NOVEL WEB chapter 147
Chapter 72, Auction
“Refund you?”
A brief silence hung in the air before the shopkeeper retorted firmly:
“That’s impossible!”
“Do you believe I won’t find someone to tear down your shabby shop?”
Mu En sneered.
“Or do you think I can’t do it?”
“…Given the level of extravagance you’ve displayed, you should indeed be able to.”
The shopkeeper hesitated:
“But I really don’t have any money right now; I can’t refund you even if I wanted to.”
“You don’t have money?”
Mu En was skeptical.
A shop as shady as this wouldn’t be out of money, would it?
“How about this: I’ll compensate you in other ways.” Seeing Mu En’s determined expression, the shopkeeper seemed reluctant to stir up trouble and pondered for a moment before speaking.
Mu En raised an eyebrow: “What kind of method?”
“You didn’t come to the black market just to cause me trouble, did you?”
The shopkeeper glanced around, leaned closer to Mu En, lowered his voice, and said softly:
“To find good things in this black market, information is key. Luckily, I have my ear to the ground.”
“Information…”
Mu En’s interest was piqued; he was indeed troubled about where to find the Ancient Dragon’s Heart. If he could obtain relevant information from the shopkeeper, it would certainly be worth much more than that mere 130,000 Amira.
“Spill it.”
Mu En leaned in closer, intrigued.
At that moment, he caught a faint, familiar fragrance, somewhat reminiscent yet seemingly obscured by the black robe’s ability to mask scents. He couldn’t quite place how it was familiar, though.
“Actually, this information was also obtained through my private channels. If it weren’t for a guest as generous as you, I generally wouldn’t share it.”
The shopkeeper pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, on which a faintly visible red-eyed bat pattern could be seen against the gold-embossed background.
There weren’t many words on it, just a brief note saying something like, “Secret Auction, all are invited to participate.”
“This is…”
“An invitation.”
The shopkeeper said mysteriously:
“Not long from now, there will be a secret auction in the black market. This is the invitation for that auction, which can also be considered an entry ticket.”
“Auction?”
Mu En’s eyes lit up. “What good things will there be?”
“Well, I’m not sure about the specifics, but the organizer of this auction is one of the biggest tycoons behind this black market. The items he presents shouldn’t be of poor quality.”
“Tycoon…”
Mu En stroked his chin.
It indeed sounded like an opportunity that couldn’t be missed.
“In that case, I want this.”
Saying this, Mu En reached out to take the invitation, only to find that the two slender fingers on the opposite side were clamped down like iron pincers, refusing to let go.
“Reluctant? What about the 130,000…”
“…It’s not that; it’s just that the entry quota for this auction is limited and very precious. I put in a lot of effort to obtain it, and there is only this one copy. If you just take it away, wouldn’t I be at a loss?”
“What do you want?”
“Would the guest consider adding another 80,000 or so?” the shopkeeper suggested tentatively. “Even 50,000 would be fine?”
“You’re dreaming!”
Mu En forcefully snatched the invitation from the shopkeeper’s hands, sneering:
“I haven’t even asked you for compensation for emotional distress yet!”
“But…”
“There’s no ‘but.’ I’m leaving now!”
Mu En carefully tucked the invitation into his bosom, fearing that this unscrupulous mysterious shopkeeper had some hidden tricks up his sleeve, and hurriedly made his escape.
Once outside, Mu En’s steps felt much lighter.
To get a benefit from this unscrupulous shopkeeper was harder than snatching food from a tiger’s mouth; it was simply delightful.
…
“The address on the invitation should be around here.”
After leaving that mysterious little shop, Mu En followed the address on the invitation and arrived at a relatively bustling area of the black market.
On both sides of the road, there were quite a few people hiding their figures, directly setting up stalls to sell some strange items.
Based on Mu En’s past experiences, the small stalls by the roadside were sure to hide treasures covered in dust, but unfortunately, he was neither the protagonist nor did he have a wise old man to guide him. Apart from a little broken money that could buy anything, he had nothing.
Thus, he could only be a fool at an auction, where the markup was ridiculously high but there wouldn’t be any counterfeit goods.
“Eh, strange, is it really here?”
After finding the place, Mu En scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.
Because the location indicated on the invitation was actually a lavishly decorated building, clearly a luxury establishment that was rare in the entire black market.
Isn’t it a secret auction? Why is it so conspicuous?
“Hello, sir, please take one of these.”
Just as Mu En was in doubt, a stunning beauty in a s*xy short skirt approached him, holding a stack of papers in her arms, and handed him one.
“A flyer? Sorry, I don’t buy houses, drink milk tea, or look for young models.”
Mu En instinctively wanted to refuse, but after catching a glimpse of the content on the flyer, he suddenly froze.
Why does that big bat on the flyer look so familiar?
“This… what is this?”
“It’s a flyer for the auction.”
The beauty explained: “After the previous cleansing operation, the entire black market suffered a significant blow, so in order to revitalize the black market’s economy, our boss specifically organized this auction. Many of the items at the auction are the boss’s personal treasures, definitely worth looking forward to!”
You, a black market, revitalizing the economy? Nonsense!
No, that’s not the point; rather…
“Limited spots?”
“Um? Ah, yes, it’s considered limited spots, after all, due to venue restrictions, only five hundred people can participate at the same time.” The beauty showed a hint of confusion at Mu En’s question but still answered earnestly.
“A secret auction?”
“Eh? Sir, do you know the name of our auction? The boss said, since it’s being held in the black market, it should have a bit of a mysterious flair, so we didn’t disclose detailed auction items and gave it this strange name.”
“……”
Mu En’s hands had already started to tremble:
“Invitation?”
“Did you notice, sir?”
The beauty proudly said: “The boss said, since this is the first auction after the reopening of the black market, it must be done with great seriousness, so every flyer is made to look just like a real invitation. Did you see the embossed gold letters on it? That’s really written with gold liquid!”
“……”
“What’s wrong, sir? Don’t you want one? Although it’s just a flyer, you still need this to enter the auction.” The beauty persistently offered him another flyer.
“No… I’m sorry, I already have one.”
“Have one?”
The beautiful woman was taken aback, looking at Mu En as he pulled out the “invitation” with trembling hands.
Her expression instantly turned cold.
Since you have it, why not say it earlier?
I wasted so much breath for nothing.
Was it intentional?
After all, you just wanted to flirt and take advantage of someone pretty, right?
I’ve seen plenty of people like you in the black market.
In the black market, you can only think about such things while hiding in the shadows, but in everyday life, you probably haven’t even touched a girl’s hand!
“Pervert!”
The beautiful woman muttered under her breath, twisting her waist as she walked away, leaving Mu En with a disdainful silhouette.
“…”
In the wake of the woman’s disdainful departure.
Mu En fell silent.
Dumbfounded.
Contemplating.
Suddenly enlightened.
Then furious.
Damn!
That black-hearted merchant!
He had been tricked by her again!