Chapter 220: Auction Begins (5th Update, 20,000-Word Explosion Ends)

The host is from the Black Crow Merchant Group.

Any merchant group wishing to sell goods in the village must first greet the village captains.

So the host recognized Captain Fire, knew who Captain Fire was, and naturally dared not say more—only gave a glance to the merchant group member waiting by the entrance, signaling him to quickly repair the curtain and block the sunlight.

The merchant group members standing on the various tiers and positions were all assigned to such trivial tasks and held even lower ranks than the host, so they immediately obeyed.

Fortunately, sudden intrusions at the entrance were common occurrences for the Black Crow Merchant Group, so they handled them with great experience.

Soon the entrance curtain was repaired, blocking out the sunlight. The entire auction hall returned to darkness.

This dimness made it easier for the auction house to adjust the lighting.

At night, they had to use Human Soul Lamps for adjustment, which was more costly; during the day, it was far cheaper.

Everyone else now retracted their gazes, daring not to voice any complaints.

If anyone from Mo Cun had done this, they would have already exploded in anger and started cursing.

After all, those seated here to attend the Black Crow Auction were all prominent figures, powerful people who had firmly established themselves in Mo Cun.

Otherwise, how could they possibly have the qualifications to sit here?

The problem was, all these prominent figures were still inferior in status to Mo Cun's Third Captain.

In any village, aside from exceptionally rare beings like Lord Han, no one held higher status than a village captain.

In Mo Cun, everyone had to bow respectfully and greet a captain upon seeing one.

If you offended a village captain, no matter how wealthy or powerful you were, it meant nothing.

A captain's authority was sufficient to turn a village tycoon into a beggar—or even expel them from the village, turning them into fodder for the strange.

Although doing so damaged the captain's reputation, … the power was undeniably real!

So, in any village, you could offend anyone—but never offend the Captain of the Guard! It was ancestral wisdom.

Fang Yue had previously been Deputy Captain of Gu Yue Cun, equivalent in status to a captain.

But in reality, no one had ever offended him, and he had never intended to use captain privileges for anything, so he had never truly experienced it.

Now, seeing Captain Fire enter so arrogantly and silence the entire hall without a single voice rising in protest, he finally realized: captains truly could do as they pleased.

The host wiped his sweat and began his usual introduction of the Black Crow Merchant Group's formidable trading capabilities—just like a woman praising her own melon, self-praising.

Fang Yue found it boring, but at that moment Captain Fire asked: "Didn't I tell you to notify me before coming to the merchant group? Why did you just show up directly?"

"I was chatting with Chief Captain Lang and lost track of time. When I saw the Black Crow Auction had started, I hurried over."

"Oh~~"

Captain Fire stretched out the sound, then leaned close to Fang Yue, sniffed, and smiled: "Smells like the truth."

A strong, fragrant scent rushed at him; Fang Yue stiffened slightly and pushed her head away with his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't get so close—it's blocking my view of the auction."

"Hey…"

Captain Fire propped her chin on her hand and asked: "What's so interesting here? Just a bunch of nonsense. And how did you even get in? I remember the Black Crow Auction requires an invitation."

"What do you mean 'I remember'… didn't you use an invitation to get in?"

"My face is the invitation!"

Captain Fire proudly puffed out her chest.

Fang Yue couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

So this guy just barged in, huh.

Captains really can do as they please!

"Them."

"What?"

"They brought me in."

Fang Yue pointed at Hei Da and Hei Er.

"Hmm…"

Captain Fire narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the two black-robed figures.

"You two are unfamiliar. What are your names?"

Hei Da and Hei Er, what else could they be…

As Fang Yue thought this, he immediately realized: Captain Fire was asking for their real names.

How bold of her to ask!

Fang Yue looked curiously at the two black-robed figures.

"Hei Da… Hei Er."

"You know I'm not asking for fake names. And your voice is very distinctive."

Captain Fire's eyes gleamed with curiosity and inquiry—exactly the same look she'd given Fang Yue back in Lang Fu.

"… "

Hei Da fell silent, saying nothing.

"Not speaking? Your black robes are interesting too—I've never seen clothing with such perfect disguise effects. Are they enchanted items?"

"… "

"Decided. I'm buying your black robe. Name your price."

"… "

"No price? Then I'll name mine myself: one gram of Black Ember. Take off your robe right now."

For the first time, Hei Da turned his head to look at Captain Fire.

"No… not for sale."

Captain Fire laughed.

"I said, I'm buying!"

As he spoke, Captain Fire reached out and grabbed Hei Da's black robe.

The next instant, Hei Da's hand, like black smoke, shot backward and seized Captain Fire's wrist.

"Oh? You dare resist me?"

On Captain Fire's dorsal hand, fiery red patterns flared to life, and the surrounding temperature spiked instantly.

Simultaneously, the black smoke of Hei Da's hand began twisting into vine-like tendrils, spreading over Captain Fire's hand and slowly coiling around it.

Captain Fire smiled—a demonic grin, her lips curling high at the corners, revealing rows of sharp, even fangs; she looked like a madwoman.

In the blink of an eye, these two had already clashed, tension crackling between them.

She let out an excited cry; the patterns that had merely lit up on her dorsal hand now surged instantly up her entire arm.

"I haven't met anyone this interesting in a long time…"

"Stop."

Captain Fire's excited voice cut off abruptly.

Her expression froze, her face turned cold, and she frowned at the young man beside her, wearing a uniform and a straw hat.

"Black Crow, don't interfere in my affairs—this is my territory."

"This is my territory too," Black Crow said with a smile.

Captain Fire muttered bitterly, "I could kill you as easily as swatting a fly!"

Black Crow's smile didn't waver; faced with a death threat, he remained utterly calm, as if discussing what to eat for lunch.

"My master destroys remote little villages as easily as swatting a fly."

Captain Fire fell silent, stared at the young man named Black Crow for a moment, then slowly released her grip and flicked her fiery red hair.

"Captain Night, let's sit over there."

Without waiting, she strode toward another seat; only when she noticed Fang Yue hadn't moved did she pause and urge him.

"Hurry up—do you want those two freaks sitting together? Choose: beauty or freaks—think carefully."

Fang Yue glanced at Hei Da and Hei Er, shrugged, and went over to Captain Fire's side.

After the two left, Black Crow politely bowed to them.

"My apologies for the trouble—I hope you both enjoy the auction."

"... Hmm."

Black Crow then withdrew, slipping into the shadows and vanishing.

Hei Da watched the direction Black Crow had vanished with clear wariness, then established a mental link with Hei Er.

"Don't… cause trouble… their backs… aren't simple."

Hei Er nodded, half-understanding.

She had no real grasp of these things; her curious eyes darted everywhere, constantly scanning.

Only occasionally, when her gaze swept toward Fang Yue, would she suddenly freeze, staring at him intently for a long moment before finally looking away.

One might think she had some special feeling for Fang Yue.

In truth, she did—Wu Ji's obsession still influenced her.

Hei Da shook his head slightly, disappointed in this sudden appearance of a royal bloodline.

Sacrificing so many members of the Messenger Group just to preserve a bloodline that's impure—is it worth it…?

The moment this thought surfaced, Hei Da himself was startled, and immediately began self-reflection.

The Wu Yu clan must not harbor such treasonous thoughts!

…

On the other side, Fang Yue sat beside Captain Fire; though Captain Fire lounged carelessly, feigning indifference,

Fang Yue still sensed the immense, suppressed fire burning within her heart.

So even a captain isn't free to do as she pleases.

She just got humiliated.

"Why didn't you act just now? Are you afraid of Black Crow? Who is he?"

Captain Fire glanced at Fang Yue.

"Black Crow is a title. Every leader of the Black Crow Merchant Group inherits the name Black Crow. This generation's Black Crow isn't particularly strong, but behind him stands a force our Mo Cun cannot possibly challenge—a vast organization called Feng Wu."

"Feng Wu organization?"

Fang Yue looked utterly bewildered—he'd never known much about the game's factions to begin with, and now this "Feng Wu" popped up out of nowhere; he knew nothing.

"You've never heard of it. I've heard refugees only retain memories after awakening, and given how remote Gu Yue Cun is, you couldn't possibly have heard of Feng Wu."

"Is the Feng Wu organization powerful?"

"Terrifying. It could wipe out Mo Cun."

Hiss—

Fang Yue sucked in a sharp breath.

"With Mo Cun's array, plus your three Captains, you still can't match them?"

Captain Fire glanced at Fang Yue.

"What are you thinking? Our Mo Cun array only targets the strange and supernatural—when did it ever work against living people? Without the array's support, Mo Cun's upper limit is just two Second-rate Realm cultivators and one First-rate Realm cultivator. That strength is indeed formidable in this region, but outside… it's nothing."

At this, Captain Fire sighed.

Admitting you're weaker than someone else can sometimes be deeply painful.

"Alright, stop thinking about the Feng Wu Organization or whatever."

"Right now, in Mo Cun, it's the Black Crow Merchant Group. As long as I don't make a move inside the big tent, he has no reason to shelter anyone else. Once we leave the big tent of the merchant group, even if I kill everyone present, he wouldn't dare let out another fart."

"Ah, this… surface-level protection, then?"

"What else could it be? Inside the tent, the Black Crow Merchant Group has the obligation to protect the attending guests in order for the auction to proceed smoothly. Once you leave the tent, who would know you? It all comes down to ability. Otherwise, why do you think all those people down there are wearing masks and disguises?"

Fine.

When he first arrived, Fang Yue still felt that Mo Cun's public order was quite good.

Now it seemed, it was only surface-level effort that was good.

But Captain Huo was just talking—she hadn't yet reached the point of being so lawless as to kill people in the streets… probably?

Besides, there's no reason to kill anyone…

Seeming to sense Fang Yue's strange gaze, Captain Huo's face darkened.

"What are you thinking! I was just speaking in extremes just now. Why would I kill the village's rich folk for no reason?"

Who the hell knows…

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Those two black-robed people look very unfamiliar. I've never seen them before."

"Mo Cun has such a huge flow of people, and it's not some remote place like our Gu Yue Cun. What's strange about a few unfamiliar faces?"

"No, it's not just that—they're also… very weird! In short, I want to test their limits."

This…

Fang Yue was a bit conflicted. Although Hei Da and Hei Er were a bit weird, they had just helped him sneak into the Black Crow Auction. Was he supposed to watch Captain Huo give them trouble?

After thinking it over, Fang Yue simply reminded her: "Don't make too much of a fuss."

"You're a captain from Gu Yue Cun, why do you care so much? Don't worry, I know my limits."

Fine, Captain Huo probably does this kind of thing often enough, so I won't worry about it.

"When the event disperses later, don't follow me. I'll go probe their limits alone. I'll tell you the intel afterward."

"Why?"

"Don't you have any self-awareness?"

"What?"

"I mean you're a hindrance. Just now when I was about to fight it out with Hei Da, I didn't see you lift a finger. Your reactions are so slow, so don't act with me, lest you drag me down."

Hmph!

So it's that she's looking down on me.

Isn't that just because you yourself moved so fast, fighting the moment you said you would? I was still hoping for the auction, wishing you two would settle things peacefully and not disturb the auction's progress.

Fang Yue pursed his lips and ignored her.

And at this moment, the host had already finished the part about introducing the Black Crow Merchant Group, and finally got to the main topic.

"I'm very sorry for making our esteemed guests wait so long."

"Now, I announce that today's Black Crow Merchant Group auction officially begins!"

"Next, please welcome our Yaya Gu Niang to bring the first auction item over."

As the host's words fell.

A woman wearing light clothing with long legs, holding a transparent box high, walked to the host's side.

Inside was a bead.

"Fluorescent Bead, Human-grade lower quality. A beautiful bead that can continuously glow at night. It is made from the powder that naturally falls each time the Huan Ying Gui flaps its wings, along with a bit of Black Ember, supplemented by various materials."

"This bead, whether given as a gift or kept for personal use, has endless wonderful uses."

"Such a beautiful thing, given to a beauty to express one's feelings, will surely capture her heart and make countless sisters scream with envy!"

"If kept for personal use, it can also save the consumption of Human Soul lifespan. No need to hold a Human Soul Torch every day. With this bead, night is no different from day! The freed-up hands can also be used to fight when encountering the strange, increasing combat power—two birds with one stone!"

As the host introduced it one by one, quite a few people in the venue showed interested expressions.

Seeing the timing was about right, the host said loudly.

"And the starting bid for the Fluorescent Bead is also very cheap, only 5g of Black Ember, with each raise no less than 1g of Black Ember."

"Now, the auction begins!"

(End of this chapter)