Although I am not planning to participate in my first auction, it would be good to broaden my horizons.
The auction items this time seemed to be of very good quality, and the participants in the surrounding stands responded enthusiastically. Even the brothers Xiong Fangfang and Xiong Yuanyuan, who had originally had no interest, gradually became aroused and made noises like chewing lemons from time to time.
Ruan Shiqing sat upright, watching one auction item after another being brought to the exhibition stand and being sold at high prices in the host's passionate and high-spirited tone. He couldn't help but sigh that the gap between the rich and the poor on this planet was really too huge - the items in the first auction were all very expensive, and it was a game for the rich.
"Next, we will auction off a special item. Those of you who have been following our auction in advance must already know what I am talking about, but I have to say... She is far more stunning than you can imagine."
The host looked around, whetting everyone's appetite, and finally said, "Next, we will exhibit our finale auction item—"
"A nine-tailed fox cub, female, and... not protected by the Nine-tailed Fox Protection Ordinance."
"Starting price: 100,000 star coins!"
As he finished speaking, the lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, and a beam of starlight descended from above, covering the center of the booth. At the same time, a uniquely shaped crystal cage, covered with starlight, slowly rose from the ground.
In the crystal cage, a little fox with fur as red as fire shook out its ten flaming tails and roared fiercely at the spectators.
But she was too young, and her tiny roar was soon drowned out by the exclamations of the spectators.
"It really is a cub of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan."
"No matter whether they are men or women, all the nine-tailed foxes are beautiful."
"That's not right. The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan only has nine tails. How come this one has ten?"
"The fur color is not pure either, it's actually red. Doesn't the Nine-tailed Fox tribe respect the color white?"
"What's wrong with your brains? If it's really a purebred nine-tailed fox cub, who would dare to auction it publicly? Are you trying to save your life?"
"… "
There was a lot of discussion. This cub, who was the last to appear, obviously attracted the interest of everyone present. Only Ruan Shiqing was wondering, "What is the Nine-tailed Fox Clan?"
In his world, the nine-tailed fox is a creature that only appears in legends.
"The Nine-tailed Fox Clan is an ancient noble clan second only to the Ymir Clan, the Dragon Clan, and the Mermaid Clan." Xiong Yuanyuan had actually heard most of this from hearsay. After all, how could the lower-class Bis people living on a remote garbage planet truly understand those ancient and noble races
"I heard that the Nine-tailed Fox tribe attaches great importance to bloodline and respects the white color. They are very exclusive and discriminatory against those mixed-breeds with impure fur color." Looking at the Nine-tailed Fox cub that kept trying to hit the crystal cage, Xiong Yuanyuan showed sympathy: "Like this cub, not only does it have impure fur color, but it also has an extra tail. It's simply an outlier among outliers and must be the most discriminated against one." That's why it ended up at the auction.
If a purebred nine-tailed fox cub was treated like this, the nine-tailed fox clan would have issued a wanted order throughout the galaxy long ago.
The nine-tailed fox clan is famous for its strength and beauty. Coupled with its innate ability to charm people, there is almost no one who doesn't like the nine-tailed fox.
But these ancient races have always been proud and arrogant, and never intermarry with outsiders, so such a cub who has the blood of a nine-tailed fox but will not cause trouble is undoubtedly very welcome.
"So... this cub is actually also a Bis person?" Ruan Shiqing understood, but was even more surprised.
He originally thought that this nine-tailed fox cub was a precious pet. But from what they said, this cub was clearly a Bis person.
What is the difference between such behavior and child trafficking
"In a broad sense, yes." Xiong Fangfang said, "But those noble nobles think that Bis is a derogatory term and don't like being called that."
Ruan Shiqing just thought it was ridiculous: "Wouldn't this violate the law?"
"The imperial law shouldn't allow this?" Xiong Yuanyuan wasn't really sure, after all, he had never read the law. "But no one here abides by the law."
His words were very calm, just stating an objective fact.
Ruan Shiqing fell silent.
Rong Heng was as silent as him at this moment. His five senses were sharp and he could distinguish the roar of the cub from the noisy sounds around him.
It was angry resistance and unwilling struggle, but not despair or fear.
This is a very strong cub.
Even though he was born a different species, was exiled by his tribe, and fell to this point, he remained brave and unyielding.
"Can we... just watch like this?" Ruan Shiqing struggled to organize his words, wanting to say something, but felt powerless when he opened his mouth.
Xiong Yuanyuan didn't understand what he meant. She thought he liked the cub too. She scratched her ears and said with an embarrassed expression, "The starting price is 100,000 star coins, and we don't have the money to bid. Of course, we can only watch."
Maybe he will never see so many star coins in his life.
Ruan Shiqing was suddenly speechless.
Xiong Yuanyuan was right. He didn't have that much money. Not to mention participating in the auction, he couldn't even afford the starting price of 100,000 star coins.
Maybe after selling the engine and drive, it might be possible to get the money, but by that time, the little fox would have already been bought away.
After that, Ruan Shiqing did not speak again. He fumbled for the puppy's warm little paw and held it. He watched in silence as the auction price on the big screen rose higher and higher.
Everyone was caught up in the frenzy, and the host was talking fluently and adding fuel to the fire.
The auction lasted for half an hour. After several rounds of bidding, it was finally sold at a high price of 350,000 star coins.
Such a high price was rare in previous underground auctions. The host danced a passionate rumba to celebrate and ordered people to lift the huge crystal cage down.
In the cage, the roar of the nine-tailed fox cub was so weak that it was almost inaudible, but it still bared its not-so-sharp fangs at every spectator present.
The crystal cage eventually disappeared into the background.
The small, burning flame also disappeared.
The host announced the intermission with a smile, and asked all guests who brought auction items to take the items to the appraisal office next door to have their value assessed, and began preparations for the second auction.
Ruan Shiqing was a little depressed, but he did not forget his work. He temporarily handed the kid over to Xiong Yuanyuan to take care of him, and he and Xiong Fangfang took the engine driver to do the appraisal.
There are many people participating in the auction, and naturally there are many people who bring auction items. However, not every item is worth the auction organizer's energy and time. All auction items will be sent to the exhibition stand only after they have passed the appraisal. At that time, the organizer will take one tenth of the auction proceeds as commission.
Ruan Shiqing stood in the middle of the line and followed the crowd into the appraisal area, opening his inconspicuous cloth bag.
From Hornik's reaction, he guessed that the crashed aircraft must be very extraordinary, so he deliberately turned the side engraved with the eagle pattern and number upwards and tapped it lightly with his finger.
The appraiser originally thought that this was another person who was trying his luck by filling in the numbers. He was about to impatiently call for the next person, but his eyes swept over the eagle pattern and number on the engine, and his breath suddenly stopped.
"Silver Falcon?" He pounced forward, carefully held the engine and drive to check them, then the appraiser quickly called two more people and invited Ruan Shiqing and Xiong Fangfang to the private meeting room of the appraisal office.
The people in the queue behind exclaimed and looked at them with envy.
Inside the auction venue, Xiong Yuanyuan's body was stiff.
When Ruan Shiqing asked him to help take care of his puppies, he was very happy. After all, the puppies looked soft and harmless, and very cute. Who could refuse that
But when I really tried it, I found that looking cute and being cute are two completely different things.
Ever since Ruan Shiqing left, this soft and harmless puppy began to exude an indescribable aura, making Xiong Yuanyuan feel uneasy and not daring to move at all.
He felt like he was sitting on a pile of pins and needles. If he didn't move, he would feel uneasy, but if he moved, he would feel nervous too.
It's just fucking difficult.
Even if I had a great ancestor in my arms, it wouldn't have come to this.
Xiong Yuanyuan was sweating on her back and couldn't help but look at the long queue next door, sending countless SOS messages to Ruan Shiqing in her heart.
But Ruan Shiqing obviously didn't receive the signal. He waited for someone to come out, but no one came out. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and could only respectfully take off his coat and spread it on the seat next to him, then carefully picked up the puppy and put it on.
Xiong Yuanyuan let out a long sigh of relief. She originally wanted him to stay put and not run around, but what she said turned into: "You... sit tight."
“???” Xiong Yuanyuan was stunned.
Damn it, I'm actually a coward to a little bastard.
Rong Heng looked at him coldly, without moving or saying a word, like a Shura seeking revenge.
Xiong Yuanyuan looked at him for three seconds, then turned her gaze away in embarrassment and looked elsewhere.
Fuck! Is this really a puppy
He didn't believe it was so fierce!
After a while of mental preparation, Xiong Yuanyuan dared to look away.
And then
Oh shit! Where’s the cub
Where is this big puppy he put here
As soon as she turned her head, the puppy disappeared. Xiong Yuanyuan was immediately panicked. She looked for it front and back, left and right, even under the seat, but she couldn't find the terrible puppy.
At the same time, Rong Heng had used his physical advantage to sneak into the warehouse where the auction items were stored.
Among all the auction items, only a crystal cage sparkled in the darkness.
His guess turned out to be correct. The auction had not yet ended, and the buyer of the nine-tailed fox cub had not yet had time to take it away.
The cub in the cage was very perceptive. Even though it hadn't seen any human figures yet, it had already pricked up its ears and looked alert.
Rong Heng walked slowly towards him, releasing the powerful aura of Ymir—
That’s how he threatened Xiong Yuanyuan just now.
The greater the gap in strength between the two sides, the more the other party will feel instinctive fear and uneasiness about his aura.
The nine-tailed fox cub obviously shrank back a step, but almost at the same moment, she straightened her chest again, bared her fangs, pushed the ground with her hind legs to gather strength, and pounced on Rong Heng in the posture of a hunter - she overcame her instinctive fear, and if she had not been blocked by the crystal cage, she would have pounced on Rong Heng without hesitation.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan is as blind as ever."
Rong Heng sneered, easily removed the lock of the crystal cage, and threw the broken lock on the ground casually. Without even a glance behind him, he walked away in the shadow of the corner.
After Ruan Shiqing signed the auction agreement, he saw Xiong Yuanyuan sitting at the door of the appraisal office crying.
At this time, most people had finished the identification and there were only a few people left in line, so Xiong Yuanyuan, who was squatting and crying, was particularly conspicuous. Many people gathered around her, pointing and watching the fun.
Xiong Fangfang didn't expect that his brother would be so embarrassing after just a short while. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the man and shook off the dust: "Why are you crying?"
Xiong Yuanyuan's eyes were swollen into slits. He sniffed and looked at Ruan Shiqing, his face full of guilt: "I'm sorry, I lost my snowball." He stammered and tried to explain, but felt that if it was lost, it was lost, and no matter how much he explained, it would be his fault. So he lowered his head in shame and stammered "I'm sorry" again.
Ruan Shiqing's heart skipped a beat and even his brain went blank for a moment. Only after a moment did he control his emotions and ask about the cause and effect.
"I, I put him on the seat next to me, and when I turned around, he disappeared."
Xiong Yuanyuan said it in a dry voice. But he couldn't really explain it, because it was so bizarre. He just turned his head and the cub disappeared.
"Maybe he's hiding somewhere." Ruan Shiqing tried his best to control his impatience and calmly think about various possibilities, but his pace couldn't help but quicken.
"Let's look around first."
Xiong Yuanyuan wiped her face, her ears drooping listlessly: "I, I've looked for it all."
The result was that there was no hair at all.
"Maybe there's something missing—" he looked for it.
Ruan Shiqing stopped talking, turned around and looked at Xiong Yuanyuan and said, "Isn't Snowball sitting in my seat?"
Xiong Yuanyuan looked at the puppy squatting on the seat and slowly opened her mouth.
Ruan Shiqing strode over and picked up the kid: "Have you been naughty secretly?"
Rong Heng tilted his head and said three questions in confusion.
I don’t understand what you said and I don’t know.
"Luckily it was just a false alarm." Xiong Fangfang tried to smooth things over: "If you can't find it, just look for it again. Why are you crying? Isn't it embarrassing? Now you've found it, right?"
“…” Xiong Yuanyuan felt extremely aggrieved, but he dared not say anything.
She secretly took a look at the cute and obedient puppy in Ruan Shiqing's arms, and hid behind her brother in fear.
He suspected the dog was targeting him.