Chapter 324 – The Heart-Racing Good Stuff

Wanbao Auction House, Third Floor Room.

The room Manager Yu prepared for Su Ming was the same one as last time.

However, as per Su Ming’s request, there was no attendant serving him this time. Only service staff occasionally knocked and entered to deliver fruits and desserts before promptly withdrawing, leaving Su Ming alone in the room.

“Good, peace and quiet.”

Su Ming sat on the sofa, munching on an unfamiliar fruit while observing the auction hall through the viewing window.

By now, every seat in the hall had been progressively filled, with far more attendees than during the previous auction. Some attendants and guards even had to stand along the sides, creating vast patches of dark-clad figures that made the venue appear exceptionally lively.

Su Ming scanned the crowd and noticed many familiar faces he’d seen at the entrance were absent from the main hall.

“Are they in other private rooms?”

Su Ming tilted his head to listen but detected no sounds from adjacent rooms.

The soundproofing between these rooms was remarkably effective – even bidding required special devices, as ordinary voices could hardly penetrate the walls.

This prompted some rather wicked thoughts to surface in Su Ming’s mind.

“I wonder if any young masters might get impulsive and start fooling around with social-climbing attendants right here in these rooms.”

His improper musings were short-lived.

Soon, another knock came at his door.

This time, however, the entrant wasn’t service staff with refreshments, but a strikingly beautiful figure that immediately caught the eye.

“Have we been neglecting you, Young Master Wang?”

The Chief Auctioneer of this event had appeared without warning, her overly sweet voice nearly making Su Ming choke on his drink.

“What brings you here, Chief Qin?”

Su Ming looked peculiarly at Qin Qing.

She had quietly entered Su Ming’s room, leaving him utterly astonished since he’d expected another service attendant.

Noticing Su Ming’s stunned expression, Qin Qing’s lips curved almost imperceptibly.

“Didn’t Young Master Wang say you didn’t want to be stared at by wolfish women?” Qin Qing remarked with a teasing smile. “Surely I don’t count as one of those?”

Instead of explaining her purpose, she chose to banter, making Su Ming roll his eyes.

“Who knows if Chief Qin might be one?” Su Ming curled his lip. “Perhaps our Chief Qin unexpectedly wants to find companionship too – that wouldn’t be impossible, right?”

Rather than taking offense, Qin Qing responded with a suppressed chuckle.

“If the right person does appear, I wouldn’t mind becoming a wolfish woman.”

Her words carried tantalizing implications.

After all, Chief Qin had proactively sought him out. Those who harbored improper thoughts about her while overestimating their own charm might interpret this as a suggestion that she considered them the “right person.””

Naturally, Su Ming wasn’t among such people.

“Since you’re here, take a seat, Chief Qin.”

Su Ming ended their playful exchange, gesturing to the space beside him on the sofa.

Qin Qing’s eyebrows lifted slightly.Since these private rooms were prepared for individuals of noble status and distinguished backgrounds, each room contained only one main sofa as the primary seating, with no additional seats arranged for servants, attendants, or guards.

The main sofa was quite spacious, easily accommodating several people, but it remained the sole seating option. Unless individuals were of equal status and shared a close relationship, sitting together on it would inevitably imply an unusual degree of intimacy.

Qin Qing glanced at Su Ming, noting the lack of suggestive intent in his eyes and the neutral expression on his face. After a moment’s thought, she finally stepped forward and took a seat beside him.

A subtly ambiguous distance separated the two—not close enough to be considered intimate, yet for Qin Qing, this proximity was already something she would typically find hard to accept.

Fortunately, Su Ming not only paid no mind to this but didn’t even spare Qin Qing a second glance. Instead, he watched the diverse crowd in the venue with keen interest.

This made Qin Qing realize that Su Ming hadn’t intentionally placed her in such a delicate position to imply closeness or create an ambiguous atmosphere; it was merely a casual remark, with no ulterior motives on his part.

Once she understood this, the sense of rejection in her heart faded significantly.

As the sense of rejection vanished, a feeling of novelty began to emerge.

After all, this was her first time sitting so close to a member of the opposite sex, sharing the same sofa—a genuinely novel experience.

Ironically, this “lucky” man seemed entirely uninterested in her, still engrossed in observing the venue. For a moment, Qin Qing couldn’t help but feel a wry amusement inwardly.

“What an intriguing person, this Wang Yue,” she mused silently.

Soon after, Qin Qing shifted to discussing serious matters.

“Once the auction officially begins, the vial of Phantom Demon blood brought by Young Master Wang will be the first item presented, serving as the opening lot,” Qin Qing explained the auction house’s procedures to Su Ming.

“Kicking off with the Phantom Demon blood from a Hazardous Species is sure to ignite the auction’s atmosphere, driving up bids for subsequent items.”

This was a common tactic employed by many auction houses: not only reserving a heavyweight finale item but also starting with a valuable treasure to heat up the bidding environment. Under such influence, many bidders would be tempted to offer higher prices for items they fancied, even exceeding their initial budget limits in the heat of the moment.

Thus, this strategy proved highly advantageous for the later stages of the auction.

“The highlight of this auction will naturally be those four pieces of Red Vein Stone,” Qin Qing stated, handing Su Ming a list.

“The sequence of auction items is mostly outlined here. Young Master Wang, you may review it.”

Hearing this, Su Ming grew curious.

“Last time, you mentioned that for this rare high-quality auction, you’ve prepared many items far more precious than usual, right?” Su Ming said. “I’d like to see what exactly will appear in this auction.”

With that, he took the list from Qin Qing and began flipping through it.Upon flipping through, Su Ming couldn’t help but feel his heart stir at the numerous remarkable items listed.

In this auction’s sequence, aside from the Phantom Demon Blood from a Hazardous Species as the opening item and four Red Vein Stones as the finale, Su Ming’s pair of Ghoul Hands collected from a Ghoul were positioned relatively late, with a starting bid of 100,000 Contribution Points, just as Qin Qing had mentioned last time.

Beyond that, many other high-quality items in the auction also had starting bids of 100,000 Contribution Points, a clear indication of their rarity and value.

Among them, three items particularly caught Su Ming’s attention.

These three items were a bottle of alchemical potion, a small wand, and an overcoat.

First, the alchemical potion was named Cleansing Potion.

Though its name sounded rather plain or even peculiar, it was actually a top-tier alchemical potion—a treasure used by Hunters to cleanse their body and mind and unlock the potential of their Bloodline.

According to the description in the catalog, one simply needed to pour it into bathwater and soak overnight to maximally tap into the hidden power within their Bloodline. This would allow Hunters to rapidly boost their strength overnight. The higher the Bloodline Rank and the greater its potential, the faster and more significant the improvement, with the possibility of even doubling one’s physical prowess.

For Su Ming, who possessed a Nightmare Species Bloodline, such a potion that could swiftly enhance strength based on Bloodline Rank seemed almost tailor-made for him.

He had no doubt about the potential of his Nightmare Species Bloodline, so it was impossible for him not to be tempted by this top-grade alchemical potion that could convert potential into actual power.

Next, the small wand also piqued Su Ming’s interest.

Like his Spirit Energy Gun, it was a specialized alchemical weapon for Sorcerers.

Named Heaven’s Heart, the weapon was forged from the heartwood of a rare tree that had grown for over a thousand years in the S-Rank Realm known as Tree Demon Valley, along with various other Materials imbued with Spirit Power. When a Sorcerer wielded it while casting a Spirit Art, it could reduce Spirit Power consumption, speed up the construction of Spell Formulas, and even enhance the power of the spells. Its effectiveness far surpassed that of the Spirit Energy Gun, which was only suitable for lower-Rank Professionals.

Heaven’s Heart was of high quality, classified as premium grade. Although it hadn’t made it onto the weapon rankings, it was an invaluable treasure for Sorcerers, worth far more than many alchemical weapons that had.

This specialized alchemical weapon for Sorcerers also left Su Ming deeply captivated.

As for the final item, the overcoat, it turned out to be a piece of Alchemy Armor.

Yes, not an alchemical weapon, but Alchemy Armor.

As the name suggests, it was the defensive counterpart to alchemical weapons.

In this world, there were many Alchemists who crafted alchemical weapons, but those who could produce Alchemy Armor were exceedingly rare.

The reason was simple: Professionals had a greater need for weapons than for armor.Especially for Hunters, unlike Sorcerers who possess Spirit Arts capable of suppressing Phantom Demons, they lack effective means to counter Phantom Demons’ regenerative abilities, which allow them to rapidly recover from even the most severe injuries. Without such countermeasures, a Hunter would need to expend immense effort and energy just to subdue the lowest-tier Phantom Demon.

Without alchemical weapons, even a Seven-Star Hunter would have to repeatedly pummel a low-level Phantom Demon, gradually depleting its Bloodline and power until it lacks sufficient magic to regenerate.

Compounding this issue, Hunters far outnumber Sorcerers, leading to an extremely high demand for alchemical weapons. Without them, Hunters find it mentally exhausting to combat Phantom Demons.

This is the scenario when facing Phantom Demons they can overpower. If encountering one of comparable strength without alchemical weapons, the Hunter would inevitably be worn down and defeated with no chance of victory.

Thus, alchemical weapons become the only effective means for Hunters to inflict significant damage on Phantom Demons, causing Alchemists to focus predominantly on weapon crafting, rarely considering defensive gear.

This time, a rare piece of alchemical armor has appeared, boasting exceptional protective qualities. Though appearing as a simple coat, it’s woven with silk from thirty-three types of extremely hard and resilient insect Phantom Demons and scales from Dragon Demons. It can mitigate over eighty percent of the damage from a full-force strike by a Hazardous Species.

Consequently, this scarce alchemical armor is rated as a premium-grade item, its value comparable to the lowest-ranked weapons on the alchemical weapon list—including the Xiong Wen that Su Ming had previously auctioned off.

Su Ming had never seen alchemical armor before. Despite opening numerous packages and obtaining multiple alchemical weapons, he had yet to uncover any defensive gear.

Given this, the alchemical armor piqued his interest, even stirring considerable excitement within him.

Each of the three auction items that caught Su Ming’s eye held value no less than the three treasures he had consigned to the Wanbao Auction House. At the very least, their worth was not inferior to the Phantom Demon blood of a Hazardous Species or the Ghoul Claw.

Were it not for the strategic significance and high regard from various Families, along with the substantial additional value of the Red Vein Stone, it’s uncertain whether the stone’s inherent effects and value alone could surpass these three treasures that even Su Ming found captivating.

“You’re planning to drain everyone’s wallets here today,” Su Ming couldn’t help but remark.

Qin Qing smiled faintly. “It’s a rare opportunity. We’ve dug out many valuable items from our treasure vault reserves,” she explained to Su Ming. “If Young Master Wang is interested in anything, you’re welcome to bid in advance.”

This implied that even if Su Ming’s Contribution Points were insufficient, the Wanbao Auction House would accept credit.

“Is that really appropriate?” Su Ming blinked.

“Consider it building good relations,” Qin Qing said meaningfully. “After all, Young Master Wang has brought many fine items. If you could patronize our Wanbao Auction House again in the future, that would certainly be a good thing.Su Ming couldn’t decipher how many hidden intentions lay behind Qin Qing’s meaningful words.”Fine.” Su Ming pretended not to notice and nodded indifferently, saying, “I’ll remember that, young master.”

Qin Qing smiled faintly.

Just then, another knock came at the door.

This time, it still wasn’t the service staff bringing fruit or desserts.

Both Su Ming and Qin Qing heard a voice.

“Excuse me, is Chief Qin inside?”

It was a man’s voice.

“Who is it?”

Su Ming was slightly taken aback.

The smile on Qin Qing’s face faded as her brows subtly furrowed, her expression turning somewhat cold.

Before either Su Ming or Qin Qing could respond, the door was pushed open.

Outside stood an unexpected figure, suddenly appearing before them.

(End of Chapter)