Volume Six: Theft Is Robbery Chapter Six: The Underground Auction (Part One)

Chapter Six: The Underground Auction House (Part One)

After the five members of the Demon Sect had finished their discussion with Kuangchi and Jing’er, they left without even letting them see their faces.

What they left behind for Kuangchi was only a tiny box no larger than a palm, along with a small booklet of the same size filled with chaotic and incomprehensible notes. This was presumably the record kept by the Demon Sect’s Grand Elder all those years ago.

The tiny box contained only three small, nail-sized crystals of an unknown kind, their color utterly unremarkable. According to the Demon Sect’s Grand Elder, these were crystallized metallic elements, only found in small quantities within the mineral veins of massive mineral-rich planets. The Devouring Gold Shark fed on precisely this strange substance.

Kuangchi believed this because the moment he opened the box, the lifeless thing behind his ear suddenly stirred again, and the three crystals inside the box instantly turned into two.

Jing’er only told him to come find her three days later.

Once the five left, Jing’er seemed to regain her composure and looked at Kuangchi. “Fatty, just now, did the Demon Sect’s Grand Elder mention something about the underground auction on Aoyeh Star?”

Kuangchi nodded, his gaze involuntarily falling on a small black chip resting on the tea table before him. Just as the Grand Elder was about to leave, he suddenly tossed Kuangchi this chip, saying it was the entry pass to the Aoyeh Star underground auction.

Seeing Jing’er’s excited expression, Kuangchi curiously asked, “What’s the deal? Is this underground auction famous?”

Jing’er nodded repeatedly before saying, “Of course. This auction is the largest underground auction jointly held by the Whirlwind Empire and the Galactic Federation. From what our empire has gathered, this auction house is run by the Divine Martial Hall, the True Martial Sect, and the Demon Sect, along with several powerful families from our two nations. It’s designed specifically to auction off rare, valuable, or suspicious treasures that cannot be openly sold within our realms.”

The Demon Sect Grand Elder had also told Kuangchi that tomorrow’s underground auction would feature a five-kilogram Broca Stone for sale. This Broca Stone was the Devouring Gold Shark’s favorite and was said to greatly aid it.

But before Kuangchi could ask what exactly a Broca Stone was, the Demon Sect group had already vanished like a gust of wind.

Kuangchi then turned to Jing’er and asked, “Jing’er, what exactly is a Broca Stone?”

Jing’er thought for a moment before replying, “It seems to be a peculiar type of cosmic dust, mostly found near neutron stars or surrounding black holes.”

“What is it used for?”

Jing’er shook her head. “I don’t know, but many martial masters openly purchase Broca Stones. What they use them for, perhaps only those masters know.”

Just as Kuangchi was about to ask more, Duke Yeluo suddenly entered and immediately asked, “Young Master Kuang, what did the Demon Sect want with you?”

Kuangchi smiled slightly. “They want us to go with them to the Divine Resentment Star Domain.”

Seeing Duke Yeluo’s confused expression, Kuangchi continued, “Duke, do you know where the underground auction on Aoyeh Star is?”

“Of course I do. It’s a very famous place on Aoyeh Star. Much of our star’s prosperity is thanks to this underground auction.”

At this, Duke Yeluo raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why do you want to know?”

Jing’er quickly answered, “I want to buy a few things there.”

Hearing this, Duke Yeluo frowned and smiled wryly. “That place isn’t something you can just enter. Without an invitation issued by the auction house itself, entry is impossible.”

“Invitation?” Jing’er picked up the small black chip from the tea table and asked, “Uncle, is it this?”

Duke Yeluo looked at the strange chip in Jing’er’s hand, frowned, and asked, “What is this? Where did it come from?”

“The Demon Sect Grand Elder just gave it to us. He said it’s the entry pass to the underground auction.”

“Ah!” Duke Yeluo exclaimed in surprise. “Which Grand Elder from the Demon Sect came just now?”

Jing’er nodded directly. Duke Yeluo’s face turned even more peculiar as he glanced at Kuangchi, then said, “If it was given by the Demon Sect’s Grand Elder, I think I know what this is.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the activation chip for the VIP suites of the underground auction. It must be this thing,” Duke Yeluo said, gazing at the black chip in Jing’er’s hand with envy.

Jing’er looked at the chip curiously and asked, “Activation chip? Do VIP suites need activating?”

Duke Yeluo nodded and continued, “From what I know, besides the auction hall that can hold a thousand people, the underground auction has 108 VIP suites. These 108 suites are said to correspond to 108 of the Galactic Federation’s most advanced Evaders.”

“Evader? What’s that?” Jing’er and Kuangchi asked in unison.

Duke Yeluo smiled oddly. “An Evader is a type of small spacecraft. You probably don’t know because the Federation only produced fewer than two hundred of them before halting production due to a shortage of materials. To this day, no more Evaders have been built.”

“Why?” Jing’er asked curiously.

“Because of the materials. I speculate the armor material used on the Evader is at least as good as what we currently have on this ship. At the time, it was tested against the main cannon of a medium warship, and the Evader’s hull suffered almost no damage.”

Kuangchi looked at the chip in Jing’er’s hand and asked, “Do these VIP suites have other uses?”

Duke Yeluo gave a wry smile and nodded. “Of course. Owners of these 108 Evaders have the right to freely enter and leave Aoyeh Star. Moreover, the place where these Evaders are kept is actually a small airport.”

Jing’er looked puzzled and asked, “Uncle, does having this chip mean you own the Evader?”

Duke Yeluo nodded again. “And you get the small airport for its takeoff and landing.”

After a pause, he added, “This Evader and the airport are permanently owned. You can transfer them to your descendants or others.”

He paused again, then said enviously, “And this Evader can freely cross the borders between the Whirlwind Empire and the Galactic Federation.”

Jing’er and Kuangchi didn’t pay much attention to that last detail. Crossing borders wasn’t an issue for them. But they didn’t realize that if it were that simple, Duke Yeluo wouldn’t have bothered mentioning it.

Jing’er turned to Kuangchi and asked, “Fatty, can I have this Evader?”

Before Kuangchi could answer, Duke Yeluo immediately stopped her. “Jing’er, you absolutely cannot have it.”

Both Jing’er and Kuangchi were stunned. After a long moment, Jing’er angrily said, “Why not? Am I, a princess, really less worthy than Fatty? Why can he have it but I can’t?”

Duke Yeluo smiled wryly again. “Jing’er, listen to your uncle. Don’t take it. Not only are you unqualified, even His Majesty doesn’t have the right to own it.”

This made Jing’er even more puzzled. “Why? Could Fatty’s status really be higher than my father’s?”

Duke Yeluo glanced at Kuangchi once more. “These 108 VIP suites are for martial masters aspiring to reach the War God realm.”

“Ah!” Jing’er and Kuangchi exclaimed again.

Kuangchi then said, “But I’m not a martial master either.”

Duke Yeluo smiled. “The fact that the Demon Sect Grand Elder gave this to you means he believes you have the potential to reach the War God realm.”

Jing’er looked confused and asked, “Uncle, you said these VIP suites are permanently owned and can be transferred to descendants or others, right?”

Duke Yeluo nodded. “If the recipient is a martial master with potential to reach the War God realm, yes. But eligibility requires unanimous approval from the Grand Elders of the Demon Sect, True Martial Sect, and Divine Martial Hall. If any one of them objects, they can send someone to challenge the current owner. The victor gains ownership of the VIP suite.”

Hearing this, Jing’er and Kuangchi finally understood the reason and were both stunned.

After a while, Jing’er laughed wryly. “Uncle, do you mean that the Grand Elders of the True Martial Sect and Divine Martial Hall might send challengers for this chip?”

Duke Yeluo nodded.

Kuangchi frowned. “Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a single Evader?”

Duke Yeluo sighed deeply. “One Evader alone is not worth all this trouble. But what if it also includes 0.05% of the auction house’s shares?”

Neither Jing’er nor Kuangchi was shocked. For the heir of the Kuang family or a princess of the empire, 0.05% was insignificant. Duke Yeluo knew this and added, “That 0.05% share can’t be withdrawn, but the owner receives at least several billion Federation credits in dividends annually.”

Neither of them could argue with that. After a long moment, Jing’er excitedly asked, “Uncle, is that true? You’re not lying to us, right?”

Duke Yeluo smiled wryly. “Why would I lie? This is just my estimate; the real amount is probably much higher.”

Kuangchi frowned and asked, “Duke, I assume I won’t get this money for free. Do I have to do anything for the auction house?”

Duke Yeluo smiled. “Of course. But in the tens of thousands of years, it seems no one has ever had to.”

Kuangchi said nothing, just looked at Duke Yeluo.

After a moment, Duke Yeluo continued, “Actually, it’s not that you have to do anything. If trouble arises for the auction house, even if they don’t ask you, you will want to help.”

Jing’er impatiently said, “Enough, uncle, get to the point.”

“Simply put, if someone causes trouble for the underground auction, hindering its normal operation, they want you to help.”

Before Kuangchi could respond, Jing’er shouted, “Several billion Federation credits a year! Whoever messes with me will regret it!”

Duke Yeluo couldn’t help but comment, “Jing’er, I think that money belongs to Young Master Kuang.”

Before Duke Yeluo could continue, Jing’er interrupted, “His money is my money. If he needs money, it’s from the Kuang family coffers. I’m poor—my annual budget is less than a million Federation credits.”

She then looked warmly at Kuangchi and said, “Fatty, don’t I make sense?”

Kuangchi, thinking it was just money, nodded without hesitation. “Of course, no problem. I don’t need that much. You just help me spend it.”

He thought to himself, after all, it was given by someone else.

Duke Yeluo smiled bitterly and said, “Jing’er, you might not realize how much a martial master spends. Everything they need costs tens or hundreds of billions.”

He paused, then glanced at Kuangchi and added, “Besides, I heard the Kuang family is truly poor. If not, their heir wouldn’t have had to marry the Karaji family’s daughter in a political alliance.”

Kuangchi’s face reddened at this, while Jing’er looked puzzled.

Kuangchi had never heard anyone claim his family was poor or explain the marriage to the Karaji family, but he knew Duke Yeluo wouldn’t lie.

Jing’er looked at Kuangchi strangely and asked, “Uncle, I heard it was because of Fatty’s great-grandfather?”

Duke Yeluo looked peculiar. “Exactly. He owed a huge debt to the Karaji family, one of the richest clans in the universe, and couldn’t repay it.”

Kuangchi nearly choked with anger and asked, “Then why am I married to Zixia?”

Duke Yeluo pondered for a moment. “The reason for the alliance with the Sword Sect isn’t clear. There are many rumors, but none seem accurate.”

Jing’er pressed, “What rumors? Tell me.”

Duke Yeluo looked at Kuangchi and waited for a nod before continuing. “The most credible rumor is that the Sword Sect leader owed the Kuang family a great favor. The Kuangs demanded the twelve-year-old Zixia, who had already broken through to the innate realm and was rumored to become humanity’s seventh female martial master, be married into the Kuang family as the future matriarch.”

After a moment, Duke Yeluo glanced at Kuangchi’s left hand and said, “The most mysterious rumor, from a martial master, is that the alliances with the Sword Sect and Karaji family are because of this left hand. They say whatever caused the mutation in Kuang’s left hand was jointly obtained from an ancient ruin by the three families. What it is or does, nobody knows.”

Kuangchi looked at his left hand, and the three fell silent.

After a long while, Jing’er snorted and said, “I don’t care. From now on, Fatty, you give me money to spend.”

Then, cautiously, she looked at Kuangchi. “How about a billion Federation credits a year?”

Seeing her timid expression, Kuangchi couldn’t help but smile. “Of course, no problem. We’re space pirates now. Do you think space pirates ever run out of money?”

Jing’er nodded happily. Duke Yeluo, however, looked odd and said, “Young Master Kuang, you don’t really plan on hijacking passing merchant ships, do you?”

Kuangchi smiled. “Well, didn’t you just say the Kuangs were poor and that martial masters spend a lot?”

Duke Yeluo smiled wryly. “But you have the auction house dividends now. Those were established specifically to support martial masters aiming for the War God realm. That’s why it holds such a lofty status. Having the VIP qualification means you can draw billions in advance from the auction house. Isn’t that enough?”

Kuangchi looked at Jing’er and finally said, “Still, it’s someone else’s money. I didn’t do anything for it, so it’s like handling hot coals. It’s not as comfortable as spending my own.”

This comment stunned Duke Yeluo, who silently cursed, *Does that make sense? Money stolen isn’t hot, but money earned is comfortable?*

Jing’er frowned and said, “Uncle! Don’t worry, we won’t act near Aoyeh Star.”

Duke Yeluo, clearly hit on a worry, chuckled nervously several times.

Then Jing’er tossed the chip and said, “Uncle, you know where this underground auction is, right? Take us to see it.”

Duke Yeluo smiled wryly. “Of course I know. It’s right beneath where we are now,” he said, pointing down.

“But you can’t just go whenever you want. You have to notify the auction staff first so they can verify your identity.”

Kuangchi asked curiously, “How do they verify?”

Duke Yeluo smiled. “A few martial masters at the auction confirm whether your chip is legitimate.”

“A few martial masters?” Jing’er exclaimed oddly. “Uncle, didn’t you tell me last time that Aoyeh Star only has the Divine Martial Hall’s Scarlet Flame martial master? How come there are so many now?”

Duke Yeluo glared at Jing’er before answering, “There are martial masters at the auction. If not for you, Young Master Kuang, you wouldn’t even know about them. Do you know what kind of things are auctioned there?”

Princess Jing’er thought for a moment. “Valuable things? Strange things?”

Duke Yeluo snorted. “You only know that much? Do you know what ‘valuable’ or ‘strange’ really means? The minimum starting bid there is over 100 million Federation credits. Imagine what kind of treasures are being auctioned.”