Chapter 40. The Two Realms of Yan Yan (10): Auction...
Thirty minutes later, Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi lined up and entered the tent where the Changyue Mercenary Group was located.
The tent was very simple, but it occupied a huge area and looked like it could hold more than 300 people. Inside, besides the neatly arranged chairs, there was a table covered with black velvet cloth at the very back.
Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi sat in the second row. She held a small round auction paddle as a fan, fanning herself as she observed the auction. When she saw something interesting, she would cover her mouth with the paddle and tilt her head to talk to Xiao Weizhi.
Xiao Weizhi held Hongwei in his arms, listening with a smile to Lin Xiaoxiao's curiosity, and gently answering her strange questions.
The fact that the two were so engrossed in their conversation that it made many people furious.
Just then, a figure quickly sat down next to Xiao Weizhi.
Shen Bi'an leaned halfway out, and with a smile, he greeted Lin Xiaoxiao over Xiao Weizhi beside him: "Hi, Miss Lin, long time no see."
Lin Xiaoxiao smiled and waved the sign in her hand: "Hello, Mr. Shen!"
Xiao Weizhi reached out and pushed Shen Bi'an, who was leaning too close, and gestured with her eyes that Shen Bi'an was too close. Her voice was filled with displeasure at being disturbed: "Don't you have to work today?"
Shen Bi'an stepped back and leaned against the back of his chair, flicking his bangs that were covering his forehead with his finger: "I just got back. I heard there was an auction at the free trade market, so I rushed over without stopping."
Xiao Weizhi glanced at Shen Bi'an, then subconsciously leaned towards Lin Xiaoxiao: "So you didn't change your clothes?"
Shen Bi'an looked both amused and exasperated: "Wei Zhi, I didn't fight much today, so I'm not that dirty."
Xiao Weizhi glanced at Shen Bi'an, moved closer to Lin Xiaoxiao, then looked past Shen Bi'an and around, finding that everyone there was an old acquaintance.
Wang Xudong, Liu Tianyi, An Nanzhi... Chen Zhuoran, Liu Duoxin... It's confirmed, they're all a group of people celebrating the holiday.
Liu Tianyi, An Nanzhi... their group were all S-class team members. Their biggest grudge was that Longya surpassed them in total damage data ranking and took the promise from Commander Mu Dongye.
A middle-aged man in a sequined suit stood behind the table, holding a gleaming microphone. His voice was extremely loud and his tone was very enthusiastic: "Welcome all professionals to our auction hosted by Changyue. The items for auction today come from a relic in a secret realm..."
The auctioneer eloquently explained the origin, quality, and grade of the items for auction, and subtly promoted his own mercenary group before officially starting the auction process.
The host clapped his hands, and three burly professionals escorted a wooden crate about half the size of a person over, placed it on the side of the table, and then silently stood behind the host, their hands folded in front of their chests, silently protecting the safety of the auction items.
The first item up for auction was a bronze-grade longsword, which, amidst the enthusiastic shouts of the auctioneer, was won by a young sex worker for 680 points.
Then came the second bronze-level auxiliary item, the third...
As time went by, the item had advanced from bronze to silver. Lin Xiaoxiao, with a happy heart and a desire to watch the excitement, never raised her sign once.
Xiao Weizhi turned to the side and asked in a low voice, "Nothing you like?"
Lin Xiaoxiao calmly shook her head: "No."
She doesn't need these items, and none of them are suitable for her teammates, nor are they very stylish. What's the point of buying them?
Xiao Weizhi nodded.
Soon, all eighty-odd silver-level items and materials were auctioned off, and next up were the gold-level equipment.
The host announced loudly: "Next up is a gold-grade protective item, shaped like a shield. After testing, it can effectively block three hits of diamond-level or higher damage... Starting bid: 1000 points, minimum increment 50 points."
A fist-sized object, shaped like a small shield made of gold, gleamed under the light, emitting tiny sparkles.
"1100 points".
"I'll offer 1200 points."
1600 points.
...
The sound of bidding rose and fell inside the tent, much more enthusiastic than the previous auctions of bronze and silver level items.
A few minutes later, the score was shouted up to 4200 points, and then not many people continued to shout higher. It looked like the item was about to be traded.
At this moment, Xiao Weizhi held up a sign: "5000 points".
Immediately afterwards, the woman who was auctioning the item raised her paddle and increased the bid: "5500 points."
Xiao Weizhi raised her sign again: "6000!"
After several rounds, the total points had reached over 9,000, far exceeding the value of a piece of gold equipment. Just when everyone was about to give up...
Wang Xudong's arrogant voice rang out: "10,000 points, Xiao Weizhi, if you don't have money, don't try to play the auction game like others."
Xiao Weizhi ignored Wang Xudong and simply raised his sign again: "11,000 points."
Wang Xudong also raised his sign: "15,000 points".
It wasn't until the price of the item reached 56,000 points that Wang Xudong was stopped by the people around him from raising the price any further.
The host said excitedly, "56,000 points for the first time, 56,000 points for the second time, 56,000 points for the third time, 'Bang!' This gold-level protective item belongs to this gentleman. Congratulations!"
The auction gavel fell, confirming the ownership of this gold-grade protective item, which had a premium of over 40,000 points.
Soon, a staff member came over with a card reader, deducted 56,000 points from Xiao Weizhi's card, and then handed the [Golden Shield] to Xiao Weizhi.
Xiao Weizhi immediately handed the golden shield to Lin Xiaoxiao and told her to keep it safe.
The biggest difference between this kind of temporary auction and a regular auction is that once an item is won, someone will come with a cash register to collect the payment shortly afterward, thus preventing customers from backing out of their orders.
Two or three more protective items were later released, and whenever Xiao Weizhi raised his paddle, the price would be driven up to an extremely high amount.
Wang Xudong, who was causing trouble, was very pleased with himself, feeling that Xiao Weizhi seemed to be afraid of him.
Soon, all the gold-grade equipment and materials were auctioned off, and it was diamond-grade turn next.
There aren't many diamond-grade resources, only about ten. The first one is a 2-ton-long giant sword, its blade covered in years of rust. But this isn't a flaw; rather, it adds a sense of historical weight to the sword.
As the auctioneer began his enthusiastic speech, the atmosphere became extremely lively, with paddles being raised one after another.
When Wang Xudong raised his paddle, Xiao Weizhi followed suit, raising his paddle each time slightly higher than Wang Xudong's, replicating Wang Xudong's previous annoyance.
Lin Xiaoxiao patted Xiao Weizhi's arm, tilted her head and leaned over, smiling as she whispered, "Aren't you afraid of messing things up and ending up paying a high price to buy it when they don't want it?"
Xiao Weizhi raised his paddle again, bidding 130,000 points. Then he leaned his head over, his hand naturally resting on her shoulder, and replied in a low, gentle voice, "Then let's bid. Huihui and the others can use it too."
Moreover, given Xiao Weizhi's understanding of Wang Xudong, the possibility of things going wrong is extremely low.
Lin Xiaoxiao patted his outstretched hand with the auction paddle in her hand and said helplessly, "Your hand is heavy."
Xiao Weizhi didn't pull his hand back, but instead loosened his grip and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. He then changed the subject: "With so many things, isn't there anything you like?"
He then turned and raised his paddle, offering a price in a deep voice: "150,000 points."
Lin Xiaoxiao gently shook her head: "No."
The main problem was that the treasure-hunting mouse in her pocket didn't react at all to the items being auctioned, and most of these items were business attire, which she couldn't use.
Xiao Weizhi nodded: "If you like something, just raise your sign. Don't worry about not having enough points, I'm here for you."
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded, then watched as Xiao Weizhi raised the price again.
In the end, Wang Xudong spent 210,000 points to bid for the diamond-grade giant sword at a price ten times higher than the market price.
Xiao Weizhi showed great interest in the next nine items, raising the bid several times, but always at the crucial moment, he was no match for the wealthy captains.
It was obvious to everyone that Xiao Weizhi was causing trouble, but according to the rules, his act of raising the price was reasonable, and giving up the bidding was also his choice.
So even if they hated it to the core, they had no choice but to endure it.
The last piece, the [Seven-Colored - Five-Light Grade Breastplate], was auctioned off for a staggering price of over 8 million points and was acquired by Ling Tianxiao, the captain of the S-Rank Cangling Squad.
Immediately afterwards, the host's expression became very serious. He waved his hand, and a box about half a person's height was opened, and a very ordinary stone was placed on the table.
"We found this stone in the very center of the ruins. It was placed on an extremely exquisite shelf. After bringing it back, we examined it several times, but we still couldn't figure out what it was..."
"But a stone that can withstand the test of a master-level tester, without even revealing its attribute entries, is definitely not an ordinary item. Starting bid: 100 points. Interested parties please bid carefully."
No one present was a fool. Even if the host raved about it, the items that weren't detected were either worthless or priceless, making it a gamble.
Lin Xiaoxiao tried her best to maintain a composed expression, pretending to be uninterested.
Since coming out of that stone, the treasure-hunting rat has been sending a telepathic message into her head: "That's it, that's it, find a way to get it back..." (or something like that).
The treasure-hunting mouse, fearing that Lin Xiaoxiao might not hear it clearly, frantically rummaged through the fabric in her pocket, using this action to remind her to find a way to get the stone back.
Soon, people started holding up signs:
500 points.
"1,000 points."
3,000 points.
...
The price went up very quickly, reaching over 20,000 points in the blink of an eye.
Lin Xiaoxiao gave Xiao Weizhi a wink, signaling him to cooperate and not let others know that she really wanted that 'ordinary' stone.
Xiao Weizhi saw through Lin Xiaoxiao's thoughts, grabbed her hand, and raised the sign in his left hand: "30,000 points."
Lin Xiaoxiao's tone was somewhat conflicted: "I haven't decided whether to film it or not, and I don't know if this thing is good or bad."
Xiao Weizhi didn't lower her voice, and replied with a smile, "If you like it, take the picture. Don't overthink it. I have the points."
Lin Xiaoxiao struggled to pull her hand back and glared at him: "I have points myself."
Xiao Weizhi continued, smiling gently, "Yes, our Xiaoxiao is a little rich girl, she doesn't lack points."
Upon hearing this, those who knew Xiao Weizhi, including Shen Bi'an sitting to the side, couldn't help but shudder.
Is the person who can say such disgusting and cloying things really the Xiao Weizhi they know?
Seeing this, many people gave up the idea of bidding against Lin Xiaoxiao. After all, Xiao Wei's previous price gouging was still fresh in their minds, and dealing with such a crazy person who didn't care about money was obviously not a good idea.
Lin Xiaoxiao held up the sign again: "50,000 points".
There was silence for more than a minute. The auctioneer's gavel fell heavily for the first time, then for the second, and just before it was about to fall for the third time.
A loud female voice announced the bid: "55,000 points."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Liu Duoxin, who was sitting in the back row, who had quoted the price. She had her arms crossed, her face held high, looking down on everyone.
Many people immediately gave up on bidding for the stone, since it was something that couldn't be tested and the gamble was too great. Instead, they focused on watching the show.
After all, anyone with good connections has heard about the mess between Longya and Xu Ri. The clash between the new and the old love at the auction is quite exciting to think about.
Lin Xiaoxiao turned away from Liu Duoxin and leisurely raised the racket in her hand: "60,000 points."
Liu Duoxin then held up her hand and said, "70,000 points."
Lin Xiaoxiao continued to raise her sign: "80,000 points."
"90,000 points", "100,000 points", "110,000 points", "120,000 points"... The two women seemed to be competing with each other, adding 10,000 points with each move.
Soon, the points reached 390,000. Just as Liu Duoxin was about to raise her paddle again, Chen Zhuoran reached out and pressed her hand down, whispering, "Xinxin, we only have 450,000 points right now. Are you sure you want to use them all to auction this 'unknown' stone?"
Liu Duoxin flung Chen Zhuoran's hand away, ignoring his composed face, and held up a sign: "400,000 points."
Lin Xiaoxiao also raised her sign again: "410,000 points."
Liu Duoxin then raised her sign again: "420,000 points."
Lin Xiaoxiao calmly responded: "430,000 points."
Liu Duoxin gritted her teeth and insisted: "440,000 points."
When Lin Xiaoxiao raised her paddle again to show 450,000 points, Liu Duoxin did not continue to raise it.
Lin Xiaoxiao was a little surprised. She was worried that the more than 6 million points in her card would not be enough to buy the stone, and that she might need Xiao Weizhi to help pay for it. She did not expect that Liu Duoxin would give up after only 450,000 points.
Chen Zhuoran breathed a sigh of relief; at least everyone in the team had saved their points.
These 450,000 points are not actually Chen Zhuoran's private property, but rather the combined total of the entire Rising Sun team. They are simply kept in Chen Zhuoran's possession as the team captain.
Chen Zhuoran is not yet as experienced as he will be later. His eyes, which could barely conceal his emotions, made the seasoned veterans present able to guess his shallow thoughts at a glance.
Everyone looked at Liu Duoxin with an indescribable sense of regret, as if to say: This is the person you chose over Xiao Wei? She doesn't even have the ability to let you bid on her.
Liu Duoxin saw the meaning in these people's eyes, her cheeks turned red with anger, she clenched her back teeth tightly, and her fingers squeezed uncontrollably, breaking the wooden stick of the auction paddle.
"450,000 points for the third time, so this mysterious stone belongs to this young lady."
As the auctioneer's voice faded, the stone was awarded to Lin Xiaoxiao.
When the staff came over with the cash register, many people were surprised to see Lin Xiaoxiao take out her points card.
Although everyone knew that Lin Xiaoxiao's profession was a merchant in the life skills category, her A-level talent—a huge space, a beast pet with extraordinary combat power, and the ability to easily produce hundreds of thousands of points—made everyone reassess her value.
Lin Xiaoxiao, who had obtained the stone, didn't have time to think about anything else, because the treasure-hunting rat finally quieted down and stopped roaring in her mind.
Her tense back relaxed instantly, and she leaned back, pressing directly against Xiao Weizhi's forearm that was half-holding her.
Xiao Weizhi reached out and put his arm around her waist, his thin lips close to her ear, and whispered, "Are you happy now?"
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded without hesitation: "I'm happy."
The treasure-hunting mouse quieted down, stopped jumping around, and even got a mysterious stone. How could it not be happy?
The auction ended at 11:30 p.m.
Those present exchanged only a few pleasantries before leaving and returning to their respective camps.
After returning to the camp where Dragon Fang was located.
While Xiao Wei was washing up, Lin Xiaoxiao took out the mysterious stone that she had acquired earlier that day, which had made the treasure-hunting rat jump around in a panic. She had spent 450,000 points to acquire it.
Extend your hand and place your palm on the surface of the stone.
A few minutes later, no attribute information was displayed, a strange situation that puzzled Lin Xiaoxiao.
Even ordinary stones should have some attribute information.
Xiao Weizhi walked out, drying her hair, and gently reminded her, "Stop researching, go wash up and go to bed first, we can research it again tomorrow."
In the dead of night, a faint, pale yellow light flashed by as Xiao Weizhi, Lin Xiaoxiao, and Hongwei fell into a deep sleep inside the tent.
The treasure-hunting mouse jumped off the small basket, climbed onto the cat's bed, bent down towards the black cat resting with its eyes closed, and opened its mouth in a clear boy's voice: "Boss, is the stone that Master brought back today what you wanted?"
The black cat slowly raised its eyes, silently landed on the ground, circled the 'mysterious stone' in the corner twice, and then pressed its forehead against the stone's surface.
A moment later, a bluish-green light appeared on the stone, and soon the light was completely absorbed by the black cat into its body.
The stone returned to normal and jumped back into its cat bed. Before closing its eyes, it glanced at the treasure-hunting mouse, which was standing obediently in place without moving: "Two more things are missing."
Clearly, there was a secret deal between the treasure-hunting mouse and the black cat.
Black Hair's voice is an extremely warm and mellow adult male bass, the kind that would be a favorite among voice enthusiasts.
If Lin Xiaoxiao heard this, she would probably be shocked. It turns out that the black cat wasn't mute; it could talk.
The treasure-hunting mouse nodded obediently: "Okay, boss."
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