Douro Continent

Chapter 263 Heavenly Dou Auction House (Part 2)

The auction runs 24/7 with no breaks.

Every night is the time for the premium auction. During those two hours, only buyers with a deposit of over one million Gold Soul Coins can participate. At other times, any bidder can participate.

The rules were simple, but Tang San could see that the continuous auctions brought enormous profits to the auction house. A 10% commission on a precious auction item might not seem like much from one perspective, but in reality, it accumulated into a terrifying fortune.

It could even generate far greater profits than a large arena.

"Please take us to the auction house."

Led by the girl, Tang San and Xiao Wu finally got their wish and entered the true core of the Heaven Dou Auction House.

The auction center was located on the second floor of the auction house. There were eight staircases leading up from the lobby. Before entering the auction house, the receptionist gave each of them a mask, informing them that they would need to wear masks to enter future auctions for their safety. Next time, no one would be there to greet them.

The girl escorted the two to the entrance of the auction center before turning to leave; there were other staff members at the auction center.

Xiao Wu used her slightly taller stature, which was slightly taller than Tang San, to block his view as much as possible before being led into the auction center by the voluptuous waitress.

The auction center felt more like a large auditorium, with a layout similar to the main battle center of the Great Battle Arena. In the center was a circular stage, surrounded by concentric circles of seats.

It was divided into five main sections. The three rows of seats closest to the stage were red, radiating outwards to black, purple, yellow, and white, respectively. This was clearly arranged according to different levels of bidders.

The receptionist had told them that the innermost red seats were accessed through a special passage and protected by dedicated security personnel. That was the so-called million-dollar VIP area, and only people of high status and position could obtain red VIP status.

The black seats surrounding the perimeter are the standard million-dollar VIP area; anyone with money can enter.

It belongs to the next level of black VIPs.

Further out, the purple seats are for 500,000-level purple VIPs, the yellow seats are for 100,000-level ordinary VIPs, and the outermost white seats, which are also the largest, are for the most ordinary VIPs like Tang San and Xiao Wu.

The waiter led the two to the white area, indicating that they could choose freely. It was unclear whether this was because Tang San and Xiao Wu looked too young, or because their VIP status was too low.

The waiter wasn't enthusiastic; he simply led them to their seats in a very professional manner, without even the professional smile he had given the young woman earlier.

Tang San didn't care, but Xiao Wu was a little dissatisfied. "Hmph, you're so snobbish. Dressing so provocatively, you're obviously trying to seduce rich people. What's the point of having such a big chest?" As she spoke, she looked down at her own chest.

"All the waiters here are like this, it's not targeting you specifically." A gentle voice came from the side. When Tang San and Xiao Wu turned their heads, they saw a middle-aged man dressed in white with a refined appearance smiling and nodding at them.

Strangely, he wasn't wearing a mask, and no staff member came to ask him anything.

Xiao Wu couldn't help but ask, "Is it always like this? Why?"

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "These waitresses belong to the auction house. Including their lives. They are all commoner girls who were bought by the auction house at a very young age and raised from childhood. They are not only the service staff here, but also part of the auction. If someone is willing to pay, they can be bought and sold."

"Wouldn't that mean becoming a slave? But aren't the two great empires against the buying and selling of slaves?" Tang San said, somewhat surprised.

The middle-aged man smiled calmly and said, "There are many things in this world that are beyond our control. This is the Heavenly Battle Auction House. Let alone slaves, there's nothing we wouldn't dare sell here. The reason those girls have such indifferent expressions is because they no longer have hearts of their own, nor can they decide their own fate. All they can do is obey. They may be beautiful, but they have no souls of their own. All I can offer them is the word 'pathetic.'"

After listening to the middle-aged man's words, Xiao Wu's expression gradually changed. If she had previously felt disgusted by the scantily clad waitresses, she was now filled with sympathy.

"How much do they cost each?" Xiao Wu asked.

The middle-aged man seemed to see right through her thoughts. "Do you want to buy them and then give them their freedom? That would just be another tragedy."

Xiao Wu asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"These waitresses have no survival skills other than serving men. Even if you buy them, with their looks, they will still end up in a man's arms. Their fate will be even more tragic. They have no souls, no world of their own. What's more, each of them costs as much as 100,000 gold soul coins. That's ten times more expensive than the highest-class prostitutes. Not just anyone is willing to spend money to buy them."

The middle-aged man's tone carried a hint of helplessness, and he seemed to possess a special quality that easily made people feel genuinely warm towards him.

At this time, there were not many bidders in the auction center; only about one-fifth of the seats were occupied.

An auction is underway for a soul tool resembling a belt, and the price has already reached 40,000 gold soul coins.

Next to each seat, there is a dedicated bidding button with four different buttons for 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000, representing the price to be bid each time.

The middle-aged man seemed quite interested in Tang San and Xiao Wu, and changed the subject, asking, "You're so young, why are you at the auction house? What are you looking to buy?"

Xiao Wu said, "We're not here to buy things, we're here to sell things."

"Oh?" The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Selling things, huh? I didn't realize you were so young and already knew how to auction things."

Xiao Wu said, "Who says young people can't participate in auctions? Maybe we'll buy a soul bone to play with when we have money in the future. Hey, how do you know we're young? Do you have X-ray vision?" Everyone was wearing a mask. Although Xiao Wu and Tang San's figures were still a bit smaller than adults, the difference wasn't too significant.

The middle-aged man praised, "Good, that's ambitious. No wonder you have such strength at such a young age. Although you are wearing masks, your childishness and eyes cannot hide your age; anyone with eyes can see that."

Upon hearing this, Tang San felt a chill run down his spine. Could this person possibly see through his and Xiao Wu's strength? But why couldn't he sense any threat from him?

At this moment, the soul tool on the platform had been successfully traded for 43,000 gold soul coins.

The host on the stage, holding a megaphone and smiling, announced to the bidders, "Next, we will be auctioning a rare and precious item. Those interested, especially male VIPs, please take note."

As he spoke, he gestured to the audience, and three burly men pushed a cart onto the stage. The cart was covered with a red cloth, so the contents could not be seen, but from its shape, it resembled a large, square box.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, and even the middle-aged man were all drawn to the newly auctioned item and stopped talking.

The host said mysteriously, "Can everyone guess what this is? Well then, I'll reveal the starting price to our esteemed guests first. The starting price for this item is 100,000 Gold Soul Coins. Each bid must be at least 10,000 Gold Soul Coins higher. This is a top-tier item among top-tier items."

As the auctioneer, creating a lively atmosphere and stimulating the enthusiasm of the bidders is clearly a must-learn skill, and he successfully captured their attention.

"Now, please take a close look, distinguished guests." As he spoke, he grabbed the red cloth and ripped it off.

After the red light flashed, what was revealed was not a box, but a huge iron cage. Inside the cage, a young girl was curled up.

The girl's body was mostly naked, with only her vital parts covered by seashells. Because she was curled up, her face was not clearly visible, but her figure was almost perfect.

Her fair skin was like a piece of crystal jade, and her short, light green hair had a unique charm.

(End of this chapter)