Chapter: The Magic District
Cheng Yu and Mina had a hearty meal at Marcus's fried rice restaurant, then found a hotel near Michael Auction House to stay for the night.
"Friend, do you know where I can buy magic materials?"
At the hotel front desk, Cheng Yu asked the young attendant for directions.
The wind-thunder fruit mentioned in the black flatbread recipe was a magic material. Alchemists often used it as a neutralizer when refining potions. It could only be bought at magic material shops.
The young man smiled politely. "There are many magic material shops on the street where the Magic Association is located. Just go right when you leave the hotel, walk to the end of this street, then turn left and you'll see it."
The two left the hotel.
The Magic Association was a professional organization that assessed the skill level of mages.
Magic assessment tests were held periodically.
If you passed the assessment, you could be promoted to the next tier of mage.
Standing at the entrance of the street, Cheng Yu looked around. Many mages wearing black magic robes, holding magic staffs, and sporting pointed magic hats walked along the street.
In prominent positions on their bodies, they wore badges symbolizing their mage rank.
Mages were rare, so wearing these badges was a way to show off.
The first-tier mage badge was made of meteorite black iron—black and shiny, palm-sized, shaped like a ring with a hexagram pattern inside.
The second-tier mage badge had the same shape as the first-tier badge, but was made of dark night blue copper—dark blue in color.
As Cheng Yu walked along the street, his eyes swept over the mages. Most were first-tier. Very few were second-tier.
Additionally, there were a handful of mages who were more low-key and didn't display their rank badges prominently.
Once upon a time, Cheng Yu had dreamed of getting a mage badge to hang on his chest—becoming a high-quality human male.
But he had no magic talent. Getting a magic badge was impossible.
Walking into a magic material shop, the middle-aged owner sat at the counter tallying accounts.
"Do you have wind-thunder fruit?"
"Yes. How many do you need?"
"Ten, please."
"Eighty silver coins each. Ten will be 800 silver coins, or 8 gold coins."
Magic materials were expensive. Cheng Yu didn't haggle. He readily pulled out 8 gold coins to pay.
After collecting the money, the owner went to the warehouse and returned with a wooden box.
Opening it, there were ten round blue fruits inside—kind of like blue tomatoes.
"Wind-thunder fruit has a long shelf life. Use within three months," the owner reminded him.
"I know."
Cheng Yu had studied The Encyclopedia of Plants and Animals on the Celsis Continent. He naturally knew the characteristics of wind-thunder fruit.
"By the way, boss, do you have black pine nuts?" Cheng Yu asked again.
"Yes. How much do you need?"
"Ten kilograms."
"Sure. Ten copper coins per kilogram."
Black pine nuts weren't magic materials. The price was cheap.
"Give me ten kilograms."
The owner pulled out a large sack of black pine nuts from under the counter and measured out ten kilograms into a small cloth bag for Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu tucked away the ten kilograms of black pine nuts and ten wind-thunder fruits. He'd go back and make the special food called black flatbread.
Two days passed quickly. It was the third night.
Today was the day Michael Auction House held its auction. Cheng Yu and Mina headed out at seven o'clock in the evening.
The Michael Auction House was brightly lit. A number of luxurious carriages were parked at the entrance. Many dignitaries from Snow City had come to participate in the auction—some to see if there were items they liked, others just to join the excitement and see something new.
The dignitaries wore gorgeous dresses with piles of decorations on their chests, like they were attending a banquet. They walked into the auction house accompanied by servants or butlers.
Compared to those dignitaries, Cheng Yu looked like a random NPC passerby.
However, Mina followed behind him.
Anyone who owned a beautiful beastfolk slave girl was usually wealthy, so the auction guards didn't stop Cheng Yu.
After successfully entering Michael Auction House, a beautiful and dignified hostess guided Cheng Yu into the main auction hall.
The tiered hall had rows of stepped seating that could accommodate hundreds of people.
At the front of the hall was a large exhibition platform with magical lighting overhead, illuminating the entire venue.
The dignitaries took their seats casually.
Cheng Yu and Mina found a corner and sat down.
At 8 PM, the auction officially began.
A middle-aged auctioneer served as the hammer for this auction.
The first auction item was a ruby necklace with a starting price of 10 gold coins.
After a brief introduction by the auctioneer, people in the hall began bidding.
In the end, the ruby necklace sold for 33 gold coins.
The second auction item was a silver longsword with some armor-piercing capabilities—useful for countering warriors with strong physical defenses. Starting price: 15 gold coins.
After a round of bidding, the longsword finally sold for 60 gold coins.
The third auction item was a second-tier magic crystal—oval-shaped, yellow, crystal clear. Starting price: 30 gold coins.
Second-tier magic crystals were energy crystals formed inside certain large monsters. They contained powerful magic and could be used to craft magic tools or refine high-grade potions.
Generally, mages and alchemists were most interested in these.
After several rounds of bidding, the second-tier magic crystal sold for 70 gold coins.
Time passed.
A petite elf girl walked onto the platform. She stood barefoot, her skin white as snow, her long green hair cascading down her back like a waterfall.
Her ears were long and pointed—showing the unique characteristics of elves. Her eyes were bright and clear, sparkling like stars. Her nose was straight and small, adding a refined, elegant quality to her profile.
Perhaps out of fear, the elf girl trembled unconsciously.
"The twelfth auction item: a girl from the forest elves. Perfect physique. First-tier mage. Starting price: 200 gold coins."
The middle-aged auctioneer's voice echoed through the hall.
Many people in the venue had come specifically for this elf girl.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately made an offer.
"I bid 220 gold coins!"
"I bid 230 gold coins!"
"I bid 250 gold coins!"
"I bid 255 gold coins!"
Everyone bid enthusiastically. The offers came one after another.
There was no point bidding now. Cheng Yu planned to wait until the end.
"I bid 300 gold coins!"
"I bid 400 gold coins!"
The price quickly climbed to 400 gold coins.
The number of bids dropped significantly.
An ordinary orc girl only cost 70 or 80 gold coins. Spending 400 gold coins on an elf girl seemed excessive.
A portly wealthy merchant bid loudly, his voice carrying a faint sense of intimidation. "I bid 450 gold coins!"
As soon as he spoke, the entire hall fell silent.
The price of 450 gold coins was too high. No one was willing to bid again.
The middle-aged auctioneer looked at the fat merchant and recognized him as a famous wealthy businessman in Snow City. "Master Dewitt has bid 450 gold coins. Is there a higher price?"
Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be.
"I'm getting old. I haven't tasted the flavor of an elf beauty yet." The wealthy merchant smiled as if he'd already won.
On the platform, the elf girl looked at the merchant—who was as large as Zhu Bajie—and her fear deepened. How could her fragile body withstand such weight?
She lowered her head and cried silently.
"My young master bids 500 gold coins."
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the southeast corner of the hall.
Someone else is bidding?!
All the dignitaries followed the voice and looked toward the southeast corner. They saw a Silver Wolf Clan girl standing there, with a handsome young man seated beside her.
The upper class of Snow City all knew each other. None of them recognized the young man. They guessed he might be from outside the city.
Dewitt looked at Cheng Yu, hostility flickering in his old eyes. He raised the price again. "I bid 530 gold coins!"
"My young master bids 590 gold coins."
Mina continued bidding.
The fat on Dewitt's face trembled slightly. He spoke angrily, "I bid 650 gold coins!"
"My young master bids 700 gold coins."
The money had been robbed from bandits anyway. Cheng Yu didn't feel bad spending it at all.
The entire audience was shocked. This young man must be crazy—spending 700 gold coins on a slave!
Merchants were good at weighing costs and benefits. Seven hundred gold coins already far exceeded the reasonable price for a slave. The wealthy merchant named Dewitt didn't raise the price any further.