The woman heard about Austin's intent to attend the auction, so she flashed a professional smile.
"Well, you're in luck. There is an auction today. And as far as I know, there is a sword skill book among
the items we are selling.
Please pay 3000 vital energy crystals as cash pledge, 1000 vital energy crystals for the consulting fee,
2000 vital energy crystals as the appraisal fee, and 500 as the seat-assignment fee. That's 6500 in
total. After you have paid the fees, I'll guide you in," prattled the woman.
"What? 6500?"
Austin blurted out in shock.
"Cash pledge, which I think is very reasonable. Consulting fee, I can reluctantly accept. But the
appraisal fee? I did not take anything here to put up for sale. What should I pay the appraisal fee for?
And seat-assignment fee? Do guests have to pay for their own seats when they come here? Am I in a
theater or what?"
Austin felt outraged by this swindle.
"Pshaw!"
The smile on the woman's face froze on her lips. She then snorted and explained impatiently," Mister,
you should know that any item that's displayed in the auction has been specially appraised, and it is
absolutely impossible to pass away fakes as genuine.
The auction house promises every cultivator that they will never be deceived in buying a fake here.
This is why all participants, be they sellers or bidders, as long as they attend the auction, have to pay a
share of the appraisal fee. And if you are reluctant to pay the high sum of money, you can try your luck
on the street. Many people set up stalls there, and I think you may find what you want, or perhaps you
will not.
What's more, as you see, the magnificent architecture of the Ganges Auction House. It is the most
comfortable environment for every cultivator who participates in the auction. But we have to pay
maintenance fees for these buildings, don't we? Therefore, the seat-assignment fee..."
Austin thought about it, and knew that it was useless to argue with this woman. Besides, these fees
were not only for him, but everyone who attended the auction. All he could do was obediently take out
the vital energy crystals in the corresponding sum, and hand it over to the woman.
"Very good. I'll lead you in right now." After receiving Austin's vital energy crystals, the woman smiled
again and gestured for him to wait.
After taking care of all the paperwork, Austin stepped into the auction house led in by a waitress. Like
the woman had said, there was already an auction in progress.
Once inside, the bright surroundings dimmed into a dark place with few lights being lit. Austin furrowed
his brows to concentrate on the Intermittent noises that he could hear from the stage.
The auction hall was so large that it could have easily hosted hundreds of cultivators. The enormous
sparkling chandeliers hung like clusters of stars from the roof of the ancient hall giving a beautiful
woman in pink a surreal glow. She was relaying the details of an auction item in her delicate, coquettish
voice.
With the woman's extraordinary eloquence, pretty face and crisp voice, the price of the item, which was
not even rare, was rising at a feverish rate.
Austin did not want to attract attention. He deliberately checked for a secluded seat to sit down all the
while scanning the beautiful woman.
The woman was indeed gorgeous and could make any man swoon, no wonder she sent the crowd into
a tizzy.
When she talked, her flirtatious tone could bring any man to his knees or make a man do anything just
to win her heart.
Just then, Austin's attention was arrested by someone in the audience. Not far from his seat was a man
sitting in the shade. He too was spellbound by charming woman, though his hand was moving between
his thighs, obviously holding something...
"What the hell!?"
cursed Austin and quickly averted his eyes.
He shook his head as if the physical movement would get the scene out of his mind. After calming
himself, he again looked at the woman noticing her curvy figure. He quietly murmured," No wonder
historians always attribute the fall of kingdoms to pretty queens. Pretty women are the bane of men."
The woman was an auctioneer at the Ganges and the hostess of this auction.
She was not only attractive, but an excellent auctioneer, who knew how to excite her audience into
bidding with energy.
Her every twinkle and smile could let the price of any auction item skyrocket. And every time someone
offered a higher price, she would flash a charming smile at the bidder, making the other men eager to
become the recipient of that lovely gaze.
And so the auction carried on as animated and lively the whole time.
After the regular items were done, the woman paused. A mysterious silence fell upon them and
everyone's curiosity got piqued. With theatricality, she covered her mouth, giggled, and announced in
an intimate tone," Oh, everyone, there is an item coming up for auction. I think you will be interested."
She winked, turned to the side of the platform, and gestured to a servant who had been waiting in the
wings. Seeing her signal, he hurried towards the stage, presenting a jade plate in his hand. On the
plate was a crystal white fruit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this kind of fruit is called the snow dragon fruit, which can speed up the storing
speed of the vital energy. For example, if it takes a cultivator one year's time to level up from the
seventh level to the eighth level of the Energy Gathering Realm, after he eats this fruit, it will take him
only three months.
This snow dragon fruit has the most obvious effect on the cultivators at the Energy Gathering Realm,
but it also works for those at the Earth Realm, maybe with a lesser effect.
So everyone, if you want to level up more effectively, this is the item to buy. Don't let this golden chance
slip through your fingers."
And with that the woman licked the corner of her red lips. Her seductive voice had sent shivers up and
down men's spines and now this caused another uproar.
Austin was excited, too, but not because of the woman's voice, but because of the fruit.
If he remembered it right, the snow dragon fruit was one of the magic drugs he needed in the second
stage exercise of the Overlord Body-refining Formula.
At the start, he thought the fruit was to reinforce one's body strength, but now as she revealed, it would
speed up one's energy store, too.
After he had mastered the first stage of the Overlord Body-refining Formula, Austin had tried to learn
the second level, but was discouraged by the high cost. The cost of the one million vital energy crystals
had left him sorely disheartened.
At the time, he thought that he could only improve his strength little by little. He speculated that when
he would become powerful enough, he would have more chances to earn the vital energy crystals. He
could also afford the herbs required and learn the higher levels of the formula after that.
But now his plan changed. One of the ingredients needed was right here before him. It would be great
if he could purchase the snow dragon fruit and store it for future practice of the Overlord Body-refining
Formula.
And then the fruit's cost bogged him down. As everyone knew, the under-the-hammer price would be
much higher than the market price. So he decided to trim his sails and act accordingly.
"The floor price for the snow dragon fruit is 20000 vital energy crystals! Gentleman, start your bidding!"
said the auctioneer smiling, her eyes moving slowly around the room. Every cultivator who met her
eyes felt that she was specifically looking and thinking of him.
"21000!"
Someone called out a price.
"22000!"
"25000!"
...... .......
"30000!"
The audience's enthusiasm was peaking now. It was only a moment before the bid price reached
30000 vital energy crystals.
But Austin was biding his time. Although he was interested in the snow dragon fruit, he still hadn't
forgotten the main purpose of his trip.
Moreover, this was only a price adding process. Until the end, there was no way to know how much the
fruit could cost.
If the final price was affordable to him, he could always bid for the fruit again.
"50000 vital energy crystals! Friends, I am with the Flaming Sun Valley. I hope you can give me a
chance to buy the fruit. I'll always owe you this one."
called a voice suddenly, when the price of the fruit was added with 40000 crystals.
The Flaming Sun Valley was the second largest power in the Violet Orchid Empire. No cultivator dared
to offend them.
Thus, at the calling out of the Flaming Sun Valley's sect name, a lot of cultivators quietly laid down their
bidding placards and remained silent.
And yet the voice was very familiar to Austin.
He quickly turned his head to find the source of the voice.
It was a young boy dressed in a light-yellow garb sitting in the front seat. As his beady bright eyes
shone arched by his graceful eyebrows, his applied light make-up glowed.
That was Raymond of Flaming Sun Valley, the young ruffian!
He was the one who had offended Austin and was beaten up for it, also the one who hired the Blood
Wolf Team to hunt Austin down.
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