Above the mage!

Chapter 494 was also at the auction.

On the bow deck of the Fire Knife.

Gao De and Sarah stood side by side, while Bao Zai was one body length away from them.

Gao De is about to leave Ash Isle for Black Sails City, both to attend the Day of the Dead auction and, according to Sarah's plan, to begin his "fishing" operation.

As the host, out of courtesy and to show how much she valued the occasion, Sarah chose to see them off personally.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gao De, who had already put Boeing into a possessed state, used his Qi manipulation ability to levitate and fly towards the main island.

Just before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at Ash Island, which was mostly covered by blue flames.

Based on the current adaptation progress, given another ten days to half a month, his Blue Flame Energy Tolerance should be able to reach 100%.

At that time, the blue flames that others regard as a raging flood may be like a hot spring to him, allowing him to swim freely.

In this situation, if you spend a little time looking, the [Spell Bottle] is practically yours for the taking.
Unfortunately, the auction won't wait for anyone.

Of course, after the auction, he will have to return to Ash Isle to continue "acting" with Sarah, and then he can continue his treasure hunt.

So many years have passed and the [Spell Bottle] has not been discovered, so it shouldn't matter if it's only ten days or half a month.

It's just that interrupting things in the middle is still a bit uncomfortable.

It's like winning the lottery but not having a chance to claim the prize before being sent away on a business trip. Even though the lottery ticket won't fly away, you still feel like you're thinking about it.

"Boss, why does it feel like he's still a little reluctant to leave?" After watching Gao De leave, Bao Zai frowned and asked Sarah hesitantly.

According to normal people's thinking, although they did not strictly restrict Gao De's movements during these three days on Ash Island and treated him to good food and drink, it was essentially a form of "house arrest".

Now that he can finally escape this "house arrest," Gaode must be overjoyed.

Feeling reluctant to part with it is completely unreasonable.
Is it an illusion?
But Gaode's turning back, and the reluctance hidden in his glance, is absolutely true.

Such an illogical thing
Unless, there's something here that he's thinking about.

In this godforsaken place, where you can't even get bread, what's there to care about?
Could it be.
Baozai's gaze unconsciously fell on Sarah, who was outstanding in appearance, figure and temperament and was known as the most beautiful woman in Black Sails City.

Damn, is this kid so bold as to have ulterior motives towards the boss?
"Hmm?" Sarah raised an eyebrow, seemingly understanding the deeper meaning hidden in Baozai's subconscious gaze, and glared at him.

Baozai immediately lowered his head, not daring to look around anymore, but his thoughts continued to drift uncontrollably.

Through the Mandora's Eye, Gao De could clearly see the Columbus docked at the pier, even through the thin mist at sea several miles away.

The boat remained moored in its original spot, not moving an inch, and the number of times the mooring rope was wrapped around the wooden stake was exactly the same as when he left three days ago.

On deck, sailors were busy wiping salt frost off the railings, the lookout yawned at the top of the mast, and even the cook carrying a wooden basin toward the galley exuded his usual casualness.

Everything was as calm as if there had never been a ripple.

Meanwhile, the dock was bustling with activity, and Gaode even spotted members of the hunting fleet running around.

Three days later, the hunting team was still on the dock.

Clearly, the cooperation to take over the slaughterhouse dock that was discussed that night went smoothly without any unexpected incidents.

With a slight thought, Gao De transformed into a faint shadow, skimming across the sea and landing steadily on the main deck of the Columbus.

Lan Wen, who had noticed Gao De flying over from afar, was already waiting on the deck.

Lan Wen visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Gao De return unharmed.

"What's the specific situation at the dock?" Gao De asked.

Lan Wen quickly stepped forward to report.

As he had expected, on the very night he arrived at Ash Isle, the Iron Hook Gang, upon learning of Santos's death, immediately began to encroach on the Embroidered Anchor Gang's territory and assets.

The primary target was the most valuable Embroidered Anchor Slaughter Wharf.

Although Apache and his hunting party have taken control of the Slaughter Docks, this is only temporary. He must get past the Iron Hook Gang before he can truly become the master of the Embroidered Anchor Slaughter Docks.

The Iron Hook Gang took the Slaughter Docks very seriously. The leader of the Fourth Ring Mage personally led more than forty men to come and kill them, saying that he wanted to clean up Santos's mess.

Fortunately, Gao De had sent Lan Wen back first, instead of staying on the Fire Knife with him.

Because it was a pure struggle for interests, there was no polite small talk or preamble; they went straight to the point: let's fight.

Without a doubt, as a senior fourth-ring mage with a complete Iceborn heritage, Lanwen's strength completely overwhelmed the Ironhook Gang leader, who was also a fourth-ring mage.

The other side retreated in a sorry state, wounded, leaving behind more than a dozen corpses.

Apache showed no mercy, hanging the dozen or so corpses on the dock overnight to declare its sovereignty over the dock and to make other forces that coveted the dock think twice.

After this incident, relying on Lanwen's prestige and the strength of the hunting fleet, Apache smoothly took over the dock and renamed it Ice Anchor Dock.

Gaode is quite concerned about the docks. Putting aside the long-term benefits the docks can generate, simply having another stable shipping channel in their own hands is of great significance to the North.

Through this channel, the North could sell many goods that were inconvenient to sell in the Plantagenet Kingdom without having to go through inspections by Plantagenet port officials or pay customs duties.

At this moment, however, Gao De's mind was more focused on collaborating with Sarah.

Therefore, he didn't pay much attention to the dock affairs. After confirming that everything was in order, he decisively said, "Everything will proceed according to the original plan."

“You will immediately return to Plantagenet with the Columbus.” His tone was resolute.

Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes.

In order to avoid leaving any loopholes, one must first take off the shoes on one's feet, so that one can act without being restricted.

“But…” Lan Wen hesitated.

“If I’m alone, I can leave at any time.” Gao De didn’t elaborate.

The method of leaving he mentioned was, of course, astral teleportation.

Gao De discovered yesterday that the energy of the astral teleportation mark on his palm was almost full.

This is one-third faster than the original 45-day charging time.

Clearly, it was the increased speed at which Yugathira absorbed astral energy after her ascension that significantly shortened the charging time for astral teleportation.

This alone was enough for him to feel that all his hard work in collecting magic tree seeds had not been in vain.

“My king, let the Columbus go back first. I will stay and follow you. Even if an emergency occurs, I am confident that I can take care of myself and will not hold you back.” However, this time, Lan Wen, who always obeyed Gao De, did not agree immediately.

Gao De looked at the other person.

The other person's eyes were firm.

Protecting God was a task assigned to him by Sunefa on this trip.

Even with numerous reasons, even if it were Gao De's intention, he simply couldn't bring himself to abandon Gao De and leave first. The sea breeze blew across the deck, carrying the salty smell of the sea.

Lan Wen straightened his back and faced Gao De's gaze without ever looking away.

More than obeying orders, he feared something truly unexpected might happen.

“Alright, then you can stay and travel with me.” Gao De pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.

Even without the collaboration with Sarah, attending the Black Sails City auction was a dangerous undertaking.

Having Lan Wen by my side certainly reduces a lot of trouble.

Putting everything else aside, it would be good if someone could help carry that huge box of gold coin coins.

Moreover, hiding a person in the vast Blue Flame Islands shouldn't be a big problem.

If something really happens, as Lan Wen said, he will most likely be able to take care of himself.

With his mind made up, Eli became the temporary head of the Columbus, leading it out of the ice anchor dock and back to Plantagenet.

As for Gao De and Lan Wen, they set off for the auction house.

Standing in the bustling Upper East Side, Gao De looked up at the enormous auction house that appeared before him and couldn't help but marvel.

He had been in the Plantagenet dynasty for over a year. Given its wealth and power, he had seen many magnificent buildings and was generally not amazed by any particular architecture.

The reason for this performance is simply that the Blue Flame Auction House is too unique.

It doesn't emphasize design and art like the architecture of the Golden Plantation; in fact, it's a completely different style.

The Blue Flame Auction House looks like a colossal beast that has been forcibly pieced together. Its main frame is made from the keels of three decommissioned giant ships, and the dark beams and pillars even bear the scorch marks from cannon fire. The broken parts are riveted together with bronze rivets.

The pillars supporting the entire auction house are twelve complete vertebrae of whales and sea monsters, each as thick as two people could hug.

The grayish-white bone surface is pitted and uneven from the sea wind and salt spray, yet it still exudes the majestic aura of a sea beast. The top still retains the joint connecting the tail fin, which has been carved by craftsmen into a groove to support the crossbeam.

The wall panels are a chaotic jumble of pieces: scales of various sea creatures, shipwreck planks, and broken stone carvings.
The most striking feature is the auction house's dome.

It was a huge octopus-shaped sea monster sucker membrane, which had been specially treated to be both tough and translucent.

At the very center of the dome hangs a huge shark jawbone, with countless oil lamps strung between its sharp teeth.

The lamp oil was made from refined sea animal fat, and when burned, it emitted flames of various colors, illuminating the five large iron characters "Blue Flame Auction House" with flickering light.

Despite its seemingly chaotic design, the auction house, pieced together like a mini-Pinduoduo, doesn't appear cluttered at all. Instead, it creates a unique, untamed beauty that belongs solely to the Black Sails City.

At the entrance of the auction house stood a dozen or so guards maintaining order, each dressed in black tight-fitting clothes with a holster at their waist, revealing the barrel of a magic-powered gun.

The group's posture was far from neat, but each of them exuded a thuggish air, their gazes sweeping over the crowd with undisguised ferocity.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that these so-called "gatekeepers" are actually a group of pirate mages who have temporarily shed their pirate attire.

Gao De tightened his black robe—this was specially prepared attire, complete with a large hood that covered most of his face, wrapping him up completely. Combined with his [Disguise Technique], it could perfectly conceal his identity.

Normally, such attire would be very conspicuous elsewhere, and in the Golden Flower Dynasty, it might even attract the attention and questioning of the city guards.

But in a chaotic place like Black Sails City, such disguises are perfectly normal.

Gao De led Lan Wen toward the entrance of the Blue Flame Auction House. As soon as they stepped onto the steps, two guards stopped them in front of them: "Tickets."

Gao De handed over the ticket he had obtained from the Embroidery Anchor Gang.

Whether it's the complimentary tickets distributed to the various factions in Black Sails City or the tickets auctioned off publicly, they all follow the same format, with even the thickness of the paper and the pattern of the emblem being exactly the same.

They check the tickets only to verify their authenticity; they have no way of knowing where the tickets came from.

In fact, they were not interested at all in whether the ticket was stolen, bought, or obtained in any other way.

The two quickly checked the tickets and handed them back to Gaode. "No problem, please come in."

After carefully collecting his ticket, Gao De, filled with immense curiosity, slowly walked towards the entrance of the auction house.

This is his first time attending an auction, including both his past and present lives.

The novelty was undeniable, but for some reason, even though it was his first time attending an auction, it felt as if he had attended countless auctions before, with numerous auction scenes automatically flashing through his mind:

A treasure that others would have mistaken for was auctioned off at a low price, and I managed to snag it at a bargain!

No one dared to mess with Zhang San, who was bidding against me, so I directly challenged him and went on a crazy bidding war! It shocked everyone!

The treasure that everyone was snapping up was actually made by me!
There are even side stories where the protagonist happens to witness a murder and robbery on the way back from an auction, and then reaps the benefits.

Gao De patted his head, stopping the nonsensical thoughts from running through his mind.

There are two important things to do at this auction, so we need to be mindful of them.

As soon as you step through the gate, a scent of cedar incense mixed with the coldness of metal hits you, completely different from the salty, fishy smell outside, as if the gate separates two worlds.

Immediately afterwards, Gaode's eyes lit up.

The entrance leads to a spacious hall with magic crystal lamps hanging from the dome, and huge light screens embedded in the four high walls of the hall.

The edges of the light screen were outlined with a coiled sea serpent pattern in bronze, which slowly scrolled through information about the auction items from the first day.
Compared to the auction item list included with the ticket, the items listed above are undoubtedly much more complete and abundant, presumably due to the addition of new items recently added to the auction.

Moreover, when Gaode's gaze swept across the left-hand screen, he happened to catch a glimpse of a new line of text that appeared out of thin air; it was information about a newly added auction item.

Clearly, Blue Flame Auction House is much more efficient than expected; at least the information on the auction items is updated very promptly.

At the far end of the hall stood two lion-headed pillars carved from the keel of a sunken ship. Between the pillars were two corridors, with anchor chains embroidered with interwoven gold threads on dark red carpets, leading to the auction hall deep inside, where the sounds of people could be faintly heard.

There is also a narrower corridor under the walls on both the left and right sides.

At the entrance stands an ebony sign; the left sign reads "Authentication" in gold lettering, while the right sign reads "Consignment Auction."

Two servants stood beside each corridor.

Gao De's gaze lingered briefly on the word "authentication" before he walked over.

The attendant standing at the entrance to the left corridor immediately bowed and greeted him: "Sir, do you need your treasure appraised for a price assessment before auctioning it?"

"Can any kind of treasure be included in the auction?" Gao De asked, deliberately lowering his voice.

“Of course not,” the attendant explained. “Our Souls’ Day auction is only held for seven days, so there are certain requirements for the items that are consigned for auction. We need to filter out some ordinary items to be worthy of our distinguished guests who have come from all over the world.”

"For the first three days of the auction, the items you wish to consign must be appraised by our appraisers and estimated to be worth more than 200 gold coins before they are allowed to be consigned for auction. For the following three days, the threshold will be raised to 500 gold coins. As for the last day..."

He paused, then continued, "The last day of the auction is the grand finale, where only truly rare treasures will be auctioned. Only items with an estimated value exceeding 1000 gold coin are eligible to participate."

(End of this chapter)