invitation.
The system will send invitations to the leaders of all the major forces in the underworld that have cooperated with the Floating City.
“Ms. Yanlan,” Gui Wujiu said, “the Divine Auction will begin in two hours. The Floating Auction will conclude within one hour, after which the auction venue will be rearranged. What are your plans for the next step?”
Yan Shi recalled the dazzling, layered corridors that the puppet had led her through: "Could I have another puppet? I want it to guide me around here."
"puppet?"
Gui Wujiu slowly uttered the title, his voice revealing a subtle sense of confusion.
The next second, she stood up, quickly pushed open the door, and walked out.
On the floor outside the door, the puppet from before still lay collapsed at the entrance as if the power had been cut off.
Gui Wujiu's eyes swept over the pile of metal, and after confirming that it was real, he turned to Yan Shi with a puzzled look: "How do you know this is a puppet?"
Yan Shi: ?
Shouldn't a faceless, humanoid creation with limbs made of fine metal and some indescribable runes be called a puppet?
Or does the other world have some special name?
After glancing at the pile of metal on the ground with a puzzled look, she suddenly realized the crux of the problem.
The eye mask woven from water and moonlight was so soft that she momentarily forgot it was there.
Yan Shi pinched the water spirit that had been wrapped around her hand with his fingertips.
The blindfold was gently lifted by Shui Ling, revealing a glimpse of light like a thin mist.
The pile of metal in front of them was covered up again.
Yan Shi saw a "bloody person".
A person whose entire body was oozing blood from almost every pore. Her shirt and trousers were now soaked in blood, the light-colored shirt stained dark red.
Beneath her, a large area of the carpet was soaked with blood.
The silver-embroidered and gold-inlaid carpet was stained with blood, leaving a dark mark.
Author's Note: Happy New Year!!! Thank you all for your company last year, and thank you to everyone who sent me New Year's greetings!! I hope everyone has a wonderful, peaceful, and joyful new year~
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