Chapter 1084: Chapter 745: Silk Cocoon Robe_2
"Interesting, it seems someone killed, stole the treasure, and came here to sell it." Yang Xiao understood.
However, this knife might not have been sold to the hotel by those who committed the murder; it’s unclear how many hands it has passed through.
Seeing that his words had already attracted some interest, the old man stopped being secretive and said with a smile, "Starting price is 5000 golden chips, each bid increment should be at least 100. Please, everyone!"
"5200," a cold mechanical synthesized voice sounded, equipped with a voice changer in the hotel’s headset; simultaneously, the screen displaying the Black Blade showed the numbers 5200 and 97.
The first is the current bidding price, while the latter displays the ID number of the bidder.
Yang Xiao was uninterested in such things. The Ghost Chef’s Knife was much more useful than this, and the Peace Hotel is full of tricks, explaining the artifact’s ability clearly but quickly glossing over the potential backlash. From Yang Xiao’s experience, the backlash from this Black Blade could be severe.
Though Yang Xiao wasn’t interested, it didn’t mean others weren’t. Many bids were heard in rapid succession from below, and the numbers of golden chips on the screen continued to rise.
After lasting for a few minutes, this Poisonous Blade was pocketed by the buyer with ID number 61 for a final price of 8200 golden chips.
Seeing this price, Yang Xiao snickered, thinking that the Peace Hotel certainly was dark-hearted. This knife was clearly inferior to his embroidery needle yet auctioned for such a high price of 8200. It should be noted that the hotel only offered 9500 to purchase the embroidery needle.
No business without trickery.
Seeing the first bid was a success, the old man smiled so much that several wrinkles appeared on his face, taking advantage of the situation, he quickly revealed the second treasure: a jade token.
The jade token was stained with blood, appearing as if it had just been excavated from an ancient tomb not long ago. The jade is mottled with many impurities, making it of rather poor quality.
According to the old man, this is a Peace Token with certain protective effects in battle; the previous owner used it to block a deadly blow while being chased by enemies.
"If it’s really that divine, why would it end up here for auction?" someone heckled from below, not a mechanical synthesized voice but a rough male voice.
Yang Xiao found the voice familiar, and shortly after remembered that he had seen this person before. He was one of the Four Major Families of Xiang Ma Town, Marquis Zhengdong. Sure enough, he found him not far away.
It wasn’t that Yang Xiao had the ability to see through the fog easily, but rather that Marquis Zhengdong hadn’t disguised himself at all; he didn’t wear a black robe or a mask but sat boldly there, arms crossed, his massive build like a bear, accompanied by a beautiful woman with long, white legs—also a familiar face, the An Nan Marquis.
Among the four families of Zheng, Zhen, Anping, three had already appeared, and presumably, the Marquis Zhenbei, whom Yang Xiao had a grudge with, was also here.
"These two are here to stir up trouble; if they truly wanted to buy treasures, they wouldn’t show their true faces." Yang Xiao saw through their tricks at a glance; they didn’t dare directly confront the Peace Hotel and had to resort to such despicable methods to vent their dissatisfaction.
Facing the disruption from Marquis Zhengdong, the auctioneer remained unfazed, continuing to introduce the wonders of the artifact with a smile, though the effect was noticeably diminished, resulting in the Protective Jade Token selling for only 7100 golden chips, just 800 above the starting price.
"Fools," Yang Xiao muttered, annoyed at their reckless behavior. If they wanted to mix in Xiang Ma Town, how could they dare offend the Peace Hotel? The hotel was solid as iron while marquises come and go like flowing water. Not to mention, his Ming Yue senior brother wasn’t someone these two could contend with.
Fortunately, the two also had their limits; after speaking once, they stopped creating trouble, leaving Yang Xiao suspicious they had been warned.
Under the strong control of the auctioneer, the auction atmosphere was once again spurred, and one treasure after another was brought out, from old revolvers, broken-toothed wooden combs, skull prayer beads, glass penholders to woven straw shoes, all with a variety of abilities that were truly eye-opening.
Prices kept climbing, surpassing one level after another, with an ancient county official’s hat that could temporarily confuse ghosts fetching an astonishing 17800 golden chips, far exceeding what Yang Xiao could afford.
Currently, Yang Xiao had only transformed five Level 5 Magical Artifacts into 6100 golden chips.
As time passed, Yang Xiao felt his mind clearing, his body relaxing, and his mood lifting, realizing the oxygen enhancement system within the hall was taking effect.
Finally, Yang Xiao’s embroidery needle was brought out. The old man was full of energy, his face aglow, and with a wave of his hand, announced a starting price of 12000, prompting Yang Xiao to curse in frustration.
Indeed a cheat; if he had sold the artifact at 9500, Yang Xiao sitting below might have burst with anger. He now understood why the hotel heightened security, not solely out of fear of robbery but also to prevent frenzied sellers from losing their minds and clashing with the hotel.
The hotel certainly had experts; in just two days, they had unveiled most of the embroidery needle’s wonders. It was nearly ineffective in frontal combat but excelled in stealth attacks, and Yang Xiao had suffered due to it.
As expected, the bidding price for this item soared, eventually selling for an astounding 26000 golden chips, purchased by bidder number 12, who was far better located than Yang Xiao, closer to the auction stage for a better view.
Yang Xiao could roughly guess that the closer one’s position to the front row, the harder it is to secure, indicating those seated there had higher status and standing.
These participants remained very calm; there was hardly any interest in earlier lots, only beginning to exert influence in the later stages.
At this moment, the screen before Yang Xiao popped up with a notification, indicating a new deposit of 22100 golden chips. Combined with the original account of 6100, Yang Xiao’s wealth surged to 28200 golden chips—quite a substantial fortune.
According to the prior agreement with the hotel, an embroidery needle’s sale incurs a 15% service fee.
As the auction proceeded, items became increasingly exceptional and bizarre, not limited to Resentful Eye. Currently on the screen was an ancient book, the last third of which was missing, making it incomplete.
However, according to the auctioneer, they had verified the book was connected to a high-level magical artifact, an exceptionally rare one that attacks the spirit rather than the body.
The old man hinted mysteriously, suggesting that even though the book was incomplete, someone fortunate and wise might locate the artifact with just this piece, thus advancing to the summit of Angel Envoy.
Perhaps feeling unconfident, the starting price for this incomplete book was set relatively low at only 5000 golden chips.
The words were enticing, yet the audience below was not foolish. No matter how euphorically the old man spoke, there was no response.
One could easily guess; who would spend real money gambling on being the fortunate individual to find the artifact? For now, no one responded from below, but intermittent sounds of quiet laughter and snickers arose.
Yang Xiao, already possessing the Human Bone Staff, had limited interest in this item. His sister Yan Xuan’s caliber was something beyond these common folk’s imagination.
As expected, the ancient book failed to attract bidders, but the old man did not despair, continuing with a sincerely smiling expression and introducing the next item.
This was a piece of clothing, a Silk Cocoon Robe, reminiscent of what ancient noble girls wore, extremely lightweight, almost transparent. As the old man gently waved his hand, the suspended robe fluttered in the breeze, and Yang Xiao immediately recognized it as a treasure.
"Haha, this item is extraordinary, once owned by a female demon, and its ability is even rarer. Wearing this robe causes all damage intended for the wearer to dissipate, partially offset by the wearer’s spiritual power—a truly excellent bargain."
Confident in its value, the old man announced, "Starting price of 15000 golden chips, everyone, don’t miss it!"
