Chapter 854 - 113: Auction

Auction.

Lin Chen had seen the introduction about the auction in the jade scroll given by his master.

Even in the Flame Dynasty dominated by Super Sects, auctions were still very popular. Some were supported by Super Sects, while others by local businesses, but the most famous one had to be the Thousand Mechanism Domain.

Due to its uniqueness, Martial Artists in the Thousand Mechanism Domain, besides cultivation, would craft various treasures using the art of the Divine Soul, such as the Flying Ship and some arrays, which were highly popular among other Martial Artists.

As a result, trade in the Thousand Mechanism Domain became the most prosperous, leading to the establishment of some auction houses.

The Thousand Mechanism Sect in the Thousand Mechanism Domain has the top-notch auction house, reportedly open only to Innate Fifth Realm powerhouses, and held only once every ten years.

The auction house in Guangwu City naturally couldn’t compare to the Thousand Mechanism Domain, but throughout the East Sea Islands, it was considered a large and influential auction house.

The auction house in Guangwu City didn’t hold regular auctions. Instead, once a sufficient number of treasures for auction were collected, they would send invitations to the Innate powerhouses from various islands, which included a list of auctioned treasures. Those interested would naturally come.

Many powerful individuals who didn’t receive invitations would also come proactively, and their numbers were significant. This was the reason why the shopkeeper misunderstood Lin Chen’s intention.

The next day, in the afternoon!

Lin Chen and Yin Yue, led by a waiter from the inn, headed to the auction house in Guangwu City.

The auction house was located in the central area of Guangwu City, with Martial Artists guarding the entrance. Lin Chen glanced over and saw that the guards were Upper-Grade Martial Artists, with the leader being First Grade Realm.

However, seeing Lin Chen approaching, the guards immediately became respectful, and the leader quickly stepped forward a few paces.

"Greetings, sir. Are you here to attend the auction?"

Lin Chen replied indifferently, "Yes."

"Do you have an invitation, sir?"

"No."

Upon hearing that Lin Chen did not have an invitation, the man’s expression remained unchanged, as more than half of the attendees at every Guangwu City auction did not have invitations.

"Sir, this is the maid assigned to you by the auction house. She will lead you inside."

The man gestured to the side, and a white-robed woman, who had her head down in the shadow on the left side of the entrance, immediately looked up and walked over upon hearing the man’s voice. Her face was charming and attractive.

"Sir, please follow me."

The woman stepped aside, respectfully gesturing for Lin Chen to proceed, her slightly bent body perfectly showcasing her proud figure to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen nodded and didn’t say much, stepping forward as the woman followed closely beside him, half a step behind.

After entering the auction house, the woman respectfully asked, "Would you like a private box or stay in the main hall, sir?"

"Yes."

With the woman’s guidance, Lin Chen and Yin Yue soon entered a private box, which was extravagantly decorated, adorned with various jewels, and the table was laid with fine wine and gourmet dishes.

"Is this your first time attending an auction, sir?"

Seeing Lin Chen’s gaze surveying the box, the woman in white understood that these two gentlemen were likely attending the auction for the first time.

"Passing by Nine Mountains Island and happened to catch the excitement, so I decided to join in."

Hearing this from Lin Chen, the woman in white had a peculiar expression, feeling relieved yet a bit disappointed.

Although the woman concealed it well, with Lin Chen’s current Divine Soul Perception, he caught her emotional fluctuations clearly.

"Tell me about the rules of the auction, both the obvious and the implied ones...."

Lin Chen spoke casually. The woman in white froze for a moment upon hearing this, then promptly and respectfully replied, "Sir, the auction will begin promptly at 7 p.m. Each increase in bid will be informed by the auctioneer in advance. For all the esteemed guests in the private boxes, bids under one thousand Flame Coins can be made directly, with settlement after the successful auction of the treasure."

These rules of the auction house are special privileges for Innate Martial Artists. Those Below Innate can also participate, but they must pay Flame Coins to the auction house in advance or provide on-the-spot verification of their assets.

A thousand Flame Coins aren’t a trivial amount for Innate Martial Artists, especially for those in the Innate First Realm and Second Realm, but not enough to make them default, especially since this is merely a credit limit, and they still have to pay to take the treasure.

Lin Chen also smirked, realizing that the owner behind the auction house was skilled in business, giving Innate Martial Artists face but incurring no real loss.

"If the treasure you are bidding on exceeds one thousand Flame Coins, you can take out the Flame Coins directly in the box, and a steward will come to verify. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can inform me before the auction, and your bids will not disclose your box location."

"Anonymous bidding?"

Lin Chen was rather surprised. This Guangwu Auction is quite avant-garde, even allowing for anonymous bids.

"Some patrons prefer not to reveal that they’ve acquired certain treasures, so the owner arranged for this," explained the woman in white.

Lin Chen smiled faintly. While this was certainly a reason, anonymous bidding also facilitated the auction house setting up shills. So long as the price wasn’t right, they could anonymously secure the auction without someone getting it at a bargain, or if they noticed someone determined to acquire a particular treasure, they could secretly inflate the price.

"Aside from this... if... if during this auction, you spend three thousand Flame Coins... everything... everything in the box will belong to you."

As she spoke the last words, the voice of the woman in white noticeably weakened, and a blush appeared on her enchanting face. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Chen.

Seeing the shy demeanor of the woman, Lin Chen realized why she had a look of both relief and disappointment when she heard he was just here to join the excitement.

Spending three thousand Flame Coins meant that everything in the private room belonged to him, naturally including the person.

As long as he spent three thousand Flame Coins, this woman of Middle Grade Realm would let him take her at will.

For a young woman of great beauty, who had cultivated to the Middle Grade, to willingly offer herself, either the auction house forced them, or the rewards given to these women by the auction house were substantial.

Forcing them was unnecessary.

In Lin Chen’s view, the owner of this auction house was a shrewd businessman and did not need to resort to coercion.

Even giving just a small fraction, say a few dozen Flame Coins, to these women would be a significant sum for a Middle Grade Martial Artist.

"I understand."

Lin Chen said no more, and Yu Jin saw him close his eyes to rest, not daring to disturb him. Meanwhile, Yin Yue looked at Yu Jin curiously for a few moments, making Yu Jin lower her head even further.

Choosing to be a private room maid was her own decision. This lord brought a little girl with him, likely a junior, and speaking such words in front of the lord’s junior required her to muster great courage.

But it was the auction house’s rule; if she didn’t inform this lord, she would face severe punishment from the owner, which she could not bear.

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became awkward.

"You should leave for now. I will call for you if I need anything."

Lin Chen’s words made Yu Jin breathe a sigh of relief, and she respectfully bowed and exited the private room.

"Did I disturb you?"

After Yu Jin left, Yin Yue spoke softly.

"I already have a fiancée."

"I know, she was your senior sister at the Martial Hall, but you men don’t only have one woman. Many powerhouses have multiple wives and concubines."

Regarding this, Yin Yue seemed even more open-minded than Lin Chen: "I can tell for sure this woman is still a virgin. Her Divine Soul is quite pure."

"You can even tell that?"

Lin Chen was surprised as he looked at Yin Yue. He wasn’t shocked by Yin Yue’s attitude towards such matters; the worldview of the Flame Dynasty was like that, and it was normal for Yin Yue to accept it. He was surprised that Yin Yue could determine someone’s chastity through Divine Soul.

"I have my methods, just like when I first saw you, I sensed your Divine Soul was different."

Yin Yue explained, and Lin Chen nodded to show he understood, asking no further. It should be an innate skill of the Moon Soul Race.

Half a two-hour later, Yu Jin came in once again.

"Sir, the auction is about to begin."

Yu Jin walked to the front and slowly removed the screen, revealing a large piece of glass. Through the glass, Lin Chen could clearly see the auction stage below.

"Sir, this glass was crafted by a master from the Thousand Mechanism Domain and can block Divine Thought exploration. You can see outside through this glass, but those outside cannot see in. Moreover, the entire private room blocks Divine Thought detection; even the Divine Thought of Innate Powerhouses will be blocked outside."

"Even the Divine Thought of a Sixth Realm powerhouse can be blocked?"

Upon hearing this question from Lin Chen, Yu Jin quickly shook her head: "You must be joking, sir. Naturally, it cannot, but powerhouses of that level wouldn’t attend this auction. Throughout the numerous events held by the auction house, most attendees have belonged to the Innate First Realm or Second Realm, with very few from the Innate Third Realm."

Lin Chen nodded slightly. He had looked through the auction items catalog, and the items were quite appealing mainly to those at the Innate First Realm and Second Realm.

...

Behind the auction house.

A young man leisurely sat in a master’s chair, with maidservants massaging his shoulders on either side.

"Brother Xu, you should know this breaks the rules of my auction house."

Standing opposite the young man, a man dressed in gray heard these words, his expression changing slightly. He pursed his lips and said: "Let it be considered as me repaying a past favor."

"Are you sure?"

Lu Feng stood up, and the two maidservants behind him sensibly excused themselves.

In years past, when he wasn’t yet Innate, he encountered danger, and it was Xu Siyuan who saved his life. For that, he owed Xu Siyuan a promise.

"Yes."

"Just wait."

Lu Feng called for the steward and instructed: "Inform the auctioneer to cancel the auction of Quenching Crystal Sand."