Chapter 2676: Chapter 2676
Seeing Liu Yuanfeng agree to the auction, Ye Liuyun continued, "Since I’m the only one here not interested in buying this red serpent, how about letting me host the auction? I’d love to get a taste of being an auctioneer. Given that I’m not acquainted with any of you, I can guarantee absolute fairness. Does that sound acceptable to everyone?"
"Agreed!"
"Master Ye knows his beasts—he’s the perfect choice to run the auction!"
The crowd unanimously voiced their approval, cheering in agreement.
"Excellent! I’ll set up the auction platform then. You all better get your spirit crystals ready!"
With that, Ye Liuyun promptly arranged a makeshift auction stand using a few tables. Then, he exchanged a private message with Liu Yuanfeng.
"These people come from influential families. If you allow credit, there’s no guarantee you’ll collect the full amount later," Ye Liuyun warned, deliberately trying to unsettle him.
"So, no credit then? Strictly cash on the spot?" Liu Yuanfeng grew concerned—what if someone like the Sixth Prince won the bid but later refused to pay up?
"Just state your terms. I’ll conduct the auction exactly as you specify, just like a professional auction house," Ye Liuyun assured.
"Alright, then I insist on immediate payment in full!" Liu Yuanfeng confirmed.
"Very well," Ye Liuyun pretended to concede.
Soon after, Ye Liuyun carefully placed the small red serpent on the table and began outlining the auction rules.
"I’ve already described the unique qualities of this red serpent earlier, so I won’t repeat myself. However, as per the consignor’s requirements, there are a few conditions I must clarify upfront."
"First, the winning bidder must settle the payment immediately—no credit will be accepted!"
"What? What if someone doesn’t have enough spirit crystals on hand right now?" someone immediately protested.
Especially the Sixth Prince, who immediately furrowed his brows. His previous beast-taming wager with Ye Liuyun had nearly cleaned him out of all the valuables he carried. This condition was clearly unfavorable to him.
He shot a glance at Ye Liuyun, convinced the man was deliberately targeting him.
The princess, however, curled her lips into a faint smile. Ye Liuyun’s stipulation had effectively eliminated her strongest competitor.
Without missing a beat, Ye Liuyun explained, "At the client’s request, he doesn’t want the hassle of chasing down debts after selling his goods. Whether the payment can be collected is one issue, but more importantly, he simply finds it troublesome—right?"
He turned to Liu Yuanfeng for confirmation.
"Exactly! It’s all about avoiding the hassle!" Liu Yuanfeng chimed in hastily.
His awkward, timid demeanor made everything clear to the crowd. Even the Sixth Prince, seeing this, stopped suspecting Ye Liuyun and realized Liu Yuanfeng was simply worried about unpaid debts.
Ye Liuyun continued, "Besides, auction houses never operate on credit. If we’re going to mimic their practices, we might as well do it properly."
"Since none of us came fully prepared, it’s fair enough. But if anyone’s short on divine crystals, equivalent valuables can be used as substitutes—that acceptable?"
He glanced at Liu Yuanfeng again, as if seeking his approval.
"Absolutely, absolutely!" Liu Yuanfeng agreed at once. As long as payment was settled on the spot, he didn’t care whether it was in divine crystals or not.
Ye Liuyun then laid out some standard auction house rules. Finally, he set the starting bid for the red serpent at fifty billion divine crystals, with minimum increments of one hundred million. This effectively screened out those who lacked the means or hadn’t brought enough funds.
With that, the auction officially began—and to no one’s surprise, many eagerly jumped into the bidding.
The Sixth Prince had initially considered sitting this one out. But seeing the lack of fierce competition early on, he swiftly raised the bid from sixty billion to eighty billion. That amount was still within his reach, especially if he pooled resources with the soldiers on his battleship and dipped into his own reserves.
Then, the princess stepped in, immediately pushing the price to one hundred billion.
Meanwhile, several wealthy heirs continued to raise their bids. The auction orchestrated by Ye Liuyun played right into their hands—otherwise, they would never have stood a chance against the Sixth Prince and the princess.
By now, only seven or eight serious contenders remained, each with deep pockets. The bidding escalated rapidly, with increments of ten billion at a time.
The Sixth Prince hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and offering the price of a complete world’s Origin Force. He had originally intended to keep this last reserve for himself, but once the princess entered the fray, his pride wouldn’t allow her to win. So he decided to go all in.
Besides, his battleship still had half a portion of Origin Force stored as its power source. Combined, he could muster two full portions.
After this move, only five bidders remained in the race. The competition was fierce, and Ye Liuyun knew they wouldn’t back down easily. He kept stoking the flames, driving the price higher.
He was certain that once the Sixth Prince dropped out, the others would be no match.
Sure enough, after raising his bid to two portions of Origin Force, the Sixth Prince could go no further.
Yet two stubborn contenders still refused to yield, continuing to challenge the princess. Clearly, their resources were formidable.
"Jump straight to three," Ye Liuyun whispered to the princess through a mental transmission.
Without hesitation, she raised the bid to three portions.
The two rivals wavered, exchanging glances before pooling their resources and countering with four.
"Five," Ye Liuyun commanded in another silent message.
The princess complied instantly, slamming down an offer of five portions.
The sheer audacity of her move stunned the crowd into silence.
Seizing the moment, Ye Liuyun deliberately let the tension linger, allowing all eyes to turn toward the two remaining bidders—piling on the psychological pressure.
Under the scrutiny of the crowd, the two bidders began to feel uneasy. Glancing at the princess, they realized that pushing the bid any higher might offend her, so they decisively withdrew. In the end, the red serpent was conceded to the princess.
Ye Liuyun played his part perfectly, making a show of asking if anyone else wished to bid before decisively bringing down the gavel, declaring the auction concluded. He then personally delivered the red serpent to the princess, taking the opportunity to collect payment as well.
Seizing the moment, the princess sent him a covert message: "I only have two Source Energies left."
"Leave it to me," Ye Liuyun replied succinctly.
The princess handed a Interspatial Ring to Hong Ling, instructing her to pass it to Ye Liuyun. Inside were merely two Source Energies. Yet, as Ye Liuyun took the ring, he discreetly slipped three additional Source Energies into it before closing his fist around it.
Approaching Liu Yuanfeng, he opened his palm, presenting the Interspatial Ring with a practiced flourish.
"Please verify the payment," Ye Liuyun said with a smile.
Liu Yuanfeng scanned it with his spiritual sense and confirmed the presence of five Source Energies.
Repeatedly checking, he bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Master Ye! Thank you!"
Without Ye Liuyun’s intervention, he would never have earned such a fortune—let alone survived an encounter with the red serpent. His gratitude was more than justified.
Just then, someone reminded Ye Liuyun about collecting his commission.
