Blue Card Starry Sky

Chapter 170 Something was discovered
Dozens of people stood in rows on the platform, left to be chosen by the crowd below. Wasn't this just an auction of slaves? Utterly inhuman, devoid of any dignity, the various powerful families below were roughly handling the servants on the platform, ruthlessly touching and shoving them, picking and choosing based on height, weight, age, and build, all scheming to buy whoever they wanted!
Lan Tian and Hai Liang noticed that the people being auctioned off showed no emotion whatsoever; they looked completely bewildered, offering no resistance, like a bunch of idiots—something utterly abnormal. They must have been under some kind of spell, losing control of themselves.

At this point, an officer presiding over the auction began to announce the rules.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the highest bidder wins this auction. The minimum bid increment is one thousand blue crystals, with no upper limit. Are you ready? The auction will begin immediately."

"First up, a young fire-elemental cultivator, his cultivation level is not high, only at the beginner level. The minimum price is 50,000 blue crystals. Now everyone can place their bids!"

"Fifty-one thousand; I'll offer fifty-two thousand; ...fifty-five thousand; sixty thousand!"

The final bid reached 105,000 blue crystals, more than double the original price, indicating that the first servant was very popular.

Lan Tian watched the bustling auction, unable to devise a way to rescue his compatriots on the stage. He himself didn't have enough blue crystals. What was he to do? These people were about to be bought by various powerful families; he wondered what their future held.
Lan Tian only now realized that the person being auctioned was the city lord, the most powerful force in the city. They possessed a large defensive force and were the most powerful beings here, administrators at the Demon Emperor level. He learned that this was a Celestial White Tiger Venerable Emperor who had just arrived here, also known as the Celestial White Tiger Demon Emperor. He brought three powerful experts with him, who were now guarding the various city gates. This city originally belonged to the Celestial Bull Demon Emperor, but for some reason, that Celestial Bull Demon Emperor had disappeared! That's why the Celestial White Tiger Demon Emperor had taken over the management of this city—Celestial City.

Finally, the first servant was acquired by the Tianjing Xunlu family for 110,000 blue crystals.

Lan Tian couldn't think of a good way to rescue them and could only watch as everyone was bought by various families. He felt extremely guilty. Lan Tian and Hai Liang then decided to find a family to follow them and see what would happen to their bought companions, and then try to find a way to rescue them.

The auction finally ended after an hour, with all the servants present being auctioned off and taken away. Many families who hadn't managed to buy anything were quite disappointed and looked forward to the next auction.

The lively scene returned to its quiet state as everyone dispersed.

Lan Tian and Hai Liang quietly followed the Tianjing Xunlu family back to their family mansion. This was a family with extraordinary strength and wealth. Their family's architectural style was quite different from others in the vicinity. The Tianjing Xunlu family's mansion was extremely luxurious in this area, with exquisite decorations, somewhat resembling the mansions of large families on the Blue Card Continent, magnificent and splendid.

Looking at the mansion, Lan Tian and his companion felt as if they had returned to the grand mansion of a powerful family in Luoyi City; it was truly a place of immense wealth and power. They marveled that such a powerful family could exist here; the Tianjing Xunlu family must be extraordinary in this area.

Watching their servants being led into the mansion by the servants of the Heavenly Deer Clan, Lan Tian and his companion could only watch helplessly. They could only find a place to stay nearby and then make further plans. Lan Tian looked around and indeed found a nice inn not far away—a luxurious and elegant establishment situated beside a bustling main street. This area was very prosperous and lively, with shops thriving everywhere.

Lan Tian arrived at the Yuelai Hotel, which was very convenient for dining and accommodation. Lan Tian booked the highest room, from which he could see the Tianjing Xunlu family's residence not far away, with its gate clearly visible, allowing him to keep an eye on what was happening there at any time.

"Hai Liang, what should we do next? Rescuing them is not something we can do immediately, and as you saw, those handcuffs and shackles are carrying energy fluctuations. We don't know what that is, but it's making them powerless to resist," Lan Tian said.

"I don't know either. Let's observe for a couple of days first. We don't know this place very well yet, so let's observe and familiarize ourselves with the environment first!" Hai Liang said.

"Okay, let's go out for a stroll and take a look around." Lan Tian and Hai Liang then went downstairs and strolled around the streets to learn about the situation here.

……

The Tianjing Xunlu family has many businesses in this area, and they are very busy every day with people coming and going from the family mansion. Lantian found a Tianjing Xunlu store that delivers goods. This store is the Tianjing Xunlu family's butcher shop, and every morning they send someone to deliver a batch of fresh monster meat to the family mansion.

The shop is short-staffed and recruiting temporary workers. Lan Tian disguised himself as a strong man and applied for the job. The shopkeeper took a liking to him immediately and he became a butcher's apprentice. Early in the morning, a hunter delivered a batch of fresh monster meat, still steaming hot, freshly killed. After preparing a batch of the best cuts of meat, the shopkeeper sent Lan Tian and another apprentice to transport it to the Tianjing Xunlu family's residence.

Lan Tian entered the Tianjing Xunlu family mansion for the first time, following another servant and carefully observing the surroundings, searching for the servant, wondering where he would be imprisoned! The kitchen of the Tianjing Xunlu family mansion was very spacious, with many chefs cooking, indicating that there were a lot of people here and the cooking work was particularly heavy, requiring food to be prepared for many people.

While unloading the cargo, Lan Tian heard a great commotion coming from the mansion, as if a chaotic battle was taking place, with sounds of fighting and shouts filling the air.

"Ahhh! What happened?! Is there going to be another war?" Lan Tian said deliberately, feigning surprise!

"Young man, don't be afraid. These are our family's warriors practicing martial arts. Don't worry, you'll be fine here! Judging from your appearance, this is your first time here!" a cook said.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm, it was my first time coming in, and it scared me! I thought there was a war going on!" Lan Tian replied. Actually, he himself didn't know what was going on. How could there be so many warriors in the Heavenly Essence Deer? They were training all the time. Could there really be a war?
"Brother, aren't they tired from training like this every day?" Lan Tian asked.

"No, that's not it. The patriarch recently sent word that everyone should intensify their training to prepare for the future attack on the Blue Card Continent," the cook said amiably.

"Really? I've heard that the Blue Card Continent is a wealthy place. Can we go there?" Lan Tian continued.

"Don't worry, once our Emperor breaks through the seal of the Gods and removes the barrier, we can go there. I've heard that place is the richest in the world, with blue crystals everywhere. That will be our hunting ground, with many servants. We'll be free then, and we can leave everything to the servants. I can finally enjoy life and have them serve us well." The cook became more and more excited as he spoke, his face beaming with happiness.

It turns out that the people here all have this plan: to enslave the people of the Blue Card Continent into their servants, to serve them at all times, catering to their every need for food, drink, and entertainment. The Blue Card Continent is a barbaric land, an uncivilized hunting ground, and their playground.

The demon beasts of the desolate region must have mastered a secret method to control the various races of the Blue Card Continent, which could serve them in the future. Meanwhile, the people of the Blue Card Continent are unaware of this and continue to flock to the desolate region, eager to plunder the demon beasts' essence pills to enhance their cultivation levels.

Lan Tian sensed danger. The priority now was not to rescue them, but to find out what kind of secret technique the wild beasts of the wilderness possessed. What kind of secret technique could control everyone to become their servants without any resistance, and willingly become slaves?

(End of this chapter)