Chapter 3659: Reincarnation Origin

There were many items at the auction, but most were things Ning Shu had no use for. What she hoped for most was a world carrier.

“Next up is a reincarnation origin obtained from a reincarnation world. The starting bid is one million faith points,” the auctioneer said in a charming voice.

Ning Shu couldn’t help but click her tongue. One million? That was sky-high. Was this ‘origin’ actually a world origin?

A price of one million faith points was enough to stun the entire audience. Ning Shu’s total tax revenue for a single period was only a bit over a million.

“A reincarnation origin is the primal power obtained from a reincarnation world,” the beautiful auctioneer explained. “As everyone knows, worlds are split between day and night, and planes are divided into yin and yang. Every mirror has two sides. One side belongs to the living, and the other to souls. Living beings cannot survive in a reincarnation world, so a starting price of one million is not expensive at all.”

Many people still hesitated, however. One million faith points was far more than an ordinary person possessed. Finally, someone tested the waters with a bid, adding ten thousand.

“1.01 million! Are there any other bids?” the auctioneer asked. She looked slightly helpless. It seemed this item wouldn’t sell for a premium price.

To those who actually needed it, one million for a reincarnation origin was a bargain. Such a thing was incredibly difficult to obtain.

On the upper floor, Si Tian frowned. The item was too high-end, which paradoxically made it harder to sell. He rubbed his brow in frustration.

Ning Shu recalled the silver-haired man once saying that a truly complete world required living creatures and the cycle of reincarnation. Since a reincarnation origin had appeared, she had to take it.

Ning Shu raised her paddle. “1.02 million.”

The task-taker who had bid previously breathed a sigh of relief. Dropping over a million on a single world origin was a heavy burden. It would have meant emptying their entire life savings.

The beautiful auctioneer beamed and cried out, “1.02 million! Is there any other bid? Once this item is gone, it may never appear again. It is remarkably difficult to extract such a thing from a reincarnation world.”

“Ordinary world origins only cost fifty or sixty thousand merit points, but this is an essential component for constructing a reincarnation world. To miss this opportunity would be a lifelong regret,” the auctioneer added, doing her best to upsell the item.

No matter how good the item was, the price was still agonizingly high. Even if people wanted it, their pockets were empty. Ning Shu remembered once encountering a world tree carrier, only to miss out on it because she was a ‘broke loser’ at the time. The memory still made her want to pound her chest in frustration.

In truth, not many people attempted to construct a reincarnation world. Most focused on creating worlds where living beings could survive, rather than a world for the reincarnation of souls.

The auctioneer said many flattering things, but there were few takers. Even if one was constructing a world, the cost of all the other required world origins combined wouldn’t equal the price of a single reincarnation origin.

Consequently, no matter how much the auctioneer boasted, no one responded—even if she was very pretty.

The auctioneer looked helpless. “1.02 million going once. 1.02 million going twice. 1.03 million…”

“1.1 million,” Si Tian called out. He couldn’t bear to see his own treasure sold for such a low price. If someone else raised the bid, he could earn even more.

Ning Shu: …

Is that even how you do business?

Ning Shu expressionlessly called out, “1.11 million.”

Si Tian looked toward Ning Shu’s position. Because she was wearing the veiled hat, he couldn’t see her face. He narrowed his eyes and shouted, “1.12 million.”

He didn’t dare bid too high for fear of scaring her off.

Ning Shu remained silent.

Mei Ziqing whispered, “Just forget it. It’s just a world origin. It isn’t worth spending this much.”

There was no such thing as ‘worth it’ or ‘not worth it.’ This money came from taxes anyway. Even if she spent it all, she would just be back to square one. It was better to buy what she needed with money than to waste time searching for it. Ning Shu preferred this method.

Searching for world origins had truly broken her heart.

Ning Shu placed her final bid. “1.15 million.”

This was the maximum she was willing to pay. If the price went any higher, she wouldn’t be able to afford it. Si Tian saw this and decided to quit while he was ahead.

“1.15 million going once, twice, three times! Congratulations to this customer. The reincarnation origin is yours.” The auctioneer let out a sigh of relief.

Ning Shu secured the item. As for the rest of the auction, she was now a bit strapped for cash.

In a short amount of time, she had squandered 1.15 million points of faith points. Adding the 500,000 merit points she had used during her recent crisis, she was truly back to square one.

When the auction ended, Ning Shu went to collect her prize. Si Tian was waiting for her and handed over the reincarnation origin. It was a swirling mass of black mist that felt like holding an entire universe in her hands. Ning Shu tucked it away, lifted her veil, and looked at him. “You aren’t very honest in your business dealings.”

Si Tian gave a faint smile. “It is a rare item, after all, and rare items should command high prices. I couldn’t very well lose money on it. I have to make a little profit. A person who truly needs it will be willing to pay the price.”

“It would be quite the show if your plan backfired on you,” Ning Shu said expressionlessly.

“I know what I am doing. I must congratulate the city lord on her narrow escape,” Si Tian said, while cupping his hands in a respectful bow.

Ning Shu nodded. “Thank you. Do you have any other world origins?”

“I do not,” Si Tian said while shaking his head.

“None in stock?” Ning Shu raised an eyebrow. It seemed unlikely that a major auction house wouldn’t have any ordinary five-element world origins.

“City Lord, I truly have none. Ordinary world origins don’t meet the standards for our auctions, yet they are very popular. Many people need them, and since the supply is so limited, very few actually circulate on the market.

“Even I am trying to collect them,” Si Tian added.

Ning Shu felt a bit disappointed. It seemed that even though ordinary world origins were cheaper, the demand for them was massive.

Since she hadn’t found what she wanted, Ning Shu didn’t linger. As for Si Tian’s shill bidding that cost her an extra 130,000 faith points, she knew it would eventually return to her. The money would find its way back into her hands through taxes.

Ning Shu simply hummed. Auctions weren’t held every day. They had to wait until enough high-quality items were collected before they could open their doors again.

Ning Shu focused on the city’s barrier, repairing and thickening the defensive array. While she was still safe from the judge, she intended to fix what she could and then stay hidden for a while.

She had to keep a low profile. Ning Shu turned to Mei Ziqing. “I have to go. I’m a fugitive now. If I get caught, it’s all over.”

“Oh, then get lost,” Mei Ziqing said dismissively. “I’ll take Xiao Huo around for a bit.”

She knew Ning Shu’s current situation was like a ‘street rat.’ She was unable to show her face in the light. She let Ning Shu leave without further comment.

Ning Shu stood on her tiptoes to pat Xiao Huo’s head. “Thank you for your hard work. Keep warming them a while longer.”