135: Chapter 136 An Unexpectedly Successful Auction

With several groups of people around focusing their enthusiastic, inquisitive, or awe-filled gazes on her, Elabess, cloaked in disguise, maintained a tall, indistinct figure that seemed shrouded in a layer of flowing radiance, and walked with unhurried steps toward Liu Hongyuan in the center of White Pigeon Square.

"I'm here," a cool yet uniquely magnetic, mature voice drifted from the radiance, falling directly into Liu Hongyuan's ears, "Let's go, let's enter."

This voice was exactly the same as the one she had heard when communicating during their stealth state! Liu Hongyuan felt a surge of joy, immediately turned around at the sound, her face wearing a long-awaited smile, and looked toward the direction the voice came from.

However, when she saw the person clearly, the smile on her face froze for an instant, then immediately turned into an expression of amused helplessness.

What came into view was indeed a female figure, tall, graceful, and elegant. But that was all! Her entire form, including her face, hair color, clothing details, and even her body curves, was shrouded in a soft yet impenetrable, constantly undulating radiance, revealing only a rough outline.

Never mind her true face, she couldn't even see what color clothes she was wearing! This disguise was even more thorough than simple invisibility—at least with invisibility, you couldn't see anything at all, while this state of "letting you see but not clearly" actually added a sense of unfathomable mystery.

"Uh... I'm just glad you're here." Liu Hongyuan quickly adjusted her mindset, immediately realizing that this was likely some extremely advanced disguise or illusion technique of the other party. This way, even if she appeared in public, outsiders would be unable to discover "her" true identity. This was indeed no different from the effect of invisibility, and it even added a few points of intimidation.

"The auction is about to start, let's go in." Liu Hongyuan tried hard to ignore the strange "Halo Person" appearance of the other party, squeezed out from among the local power brokers who were still hovering nearby with flickering eyes, and signaled to Elabess.

However, the appearance of Elabess in this "Halo Person" form seemed to further stimulate the sharp-nosed local snakes nearby. When they saw this "existence" meeting with official personnel from the Xia Kingdom and appearing in such a mysterious and unfathomable manner, their original guesses seemed to be confirmed.

They could not feel too strong an energy pressure from this "Halo Person," because Lin Muyang had deliberately restrained all the external explicit effects of his Aura, but that absolute "unknown" and "mystery" itself radiated an invisible, heart-palpitating intimidation. Coupled with the status of traveling with Xia Kingdom officials... certain associations grew wildly in their minds.

"This... this Lord!" A middle-aged man named Muguhar, wearing silk robes and looking like a local wealthy merchant, reacted the fastest. He stepped forward in a rush, his face filled with an almost fawning smile, and respectfully handed over an exquisite gold-stamped business card with both hands, "I am Muguhar, running some small businesses in New Island City, and I have a little bit of influence. During your and Miss Liu's stay in New Island City, if there are any trivial matters that need running errands, or if you have any needs for local specialties or entertainment, just command me at any time! I will go through fire and water, and will not refuse!"

"Muguhar, get lost!" Another burly man named Munigo, with dark skin, solid muscles, and wearing leather adventure gear, unceremoniously pushed him aside. He showed Elabess and Liu Hongyuan what he considered his kindest smile, and said in a rough voice while trying to soften it: "Two Lords, I am Munigo. I opened a skill book shop next to the auction house, and the goods are complete! After the auction ends, please do me the honor of visiting! Whatever skill book you take a fancy to, just take it! Consider it my, Munigo's, tribute to you both!"

"Two distinguished guests from the Xia Kingdom," an elderly white man named Charles, wearing a sophisticated suit with his hair combed meticulously, bowed elegantly and spoke in fluent but accented Xia Kingdom language, "The person in charge of this auction is my uncle. If there is any item at the auction that particularly catches your eyes, perhaps... we can arrange a transaction in advance, and the price will definitely be favorable. It avoids unnecessary bidding complications and ensures peace and quiet."

For a time, seven or eight prominent figures surrounded them, all talking at once, each showing their own abilities. Those who spoke the Xia Kingdom language stumblingly tried hard to gesture; those who spoke it fluently exhausted their capacity for flattery. Their core idea was only one: to get familiar, show loyalty, offer benefits, and hope to establish even a shred of a good relationship with the Xia Kingdom and this mysterious "Halo Person" before them.

Hidden to the side, maintaining the Divine Concealment state, Lin Muyang and Gui Wanwan took in this scene. Gui Wanwan's pale little face was full of oddity. She stretched out her slender fingers, gently poked Lin Muyang's arm, and transmitted her thoughts via soul link:

"Master~ Is the status of you Xia Kingdom people actually this high in this chaotic Free Port? These guys don't look weak, so why are they all acting like bears smelling honey?"

"I don't think so?" Lin Muyang was also a bit confused, responding via soul link, "I used to hear that in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, they only recognize money and fists, and the official status of various countries here is just so-so. This situation is too abnormal."

As the saying goes, if someone shows courtesy for no reason, they are either treacherous or thieving. The more enthusiastic these people acted, the more suspicious it was. Lin Muyang instinctively felt that there must be some special reason or trap behind this.

Liu Hongyuan clearly had the same thought. The polite smile on her face could hardly be maintained, and alarm bells were ringing in her heart. She quickly and firmly declined the good intentions of these people one by one, her tone polite but distant: "Thank you all for your kindness, I appreciate the thought. We are just here to attend the auction and will follow the rules, so there is no need to trouble you."

After speaking, she no longer gave these people a chance to pester them, signaled to Elabess, and the two walked quickly toward the entrance of the auction venue, presenting the gold-stamped invitations they had prepared long ago. The guards clearly recognized Liu Hongyuan's status as an official of the Xia Kingdom, and after glancing at the mysterious "Halo Person" beside her, they dared not ask more, respectfully bowed, and quickly let them pass.

It was not until their figures disappeared behind the magnificent porch of the auction venue that the gathered local power brokers dispersed resentfully, with more or less regret on their faces. They did not gather together again, but each took their subordinates, talking in low voices, and walked in different directions.

"Something's not right..." Lin Muyang frowned slightly. He had originally thought these groups were acting together or had some common conspiracy. But now it seemed they had just coincidentally made similar moves, and after their purpose was achieved, they had dispersed.

"Nether Eye, go." Beside him, Gui Wanwan whispered an incantation. As she raised her hand, several imperceptible gray light spots flew out silently, like the most inconspicuous dust, attaching themselves to the corners of clothes or hair tips of the few leaders from just now. This was her tracking and reconnaissance skill, which could share vision and partial hearing.

Lin Muyang also simultaneously activated Divine Sight and the Eye of Creation, which had been strengthened by Yamas Fate Alteration. The dual insight stacked, like the most precise scanner, silently analyzing the state of those dispersing people from various aspects such as energy fluctuations, micro-expressions, and body language.

He discovered that after these people left, their conversations with their confidants immediately switched to their respective familiar languages—there were indigenous dialects, Western Continent languages, Eastern Island languages... This showed that the Xia Kingdom language was not their daily language, and their fawning performance just now was indeed deliberately done.

"Could there really be some earth-shattering conspiracy? Or is it a serial scam targeting Xia Kingdom personnel?" Lin Muyang's curiosity was piqued. He moved his mind again, and a rarely used God-Tier Aura was quietly activated—Omnilingualism. This Aura allowed him to instantly understand and master all languages he heard.

As the Aura took effect, those originally obscure and difficult-to-understand dialects and foreign languages instantly became clear and understandable in his ears.

He concentrated, carefully listening to the private conversations of these groups through the vision and sound shared by Gui Wanwan's Nether Eye.

Muguhar said to his subordinates: "...Check immediately, what other important figures from the Xia Kingdom are coming to New Island City recently, especially those with special identities and mysterious whereabouts. All expenses, put them on my account, no, just waive the bill! We must maintain a good relationship!"

Munigo (the skill book shop owner) instructed his deputy: "...Take out those Emperor Level skill books that are at the bottom of the shop's collection, clean them up, and pack them well. Later, I will personally deliver them to the Xia Kingdom embassy... No, find out the hotel where that 'halo' lady and Miss Liu are staying, and send them directly there. Just say it's a congratulatory gift!"

Charles (relative of the organizer) said to someone on the communicator: "...Uncle, confirmed, that 'mysterious person' from the Xia Kingdom has also arrived, together with Liu Hongyuan. Yes, that's the one from the recent rumors. Regarding those items on the auction list that the Xia Kingdom might be interested in, give them a heads-up; if they bid, others should yield appropriately. Yes, ensure they can get them at a satisfactory price. Loss? It's just a little handling fee; it's worth it to gain the Xia Kingdom's goodwill."

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

The conversations among the other groups were much the same, the core content being nothing more than trying every possible way to curry favor with the visitors from Xia Country, especially that mysterious "Halo Person", even at the cost of some substantial interests. Their tones were full of wariness, fawning, and a kind of... relief? As if they had completed some important "political task".

Hearing these conversations that lacked any sense of "conspiracy" and were purely about "bootlicking" and "risk avoidance", Lin Muyang's expression went from alert to confused, and then to completely speechless.

"This actually works?" He couldn't help but swear in his heart.

By integrating the scattered conversations of these people and combining them with the information he knew, he quickly pieced together the full picture of the situation.

The Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand Free Port, as an extrajudicial land, has cruel rules of survival. Those who can make a name for themselves and survive to level 200 or above here are all the shrewdest of the shrewd, with a terrifyingly sensitive nose for international trends and potential dangers.

Several major international events that occurred recently had collectively given them a bone-chilling cold:

First, the headquarters of India's National Magic Crystal Bank was emptied by a mysterious person, and all guards on-site fell into a collective deep sleep that they could not be awakened from. Although there was no direct evidence pointing to Xia Country, various forces, through internal intelligence analysis, all turned their suspicious gazes toward Xia Country—only Xia Country had the motive and the bizarre level-ignoring sleep ability to achieve this.

Then, just this morning, Kimchi Country's Nation-Guarding Level Expert "revenge heavenly god" Park Jeong-hwan died mysteriously in the hot spring of his own estate. The cause of death was a mystery, and there were likewise no valuable clues at the scene. Combined with the fact that not long ago, Park Jeong-hwan had appeared on the Pyeongsan Peninsula at the border of Kimchi Country and Xia Country, seemingly chasing something unsuccessfully before announcing he would go into seclusion... this series of events was quickly linked together by these sensitive local bosses.

They reached a conclusion that made their own scalps tingle: Xia Country had likely secretly cultivated a super genius or special existence with extremely bizarre and terrifying abilities! This person possesses level-ignoring forced control abilities and ghostly stealth assassination methods. The Brahma Bank incident was a warning or retribution, while the death of the "revenge heavenly god" was Xia Country showing its fangs and clearing away potential threats!

This "mysterious existence" might not be high-level, but precisely because of that, their threat was even greater—you never know when or in what manner he or she will appear. And the Xia Country officialdom is clearly the backer or collaborator of this existence.

So, when the Xia Country official Liu Hongyuan appeared high-profile in New Island City and was traveling with a mysterious "Halo Person" whose background was completely unreadable, these local bosses immediately imagined a grand drama: "Xia Country's mysterious killing god arrives for inspection with official representatives."

Their reaction was swift and consistent: regardless of whether this "mysterious existence" came to New Island City specifically for sightseeing or business, they had to show goodwill immediately! They must not offend them! Even if they had to pay some economic price, they had to exchange it for Xia Country's goodwill to ensure that they and the Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand territory would not be targeted by this "malicious star" or blacklisted as "unfriendly" by Xia Country.

"Good grief... these people are all old foxes who have become spirits, aren't they?" Lin Muyang was completely speechless. According to the tropes of many novels he had read, shouldn't this kind of international auction involve the protagonist entering low-key, then being provoked by some blind local bully, followed by the protagonist showing off his strength to crazily slap their faces, finally alarming the big boss behind the scenes for a climactic conflict?

The reality turned out to be... before he even entered the venue, the local bosses from all walks of life were already lining up to "bootlick"? Fearing that they weren't licking fast enough or well enough?

Sure enough, novels are all lies. In the real world, especially among experts who can climb to high positions, there might be arrogant ones, but there are very few true fools. Especially in a cruel "colosseum" like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, those who do not know how to judge the situation and act cautiously simply cannot live until the day they can be called a "boss".

For these bosses, giving up a bit of inconsequential interest in exchange for establishing a good relationship with a powerful nation—and its mysterious expert—that might possess the power to "destroy a country" was simply too good a bargain. This was the smartest and most stable way to survive.

Having figured all this out, Lin Muyang shook his head with a wry smile and, bringing Gui Wanwan along, also silently entered the auction venue.

The subsequent auction process gave Lin Muyang an even greater sense of unreality.

The auction was held on the top floor of the auction house. The decor was luxurious, and there were many participants from all over the world, including quite a few existences with powerful Auras. But when the disguised Elabess placed bids with the assistance of Liu Hongyuan, bizarre situations occurred repeatedly.

Interested in that level 178 fire-attribute legendary armor, the [heart of the blazing dragon]? The starting price was 5 epic-grade elemental essences. Elabess bid 6. The venue was silent for a moment, with only a few scattered, tentative bids from other Xia Country chambers of commerce or solo players reaching 7. When Elabess calmly bid 8, no one responded again. The auctioneer asked three times, and the gavel fell. The final price: 8 epic-grade elemental essences.

"The market price for this thing is at least 20 or more, right?" Lin Muyang blinked while in his invisible state.

Next was that epic-grade storage ring with a capacity of 5,300 cubic meters, the [sumeru ring]. The starting price was 15 elemental essences. The competition was slightly more intense, and the price was raised to 22. Elabess bid 24. Then there was silence again. Several booths and hall seats that were still bidding earlier seemed to go mute at the same time. The final price: 24.

"..." Lin Muyang no longer knew what to say. He had originally prepared himself for a potential bloody battle with some wealthy major forces. And this was it?

Throughout the entire auction, for any item Elabess showed interest in, the final transaction price was far below market expectations, and the process was outrageously smooth. Only for a few items that Xia Country was completely uninterested in, or that other major national forces were determined to get, did normal intense bidding occur.

By this time, even Liu Hongyuan completely understood what was going on. Sitting in the VIP seat next to Elabess, watching the auctioneer's slightly awkward yet knowing expression and listening to the deliberately lowered discussions around her, she felt a complex mix of emotions.

"It seems that person's deterrent power is much greater than we imagined," she couldn't help but sigh softly to the "Halo Person" beside her. She still didn't dare to directly reveal Elabess's identity and could only use "that person" to refer to her.

"It seems the people here are quite sensible~" Elabess's simulated voice carried a hint of lazy amusement. When she said "here", she naturally meant Blue Star, but in Liu Hongyuan's ears, it became "this place, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand".

"This is their way of survival..." Liu Hongyuan smiled helplessly, her tone complex. "Fear the strong, invest in the future. Use the smallest cost to avoid the greatest risk."

Through this incident, regardless of what Lin Muyang himself thought, at least in the perception of the various forces in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and even the national leaders behind them, a kind of benevolent connection with Xia Country had been established. In the future, Xia Country personnel would undoubtedly find it much more convenient to operate here. And if the "solo clearing genius" really wanted to be "active," there was a high probability he wouldn't prioritize "visiting" this place that had already expressed "friendliness."

Although the other party did not know that the "mysterious existence" was currently at the auction site and watching all this with an extremely speechless mood, their strategy had objectively achieved its goal—using tangible "concessions" and "respect" to exchange for a potential security guarantee.

Before long, the auction neared its end. Liu Hongyuan, representing the Xia Country officialdom, easily paid a total of less than 40 epic-grade elemental essences and successfully obtained the [heart of the blazing dragon] armor and the [sumeru ring]. Besides these, Elabess also used bargain-like low prices to snag two quite good origin skill books suitable for mages or assassins, which counted as an unexpected gain from this trip to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.

The entire auction process had no conflict and no face-slapping, only a harmonious atmosphere of yielding and tacit understanding.

As Lin Muyang led Gui Wanwan, following Liu Hongyuan and Elabess out of the auction house after completing the transaction, and was once again bathed in the slightly salty sea breeze of New Island City, he looked back at the brightly lit "Golden Sparrow Plume" Auction House, then at the heavy [sumeru ring] he had just obtained through special channels, and the [heart of the blazing dragon] armor lying quietly inside the ring, his mood complex.

"Coming out this time... was simply unbelievably smooth." He shook his head and put on the ring, feeling the vast space within. "But it's fine, it saves trouble. The goal is achieved; it's time to go back and handle the main business."