172: Chapter 172 The Auction Continues

Lin Ye was thick-skinned; without changing his expression, he pressed down on Leng Yue's foot under the table and said,

"What kind of talk is that, Wifey? No matter how good things are outside, how can they compare to my own wifey? I'm a very loyal person."

Frost Star immediately lunged over and hugged his arm, saying, "Exactly, exactly! Husband likes Frost Star the most!"

Helena stood to the side, listening to this flirtatious banter.

Far from feeling offended, a subtle sense of envy welled up in her heart.

If... if one day, she could also sit at that stone table and rightfully become...

Helena was startled by this sudden thought popping into her mind.

She hurriedly shook her head, casting those shameful images out of her mind.

"Bang!"

Right at this moment, the door of the Funeral Shop was pushed open from the outside by Fatty Wang.

Fatty Wang panted as he ran in, holding two blood-stained cross swords in his hands.

Bai Yu followed closely behind, holding a notebook and recording something.

"Manager! The loose ends outside have been cleaned up, and I've dragged those chariots down to the underground garage."

"These foreign devils are truly damn rich. Just scraping the mithril off their armor, I reckon we could sell it for tens of millions!"

Fatty Wang was blinded by greed, smiling so hard his eyes were practically squinted shut.

"Alright, what's a bit of scrap metal like that worth?"

Lin Ye pushed the pile of Western holy relics on the table toward Fatty Wang.

"Take a look at these."

Bai Yu leaned forward to take a look and sucked in a cold breath.

"Goodness gracious... Half a Holy Grail? And a Saint's Crown of Thorns? Boss Lin, did you raid the Vatican's national treasury?"

"I casually killed a blind onion head and it dropped."

Lin Ye waved his hand dismissively.

"Bai Yu, I'll give you a task."

"At your command."

"The rumors we spread in the black market before said we'd be holding a Western antique auction tonight. Since these foreign devils sent us such a generous gift, we can't break our promise."

Lin Ye stood up and straightened the hem of his hoodie.

The laziness in his eyes vanished, replaced by the composure and sharpness of a master controller.

"Fatty, arrange the front hall and move out all those rosewood chairs. Max out the grandeur for me."

"Bai Yu, go notify the major bookmakers of Jiangzhou's underground black market immediately, as well as the old clients from Mount Longhu and the Lu family who paid their life-saving fees in Death Valley."

"Tell them that Lins Funeral Shop is now truly holding a special auction for top-tier Western holy relics. Highest bidder wins!"

"Don't they like watching a show? Tonight, I'll let them see what it feels like to pluck Great Xia's wool from Western pigs."

"Got it!"

Fatty Wang and Bai Yu readily agreed with excitement.

Deep into the night.

The third quarter of the Zi hour.

Taiping Old Street swept away its previous dead silence and became brightly lit.

However, the people coming here tonight were no ordinary tourists.

The dark corners on both sides of the old street were packed with all kinds of unplated luxury sedans and off-road vehicles.

The doors of Lins Funeral Shop were wide open.

Two large red everlasting lamps hung on the lintel, swaying in the night wind.

Fatty Wang wore a sharp suit, standing at the door like a professional doorman to verify assets.

"The Jiangzhou Li family, assets verified at ten million, please come in!"

"Daoist Priest Qingfeng of Mount Longhu, an old patron, asset verification waived, take the seat of honor!"

"Young Master Lu Changfeng of the Lu family, bringing fifty million in capital, VIP seating!"

Following Fatty Wang's successive shouts, the prominent mystic forces and hidden financial conglomerate representatives of southern Great Xia filed in one after another.

As they walked into the front hall of the Funeral Shop, the originally noisy conversations abruptly ceased the moment they stepped over the threshold.

Everyone's gaze was stunned by the sight in the center of the hall.

The originally empty reception hall had been arranged into an auction house with a strong classical charm.

And on the auction stage at the very front...

There was no sign of Lin Ye.

Standing there was a tall, voluptuous Western woman with peerless beauty.

Helena.

She wore that black ice-silkworm-silk cheongsam with an extremely high slit, her short silver hair meticulously groomed.

The striking, aggressive beauty characteristic of Western women, wrapped in an Eastern cheongsam, exuded a fatal temptation that made it impossible to look away.

But what made all the mystic world bigwigs present feel their scalps tingle...

Was not her beauty.

But her identity!

"Th-This... Isn't this Helena, the Chief Nun of the Western Inquisition?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng of Mount Longhu rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"My god! That haughty Western Holy Maiden is wearing our Great Xia cheongsam and working as an auctioneer in Lins Funeral Shop?!"

Young Master Lu Changfeng was so excited he almost jumped up; his worship of Lin Ye was practically overflowing the screen.

Standing on the stage, Helena looked at the shocked gazes of those Great Xia cultivators below, her fair cheeks blushing slightly.

She took a deep breath, following the script Lin Ye taught her behind the scenes, picked up a small wooden mallet, and gently tapped the table.

The crisp sound echoed within the silent hall.

"Good evening, distinguished guests of Great Xia."

Speaking Great Xia language with a slight accent, Helena's voice trembled slightly, yet she still tried hard to maintain the demeanor of an auctioneer.

"Welcome to Lins Funeral Shop. I am tonight's auctioneer, Helena."

"Entrusted by my boss, tonight we will publicly auction a batch of... a batch of newly confiscated Western spoils of war."

When Helena uttered the three words 'spoils of war', an indescribable bitterness surged in the bottom of her heart, but even more so, a thrill after breaking free from shackles.

She reached out and pulled off the red cloth covering the tray. Brilliant holy light mixed with rich magical fluctuations instantly illuminated the entire hall.

"The first lot. The personal magical artifact of Lord Archimonde, the Blood High Priest of the Western Inquisition—the Sacred Blood Thorns Ring."

"Starting bid: ten million Great Xia dollars. Each bid increase must not be less than one million."

As soon as Helena's voice fell,

The crowd below instantly boiled over.

"Holy shit! It really is the Blood High Priest's natal magical artifact!"

"Boss Lin not only wiped out the Western enforcement team, but even stripped off people's underwear to sell! His guts are simply too huge!"

"Screw it! Taking this thing back to study Western magic is definitely a priceless treasure! I bid twenty million!"

"Scram, you poor bastards! The Jiangzhou Wang family bids thirty million!"

Frantic bidding voices rose one after another.

Great Xia cultivators showed unprecedented fanaticism toward being able to legally and compliantly buy top-tier Western holy relics and trample them underfoot.

At this moment,

On the second-floor corridor of Lins Funeral Shop,

Lin Ye leaned lazily against the wooden railing, holding a glass of red wine as he looked down at the bustling auction hall below.

Watching Helena blushing on stage yet professionally calling out astronomical prices one after another,

He took a satisfied sip of his red wine.

"After some training, she actually has the makings of a top sales champion."

Lin Ye smiled.

By his side, Leng Yue and Frost Star snuggled against him on his left and right.

Leng Yue gently straightened the collar of his hoodie, her dark gold eyes filled with tenderness.

Frost Star snatched the wine glass from his hand and took a large gulp herself.

"We've earned so much money, can we rent out the entire amusement park tomorrow?"

"Alright, we'll buy out the venue tomorrow. By the way, I'll take you both to buy a few sets of new clothes."

Lin Ye rubbed Frost Star's head, a trace of doting in his eyes.

Just as Lin Ye was enjoying this rare earthly warmth and the thrill of sudden wealth,

The dedicated phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated abruptly.

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow slightly and took out his phone.

There was no caller ID on the screen, only a string of garbled characters.

But he knew that this number belonged to the highest-level encrypted frequency band of Division One of The Ninth Bureau.

Pressing the answer button,

From the other end of the line came the solemn voice of Deputy Director Gao Guoliang of The Ninth Bureau.

"Lin Ye, something big has happened."