Chapter 861: Auction of Jing Yan (2/2, Request Subscription)

Therefore, after Fang Yue bid such a high price, many immediately gave up competing and chose to withdraw.

Fang Yue also believed securing the Snake Seat was a sure thing.

But just at this moment…

"Fifty-five Silver Stones!"

Who is bidding against me for this man?

Fang Yue turned toward the source of the voice and saw a stranger completely wrapped in a black robe, their face utterly obscured; yet from the voice alone, it seemed to be a girl.

But Fang Yue did not recognize her—yet among all those present, someone immediately recognized her.

"It's her…"

Ming frowned slightly and whispered.

"Do you know her?"

"Rather, in Jingcheng right now, few people don't know her. Isn't she not showing her true face? Otherwise, everyone should have recognized her."

"Yes, she's wearing a black robe, somewhat like Black Mist Robes, making it impossible to see her true features."

"Does she dare not show her true face? What is her purpose… Could she also be tied to the Phoenix Organization?"

Ming fell into thought, while Fang Yue grew slightly impatient.

"Just tell me—who is she?"

"She is Mu Liu, one of Jingcheng's current rising stars, hailed alongside the Jibing Shengnyu as a heavenly prodigy, nicknamed 'The Genius of Odd Words.'"

Is she Mu Liu?

Fang Yue tried raising his bid several times, but Mu Liu always countered with a higher price; back and forth, the price had soared to seventy Silver Stones—exceeding Fang Yue's budget.

Though one Gold Stone equals one thousand Silver Stones.

Fang Yue, who possessed Gold Stones, had tremendous purchasing power.

But Gold Stones were extremely valuable, and Fang Yue didn't have many Silver Stones on hand—he still needed them to buy Jing Yan and the others; he couldn't waste them recklessly.

"You seem troubled—need me to lend you money?"

"…No."

Fang Yue stopped bidding. Since he now knew the buyer's identity, he could simply find another way to obtain the Snake Seat after the auction ended.

With Fang Yue out of the competition, Mu Liu easily won the Snake Seat.

"Is there really no one else bidding? This is one of the Twelve Seats' officers from that organization! Acquire him, and you might even produce Human Medicines yourself and establish a brand-new power!"

"Look at how that underground organization has grown to this level—doesn't that excite you?"

"If you're worried about how to make the Snake Seat talk, just hire Juan Niao Lou—we offer paid services, guaranteeing the Snake Seat will reveal every single thing he knows, clearly and completely."

The Joker Lord was still pushing hard, and honestly, Fang Yue felt tempted again—but he held back.

The Snake Seat, Jing Yan, and Chen Qing—he wanted them all! But now simply wasn't the time.

After the auction ended, he would find a way to get the Snake Seat.

With no further bids, the Joker Lord reluctantly announced the result and moved to the fourth auction item.

It was a strange artifact, named the Pain Bandage.

As long as the bandage was wrapped around a body part, that area would randomly develop various Heavy Injuries or illnesses—it was a special strange artifact used for assassination and sabotage.

This highly practical strange artifact once again drew intense interest.

And the fifth auction item was…

"Fish-Scaled Human! Tormented by a curse, transformed from a human into an entirely new species. After rigorous testing, this Fish-Scaled Human can breathe underwater in Han Jiang… for half an hour! And move freely!"

In one swift motion, Fang Yue leapt to his feet!

For the person imprisoned on stage, called the Fish-Scaled Human, was none other than… Jing Yan!

Jing Yan's spirit seemed dazed, his expression vacant, as if he had endured unspeakable torment…

No, wait!

This is his offline appearance!

"…By the way, though still uncertain, this Fish-Scaled Human is very likely a Liumin! Over two months ago, large numbers of Liumin appeared out of nowhere, utterly mysterious. This individual, both a Liumin and a special Fish-Scaled Human, may be perfectly suited for certain friends' experiments."

Many in the crowd showed signs of interest.

Liumin, due to their relatively scarce numbers and their strange, often self-destructive behavior—possibly due to mental illness—had extremely high mortality rates.

Moreover, Jingcheng occupied only a small portion of Qing Guo, so the number of Liumin in Jingcheng was limited.

Naturally, due to Jingcheng's special status in Qing Guo, many Liumin who appeared in smaller regions eventually converged in Jingcheng.

Thus, to these nobles and officials, Liumin were rare—but not exceptionally so.

But if you added one more halo to the Liumin identity…

Fish-Scaled Human, capable of swimming freely in Han Jiang!

That halo instantly raised this Liumin's value by more than tenfold!

Han Jiang was simply too mysterious.

For most people, places like Han Jiang were ones they'd never have the chance to touch in their entire lives.

And here, this toy possessed the ability to dive beneath Han Jiang and move freely—this was truly… magnificent!

Han Jiang was an unopened treasure trove; whoever gained control of Han Jiang earliest would gain its gifts earliest and become a brand-new overlord!

Perhaps even have the chance to join the Four Great Families and become Qing Guo's Fifth Great Family!

Thinking of this, everyone grew excited—except one person, whose fist clenched tightly, eyes icy.

Juan Niao Lou dared treat Jing Yan like this!

"It seems everyone is very interested in this Fish-Scaled Human. Then, bidding begins! Starting price: ten Disaster Stones!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, fierce competition erupted below.

"One Silver!"

"Five Silvers!"

"Twenty Silvers!"

Compared to the Snake Seat of the Phoenix Organization's Twelve Seats, Jing Yan, the Fish-Scaled Man, seemed to draw far more public enthusiasm.

After all, in a certain sense, the Snake Seat was a hot potato.

Whoever took it would effectively stand against the Phoenix Organization; the Twelve Seats represented the face of the Phoenix Organization, and the organization had no reason to ignore it.

Once the Phoenix Organization turned its gaze upon you, that would be a real problem.

You have to understand that above the twelve seats, there are still the Three Black Feathers, and even the Phoenix King and Phoenix Queen—any one of them is not an easy opponent to deal with. Compared to them, a mere Fish-Scale person, and a vagrant at that, sounds like someone without any backing, yet able to explore that unknown Cold River—the cost-effectiveness is simply not on the same level at all.

【68】 Above the Twelve Seats stood the Three Heiyu, not to mention the Feng Wang and Huang Hou — any one of them was a force not to be trifled with. In comparison, a mere Fish-Scaled Man, still a refugee, seemed to have no background at all — yet he could explore the mysterious Han Jiang. The cost-to-benefit ratio was simply not in the same league.

Thus, the audience's enthusiasm reached unprecedented levels.

But Fang Yue would never let anyone else buy Jing Yan.

"One hundred Silvers!"

Fang Yue immediately bid a high price, silencing everyone else.

One hundred Silvers was still within reach for many.

Yet Jing Yan was still not the grand finale; most present had considered reserving their funds for the final auction.

Thus, Fang Yue secured Jing Yan with relative ease.

Losing the Silver Stones stung, but it was a necessary cost to safely rescue his own people — an acceptable loss.

Calculating his remaining funds, he might truly have to borrow from Ming to afford Qin Chen and conclude this auction journey smoothly.

(End of Chapter)