Chapter 632

About a quarter of an hour later, a middle-aged woman wearing a dark blue uniform walked onto the platform.

Her uniform was very similar to Vido Lei En's, but there were four gold bars on her collar, one more than Vido's.

Her hair was combed meticulously, she wore no makeup, and her expression was serious but not stern.

"Everyone." Her voice was not loud, but it could be heard clearly throughout the entire hall. "Welcome to this internal exchange meeting. I am Elena Walker, the person in charge of auction affairs for the association's Fog City branch."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the hall.

"The auction is about to begin. The rules are the same as always: the highest bidder wins, cash transactions only, and items cannot be returned or exchanged once they leave the venue. Please keep your number tags safe; just raise them when you want to bid."

Jie Ming lowered his head and glanced at the wooden number tag that the waiter had shoved into his hand when he entered.

A number was written on the tag in ink: thirty-seven.

"Now, the auction begins." Elena Walker clapped her hands, a side door opened, and two waiters walked up carrying a tray covered with a red cloth.

Jie Ming looked at the tray, a glimmer of anticipation appearing in his eyes.

This was the main reason he had come to attend this internal exchange meeting.

The information about this auction was one of the intelligence pieces he had collected during the day by spreading his spiritual sense across the entire city.

The Psychic Association would hold a small internal auction after their lectures every so often, and the participants were mainly members of the association, merchants with connections, and "insiders" like him who learned of the news through various channels.

The items auctioned were mainly various genetic agents, as well as data, materials, and even finished products related to the eerie.

Jie Ming leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

After cooperating with those intermediaries, he had accumulated quite a bit of money.

That money didn't really have much meaning to him, so it was better to spend it.

For him, the meaning of money in this world was to exchange it for research materials.

In any case, he didn't need money to prove anything, nor did he need to save money for retirement.

Besides, if he really didn't have enough—

He glanced at the pile of coins in his internal cave heaven that he had obtained from black intermediaries and bandits, then looked at the others in the hall, feeling no pressure at all.

The auction proceeded very smoothly.

The first batch of items up for auction were some genetic agents, some official, some civilian, some common, and some rare.

The bidding was quite intense; it could be said that for many people coming here, a portion of their goal was these items.

Jie Ming had no interest in these official genetic agents; official agents were processed too thoroughly, and the residual eerie power was too little.

For Jie Ming, their research value was not as high as those banned drugs.

His interest lay in other things.

The fourth item was a palm-sized black stone slab with complex runes carved on its surface.

Elena introduced it as a type of disposable material capable of sealing the eerie, produced from a mineral vein in the north, with a very low annual yield.

The starting price was fifty silver coins.

Jie Ming raised his number tag.

"Number thirty-seven, fifty silver coins."

Someone in another direction raised a tag. "Sixty-five silver coins."

Jie Ming raised his tag again. "Eighty silver coins."

"Number thirty-seven, eighty silver coins. Is there any higher bid?"

No one raised a tag again.

Jie Ming won the black stone slab for the price of eighty silver coins.

The waiter delivered the slab to him, he paid on the spot, and then put the slab away.

The seventh item, three eerie fragments, were encapsulated in resin and were of Danger-class.

The starting price was one hundred and twenty silver coins.

Jie Ming made a move again and ultimately won it for the price of two hundred and thirty silver coins.

The eleventh item was a research manuscript regarding a certain Hazard-class eerie, authored by a senior investigator of the association.

The manuscript recorded in detail the birth process, activity patterns, and the final sealing process of that eerie.

The starting price was three hundred silver coins.

The competition was a bit more intense.

There were three buyers bidding against him, and ultimately Jie Ming won it for the price of five hundred and fifty silver coins.

He just kept bidding item by item, buying them one by one.

He decisively made moves for all materials and data related to the eerie; the price was just a number in his eyes.

The people around him began to notice him.

After all, Jie Ming's display was truly too bold.

Others would hesitate a bit when bidding, weigh the options, or wait for others to bid first before considering whether to follow.

But this person was different.

Whatever he wanted, he would raise his tag directly, without any hesitation, as if money were not money.

People in the hall began to whisper to each other.

"Who is number thirty-seven? Never seen him."

"Don't know him. Dressed very ordinarily, but his bidding is very steady."

"Could he be from some family? Dressing like this on purpose to be low-key?"

"Doesn't look like it. The temperament on him—doesn't look like someone from those families."

Jie Ming turned a deaf ear to these discussions.

His gaze remained fixed on the items on the platform, waiting for the next one.

Then, the finale item came up.

The waiter came up carrying an A4-paper-sized metal box.

The box was silver-white, with no decorations on the surface, but Jie Ming's gaze froze the moment he saw that box.

There was a layer of extremely subtle energy fluctuations on the surface of the metal box; the fluctuations were very weak, and even ordinary psychics might not be able to detect them.

But Jie Ming's spiritual sense perception precision far exceeded any existence in this world; he could clearly "see" that layer of fluctuation.

This box itself was a sealing implement.

And it was a very high-level one at that.

Elena Walker walked to the side of the box and placed her hand on the lid.

She did not open it immediately, but first looked around the hall to confirm that everyone's attention was focused on her.

"The final item." Her voice was slightly lower than before, as if emphasizing its special nature. "A complete, sealed eerie. Class—Hazard-class."

A low commotion broke out in the hall.

Jie Ming's eyes lit up.

A complete eerie.

Up until now, he only had two complete eerie on him.

More importantly, the eerie in front of him—was sealed by the Psychic Association.

This meant that it wasn't just the sealed eerie itself that had research value.

The technology to seal the eerie also had research value.

It could even be said that, considering Jie Ming had already obtained multiple complete eerie of the same level, the research value of this sealing technology even exceeded that of this complete eerie!

The material of the sealing container, the structure of the various patterns, the method of energy locking, the principle of inhibiting the eerie's activity—all these things added together represented the essence of research accumulated by humans in this world over thousands of years in the face of the eerie!

It is no exaggeration to say that this is the true core technology of this world's civilization.

"Starting price." Elena Walker's voice pulled Jie Ming's thoughts back. "One thousand gold coins."

The hall was quiet for a moment.

One thousand gold coins.

This was a number sufficient to bankrupt the vast majority of the middle class.

Even among the people present, many could not produce that much cash.

But the bidding still began.

"One thousand one hundred gold coins." A middle-aged man in the front row raised his number tag.

"One thousand two hundred gold coins." A woman in the back row immediately followed up.

"One thousand three hundred gold coins."

"One thousand five hundred gold coins."

The price was climbing rapidly.

The people present, although from different backgrounds, mostly had the same goal in attending this auction—for more powerful strength!

So, what did a complete, sealed eerie mean?

For the people of this world, it naturally meant the possibility of sealing it into their own bodies through some ritual to become a psychic!

This was the path to supernatural power.

Although there was a not-insignificant mortality rate in this process, this was not power obtained through methods like genetic agents, but genuine supernatural power!

For those who craved power but had no path, this opportunity was more precious than anything.

"Two thousand gold coins." The middle-aged man in the front row bid again; this time the increase was large, as if to show his determination to win.

"Two thousand two hundred gold coins." The woman in the back row did not back down.

"Two thousand five hundred gold coins." A hoarse voice sounded from another corner.

Jie Ming was not in a hurry to bid.

He sat quietly in his seat, listening to the price rise bit by bit, while observing the expressions and postures of those bidding.

The middle-aged man in the front row had a flushed face, and beads of sweat were seeping out on his forehead.

The woman in the back row had a calm expression, but her fingers were trembling slightly.

The owner of that hoarse voice was sitting in the darkest corner of the hall, and one could feel a cold, gloomy aura on him.

When the bidding reached three thousand gold coins, only three people remained.

The middle-aged man, the woman, and the black shadow in the corner.

At three thousand five hundred gold coins, the middle-aged man withdrew.

His face turned pale, his lips were tightly pursed, and the number tag in his hand was gripped so tightly it creaked, but in the end, he still did not raise it.

At four thousand gold coins, the woman also withdrew.

She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, as if calming some intense emotion.

The black shadow in the corner raised his number tag.

"Four thousand one hundred gold coins."

Elena Walker's gaze swept across the hall. "Four thousand one hundred gold coins, is there any higher bid?"

The hall was very quiet.

"Four thousand one hundred gold coins, going once."

Jie Ming raised his number tag.

"Number thirty-seven, bid four thousand two hundred gold coins."

Everyone's gaze turned toward him.

The black shadow in the corner also turned his head; Jie Ming could feel two sharp gazes piercing into him, as if wanting to burn two holes in his face.

"Four thousand three hundred gold coins." The black shadow's voice was even hoarser.

"Number thirty-seven, four thousand four hundred gold coins."

"Four thousand five hundred gold coins."

"Number thirty-seven, four thousand six hundred gold coins."

The two of them, one after the other, saw the price climb steadily like stepping up stairs.

Everyone else quieted down, watching this contest between the two.

Jie Ming's expression did not change at all.

His number tag was raised steadily every time, unhurried, not impatient.

The black shadow began to hesitate.

His bidding speed was slowing down, and there would be longer pauses before raising the tag each time.

"Seven thousand gold coins." Jie Ming announced a new number.

A sound of gasping echoed in the hall.

Seven thousand gold coins.

This number had already exceeded the wealth most people present could accumulate in a lifetime.

The black shadow was silent for a long time.

Jie Ming could feel that gaze nailed to him the whole time, as if weighing something, and also as if calculating something.

In the end, the black shadow put down his number tag.

"Seven thousand gold coins, going once."

Elena Walker's voice echoed in the hall, and there was a hint of excitement in her voice.

She also did not expect this item could actually be auctioned for such a high price, far exceeding the four-thousand-gold-coin benchmark for a conventional Hazard-class eerie.

"Going twice."

"Going three times."

The wooden gavel fell, making a dull sound.

"Sold. Number thirty-seven."

The corners of Jie Ming's mouth turned up slightly.

The waiter delivered the silver-white metal box to the side of his seat.

The box was heavier than it looked, probably about fifty or sixty jin.

Besides that, various items he had purchased earlier were piled up beside his seat.

With the cover of his suitcase, Jie Ming took out cash from his internal cave heaven.

The gold and silver coins were neatly stacked on the tray, the count precise.

A portion of those gold and silver coins had been obtained previously from black intermediaries and bandits.

And another portion—

Was "freshly made" by him in his internal cave heaven.

Thanks to alchemy.

Just grab some scrap metal, rearrange the molecular structure in the internal cave heaven, and you could create coins exactly the same as real ones.

Jie Ming was not worried at all that someone would see through the authenticity of the gold coins, because the metal produced by his alchemy had a higher purity than the official mint of this plane.

And relying on alchemy, he could also age them, mixing them with real coins to use, and no one could tell the difference.

Jie Ming put the silver-white metal box and other purchased items into his suitcase, stood up, and walked toward the exit.

Others in the hall were still bidding on subsequent items.

There were a few more ordinary things afterward, but Jie Ming was no longer interested.

All his goals for today had been achieved.

He walked out of the oak door and walked back along the corridor he had come from.

The light of the gas lamps cast mottled shadows on the red brick walls, and footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor.

Suddenly, Jie Ming's eyeballs moved slightly.

He felt it.

Behind him, there were several gazes.

Although there were many gazes curious about his identity gathered on him, Jie Ming still easily identified several special gazes among them.

The emotions contained in those gazes were quite dangerous.

Without a doubt, facing a fat sheep like Jie Ming, some people had already had crooked thoughts.

Regarding this, Jie Ming had no reaction at all.

His footsteps did not change, just as if he hadn't noticed those gazes at all, and he walked out of the exhibition center's gate calmly and composedly.

On the other side, people from the Psychic Association also noticed the situation here.

In a secret room next to the auction hall, Harding patted Dean, letting his colleague, whose attention was focused on the surveillance video, come back to his senses.

"Let's go."

"Do what?"

"The person spent so much money to buy our things, at least we have to ensure after-sales service."

Dean shook his head helplessly upon hearing this, stood up lazily, and followed beside Harding: "Fine, let's just treat it as a pastime—"

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