Trading system, I exchanged vegetables for golden pills.

Led by the lady in the cheongsam, Ye Chen found his seat, number 998.

The space was quite spacious; even with his suitcase next to him, it didn't feel cramped after he sat down.

On the left armrest folding table, there was a bottle of water, a few candies, and a piece of paper!

There is a red button on the right armrest labeled "Bidding Button"!

The seats are curved, so you can't see the face or expression of the person sitting next to you.

There is still a certain degree of privacy involved.

After Ye Chen sat down, he picked up the papers on the table and looked at them.

This is an auction description and a list of items to be auctioned!

Auction descriptions are largely the same and easy to understand.

The item list is also meant to help people know what items are available so they can plan their bidding in advance.

There are a total of 100 items for auction. The first 90 items have names, but the last 10 items are simply labeled as mystery items!

I guess the last 10 items are the real gems, or maybe they're not suitable for display?

To be honest, 100 items is a lot, a typical large quantity that will satisfy everyone, allowing everyone to find something they like to bid on.

Antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and jewelry and jade artifacts account for the largest number.

The first 70 items are all things like that, probably just for creating an atmosphere, things that appeal to both refined and popular tastes.

Ye Chen wasn't particularly interested in these things.

Antiques? If they can be traded, then he's okay with it; if they can't be traded, then so be it, he's not buying!

Suddenly, Ye Chen's eyes lit up. Lot number 73 was a century-old wild ginseng with a starting price of 100 million.

I never expected that this auction would have a century-old wild ginseng. That's a really good thing, it's very nourishing!

This thing could probably be used to prolong life.

You simply can't find a century-old one on the market now; there's nowhere to buy one even if you want to!

Ginseng grown in forests for 10 or 20 years is already very rare, let alone ginseng that is a hundred years old!

The authenticity of items offered at auctions is at least beyond doubt.

However, the price is not low either, with a starting bid of 100 million. It would be understandable if it were to fetch a sky-high price of three to five million!

If an expert saw this, they would definitely scoff. Pshaw, so what if it's a hundred-year-old wild ginseng? It still has the same nutritional value as a radish.

Why waste money like that? A million? Even 100 yuan is too expensive! It's just hype, pure hype.

Ye Chen was also very interested in lot number 80, which was a mutated Tian Shan snow lotus. However, whether or not to bid on it depended on the appearance of the snow lotus!

The starting price of 5 is relatively low among the auction items.

Ye Chen didn't know if the mutated ones were still edible, but since he was immune to all poisons, it didn't matter to him.

Lot 85 is a vajra used by a high-ranking monk, with a starting bid of 50.

If we only consider the value of the vajra itself, it would probably only be worth a hundred or two hundred yuan, but the key point is that it was used by a high-ranking monk.

Ye Chen guessed that this thing would probably be quite popular.

Things used by eminent monks are naturally blessed; they can be considered sacred objects.

For wealthy people, these blessed amulets are incredibly attractive.

50? Let alone 50, even 500 million would probably attract some competition.

Ye Chen originally intended to buy it back for everyone to practice sword control techniques, but the price successfully deterred him from doing so.

After all, 50 is not a small amount, and the transaction price will definitely be much higher than that.

If the price is too high, then he needs to think it over carefully.

As Ye Chen pondered, a mature woman in a cheongsam walked onto the auction stage.

She gently patted her earpiece and then smiled as she spoke, "Welcome, esteemed guests, to this auction. I am Sasha, the auctioneer!"

As she spoke, she bowed slightly, fully revealing her figure.

Ye Chen snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards the auction stage.

I must say, it's quite plump, cough cough, no, quite pleasing to the eye.

The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on the auction stage.

No wonder they can be auctioneers; that's real skill!

A single, casual remark was enough to capture everyone's attention.

Ye Chen stuffed something into his mouth, his eyes fixed on the auction stage, revealing an expression that every man would understand.

The auctioneer, named Sasha, didn't ramble on too much, since everyone was mainly there for the auction!

So she brought out the first item for auction today with just a few words.

This is a landscape painting by Bada Shanren from the Qing Dynasty. The starting price is 800 million yuan, and each bid must be at least 10 yuan higher.

Ye Chen was secretly astonished; the starting price for the first item was 800 million.

Holy crap, this is practically a warm-up for the auction, setting the tone for it!

Starting with a high price makes the lower-priced items in the auction seem less expensive – it's a really clever technique.

At this moment, the big screen displayed that VIP number 997 had bid 900 million.

Ye Chen was slightly taken aback. It was the person next to him who made the bid, but how could he bid 900 million? The starting price was 800 million, and he hadn't said anything!

Ye Chen turned his head and saw that the other person had a tablet in their hand.

The tablet has number buttons, and the person next to me is using this tablet to input numbers directly.

Wait, why doesn't he have that thing?

Ye Chen glanced around his side and found the tablet hidden in the armrest.

Okay, it's understandable if you don't know anything since it's your first time here.

"VIP number 997 has bid 900 million. Any higher bids? 900 million per bid!"

"VIP number 38 bid 1000 million, 1000 million for one round!"

"VIP number 2 has bid 1200 million!"

......

Sasa's sophisticated voice delivered her offer, echoing throughout the room.

Ye Chen was stunned. Were these people really this fierce from the start?

This is just the beginning, don't we need to warm up?

His peak performance from the very first move?

To be honest, it had a bit of that TV drama vibe, giving him a somewhat unreal feeling.

The rule is that each increase should be 10, but these guys are increasing it by millions.

It seems he underestimated the value of this so-called Bada Shanren landscape painting.

These people are clearly not the kind of fools with too much money; that's where the value of this painting lies.

Ye Chen glanced at his suitcase. Well, 8500 million doesn't seem like enough for the bidding...

"VIP No. 98 bid 2100 million, 2100 million once, 2100 million twice, 2100 million three times. Congratulations to VIP No. 98 for winning the landscape painting by Bada Shanren!"

Sasha smiled happily.

A female staff member in a cheongsam handed a bidding paddle to lot number 98 to facilitate payment after the auction.

Ye Chen didn't know if there were any connections involved, but he did know that these people were genuinely wealthy.

You could buy a painting for 2100 million.

The first item was sold for a high price of 2100 million, immediately igniting the atmosphere of the auction.

Auctioneer Sasha was clearly satisfied with the price and immediately brought out the second item for auction.