Chapter 218
"Even if we offer money, the other party may not necessarily make a move." After thinking for a while, the headmaster added.
Leader: For some, being brave and doing what is right is something they do based on their mood, after being able to protect themselves. For many, being prudent and protecting themselves is more important.
While the headmaster was teaching his disciples, Bei Qiao had already followed Shopkeeper Yin into the private room of the auction. Shopkeeper Yin said that this was a private room reserved for him, usually not open to the public, but now that he had a distinguished guest, he had made it available for him.
Shopkeeper Yin: Although this guest is not the boss of the previous group of people, judging from his clothes and demeanor, he is probably not an ordinary person. It’s just a private room, it’s worth making time to make friends with him.
To some extent, Silver's guess wasn't wrong. As a player from the Fourth Calamity, anyone who could maintain a resident account and play for so long in another world was no ordinary person. After spending so much time as a social animal in another world, when someone occasionally raised their hand and posted a quest, players would generally grab it in seconds, and then, like hungry wolves, they'd strike out.
Bei Qiao only partially believed what the shopkeeper said. He had seen businessmen like this before. They spoke in a very pleasant way, giving people a very comfortable feeling without lowering their status. They had done nothing, but they could give others the impression that they had made a lot of efforts. They pretended not to care much, but secretly induced others to feel guilty.
Sound familiar? Yes, it's a bit like the high-level supporting characters in those old-school stories about male and female rivalry. However, the businessmen aren't competing for the author's favored protagonist, but for resources and opportunities. Let's not even talk about the lesser-skilled businessmen. Some highly skilled ones can fool others for years without them even noticing anything's wrong. It's all about sweet words, but a sharp tongue.
Bei Qiao: What’s even more amazing is that sometimes when businessmen reveal their true colors, it is the victims who cannot accept the truth.
The waiter prepared a fruit plate and hot tea for Bei Qiao. The temperature and humidity in the private room were very comfortable, and there was an incense burner in the corner. Bei Qiao asked the waiter to extinguish the incense, then propped up his head and looked out the window. The private room was high up, and he could see the platform below and the tables and chairs surrounding it.
Bei Qiao didn't see the brother and sister he had seen before. He adjusted his posture and looked down. The auctioneer had already walked onto the stage, smiling. She was accompanied by a group of girls with sweet smiles and trays in hand.
The first items put up for auction were some exquisite handicrafts. The customers who came for a purpose were not particularly interested in these items and only bought a few that caught their eye.
Perhaps sensing the customer's impatience, the auction house immediately adjusted its strategy and put the items it had collected from Mrs. Hu on display. These items weren't of high quality, but in the eyes of ordinary people, they were already very rare.
The first things to be put on the table were a few spiritual herbs that looked like weeds. However, unlike ordinary grass, these herbs contained spiritual energy. They were simply picked without their roots. If not properly stored, the spiritual energy within would gradually dissipate.
Not all spiritual herbs are suitable for mortal consumption, but poor-quality ones won't burst a person's blood after repeated dilution. Spiritual energy, if used properly, can also nourish the human body, so these spiritual herbs were all snapped up as soon as they were put on the market. The same was true for the subsequent mortal-level spiritual weapons, with those that could be used as weapons fetching sky-high prices.
These people are really rich... Bei Qiao, who had not made any bid from beginning to end, did not even frown: the money spent on any item is enough for ordinary people to achieve financial freedom, but it's a pity that the system store probably won't accept these things.
Real world: accept evolutionary upgrades, but not contagion.
At the end of the sale, the grand finale appeared. The customers, who had originally looked a little weary, sat up straight and stared at the trays covered with red cloth.
The first item served was the Bigu Pill, one of the few elixirs recognized as suitable for ordinary people to consume without any prior treatment, and with minimal side effects. Wealthy individuals sometimes kept a supply of Bigu Pills on hand, ensuring they wouldn't starve to death in the event of an emergency. Bigu Pills also had a life-saving effect. When patients were too ill to eat or drink, they could take Bigu Pills to prolong their lives. While they couldn't cure the illness, they could build up strength to fight it.
While natives can consume these fasting pills freely, players should be mindful of their dosage. Someone once accidentally took nearly ten fasting pills while distracted. Their offline gameplay was like they had anorexia, starving to the point of not feeling the slightest bit of hunger. Had they not gone to the hospital for several nutritional injections, they would have starved themselves to death.
The man in the green robe didn't have much money on his side, so he planned to buy some fasting pills for his sister as a backup. If there was no medicine for the disease, it would be good to delay it for a while; at least it would help to gain some weight.
After all the Bigu Pills were sold out, only one item remained, and it had never been shown to the public. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the tray covered with a golden silk handkerchief was brought up. The handkerchief was lifted, revealing the jade bottle underneath.
"It is made of more than a dozen kinds of precious spiritual herbs. Although it has not been identified, it has been confirmed to be a wood-attributed elixir. It can not only prolong life, but also... starting price..." Various compliments kept coming out of the auctioneer's mouth. In fact, this elixir was indeed not an ordinary item. However, in Mrs. Hu's opinion, this elixir was just something that an apprentice made with scraps and its efficacy was unknown. Not to mention taking it herself, she didn't even want to give it to her own pet. It would be better to recycle it and sell it for something else.
Mrs. Hu: Who's the apprentice? Me! Cultivating immortality is one thing, but is it too much to ask for self-sufficiency as an alchemist or weapon refiner? How can you tell if you have talent without trying?
Despite the auctioneer's exaggerated claims, the public's enthusiasm for the unknown pills wasn't even as high as it had been for the previous fasting pills, and bids were few and far between. If the pills weren't of the wood element, their medicinal properties wouldn't be so strong, and those people wouldn't even bother to bid.
Seeing this, Shopkeeper Yin was not in a hurry, because the money obtained from the previous auction was enough to solve her urgent needs, but this situation did not meet her expectations. If it was not handled properly, it might affect the reputation of Qizhen Pavilion.
This pill hadn't been authenticated, as authentication was expensive. However, Shopkeeper Yin had learned from Madam Hu a method for demonstrating its effectiveness: scrape off a small amount of the powder and soak it in two bowls of water, one cold and one warm. Then, pour the cold water over a pot of withered flowers, and sprinkle the warm water on the soil around another pot of dwarf pine trees.
The spiritual energy had a profound effect on ordinary plants. The withered flowers that had come into contact with the elixir water instantly revived, blooming brilliantly within a minute. The dwarf pine trees on the other side were no exception, growing significantly taller and growing remarkably straight, their entire form transformed.
Seeing this effect, some people immediately shouted out a high price. Shopkeeper Yin smiled and sat back in his seat, without reminding these customers that similar effects had only been experimentally tested and achieved on plants.
The auction ended and all the guests left. Bei Qiao also left with a small bottle of elixir soaked in water given by the shopkeeper Yin. The bottle was about the size of a thumb.
The final price of the pill barely met Shopkeeper Yin's expectations. However, unknown to the customers, Shopkeeper Yin had kept some of the pill for himself to soak in water and quietly gave away a few small bottles before the event ended. Although not everyone got what they wanted, Shopkeeper Yin's maneuvering helped everyone to be quite satisfied. Some even bought some things on the first floor after leaving to express their satisfaction with Qizhen Pavilion.
The little girl snapped up a few spiritual herbs and a small bottle of medicinal elixir to soak in water—a pretty good harvest. When she ran into Bei Qiao, who was also walking out, at the door, the little girl waved happily at her, telling her her last name was Sun and hoping he'd come visit her when he was free.
Facing the cute little girl's invitation, Bei Qiao smiled and said he would go if he had the chance. The little girl understood that this was just an excuse between adults, so she sullenly groaned and buried her face in her brother's neck in grievance.
The green-robed man hadn't been able to buy any elixirs at home, only a few fasting pills. Noticing the unfriendly looks his relatives were giving him, he quickened his pace, intending to feed the elixirs to his younger sister upon returning home to prevent anyone from shamelessly stealing or robbing them. As he passed Bei Qiao, he subconsciously stepped on tiptoe and noticed the little girl peering at him in confusion. He stumbled and nearly tripped over the threshold.
Outside Qizhen Pavilion, several temporary cleaning staff members, brooms in hand, hurried to the side door to clear the way for the incoming customers. The thief, who had been arrested earlier, had refused to cooperate when being dragged away by the police, leaving the entrance in a complete mess. The temporary cleaning staff had been confined to the prison van, forcing the manager to temporarily bring in a few people from other parts of the store to clean the front door.
Because they were not very skilled at their work, the shop assistants barely finished cleaning before the customers left. In order to clean up some disgusting stains, they poured water on the door twice and lit a few incense sticks to cover up the odor.
After throwing the cleaning tools into the side door, several shop assistants who had just finished their work sat down on the steps and began to beat their waists and arms: "I'm really impressed. There were so many cleaners, but not one was left. They were all taken away by the prison van!" The auntie was really amazing. She actually had the courage to replace so many people.
"Tell me, how much money has she made over the years, being so rampant?"
"No matter how much she earns, she has to give it all back this time." This time the matter has become a big deal. Not to mention that she has no backing, even if she did, it would not be of any use this time.
"True...but I still want to know how much she earns."
"You ask me, who should I ask?"
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