Chapter 46 - The Auction House (2)

[ Back in the Capital ]

"Good morning, Lance," Mei smiled as she saw her brother on the first floor, eating chicken dumplings and a bowl of egg noodle soup. "Such a plain breakfast?"

"Nothing wrong with chicken," Lance shrugged, biting into a giant dumpling with his chopsticks before finishing the second half. "You do know what we are going to do today, right?"

"The auction," Mei answered.

"Yes, and we will leave the city soon after. I'm sure some rich snobs will send men to follow us and steal from us if we buy the more expensive items. We should also buy a disguise or an illusion-type magical treasure to change your face. It is... inconvenient," Lance said, attempting to find the right word.

"I don't look bad," Mei said, taking out a mirror to fix her hair.

"...whatever," Lance said silently, looking her in the eye. "We cannot afford to risk being discovered. Your face is a problem. We need it fixed. Unless... you are willing to consider a preferred alternative."

"What's that?" Mei asked, paling as he grinned evilly.

"Oh, well. It's like this. Snakes study the bone structure of their prey to accurately bind, constrict, and crush them to death with assurance of no retaliation. Long story short: I break the bones in your face and mold it into a new shape," Lance said.

"NO!" Mei said, her voice silencing the inn. "Ah, sorry everyone. Sorry. Lance, look at what you made me do!"

"I did nothing. You asked, and I answered," Lance said, as Mei grumbled, ordered her food, and stabbed it violently with her chopsticks. Lance sighed and took out a white-hooded cloak, handing her a bronze mask. The mask had only slits for her nostrils, eyes, and mouth, with no other features on its smooth surface.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Your face, for now," Lance said. "I found it among the magical treasures of the bandits. The most useless treasure, as it does nothing. It doesn’t even offer protection. The only thing magical about it is that it stretches as you open and close your mouth. That's it. I spit on the incompetent idiot who created it. It's so stupid I nearly vomited when I found out its effect. Break it and burn it once we buy you the item we need. Such a thing makes my eyes bleed with disgust."

"Alright," Mei said, slightly offended, as it would be her temporary face. An hour later, Lance and the disguised Mei appeared before the gold and black building known to be the largest and most luxurious auction house in all the Pangu Continent. Lance had changed into a robe made from the fur of an Element Adept Black Tiger. The black and orange-striped robe did not draw much attention, as they were at the biggest auction house. Naturally, people were expected to wear such clothing.

"Halt. We do not allow the poor to come here," a guard said, stopping Lance and Mei.

"Oh. Really?" Lance said as he used his Stone Breaker Art, his right arm turning into a giant blade that pierced through the guard's chest. Lance spat with disdain and flung the guard into the crowd behind him, snapping his fingers to shatter the earth blade and spread the man’s blood all over the crowd and floor.

"You get in my way, and I kill you. You dare block a practitioner of the Meteor Vessel Stage? Fucking Spirit Forming, judging me by my age. Do you think I am trash, like you? Do you not have eyes? Do I look like my cultivation is not strong enough to kill a black tiger magical beast of the Element Adept Stage? Do I look like I need to buy this cloak? Use your spirit sense and tell me I’m wrong," Lance snarled at the three guards who rushed toward him.

"Meteor Vessel?" Many in the crowd paled, gasping as it was true. Lance had to be a descendant of a rather powerful clan to reach the fourth tier of cultivation at such a young age. He looked only about fifteen! Mei sighed. Lance didn’t need to kill the guard or even resort to using his earth practitioner art. He wanted a show, and he enjoyed it.

"You didn't have to kill him," a guard said.

"He barred my way. I am a practitioner. In our world, the strong trample the weak. Always. A thousand years ago and a thousand years from now: the truth will never change. It has just expanded to political power; humans are no longer primitive beings of intelligence. However, the power of cultivation stands above all things. That is how it was, how it is, and how it will always be," Lance said, pushing the guards aside as he walked into the building.

"For the mess of my master," Mei said, giving a hundred demon spirit coins. The guards looked at the masked female and Lance. If the slave, which they assumed Mei to be, could easily give a hundred demon spirit coins, Lance was definitely from a clan they could not afford to offend. He might be a noble's hidden child or maybe extended royalty.

"That was quite the entrance," Mei muttered as Lance entered the gates and proceeded into the giant building. "Was that necessary?"

"You obviously live in a small world. This is the largest auction house on the continent. Only the rich and powerful can be allowed entry here. Maybe people can enter the smaller auction rooms, but the main building is where only the richest and strongest can bid. We had to display our status. The sacrifice of a worthless guard with no eyes is nothing compared to our goal. Humans are wrong. Some are but a means to an end. That is their destiny and the destiny of the weak. You want to avoid this? Become powerful. Become strong. Do not trample over others. That is cowardice," Lance began.

"Face them head-on and destroy them utterly. Defeat only means future battles. Destruction is the end. In the end, destruction is the way to enter the Heavens," Lance continued. "Cast aside mortal affairs. Destroy your enemies that seek to block your path. Follow in the ways of the world and learn its laws. That is true cultivation. That is what it means to be a practitioner. Remember it. I failed. That is why I am here. We are not like them, content with the Mortal Realm. Am I wrong?"

"No," Mei said. "But what you ask is hard. Very hard. Are we buying a V.I.P. Box?"

"Of course. You see, while you slept, I went shopping. I also bought a memory crystal. Within it, I inscribed some practitioner technique I know that took me a while to convert to human capacity. It is sure to get us a V.I.P. Box," Lance grinned. "It is called Violet Transformation Art. It absorbs the fire essence of the very sun and allows you to cultivate the sun's far more powerful spirit energy instead of the spirit energy around you. For fire element practitioners, such a thing is beyond priceless, worth kingdoms."

"And you're selling it?" Mei asked. "I thought you didn't need money."

"I don't, but ten spirit demon coins is equivalent to one gold demon coin, the currency of the continent we are to go to. We can exchange our money, in secret, at the Adventurer's Guild. However, I am depositing them into the guild, where I can withdraw the balance from any guild branch all over the world. In this way, exchanging currency is never an issue," Lance answered. "Remember, not all continents and currencies accept the same currency. In the southern continent, they love coins made of gold demon bones over spirit demon bones."

"Hello, young master. What business do you have at the Gold Song Auction House?" a man smiled.

"I am here to bid in the main auction house as well as to sell this," Lance said, handing over a memory crystal. "This is a low-grade memory crystal. After one use, knowledge of the practitioner art is imprinted into the mind and can no longer be used or taught, as it also provides special energy to allow the body to tolerate it."

"This will certainly raise the price. Come with me," the man smiled, and the siblings followed him into a hidden room guarded by multiple men in middle-grade armor. It seemed that the guards were at the Meteor Vessel Stage within the auction house itself. A fat man with a short, pointed beard appeared a few minutes later to inspect the crystal.

"Senior Jiang, what is the assessment?" the man asked.

"This—this is extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary! Young man, do you know what this is?" the man exclaimed, looking at Lance with awe evident in his voice.

"Of course I know what it is. I'm the seller. However, I do not have an affinity for fire. I have no use for that thing, nor does my clan," Lance said. The Guo Clan did need it but was not strong enough to defend itself against kidnappings or have their clansmen's practitioner techniques stolen after intense and extensive study. "I trust no one will know I am the seller? My family will be watching. They are always watching."

"Of course. Of course. Mr. Lu, this will be one of the twenty items sold here today. Make it number fourteen. Young master, please follow me to your V.I.P. booth. I assure you of the highest quality service and the highest bid possible. However, I'm sure I do not need to say that fire element practitioners are among the most numerous, being one of the four main elements of the modern era," the man, Mr. Jiang, smiled warmly and gestured out of the room. Mr. Lu sweat heavily, knowing the consequences of selling such a crystal. Spreading news would quickly attract many people, and he had to ensure absolute secrecy. He had personally seen both the young man and his slave at the Meteor Vessel Stage. His clan was certainly not one to trifle with if a slave at the Meteor Vessel Stage dared not attempt to escape.

"Follow us," Lance said, not even looking at Mei to uphold their fake status. Seeing Mr. Lu sweat, he knew the man was thinking hard about how to advertise the crystal without exposing the seller.

"Yes, master," Mei bowed her head and silently followed. She had never been to an auction house, and this was supposed to be the most lavish of them all. She feared for them both, as many would wish to capture Lance should he buy an expensive item or expose that he sold the crystal. The auction was to be held in the late afternoon. As it was early morning, there was plenty of time for the news to spread throughout the city.

"Please wait here," Mr. Jiang smiled. "Servants will come with refreshments and food shortly. Rest assured, no one will be able to disturb you until the auction starts. The black screen around the box blocks all sound and view, disappearing when the auction begins."

"Thank you," Lance said as he sat down, noticing the black screen all around the V.I.P. box he was in. As the man said, he could not see the other side or hear anything. "Here is also a deposit of one hundred million demon spirit coins. I believe a guarantee deposit is required, right?"

"Of course. Young master is most wise and experienced. The servants will arrive around noon to deliver your lunch in a few hours. Thank you for coming to the Gold Song Auction," Mr. Jiang smiled and bowed low.

"Lance!" Mei said as the man closed the door behind him.

"What?" Lance asked, confused. "Something wrong?"

"This auction will definitely be visited by the crown prince. He is a pervert, and slaves are sure to be sold here, those deemed of high quality," Mei said.

"How is that my problem? Don't tell me you want me to save every person who is to be bought as a slave?" Lance asked.

"No. What I'm saying is, why don't we kill the crown prince?" Mei asked, stunning Lance.

"Aren't you the one who told me to be a better person? Now you want me to do exactly what the old me wanted to do? You're sending me mixed messages here," Lance said.

"Our clan is under Shen Dong's banner. We are better off with the crown prince dead," Mei replied.

"And how the hell do we expect to do that?" Lance asked.

"I don't know. You're the one with the schemes," Mei retorted, prompting Lance to sigh as he shook his head.

"Leave the thinking to me. Just sit there and wait for lunch," Lance said, stroking his chin. "It was true that the Guo Clan was under Shen Dong's banner, but his little brother was in love with Shen Qing. He could be a good brother by killing Shen Dong later and making Guo Lin the new emperor, right? It was the so-called filial piety if he elevated the status of his clan, right? He read it in a book somewhere. It must be so.

He spent three hours devising a plan, as well as escape routes outside the city, should the greedy people at the auction prove too difficult to kill and render him unable to kill the crown prince.

"It shouldn't be evil if I do it for family and not for myself, right?" Lance muttered, but Mei did not hear him as servants arrived with lunch.