novel-bin Chapter 98 The young man stood at attention!
Chapter 98 The young man stood at attention!
Chapter 98 The young man stood at attention!
Further on, in a display case, there was a crystal bottle containing a swirling cloud of black mist. The label read: "Fragment of Nightmare. Releasing three seconds of fear upon opening the stopper. Use unknown. Estimated starting bid: 500 gold coins."
Someone nearby muttered quietly, "Who the hell pays for fear?"
Another person whispered, "Me? My mistress says I'm too timid. I always panic when her husband comes home. I want to buy this to practice my courage."
Chu Sheng silently walked away from that display case.
In the corner, there were a few small display cases displaying strange items that mercenaries had brought back from various parts of the mainland.
Chu Sheng watched with great interest. Although most of these strange and unusual things were impractical, they were quite entertaining to watch.
The auctions here are actually quite similar to the antique markets of my previous life; most of the items look impressive, but genuine items are very rare.
Just then, a commotion arose from the inside of the hall. Chu Sheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people gathered around an exceptionally tall display case. The appraiser's voice came from the crowd, and his tone was more excited than that of all the previous appraisers.
"Ancient Spirit Staff! An ancient elven relic unearthed in the western border of the continent! Confirmed by the Mage Tower to be a relic from the ancient elven empire! The staff contains a complete ancient spirit spell, its power immeasurable! Estimated starting bid: 100,000 gold coins!"
Chu Sheng squeezed through the crowd to finally see the staff. The staff was about the height of a person, with emerald green vines wrapped around its shaft, and a few pale golden flowers blooming on the vines.
Even through the display case, he could feel the warm and ancient aura emanating from the staff.
He looked at Amber, who was completely shrouded in a cloak, her eyes fixed intently on the staff.
"Your Majesty," Chu Sheng walked to her side and lowered his voice, "Is this thing real?"
Amber took several seconds to speak: "It's true, but I don't know its origin. The flowers on the staff are Moonflower Gold Cups, which are now extinct."
"One hundred thousand gold coins." Arthur arrived at some point, glanced at Amber, and said, "We don't have that amount of money right now."
It took the group nearly two hours to walk through the entire preview hall.
Chu Sheng glanced back at the auction house, then recalled the look in Amber's eyes when she looked at the staff.
"Don't think about it," Arthur said in a low voice. "Once the Sacred Tree Trading Market is up and running, the profit in the first year will be at least 20,000 to 30,000 gold coins. It will be enough to save up for a few years."
"I didn't mean to," Chu Sheng retorted stubbornly.
Arthur's ahoge (cowlick) twitched, and his tone was slightly sour: "Don't worry, that staff won't be snatched away by anyone else. No one but a pure-blooded elf can use that staff, and there probably aren't many pure-blooded elves left these days."
Ella, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around: "Arthur! That barbecue restaurant across the street! The one you mentioned earlier!"
As evening fell, everyone changed into slightly more formal attire and boarded the carriage sent by the lord's mansion to welcome them.
As the carriage entered the front courtyard of the lord's manor, the sunset painted the castle's outer walls gold, and several servants in silver suits quickly stepped forward to open the carriage door.
An elderly woman dressed as a butler stood in front of the main entrance, bowing slightly, and said in a gentle and polite voice: "Madam has prepared a banquet in the Thirteenth Wing Hall. Please follow me."
As Chu Sheng stepped onto the steps of the castle's main gate, he caught a glimpse of a lit window out of the corner of his eye.
The window was high up in the castle tower, and for some reason, he always felt that someone was watching him from behind that window.
The old butler led everyone through the long corridor and stopped in front of a white carved wooden door.
"We've arrived at the Thirteenth Wing." She pushed open the wooden door and stepped aside to make way for the passage.
Chu Sheng looked up and saw that the winged celestial horses on the dome of the hall seemed to be flying out of the murals. He counted them carefully; there were seven celestial horses in total, but one of them only had one wing.
So that's what "Thirteen Wings" means. I thought it meant "righteousness" in Wang Shouyi's name.
The long table in the center of the hall was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and set with a set of silver cutlery and several delicate porcelain vases filled with fresh flowers.
The magic lamp in the crystal chandelier has been lit, illuminating the entire hall with warmth and brightness.
However, the main seat was empty.
The legendary Lady Mira did not appear.
Chu Sheng was taken aback, and Arthur frowned slightly.
The old butler noticed their confusion and bowed to explain, "Madam has some urgent business to attend to, so I will be hosting tonight's dinner on her behalf. She asked me to convey her apologies to you all, and she will come as soon as she finishes her business. Please take your seats; there's no need for formalities."
The group exchanged glances but didn't say anything. Silverleaf and Ella, in particular, seemed somewhat reserved.
The servants filed in carrying silver trays and began serving the dishes.
The first appetizer was honey-glazed figs with smoked duck breast, beautifully presented; the main course was roasted lamb leg, and Ella's eyes widened when she saw the golden, glistening lamb leg.
But Mrs. Mira never showed up.
The dinner was rather dull. The old butler was taciturn, and no one dared to start a conversation, so they could only eat in silence.
Halfway through the dinner, Chu Sheng put down his knife and suddenly remembered that the auction should have already begun.
He had intended to go and see what was going on, but since he was currently a guest at the lord's mansion, it wouldn't be appropriate to suddenly get up and say goodbye halfway through the meal.
Just as he was thinking this, a servant strode in and whispered something in the old steward's ear.
The old butler's expression changed, and he walked over to Arthur and whispered a few words to him.
Arthur put down his knife and fork: "When did this happen?"
The old butler's voice was low, but Chu Sheng, being close by, still heard a few words: "Just now—the auction house's grand finale—was stolen—"
Chu Sheng's heart skipped a beat.
Just then, a sharp alarm rang out from afar outside the window!
Ella stopped gnawing on her lamb leg, her dog ears perking up: "There are so many people running outside."
Arthur stood up, walked to the French windows and looked out: "Something's happened at the auction house. The city guards have sealed off the entire main street."
Chu Sheng quickly stood up and walked to the window. Looking out from the French windows, he could see countless torches lit up in the direction of the main street of White Wing City, illuminating rows of elite soldiers with their spears standing like a forest.
What a coincidence!
Am I a jinx? Wherever I go, something bad happens?
Or is this some despicable person's twisted sense of humor?
Hey.
A crisp click of a heel.
Hey.
Chu Sheng felt a surge of heat rising within him.
Hey.
Chu Sheng has been appointed!
A rhythmic clatter of high heels came from outside the hall, and everyone turned to look at the doorway.
Chu Sheng felt something was off; each tap of the high heels seemed to strike his heart.
With each click of his high heels, he felt his body grow hotter, and even a beautiful, alluring body appeared in his mind, swaying gracefully with captivating charm.
When the final "click" sounded at the door, his body went limp, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground in full view of everyone.
"Mmm~"
He let out a seductive moan.