Survival Game: Call Me an Honest Businessman

The lights on the small auction tables in the hall were all turned off.

A beam of light fell from the crystal dome, illuminating the high platform at the very front.

A merchant stood on the high platform, wearing a cloak but no hood.

She has delicate features, golden scales on her cheeks, and long golden hair draped over her shoulders, but she doesn't look elegant; instead, she has a somewhat fierce air about her.

A light feather floated gently above the auction table beside her.

Pure white and fluffy.

The dwarf said excitedly, "It really is heavy."

People nearby were also whispering among themselves, and Li Zhi pricked up his ears:

"...Origin...of noble status..."

"Feathered Spirit and Nightwing..."

"I wonder about the Second Prince of the Feathered Spirit Clan..."

There were too many people and it was too noisy. And since it was through a translator, even if I pulled back a corner of the cloak covering my ears, I could only hear these few scattered conversations.

"As you can see, my first item for auction is the origin of the Feathered Spirit Clan."

The businessman smiled as he surveyed the crowd below.

Li Zhi keenly noticed that her gaze lingered on a certain spot for an unusually long time.

She instinctively tried to follow that gaze, but her hood was suddenly pulled back.

"Don't blame me for not warning you."

Somehow, the dwarf's prosthetic limbs had transformed into the shape of octopus legs, supporting her at the same height as Li Zhiqi, just enough to grab the brim of her hat.

"Among merchants, there is little difference in race, but outside of profession, if a race of a higher class wants to crush you, it's no different than crushing a worm from the ground. Considering you're a promising talent, I'll give you some advice: wear your hat properly and don't look most of your customers in the eye."

Li Zhi paused for a moment, then naturally pulled up the brim of his hat.

"Thanks."

The dwarf paused for a moment, then looked at him with a questioning expression: "I thought you would at least be a little angry."

Li Zhi countered, "Do you want me to be angry?"

The dwarf said meaningfully, "The new race that arrived in the last century seems to have lived in an era that is too peaceful, and once rebelled because they were unwilling to participate in the racial ranking."

This is a world background that Li Zhi has never heard of before.

This is extremely important information, both for her and for all of humanity.

She widened her eyes slightly, feigning curiosity: "How are they now?"

The dwarf shook his head, his tone ambiguous, a mixture of regret and schadenfreude: "They were all left behind in the last hundred years."

Li Zhixin's heart skipped a beat, and she gripped the card tightly in her hand.

"As you can see, this is a source, and it is the source of the Feathered Spirit Clan."

Interrupted from his thoughts, Li Zhi looked up and saw the Scaled Clan merchant touch a floating feather.

She glanced casually at the floor below: "Starting bid: 1000 gold coins. Minimum bid increment: 100 gold coins. Auction begins."

The auction hall was completely silent.

The source is too specific, belonging entirely to a particular individual.

Others who win the bid will at most participate in an auction, much like the Scaled Clan merchants do today.

Now that it's already at the auction, everyone's just here to watch the excitement and won't get involved.

Li Zhi pulled up his hood and his gaze naturally followed the crowd to two tall figures to his side and behind him.

stunned.

It turned out to be the Feathered Spirit Clan member who had taken her Apocalypse Crystal.

Before the initial surprise had faded, it was quickly overshadowed by an even greater astonishment.

--Snapped!

The Feathered Spirit next to her slapped the Feathered Spirit who had bought the Apocalypse Crystal across the face, turning her face to one side. Soon, a large, swollen handprint appeared, along with several bloody scratches from fingernails.

The auction hall fell into a deathly silence.

Li Zhi also held his breath.

She remembered the dwarves saying that the Feathered Spirits who bought the Apocalypse Crystal were nobles among the Feathered Spirits, which was why they used feathers for the trade.

Born into nobility, he was publicly humiliated.

Logically speaking, it would be difficult to swallow this insult.

But she simply straightened up calmly, almost indifferently, and slowly bowed to the Feathered Spirit who had hit her, saying respectfully, "It was my fault. I will accept my punishment when I return—"

Snapped!

Before he could finish speaking, another slap followed.

He slapped her other cheek to one side.

She silently resumed her respectful bowing posture, seemingly waiting for another slap to come.

The crowd stirred.

Li Zhi overheard the whispers:

"Your Highness..."

"An illegitimate daughter..."

"I wonder if it's... the origin..."

These words were interrupted by the scaly merchant above: "No one's making an offer?"

Her bright eyes landed on the two Feathered Spirits.

The Feathered Spirit who had attacked the merchant stared back at him with fury, refusing to back down.

After a long pause, she coldly shifted her gaze, put on transparent silk gloves, and said to the bowing Feathered Spirit, "You had better make amends for your mistake. If this essence falls into the hands of someone else, I will make you—and your father—would rather be dead!"

She left without looking back.

Only after walking out of the Octagonal Crystal Auction House did the hunched-over Feathered Spirit Clan members slowly straighten up.

She calmly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked up at the merchant on the stage: "1100 gold coins."

The businessman smiled but said nothing.

Li Zhi felt that things were not that simple.

Sure enough, the next second, another bid was made.

"1200".

Feathered Spirit Clan: "1300".

"1400".

"1500".

"2000".

As Li Zhixin gasped, he also heard a gasp of astonishment from the person next to him.

—2000 gold coins.

It's a considerable sum of money no matter where you put it.

The dwarf said sarcastically, "The Nightwings are indeed a bunch of rats who dare not see the light of day. They waited until Xu left before making their offer, because they were sure that Ling couldn't cause any trouble."

It sounds like they're into gossip.

Based on the conversation he had overheard, Li Zhi asked in a questioning tone, "Is Xu the Second Prince of the Feathered Spirit Clan?"

The dwarf glanced at her sideways: "You certainly have ears everywhere."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow: "Of course."

The young man, seemingly overly shrewd upon first meeting, displayed an expression befitting his age, which made the dwarf feel more at ease. Suddenly, she became interested in conversation and lowered her voice, saying, "The one we're keeping now is named Ling, an illegitimate daughter of the Feathered Spirit Clan's royal family. Look at her wings, how are they different from those of the Second Prince?"

Li Zhi had noticed it long ago: "The colors are different."

The one slapping the other has golden wings, while the one shattering the crystal has silver wings.

"That's right!" The dwarf gave her an appreciative look, as if to say, "You've really gotten the gossip right." "They were all born to the Feathered Spirit Clan's emperor. If it weren't for the fact that her wings weren't the golden color belonging to the royal family, no one else would know that she and the other princesses and princes didn't have the same father. It's just bad luck that she inherited the genes of her father, who was of a lower rank. Otherwise, according to the order, she would be the youngest princess of the royal family."

Gossip is indeed a stimulant for all races.

The dwarf's previous words combined probably didn't amount to as much as these few sentences.

Li Zhi subtly inquired, "What exactly is the Origin? And why is the Second Prince of the Feathered Spirit Clan so angry?"

The dwarf followed her words naturally, saying, "The source is the core of power. It can break the shackles of genes and greatly enhance attributes. If it reaches level three, it can cure all physical ailments and may even give rise to a second talent..."

She then changed the subject: "These things are too far removed from your understanding. All you need to know is that the Origin will drive everyone crazy, and merchants who possess the Origin will become extremely dangerous if they do not have a strong racial background and great strength."

"The merchant above is named Shen. He is one of the few A3 powerhouses in the Scale Clan and ranks high on the world's combat power list. If it were any other A-level merchant, this source would definitely not have made it to the auction stage. It would have been torn to shreds by the Royal Guard of the Feather Spirit Clan on the way."

"Moreover, that source was not found by Chen himself, but handed over by the Nightwing Clan. The Nightwing is only a C-level race and dares not confront the Feathered Spirit Clan directly, so they can only seek the Scaled Clan, who also has conflicts with the Feathered Spirit Clan, as their backer."

She said meaningfully, "If one day you obtain the origin of another race, or other rare resources, you can contact me. I will negotiate the highest price for you and guarantee your safety."

"Of course, I can also hire you as one of the affiliated merchants of the Forging Clan. Qualifications will be available for you in all major trading zones. With my introduction, you only need to submit 20 points of your annual transaction volume. What do you think?"