Douro Continent

Chapter 264 Heavenly Dou Auction House (Part 2)

"Perhaps our esteemed guests are wondering why such a girl could command such a high starting price, the same as the beauties we've trained for years at our auction house. But if you look closely, you'll discover her special qualities." As he spoke, the host pulled out a stick from somewhere, reached into the iron cage, and gently lifted the girl's light green short hair near her ear, revealing her ear.

Those weren't human ears, but rather small, pointed ears similar to those of a cat, which turned slightly red when touched lightly with a stick.

"That's right, the guests are not mistaken. This is a rare cat girl. When her martial soul awakened, her body mutated, and she gained some cat-like features. Her eyes are one blue and one green, which is very charming, and she even has a long tail." He tapped the girl's buttocks with a stick. The girl twisted her body in pain, revealing a white cat tail that had been hidden behind her.

As he spoke, the host wore an ambiguous expression, tracing an arc in the air with the stick in his hand. "Distinguished guests, you may now place your bids."

"These bastards! They actually sell people like pets!" Xiao Wu couldn't help but want to jump up.

Tang San grabbed Xiao Wu, signaling her to calm down, but his own heart was in turmoil. He wasn't unfamiliar with the dark side of this world, but this was the first time he had encountered it so directly. In this auction house, it seemed that all humanity had disappeared, leaving only profit and animalistic desires.

A faint light flickered, and Tang San's eyes revealed a cold aura as he leaned back in his chair, watching quietly. He was a smart man and naturally understood that what was happening before his eyes was beyond his and Xiao Wu's control. Even if they were capable of saving this catwoman, what about the leopard woman or tiger woman in the future? Could they always arrive in time? The teacher said that the auction house was a place full of opportunities and filth, and it seemed he was right.

Xiao Wu's hand was held tightly by Tang San, preventing her from exploding. She noticed that Tang San was gripping her hand very tightly, clearly indicating that his heart was not at peace either. Looking at Tang San's eyes, which were gleaming with a flickering light, she gradually calmed down, but she lowered her head and stopped looking at the stage.

It was quite a coincidence that Tang San and Xiao Wu entered just as the auction house began selling living people, undoubtedly leaving a very deep and extremely bad impression on them.

Just then, Tang San inadvertently noticed that the middle-aged man beside him pressed the 10,000-coin button in the bidding. Although it was his first time here, he knew that this meant he had to raise the bid by 10,000. In other words, he would have to spend at least 110,000 gold soul coins to buy the catwoman.

My initial good impression suddenly changed; I never expected that this seemingly respectable and refined middle-aged man was actually a scoundrel.

The middle-aged man's gaze remained fixed on the platform, but he spoke precisely when Tang San's heart began to waver: "Saving someone who has lost their soul is meaningless. This one still has a soul, and it's due to a mutation in their martial soul. How can we not save them?"

Upon hearing his words, Tang San was slightly taken aback, and his wariness of this middle-aged man increased. How could he know what he was thinking? Could he possibly have the legendary mind-reading ability?

"No need to doubt. Young man, the eyes are the windows to the soul, and your eyes have already told me a lot. After all, I've been eating for more years than you, so this should be considered social experience." The middle-aged man smiled at Tang San and pressed the price increase button again.

At this point, the bidding price had increased to 160,000 gold soul coins, and it seemed that it was still on the rise.

The host announced, "170,000. A VIP in red has bid 170,000 gold soul coins. Is there any further bidding?"

"180,000! Okay, a white-clad VIP has bid 180,000!" He exclaimed more than once. White represented the lowest tier of bidders, but since the auction began, there had always been a white-clad bidder participating. What was even stranger was that his account showed no signs of being overdrawn. This meant that the other party had the ability to bid.

"I'd like to see who dares to compete with me." An old man sitting in the red area at the front suddenly stood up and swept his gaze toward the white area behind him. Although he was wearing a mask, Tang San immediately recognized him when he stood up.

The middle-aged man was right; the eyes are the windows to the soul, and everyone's eyes are different, with even greater differences in expression. The person standing before them in the red VIP area, glaring angrily at them, was none other than Prince Xuexing of the Heavenly Dou Empire, the very same prince who had expelled them from the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy.

To Tang San and Xiao Wu's surprise, the middle-aged man beside them who wasn't wearing a mask didn't avoid their gaze. Instead, he slowly stood up and nodded to Prince Xue Xing with a smile.

Many people looked back along with Prince Xuexing, and upon seeing the middle-aged man stand up, not only was Xuexing stunned, his domineering aura completely gone, but a chorus of gasps also rose around him. Even the host on stage stiffened.

"The auction house has its rules. May we continue?" The middle-aged man's voice was not loud, but gentle and refined, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Because Tang San was sitting right next to him, he could clearly feel the fluctuations of the soul power emanating from this person. For some reason, he felt a great sense of familiarity with this harmless and gentle soul power, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Yes, of course," the host replied obsequiously.

"180,000 Gold Soul Coins for the second time, 180,000 Gold Soul Coins for the third time. Sold. This catwoman belongs to a magical VIP in the white VIP area." After the middle-aged man stood up, no one raised the price again, and the auction was successfully completed.

When the middle-aged man stood up and confronted Prince Xue Xing without fear, Tang San knew that what he said was not a lie. Otherwise, why would he need to flaunt his purchase of a sex slave when he wasn't wearing a mask? Especially since he had offended an imperial prince for it. This refined middle-aged man certainly didn't seem like a fool, and naturally wouldn't do anything stupid. Since he did it, it proved that he truly had a kind heart.

"Uncle, thank you." Xiao Wu was much more direct than Tang San, and in a great mood, she immediately blurted out.

The middle-aged man smiled and shook his head, pointing to the auction stage, indicating that they should continue watching.

The huge iron cage was pushed off, and soon an old man rushed onto the stage and whispered a few words to the host. The host nodded repeatedly.

The middle-aged man smiled calmly and muttered to himself, "These guys are trying to fool me with cheap goods again. It's the same every time I come. What's the point? It's not like I'm not willing to pay."

Tang San said seriously, "I'm afraid they're worried you'll ruin things. After you raised the price, no one dared to raise it again. With you around, their good items won't fetch good prices, which is naturally a loss for the auction house."

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, leaning back comfortably in his chair. "Well then, I should be going too. This trip has been worthwhile. If you're interested, you can come with me to see that catwoman later."

"Okay," Xiao Wu agreed without hesitation. She was not as simple as she appeared; she needed to see how this middle-aged man dealt with the catwoman before she could feel at ease.

The middle-aged man said, "Then let's look at one last item. If we just leave, wouldn't all their arrangements be wasted?"

Soon, another item was brought up for auction. This time it was just a small cart, and the contents weren't covered with a red cloth. Seeing this, Tang San couldn't help but laugh and cry. Xiao Wu, however, couldn't help but say, "Brother, isn't this our 'Indirect Insult'?"

That's right, the weapon pushed onto the stage was the hidden weapon "Hidden Sand Shot," which Tang San had recently taken to have appraised and which had been marked with a minimum starting price at the auction. Of course, this so-called minimum starting price was already a considerable sum for ordinary people.

"Innuendo? A good name." The middle-aged man smiled at Tang San. Tang San tried to see something in his eyes, but all he saw was a deep gaze.

On stage, the host was introducing the item: "The next item for auction is hailed by the auctioneer as the most exquisite weapon of the night. Distinguished guests, do not be fooled by its small size; its power is astonishing."

As he spoke, the host picked up the weapon from the tray, saying, "Our appraisers didn't know how this weapon was made, but once used, it can instantly fire thirty-six steel needles. These needles can penetrate a one-centimeter-thick steel plate within a fifteen-meter range and are coated with a paralyzing toxin. Simultaneously, a cloud of mist will appear to conceal the needles. It's an invaluable defensive weapon. It can fire three times in total. If used properly, it can easily render an opponent incapable of resistance in combat."

"Huh." The middle-aged man next to Tang San's expression changed. "These guys actually picked something I like. Young man, this weapon originally belonged to you?"

(End of this chapter)