Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1076: The Grand Auction

Two days passed as Li Yu spent his time exploring the various districts of The Onyx Market with his companions. He walked through bustling merchant avenues and watched skilled artisans forge weapons in open air courtyards, realizing that he could learn a thing or two from their fire control. Faen followed closely by his side while Borum and Garren trailed behind them. Garren proved to be a very useful addition to the group since the rock elemental eagerly took on any tasks asked without a single complaint. While he wasn’t that strong compared to the rest of the group, he was plenty strong for normal tasks. The group enjoyed the local food stalls and observed the flow of wealth shifting through the city but Li Yu kept a low profile the whole time.

The city operated on a fascinating dynamic of extreme wealth and crushing poverty and seeing it taking place was helping him make some gross in his laws of Yin and Yang. Li Yu spent a few hours in the crafting district where blacksmiths hammered glowing steel under the protection of heavy guard patrols. He traded some spirit stones for unique spices and watched as wealthy merchants haggled over shipments of rare beast cores. The working class thrived under the strict laws of Commander Seryn and the security allowed the market to function without constant bloodshed in the streets.

When the morning of the grand auction finally arrived, the atmosphere in the city shifted into a state of high tension. The streets leading toward the central auction house were packed with cultivators from various sects, mercenary bands and rich merchant guilds. Li Yu led his companions through the dense crowd and approached the large building. The structure was built from polished black stone and featured a tall arched entrance guarded by elite troops wearing dark armor.

Li Yu paid the entry fee and walked into the grand hall with his group. He did not secure a private booth on the upper levels since he had no intention of throwing his wealth around or drawing unwanted attention to his group. He preferred to sit in the general seating area on the ground floor where he could blend in with the thousands of other cultivators. Li Yu found a row of sturdy chairs near the middle of the room and sat down.

The general seating area was loud and chaotic as people discussed the rumors surrounding the upcoming items. Li Yu looked up and saw a ring of enclosed balconies suspended above the main floor. The VIP booths were reserved for the true powerhouses of the region and he could sense several strong auras radiating from the upper levels but he was confident he could escape any of the dangers from them. Li Yu settled into his chair and waited for the event to begin.

A loud gong echoed through the cavernous hall and the chatter of the crowd instantly died down to a quiet whisper. The heavy velvet curtains on the main stage pulled back to reveal a tall man wearing an ornate silver robe. The auctioneer stepped forward with a confident smile and raised his hands to welcome the guests.

"Welcome esteemed guests to the grand auction of The Onyx Market," the man announced with a booming voice that carried a thick layer of Qi to reach every corner of the room. "My name is Silas and I will be your host for this wondrous occasion. Lord Vance and Commander Seryn have spent the last year gathering the finest treasures, the rarest herbs and the most exquisite servants for your pleasure. We have many items to get through today so we ask that all bids are made clearly and paid promptly. Let us begin the event."

Silas gestured to the side of the stage and two guards rolled out a wooden cart covered by a silk cloth. Silas pulled the cloth away to reveal a glowing blue sword resting on a velvet cushion.

"Our first item is a high tier spirit weapon forged by the renowned artisans of the deep sea regions," Silas explained while lifting the blade for everyone to see. "The Frost Edge Saber carries a natural chilling aura that can freeze the blood of an opponent upon contact. It is a perfect weapon for any cultivator walking the path of ice. We will start the bidding now."

"I will take it," a gruff voice yelled from the front row of the general seating. The bidder was a burly man wearing heavy furs who represented a local mercenary band.

"My guild will definitely pay more than that brute," a wealthy merchant countered from a few rows back while raising a wooden paddle in the air.

The two men exchanged hostile glares and began to throw their wealth at the stage. Li Yu watched the exchange with mild interest but he did not feel the need to join in. The sword was a decent weapon but it did not compare to the treasures that he already owned. The wealthy merchant eventually outbid the mercenary and claimed the sword with a satisfied smirk.

The auction continued at a brisk pace as Silas presented a variety of items to the eager crowd. Some items were rather mundane like rare medicinal roots, boxes of refined spiritual ores and defensive talismans. Other items sparked intense bidding wars across the room. Silas revealed an ancient jade slip that contained a lost defensive array formation and the atmosphere in the hall grew heated.

"This jade slip was recovered from a ruined sect in the northern mountains," Silas declared while holding the glowing green stone. "It contains the blueprints for the Earth Shell Formation. A technique capable of withstanding a strike from a Sovereign level expert if done properly."

"The Iron Cloud Sect claims this item," an older man shouted from one of the VIP booths above. Elder Thorne leaned over the railing of his balcony and glared at the crowds below to intimidate anyone who dared to bid against him. He was a prominent elder of a righteous sect known for their heavy defensive arts and he carried an arrogant posture.

"Your sect is too poor to claim anything today," a smooth voice mocked from a rival booth on the opposite side of the hall. The speaker was Guildmaster Jace, a wealthy leader of a prominent trading conglomerate. "My guild will take home this item today."

Elder Thorne turned red with anger and the two powerful figures engaged in a fierce financial battle. The crowd watched in awe as the price skyrocketed beyond what any normal cultivator could ever hope to earn in a lifetime. Guildmaster Jace ultimately won the jade slip and left Elder Thorne cursing loudly from his balcony.

Li Yu leaned back in his chair and watched the displays of wealth with a calm expression. He was enjoying the spectacle as it had been a long time since he set foot inside one. The posturing and bidding were just another arena in which factions competed with each other in. After several more items were sold to various factions, the tone of the auction shifted as the guards cleared the stage and brought out a large iron cage.

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The crowd murmured in anticipation as they looked at the prisoners huddled inside. The young men and women wore dirty and torn silks that bore the crest of the fallen Solaris Empire. They looked exhausted and their eyes darted around the grand hall with fear. They were the very same royals Li Yu had seen in the courtyard two days ago.

"We have a very special offering for you all today," Silas announced with a wide grin as he walked around the iron cage. "These individuals are the remaining princes and princesses of the Solaris Empire. Their kingdom was crushed and now they belong to whoever wants them. You can purchase them as a group or individually. They are young enough and their cultivation foundations are decent but their true value lies in their royal blood. Do whatever you wish with them."

"I will take the two oldest princes," a raspy voice hissed from the shadows of a lower balcony. Patriarch Vane of the Rotting Bone Clan stepped into the light. He was a vile looking man with pale skin, sunken eyes and dark robes adorned with skeletal ornaments. His clan was notorious for using living cultivators to refine their dark poison arts. "I have a few new venom concoctions that require such vessels to test properly."

The oldest prince turned pale and began to weep as the guards dragged him out of the cage along with his brother. No one in the crowd offered to outbid the sinister patriarch because they feared the retaliation of his clan. The two princes were handed over to the Rotting Bone disciples and dragged away to a terrible fate without the price moving up any higher than their original starting price.

The rest of the royal children were sold off one by one. A wealthy merchant bought a princess and boasted she was just to serve as a lowly maid in his estate just to mock her former status. A brutal mercenary captain purchased another prince to use as a sparring dummy for his recruits. The royal family was broken apart and handed over to vile people who sought to exploit their misery, at least on the surface.

Once the cage was removed from the stage, Silas clapped his hands together to draw the attention of the crowd back to the center.

"For our next item we have a prime specimen of beauty and grace," Silas declared as a single guard led a tall man onto the stage.

The man was a member of a beast race and he possessed an otherworldly level of attractiveness. He had long silver hair that flowed down his broad shoulders and piercing violet eyes. Soft silver wolf ears rested on top of his head and a fluffy tail swayed gently behind him. He wore only a pair of loose white trousers that highlighted his sculpted chest and muscular arms. He stood with a proud but resigned posture while a glowing Qi seal pulsed on his neck to restrict his King realm cultivation.

"This is a Silver Wolf kin," Silas explained while gesturing to the handsome man. "He is at the King realm but we all know that his cultivation is not his main selling point. Look at that flawless face and that strong physique. He is obedient and ready to serve his new master in whatever capacity they desire."

The moment Silas finished his sentence, the female cultivators in the audience erupted into a frenzy of shouting and bidding.

"He belongs to me," Matriarch Kriss screamed from a VIP booth while slamming her hands against the wooden railing. She led the Silk Lotus Sect which was famous for their dual cultivation techniques and her eyes were filled with deep hunger as she stared at the Silver Wolf kin.

"Keep dreaming Kriss," a wealthy female merchant yelled from the general seating area. "I have more spirit stones than your entire sect. No one will claim him today but me."

"My group will offer even more," a rugged female warrior shouted from the back of the hall.

The bidding war for the handsome beast kin was far more aggressive than the battle over anything else up to this point. Women from powerful sects, trading guilds and mercenary bands shouted over each other while throwing their wealth into the ring. The Silver Wolf kin stood on the stage and closed his eyes as his fate was decided by the highest bidder. Matriarch Kriss eventually won the prize after pledging a staggering amount of resources and she ordered her disciples to bring the man up to her booth immediately.

The auction dragged on for several more hours as rare pills, exotic beasts and ancient texts changed hands but not to the level of frenzy that man had brought. However, the atmosphere in the hall grew thick with anticipation because everyone knew the main event was approaching. Silas took a sip of water from a glass on his podium and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead before offering his brightest smile to the crowd.

"Esteemed guests, we have reached the final item of the day," Silas announced and the room fell dead silent. "This is a prize unlike any other. It is a treasure of flesh and blood that will elevate the status of whoever manages to claim her."

Four heavily armed guards marched onto the stage while dragging a thick metal platform behind them. A woman was kneeling on the platform with her wrists and ankles bound by heavy suppression chains. Li Yu leaned forward in his chair and studied the captive with keen interest.

The woman was breathtaking to look at. She possessed a thick mane of red hair that cascaded down her back like a vibrant waterfall and mimicked a lion mane. Smooth dragon scales covered her forearms and shoulders to provide a natural armor that shimmered under the stage lights. Even from his seat in the middle of the room, Li Yu could smell the faint alluring scent of some sort of incense radiating from her body.

"Behold the Mirage Dragion," Silas shouted with grand theatrical flair. "She is a member of a mythical beast race that is a combination of a dragon and a lion that is rarely seen. Her name is Alys and she is an Origin Awakening realm expert."

The crowd gasped in shock at the revelation of her cultivation level. Finding a slave at the Origin Awakening realm was rare because experts of that caliber usually fought to the death rather than allow themselves to be captured. Either that or they were sold off privately, rarely at auctions like these.

"Her past is unknown to us but our appraisers have thoroughly checked her condition," Silas continued while walking around the kneeling woman. "I can assure everyone in this room that she is pure. She has never been touched in that way by another cultivator. Who would not want such a beautiful woman serving them? Not only is she a stunning prize to show off to your rivals but she is also a powerhouse capable of protecting your life with her illusionary mist arts."

Alys kept her head bowed and her red hair obscured her face but the power radiating from her sealed body was undeniable. She was the perfect combination of exotic beauty and lethal martial might. The silence in the grand hall shattered as the bidding erupted like a violent storm. Almost every single group in the building threw their hat into the ring.

Guildmaster Jace leaned out of his booth and screamed his bid while waving a glowing token in the air. Elder Thorne ignored his previous losses and ordered his disciples to pledge the entire treasury of the Iron Cloud Sect. Patriarch Vane of the Rotting Bone Clan hissed his own offers while imagining the potent poisons he could craft from her dragon scales. Mercenary captains, wealthy merchants and clan leaders shouted over one another in a desperate frenzy to claim the mythical beast woman.

It wasn’t just the men that were bidding either. The powerful and wealthy women in the crowd were bidding crazily as well, just as men had done for the beautiful man earlier. However, this time everyone was much more zealous in their actions.

The Onyx Market had never seen such a frantic display of wealth in tens of years. The voices crashed together in a chaotic wave of greed and desire as the factions fought to secure the prize.

Li Yu sat in his wooden chair and watched the madness unfold around him while the bidding war reached a fever pitch. He had only won a few small items that weren’t very valuable but he had found interesting. Mostly raw materials that could be used for crafting later. Li Yu was shocked at the prices that people were shouting out, reinforcing how poor he actually was.