Chapter 363
The Auction House!
The coachman deftly swung the reins, and the four snow dragon steeds let out a deep neigh and began to stride forward with their strong, powerful limbs.
Four black-clad knights silently formed two lines, guarding the front and rear of the carriage.
The carriage smoothly and swiftly departed the mountain range where the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy was located, winding its way down the meticulously maintained mountain road.
Inside the carriage, Dugu Yan continued to take advantage of her home turf, introducing Lin Xia to the prosperity of Tiandou City and the interesting anecdotes of the auction house, her words carrying the familiarity unique to the noble scions of Tiandou.
Yu Tianheng occasionally added a few words, appearing calm and polite.
Yu Feng and Oslo whispered about what treasures they might see later.
The graphite and stone mill brothers listened with honesty.
Ye Lingling remained quiet, but her gaze kept falling on Lin Xia, who was resting with her eyes closed, as if she were sensing something.
Ning Rongrong watched Dugu Yan and Lin Xia chatting and laughing, and felt a little uneasy. But when she thought of Lin Xia's terrifying wealth, she felt that her little emotions were a bit ridiculous, so she could only turn her head to look out the window.
Zhu Zhuqing seemed to be in a meditative state.
The carriage soon entered Tiandou City.
The majestic city walls, the endless stream of people, and the clamor of noise all rushed towards me.
After passing through bustling streets, we finally stopped in front of a magnificent building.
The building is entirely made of white marble, and a glittering plaque hangs above the huge archway—Tian Dou Auction House.
Four tall girls stood at the entrance.
These girls were clearly carefully selected; not only were they all around 1.75 meters tall, but they also had extremely well-proportioned figures.
While not stunningly beautiful, her pretty face was still very attractive; she looked to be no more than twenty years old.
They wore floor-length dresses that covered even their arms, revealing no more than an inch of skin, yet the dresses were very form-fitting, perfectly outlining their graceful curves.
The snow-white dress was embroidered with silver patterns.
The four girls moved in exactly the same way, with their hands in front of them and smiles on their faces. Although it was a professional smile, it was still easy to make people feel good.
But when they saw the iconic dark gold carriage and the powerful aura emanating from the guarding knights, they immediately straightened up, their eyes filled with awe.
The coachman jumped down from the carriage shaft, and without a word, the girls quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Welcome, distinguished guests!"
Lin Xia got out of the car first, her gaze calmly sweeping over the magnificent entrance of the auction house.
Dugu Yan followed closely behind, smiling as she spoke to Lin Xia.
"Lord Lin, I'm a regular here. Just tell me what you're interested in, and I'll help you take a look so you won't be taken advantage of as a 'big spender'."
She teased him again, using Lin Xia's own words, trying to close the distance.
Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, and others also got off the bus.
"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"
Dugu Yan shook her head, then took out a smooth, lustrous blue jade pendant with fine gold lines inlaid along its edges, and said to the approaching girls:
"No need, thank you!"
Seeing the token in Dugu Yan's hand, especially the unique emblem pattern on it that belonged to the top nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The professional smiles on the four girls' faces were instantly replaced by a deeper sense of awe. They bowed in unison, their movements more precise and fluid than before, and their voices more respectful.
"Yes, honored guests, please come in! We wish you success in acquiring your desired treasure!" Without any further questioning or indication of their intention, the girls quickly made way, humbly watching this group of guests who were clearly of extraordinary origin.
Lin Xia took the lead and stepped into the huge archway of the Heavenly Dou Auction House.
Dugu Yan followed closely behind, followed by Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and the rest of the Royal Fighting Team.
Upon entering the auction hall, the expected magnificent and glittering scene did not materialize.
The floor was paved with smooth, milky-white marble, so shiny it was like a mirror, yet not glaring.
The tall walls on all sides are decorated with a large number of reliefs.
These reliefs are elegant in style and not complicated in color, mainly in simple off-white, light gray and pale gold.
The paintings depict mostly spirit beasts, martial spirits, and classical patterns symbolizing prosperity and power, giving an overall impression of simplicity, clarity, solemnity, and grandeur.
It felt like being in a profound art palace rather than a noisy trading market.
In addition to the reliefs, rows of exquisite shop windows were also built along the walls.
The items in the display window are not for auction, but rather some highly ornamental and historically significant objects.
The antique-style porcelain gleams with a warm luster, as if telling a story from long ago.
Several well-preserved ancient armors stand silently, their metal surfaces bearing the marks of time.
There were also some strange mineral specimens and exquisite soul tools. When Lin Xia saw these, he was amused. Weren't these the soul tools he made on a whim?
If it weren't for the gleaming gold plaque at the entrance and the subtle atmosphere of trade in the air, Lin Xia would have thought she had walked into an elegant museum.
"How is it, Lord Lin? It's quite different from the Sky Platform of your Gengjin City, isn't it?"
Dugu Yan's voice carried a hint of familiarity and pride unique to the Tiandou aristocracy. She naturally walked slightly ahead of Lin Xia, acting as a guide.
"The main focus here is on the atmosphere and sense of history, after all, it has the backing of an empire."
Dugu Yan's emerald green eyes swept around as she casually explained the rules.
"The Tiandou Auction House operates 24 hours a day with continuous bidding. There are no fixed rest times, and items are being auctioned at any time."
"However, the real highlight is during the nighttime hours, which last for about two hours each day."
"Back then, only buyers who had their funds verified in advance and had a deposit of more than one million gold soul coins could get an entry pass to participate in the auction. It was an exclusive event for top-tier tycoons and truly powerful forces."
"At other times, like now, anyone can come in and try their luck as long as their identity and basic financial resources are verified."
Lin Xia nodded calmly, her gaze slowly sweeping across the entire hall.
Although the environment was elegant, he could immediately see the huge profit chain behind this continuous auction model.
For a valuable auction item, the auction house takes a 10% cut as commission. Although the percentage may seem small, it is significant given the constant flow of a large number of items throughout the day.
Over time, the wealth accumulated from these commissions will inevitably be astronomical, enough to support this magnificent building and the massive operating system behind it.
However, this amount of wealth was nothing to him, as he had casually remarked to Meng Shenji not long ago; it was not even a drop in the ocean, and naturally, it did not cause him any emotional fluctuation.
Lin Xia's purpose in this trip was not to experience the thrill of an auction or to accumulate wealth.
He walked casually, his powerful mental energy like invisible tentacles, naturally sensing the various auras and energy fluctuations flowing within the field without deliberately flaunting it.
He was looking for something that would interest him, or more precisely, something that might be beneficial to his Bangiras.
Whale glue—a top-tier natural treasure produced from the bodies of powerful deep-sea spirit beasts, capable of significantly tempering the physique and raising the upper limit of physical attributes—was one of his targets on this trip. (End of Chapter)