Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 216 - 136: Dedication to the God of Life

Chapter 216: Chapter 136: Dedication to the God of Life

Stepping out of the banquet hall, the old lady detailed the auction process for the trio, explaining that they first needed to go to the exchange’s staff to handle the paperwork. If the goods or services they provided were deemed valuable by the Chamber of Commerce, they would be listed in the exchange’s auction inventory.

The auction was located six floors underground in the exchange, accessible only to VIP users who had been certified by the Chamber of Commerce, and it often featured some rare items.

This was the only way for non-VIP users to enter the sixth underground floor—either as sellers or as goods themselves.

The superpower that Xing possessed was one of the highly sought-after items in the exchange. As long as the ability wasn’t too weak, it could often fetch a high price.

Rarity brings value, and for those VIP customers who had achieved "chip freedom," they preferred to use chips to purchase things that couldn’t be obtained with power or wealth in the real society.

However, the banquet hall also harbored many con artists like the young man, who specialized in swindling people like Xing who were unfamiliar with the situation, buying from them at low prices through coercion or enticement, and then selling at exorbitant prices.

The old lady claimed to be a victim herself.

Her granddaughter had always dreamed of becoming a musician, but she was only moderately talented. Even with extraordinary effort, success was hard to come by. A few days ago, she had purchased a musician’s talent from the young man with 20 years’ worth of chips. What she hadn’t expected, however, was that while her granddaughter inherited the musical talent, her emotional state also plunged into severe depression.

It was only later that the old lady learned that the talent came from a severely depressed individual who had ended their life shortly after selling their talent.

Yet the young man claimed it was normal, saying that an artist’s inspiration came from pain, and only through extreme suffering could one create timeless masterpieces that would be remembered for centuries.

Once a product was sold, there were no returns or exchanges.

The state of depression and pain would follow her granddaughter for life, which was why, upon seeing the young man conning others again, she couldn’t stand it and confronted him on the spot.

The old lady even kindly led the trio to the registration area for the auction.

"We’ve truly encountered a kind soul."

Zheng Liu watched her retreating figure, reflecting with emotion.

In this cold-hearted exchange, the old lady’s righteous assistance brought him a sense of warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time.

But Duan Mingyuan didn’t say a word, not wanting to shatter Zheng Liu’s yearning for truth, goodness, and beauty.

When the old lady turned around, he noticed that the number on her brooch had changed, from a countdown of three days to seven days, and upon bringing them here, she had exchanged many meaningful glances with the registrar.

This was a pimp.

It seemed that as long as she brought rare goods to the registrar, she would receive corresponding compensation.

However, this pimp had provided them with much information and had given Duan Mingyuan a new understanding of the exchange. He had thought it was merely a market for trading power and money, but he hadn’t expected the Shanqi Commerce Association’s business scope to be so broad, to the point where even ephemeral goods such as superpowers, talents, and inspiration could be traded.

Here, the more ethereal the item was, the higher its value tended to be.

"There is also a segment for showcasing talents during the auction."

After reading through the auction notice, Xing summarized the important parts.

The process of selling a superpower was quite simple. When her turn to take the stage came, she would demonstrate her ability to all the clients participating in the auction right in the center of the stage. The more people she impressed, the higher the final auction price was likely to be.

"It’s time to make a decision."

Xing said, "There’s only 30 minutes left until the registration deadline. If we miss it, we have to wait three days."

With less than seven hours’ worth of chips left for them at that moment, it was clear they couldn’t wait another three days.

"According to the auction procedures, I can take you to the sixth underground floor, but from that point on, it’s up to you."

The auction notice also detailed many specifics about the sale of abilities.

When an ability was successfully sold and stripped from its original owner, the former possessor might experience symptoms such as headaches and limb weakness, and in severe cases, they could even lapse into a coma. However, this was normal, and with adequate rest, they would recover without any serious lingering effects.

After that, she would just need to learn to live as an ordinary person.

But to ascertain his master’s cause of death and to uncover the secrets of the underground exchange in Siyang City, Xing believed it was worth it.

"If an accident happens while I’m unconscious, don’t worry about me, you must get the word out about what’s happening here."

"Xing!"

Zheng Liu blurted out, although they had known each other for less than a day, they had already become comrades-in-arms, their lives bound together. How could he abandon his comrade and flee alone?

"Don’t be impulsive."

Xing cracked a smile that filled the air with the scent of daggers, "The master said that every hunter would have this day. In a way, I can retire early now."

"Forget that thought."

Duan Mingyuan couldn’t stand to watch anymore, he had to interrupt them both, "That might be an old tradition of the guild, but in today’s Royal Hunting Court, every hunter can work safely until retirement."

Only a stable and safe industry, complete with various retirement benefits, could attract more outstanding talents to join.

Ever since he entered the underground exchange, Duan Mingyuan had been subtly irked, and just now, he finally sensed the source of his unease.

Everything was caused by the countdown on the brooches of Zheng Liu and Xing.

Not just them, but everyone here was the same.

They came here to change their destiny and social class, but from the moment they put on their brooches, they had become slaves to fate.

Whether relying on luck or brains, they had to act according to the rules of the underground exchange, even risking turning themselves into merchandise for sale in order to acquire more chips.

Xing had escaped the challenges of "luck" and "intelligence," but now, driven by her sense of justice, she was willing to turn herself into an item for auction.

However, it was precisely because of this that Duan Mingyuan understood the operation mechanism of the underground exchange, as well as the "banker" who decided the chips and transactions behind the scenes.

"This registration form is useless now."

"But..."

Duan Mingyuan put the registration form back and, without waiting for Xing to finish speaking, stood in front of the registrar, "We’re going to the sixth level underground. Lead the way."

In the face of such a straightforward and brutal request, the registrar first froze, then a hint of panic flickered in his eyes, as if he had finally recognized the identity of Duan Mingyuan and the others. He bowed repeatedly and said respectfully, "I will prepare rooms for you immediately."

Just now...

What happened?

Without waiting for them to speak, something even more astonishing happened.

The countdown on the brooch started to reverse.

One second, one minute, one hour, one day...

All the numbers began to leap rapidly, so fast that it dazzled the eyes, and it was impossible to follow the speed with the naked eye.

Their hearts also beat violently in sync with this rapid change of pace.

It might have been a minute, or perhaps even less time.

The registrar had only taken two steps forward when the jumping on the brooches finally stopped.

In the end, even the numbers no longer existed. The brooch, blooming like a lotus, was left with only a single symbol, and it seemed that it would never change again.

—— "∞".