Chapter 99: Auction

Page (1/3)
Chapter 99: Auction

“What do you want to bid on?”

As soon as the auction began, Li Hongshen dropped his theatrical manner and his eyes grew serious.

“No, nothing here seems worth outbidding others for. Maybe only the last few batches of slaves. Do you want to buy any?”

“Mm, I’ll judge as we go. You know me—I don’t mind population. I checked the domain records before coming; I can still handle a few more mouths. So I’ll take a look.”

“Fine. This auction is still a little unorthodox, making us show our faces.”

“Anywhere, it’s the same. Showing faces also helps identify people, and it can make some people back off. Besides, just managing to hold an auction in the Endless Wasteland is already impressive.”

“True enough.”

Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen whispered while watching the crowd bid for random items.

“Attention, everyone. This lot of bright silver armor is supplied by the Shang Tribe, hand-forged by master dwarf smiths and inlaid with resilient war-runes. These are rare, standardized defensive armors.
This batch contains one thousand suits. We sell one hundred per lot. Each lot starts at one hundred Blood Crystals, with increments of thirty.”

At this, Li Hongshen pulled a small notebook from his back and began checking it.

“What is it?”

“I heard a familiar tribe name. If I’m not mistaken, this Shang Tribe is connected to a friend of mine—my friend’s tribe is called Shangren. He told me that in their generation, all awakened people have names starting with Shang. His older brother had a single-word tribe name, just Shang, and their people are dwarves. The details match perfectly.”

After saying that, Li Hongshen took out a charcoal pencil and filled in extra details. Li Fuzhen rolled her eyes, said nothing, and then added some information she knew.

After Li Hongshen finished recording, she asked,
“What use are those notes? We may never meet them again, and even if we do, we probably won’t do business with them.”

“I know. But it’s better to note things down first. It costs little ink and little time. You know my goal: I want all industries fully established in my domain. Then, no matter whom I cooperate with, I can connect to him seamlessly. So these notes can still help.”

“Your goal is outrageous. If I didn’t see you working for it, I’d think you were just showing off. Anyway, all right—I’ll help.”

“Ha, thank you, my lady wife. You know me; I never boast. If I say something at night, I mean it, right?”

“Stop teasing—”

“Boom. You really didn’t keep that light and soft, *ahem*.”

Li Fuzhen, flustered and face flushed, gave Li Hongshen a bashful slap on his chest. Caught completely off guard, Li Hongshen felt as if he had taken a blow like an avalanche; it seemed every organ in his body had been hit.

“Thank you all for your participation. The first half is over. You may go to the front desk now to redeem your purchases, or take a rest. We will return in half an hour for the second half.”

……
“Welcome back. Let us continue with the second half of the auction.
This lot is a batch of newly captured slaves, provided by Lord Tianwen, taken from a major indigenous tribe on the Plain of a Million Li. The total is ten thousand, sold in lots of one thousand, with no minimum price. We begin now.”

The room fell into a brief silence, not from lack of interest, but from the shock in the information.

No lord in that hall was a fool. Even if someone was once unsophisticated, time in command would sharpen him. From what Sangba spoke, everyone could tell this was a large tribe subdued by a single lord; otherwise Sangba would have named the organization, not just one lord.
It was both a confirmation of provenance and a warning: the true owner behind this lot was powerful. Trade freely, but do not test the owner’s limits.
The second piece of information was that this batch contains no warriors or casters. They are all ordinary natives, and there is no sex separation, so by auction custom it is first come, first served, first pick.
The third: later lots are likely to include warrior-grade and caster-grade slaves; only the quantity is uncertain.

Page (2/3)

“Two thousand first-grade Blood Crystals. I want this entire batch.”

This time Li Hongshen did not follow his low-profile approach; he raised his bid directly. For others, slaves were not particularly useful.
A female slave could be gifted to warriors in a clan to help breed fresh bloodlines, while a male slave is mostly useful as a laborer, especially for mining.
For other lords too, too many slaves is dangerous. If there are too many, a lord may lose control of them, and they could create turmoil within the domain, threatening the lord’s own safety.
So Li Hongshen’s price was exactly right—perhaps even slightly generous. Yet just as he thought he would take it at once, he heard another bid.

“Two thousand and one Blood Crystals. I want all of them too.”

Li Hongshen, Li Fuzhen, Luo Si, and several other members of the Elite Assembly narrowed their brows and looked toward the direction of the voice.

There was a rather flamboyant young man lounging on the opposite counter with his legs crossed. He wore a sleeveless vest and loose shorts, with a hemp rope sandal hanging off his foot, woven from straw.

His left arm held a cat-girl, his right held a fox-maiden, and a toothpick dangled from his mouth. He looked exceedingly brazen.

“Hey, I’m just giving a normal bid. Why did everyone suddenly stop? Keep going, don’t stop. Why are you all staring at me? I’m scared, honestly. Are you, Elite Assembly folks, planning to eat me?”

Li Hongshen’s brow loosened slightly, but his expression remained severe. From that man’s clothing, manner, and bidding style, it was clear he was baiting on purpose. A normal person would never bid this way.
Yet he was obvious about one thing: he was not targeting Li Hongshen personally. He only came to annoy the Elite Assembly. Li Hongshen was simply the target this time, because Li Hongshen has become the more notorious figure.

End of Chapter.

Page (3/3)