nucmednet Chapter 186 The Grand Finale
Chapter 186 The Grand Finale
"A guide?"
Tao Tao looked at the old man with a puzzled expression.
A-Wu, standing to the side, remained silent, simply watching the old man as if curious to see what tricks he had up his sleeve.
Seeing how innocent Tao Tao was, the old man chuckled and stepped forward, his withered arms crossed over his chest. He looked at Tao Tao with humble eyes and spoke in a respectful tone, "Yes, guide, this auction isn't easy to get into, but I can lead you in, however..."
What benefits do you want?
As soon as the man opened his mouth, Tao Tao knew what he was going to do. Tao Tao may look innocent and cute, but she's not stupid. Do you really think she's easy to fool?
The old man was delighted that Tao Tao was so cooperative, and his eyes crinkled with a smile. “Actually, you don’t need anything valuable. Just pay me a little spirit stone, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
"Satisfied with what? You guarantee I'll get the item I want to auction?" Tao Tao raised an eyebrow, asking doubtfully. She didn't believe this person had that ability; otherwise, why would he be here making a living as a guide?
"That's not necessarily true, but I can try my best to increase your chances of winning the bid. I know this place inside and out, and most people here know about it. I can help you analyze their psychological state so that you can find the right moment to make the final decision."
"Oh, not necessarily."
Tao Tao was too lazy to listen to his other nonsense. Just a few words were enough for her to give up on communicating with him. She grabbed A Wu and left without even giving him a glance.
When the old man saw that there was no hope, he immediately became anxious. He had specifically sought out Tao Tao because he thought she was easy to fool, but now that she was ignoring him, he was furious.
He quickly caught up with you and tried to persuade you kindly, "You may not believe me, but there are rules here. Once you understand them, you'll avoid a lot of losses. I've met young people like you before, and they all left disappointed. If you had cooperated with me earlier, you wouldn't have just watched your treasure slip away."
"If you keep talking nonsense, I won't be polite." Tao Tao turned around dejectedly, giving a cold glare that emanated from her, her whole being exuding an inexplicable chill.
She rarely threatened people like this, but this old man was really ungrateful; who would force someone to buy something like this?
The old man was intimidated by her. Although their cultivation levels were similar, he was actually a little scared and stopped talking. Tao Tao then left.
As soon as she left, two men dressed like the old man ran over and sneered, "What, you failed? I told you these young people aren't so easily fooled. What if they're older than us?"
"The saying goes, 'Wealth should not be flaunted.' She's a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet she dared to take out tens of thousands of spirit stones in front of so many people. How smart do you think she is?" The old man said with a disdainful look and a somewhat aggressive tone. Another person next to him mocked, "Is that so? Then how did you fail?"
"So what if she failed? Does that mean she won't leave the Bogu Tower? I just caught her off guard and released a wisp of my divine sense onto her. How difficult would it be to track her down?"
"No wonder you insisted on getting involved; it turns out you had this in mind all along."
"Just tell me, are you going to do this job or not? I think that girl has a lot of treasures in her storage bracelet. After she finishes the auction, we can take advantage of her like the mantis stalking the cicada..."
Tao Tao, who had gone far away, did not hear the conversation of these people. However, she had noticed the wisp of divine sense on her body from the beginning. Cutting it off would be easy to be discovered. She was also very curious about what the other party wanted to do, so she simply left it for the time being.
"The auction has started, let's go in."
A-Wu watched as the crowd gradually surged toward the seventh floor and spoke.
Most of the people here are here for the auction. Many of them have secretly concealed their cultivation levels, planning to leave immediately after winning a treasure to prevent others from snatching it away.
Unlike the lower floors, the auction is not open to just anyone. There are specific rules: first, you need an invitation; second, your cultivation level must be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage; and third, you need to pay a deposit of five thousand spirit stones, which will be refunded when you leave.
These three conditions are quite stringent, so most people are turned away at the door and can't get in.
That's five thousand spirit stones. How many people can afford such a price?
However, if someone doesn't even have the financial strength to participate in an auction, they're probably just there for the spectacle, and might even deliberately inflate prices. To avoid such incidents, the auction house has long discouraged such behavior.
Pei Qingyan gave Tao Tao the invitation letter along with the auction, so there was no need to worry about that. Tao Tao could easily meet the other two conditions. After paying five thousand spirit stones, Tao Tao and A Wu entered the auction.
Upon entering, she discovered that everyone was wearing shielding cloaks specially prepared for the auction, which could be used to conceal everyone's cultivation level and identity. Each person transformed into various figures, completely different from their usual selves.
After putting on the cloak, Tao Tao first looked around, then turned to look for A Wu. She was startled by the short old man behind her. She was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and tilted her head to carefully observe him. There was really no trace of A Wu's demeanor.
She asked softly, "Ah Wu?"
"It's me. This cloak is indeed powerful. It can not only shield one's aura and change one's appearance, but also conceal one's cultivation level."
A-Wu spoke up, then looked at the tall man in front of her again, and found it inexplicably interesting. In the past, she was not qualified to come to places like this. Pei Qingyan would never bring a maid to an auction, since there were plenty of people to serve him here.
Awu was genuinely happy to be able to come this time, and the fact that Tao Tao didn't really treat her as a maid also put her at ease.
"That's more like it. It saves us from having to figure out a way ourselves. I just don't know if we'll be seen through if our cultivation levels are too different."
"I'm not sure, but even if a senior expert like that sees through it, it shouldn't be a problem; there's no need for them to intervene. Of course, if someone also covets the same treasure, and that treasure is won by someone with lower cultivation, then..."
"That would be dangerous."
Tao Tao nodded seriously, but she thought the danger was actually less than that of Pei Qingyan. She could easily escape as soon as she left Bogu Tower on her Thousand Wind Flowing Cloud Horse. There were probably few spirit beasts in the world that could match the speed of the Thousand Wind Flowing Cloud Horse.
Of course, if it's a powerful figure in the Nascent Soul stage, then she has no choice but to obediently hand over the treasure.
Hopefully, I won't end up like her, eyeing the Liuxian Lotus Platform, otherwise I'll have to plan something carefully.
As everyone gradually entered the auction venue, the venue was divided into private rooms and regular seating. Regular seating was available around the perimeter of the venue, while the private rooms were located on the second and third floors and consisted of small rooms.
Pei Qingyan gave them an invitation to a private room. The maid led Tao Tao and the others to the private room on the second floor. Inside, there was a soft chair and a small table. On the table was an incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose, emitting a faint fragrance.
"Please come in, gentlemen. Please feel free to call me if you need anything." After bringing tea and snacks, the maid bowed and left. Tao Tao calmly sat down on the soft chair. She remembered that the last time she attended an auction, she was also in a private room. Compared to sitting in a regular seat, the view here was more open and the treatment was better.
Actually, when you think about it, how many ordinary people can afford to come to a private room? They are either highly skilled or have a strong family background, which immediately sets them apart from others.
Of course, there are also those powerful figures hidden in the ordinary seats. These people are relatively low-key, do not like to be too ostentatious, and are very decisive in their actions. Once they encounter something they like, they will not hesitate to raise the price and bid for it.
"This is the auction list, please take a look." A-Wu handed the list from the maid to Tao Tao. Tao Tao glanced at it and noticed that the Liuxian Lotus Platform was not the last item to be auctioned, but rather the fifth item.
Could there be an even more powerful treasure than the Liuxian Lotus Platform? If so, it means there will be far fewer people vying for the Liuxian Lotus Platform, and most people will likely focus their attention on the final treasure.
"It doesn't say what the grand finale is. Does that mean there isn't a grand finale?"
Tao Tao was puzzled. Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. At such a large auction, there should definitely be a grand finale item to attract people. She initially thought it was the Liuxian Lotus Platform, but now it seems that it is obviously not.
"I don't know, I heard it's a Horcrux."