Chapter 609: Reunion with an Old Friend (3.5k)
“Does Lord Yamahia Kamishiro mean… that Young Lady Ayako Suzuki from the Suzuki family is related to this Divine Blood Potion?”
The man in the black and white kimono paused for a moment, looking at Yamahia Kamishiro in disbelief. The Young Lady of the Suzuki family had a talent that was enough to make the entire family hide her away.
It was said that her strength was that of the Golden Generation, but it seemed that she had suffered some setback a while ago and had completely disappeared.
“Yes, it can even be said that the Divine Blood Potion was inspired by her. The bloodline of normal humans only contains genes from monsters.”
Yamahia Kamishiro said with a light laugh, his eyes filled with fanaticism, giving people the illusion of a madman. “But that Ayako Suzuki is different. The blood of a great god truly flows through her. After all, their family once possessed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi for a time!”
“Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi? Legend says it’s the tailbone of that Yamata no Orochi? But this is just a legend. In modern science, isn’t the Yamata no Orochi considered a snake monster with a bloodline mutation?”
The man in the black and white kimono was slightly stunned. He preferred to believe in modern science when it came to such superstitious things.
Yamahia Kamishiro glanced at the other person with a smile, his smile seeming to look at an ignorant person. He added, “The Yamata no Orochi is real. It is not an ordinary monster, and the blood of gods flows through it…”
“There are incomplete records of it attacking humans wantonly in the past, not out of inherent cruelty. The reason is also explained on the walls of the Tengu clan’s monsters—submission to the Others.”
Knowing that the other party did not believe him, Yamahia Kamishiro chuckled lightly, his gaze then fell back to the crystal platform. He clenched his fist tightly and muttered to himself:
“I came to the auction house under the guise of buying a breakthrough potion, precisely for the ancient book left behind by the Tengu clan, which records the resting place of a certain [God].”
While the two were discussing the so-called “Divine Blood,” several pavilions not far from them were quietly conversing amongst themselves.
If one could overhear their conversations, they would find a common point: they were all discussing this map related to monsters, and this item seemed to be the most important part of this auction.
“Thank you for waiting, everyone. The auction is about to begin, and I, your humble servant, will bravely auction the items for you.”
After Su Jiu had searched for information for nearly half an hour, a clear common English voice slowly echoed through the venue.
Hearing the clear female voice, Su Jiu put away his phone and sat up slightly. In a moment, the surrounding noises subsided considerably, as everyone was waiting for the auction to begin.
“This human auctioneer is not simple. Not only does she have Battle King level strength, but she also seems to know some charm skills… I’m afraid many suckers will appear.”
On the other side, Lin’s light purple eyes showed admiration, and she teased.
Listening to Lin’s words, Su Jiu looked up at the brilliant crystal stage. At this time, on it, a long-haired woman, resembling an auctioneer, stood elegantly in a half-cheongsam style light red Hanfu.
“Please everyone quiet down. I hope those with malicious intentions to snatch things will also calm down. The carnivorous monsters below this metal platform will not be kind to corpses.”
The woman raised one hand to gesture downwards. She had a beautiful and delicate appearance, not much different from people of the Dragon Country, but her attire indicated that this venue was led by Chairman Jin Zicheng, and his rules must be followed.
“I wonder if there will be anything I want. What ‘E Huo’ needs is too cheap, and I still have some leftover money, plus I haven’t exchanged those nearly one million merit points…”
Looking at the giant venue, which was almost bursting with people, Su Jiu muttered softly. He glanced at Lin, who was equally expectant, and a smile curved his lips. He hoped for something she needed to appear…
“…That’s all for the rules. I hope everyone abides by them. The auction is about to begin.”
Following the woman in the cheongsam attire’s explanation of some rules, the venue became lively again. The clamor gradually subsided, and countless eyes turned expectantly towards the crystal auction stage.
Under everyone’s gaze, the giant crystal stage suddenly erupted with a dazzling strong light. After a long while, as the strong light gradually faded, a rusty shield appeared on the auction stage in front of the female auctioneer on the crystal stage.
Under the illumination of the lights, the bloodstains on the shield’s surface were mixed with the rust. From a distance, observing the alchemical patterns flowing on the shield, it could be seen that this was an item that at least an Alchemy Master could craft.
“The Unedged Heavy Shield, once an alchemical creation of an Intermediate Battle King. Even if it has fallen to a Low-Rank Battle King, the array shield it releases can withstand the full power of an Intermediate Battle King’s attack. You certainly won’t need it for combat.”
“But it can be useful for defending against sneak attacks or for the younger generation of your family. After all, there is only one life. With this shield, you can have more security, can’t you?”
The female auctioneer reached out and tapped the rusty shield. The shield trembled, and a bloody glow rose, forming a faint array shield around it. She turned her head to look at the auction hall and chuckled:
“Starting bid is three Intermediate Magic Crystals. Intermediate Magic Crystals can be exchanged at the current exchange rate of 1:5.”
“It feels useless. With my own energy shield, I can withstand the attacks of a High-Rank Battle King.”
After glancing at the shield, Su Jiu lost interest. She secretly glanced at Lin, who also looked bored. Clearly, such appetizers were dispensable for the two of them.
However, facing this outrageous exchange rate, Su Jiu couldn’t help but curse—profiteering! Normally, an auction house would earn a lot of handling fees at a rate of around 1:6, but here they were taking 1:5.
It was known that the normal price of an Intermediate Magic Crystal had already reached five hundred thousand Long Guo Currency.
Although Su Jiu and the others had no interest, the people below started shouting. After all, items for survival at the Battle King level were rare.
Such alchemical items, which those who could afford them wouldn’t use and those who couldn’t afford them desperately desired, were quickly bought by someone for the high price of fifteen Intermediate Magic Crystals in less than ten minutes.
It was slightly higher than the actual price of the shield, as it was a battle-damaged version. To have such a price was indeed very profitable for the auction house.
After this successful auction, the female auctioneer exerted little effort. Relying on the excellent auction items, she managed to sell it at a good price just by a slight push of mental power when the crowd was heated up.
It could even be said that many people on the second floor also bought some relatively rare items. The level of the items had reached High-Rank Battle King. Many individual practitioners who were not major forces could only watch from the sidelines.
Su Jiu was somewhat disappointed that Lin did not incur more debt. However, those were just appetizers, so it was not surprising.
“What is about to be auctioned next is not an item, but a auspicious beast captured by our joint association. ‘Yo yo deer cry, eats wild wormwood’… What is about to be auctioned is a white deer in its prime.”
The auction quickly reached its mid-to-late stage in this atmosphere of order amidst chaos. The female auctioneer’s deliberately elevated voice for the auction items caused a moment of silence from the audience.
“Bang…”
A cage covered with a red cloth was brought down from the crystal stage. The female auctioneer, with a smile, picked up a silver pole and gently lifted the red cloth. The white deer half-lying in the cage clearly appeared before everyone’s eyes. White clouds seemed to linger around it, its appearance majestic, but there was a hint of sadness in its eyes.
However, the cage seemed to be separated by a layer of transparent energy, completely blocking the aura within. The mental powers of the crowd could not probe any further…
“Lord Liu Yue… why was he captured?”
Looking at the white deer in the cage, Su Jiu’s pupils slightly narrowed. He suddenly stood up again, his expression becoming somewhat unpleasant. His fists slowly clenched.
“It’s good to have anger, a lot of anger…”
Xiao Yezi turned to look at Su Jiu, and her eyes showed a rare look of extreme fear.
Lin also naturally noticed something was wrong with Su Jiu, but she wouldn’t panic like Xiao Yezi. Instead, she grabbed Su Jiu’s wrist and whispered, “This is Chairman Jin Zicheng’s territory. He is much stronger than me in my prime. Don’t act impulsively…”
Upon hearing this, Su Jiu slowly loosened his fists, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow. He merely sighed softly, “Times change. Seeing an old friend again, yet they are no longer the same.”
“I’m going to the restroom for a while.”
Putting on his mask, Su Jiu looked indifferently at the crowd below and walked towards the place where they were on the second floor.
…
“This deer has reached High-Rank Battle King level and has been constantly seeking an opportunity to break through to War God level. Our association is also willing to find a suitable partner for it. If anyone lacks a contracted pet or needs an auspicious beast to suppress luck, you can bid for it.”
The female auctioneer lightly tapped the cage with the silver pole and then smiled up towards the area above, saying softly:
“Starting bid is twenty Intermediate Magic Crystals. Each bid must not be less than five Intermediate Magic Crystals. The maximum bid is two hundred Intermediate Magic Crystals.”
She deliberately concealed the fact that Lord Liu Yue’s life was nearing its end, constantly emphasizing its auspiciousness. This was a very clever way to divert attention, and a common tactic used by merchants.
“A old deer whose life is nearing its end can still be sold for this price. It’s truly Black! You can look at the deer’s eyes; it’s clearly very old…”
Just as people were contemplating, a neutral voice suddenly sounded from somewhere, sounding quite indignant. This voice also made the auctioneers truly start to examine it.
“Who!?” The woman on the stage was speechless for a moment. She wanted to have guards investigate, but all she could see was a sea of black heads in the vast crowd.
“It really is. I see this deer has very low vitality. The deer’s antlers and eyes are dull, looking a bit too old…”
“Exchanging a pile of Intermediate Magic Crystals for an unimpressive High-Rank Magic Crystal, huh? These associations really know how to do business.”
“I heard this is being jointly auctioned by several associations. If it fails to sell, it will be embarrassing…”
As soon as the neutral voice fell, a commotion erupted in the auction hall. Countless eyes turned curiously towards the white deer in the cage, but no one dared to bid directly. After all, one Intermediate Magic Crystal was equivalent to a Battle King level monster.
However, exchanging so many Intermediate Magic Crystals for an old deer was something that no one, except the extremely wealthy, would be foolish enough to do. They could also guess the purpose of the cage isolating the aura.
Many people on the second floor had come for the final items and naturally would not spend so much money on a flower vase beast pet.
“This divine majestic immortal deer only has sixty seconds left. If no one bids, you will miss the opportunity to contract with the immortal deer.”
The discussions in the audience reached the female auctioneer’s ears, causing her expression to turn somewhat unpleasant. Charm spells were useless against those who could afford it, but if the item failed to sell, she would definitely have her performance evaluated negatively.
If she could catch the troublemaker, she would definitely report them to the association and have them blacklisted forever!
“Since no one is interested, my Kamishiro family will take it for a bargain. Twenty Intermediate Magic Crystals!”
Just as everyone was murmuring, Yamahia Kamishiro saw this situation and smiled dismissively, raising his bid card in a rather high-profile manner and announcing loudly. His mission was to search for such rare monsters, and how long they could live was not important.
As soon as the name of the Kamishiro family was mentioned, there was an uproar in the audience. After all, most people had heard of the strength of this cherry blossom eight great families. Those who were still thinking of picking up a bargain immediately withdrew their intentions.
“Are there any higher bids?”
Yamahia Kamishiro’s voice made the female auctioneer’s spirits rise. She quickly asked with a smile. This price was far from the expected price. If no one had interfered, it would definitely not be worth this price.
“Then…”
Silence lingered in the auction hall for about half a minute. The auctioneer could only shake her head helplessly. Just as she was about to strike her small hammer, a female voice suddenly sounded from the second floor.
“Thirty Intermediate Magic Crystals.”
