FVN Chapter 621 Treasure Auction House! Boundless Sea Treasures!
Chapter 621 Treasure Auction House! Boundless Sea Treasures!
As the banquet was drawing to a close, Chen Fan suddenly remembered something and turned to Han Cen, asking, "Elder Han, we seized a batch of demonic artifacts in the Boundless Sea and are looking for a safe channel to sell them. Does anyone know of any place in the Imperial City that specializes in such transactions?"
Upon hearing this, Han Cen put down his wine cup and took out a palm-sized dark gold token from his sleeve, handing it over.
The front of the token features a relief of a nine-story pavilion, while the back bears the simple and elegant characters "聚宝" (Jubao, meaning "Gathering Treasure").
Chen Fan took the token and examined it. He found that there was a circle of extremely fine inscriptions engraved on the edge of the token. He scanned it with his divine sense and found that it was a fifth-level anti-counterfeiting restriction. Only those who held this token could enter the core trading area of the auction house.
"You should be familiar with Jubao Auction House, Chen Gongfeng," Han Cen stroked his beard and smiled. "This is my VIP token. With this token, you can enjoy VIP treatment at Jubao Auction House, and you'll have priority in both consignment and bidding. Jubao Auction House is the largest auction house in the capital, with unfathomable background. It's said that the Hall of Offerings is behind it, and some say it's related to the imperial relatives. But one thing is certain: they don't ask where the goods come from, only their value. It's the most suitable place to sell your demonic artifacts in Tongyuan. They have plenty of ways to launder the demonic artifacts and resell them to the demonic cultivators of the Boundless Sea, or dismantle them into raw materials to reforge them. By the way, Tongyuan's auction is held every ten days, and it's tomorrow night. If you have anything you want to sell, you might as well go and have a look; you might even find a few things you like."
Chen Fan nodded, then thanked Han Cen and quietly left...
……
The following evening, Chen Fan changed into ordinary clothes, hung the dark gold token given to him by Han Cen on his waist, and left the mansion to head towards the Jubao Auction House.
Jubao Auction House is located in the middle of the most bustling Zhuque Avenue in the Imperial City. It occupies an entire nine-story building and is even more magnificent than Tongyuan Auction House in Dayu Imperial City.
The building was constructed entirely of dark black spirit jade, with upturned eaves and corners. A row of gilded palace lanterns hung under the eaves, burning spirit candles made from the oil of fourth-order demon beasts. The light shone through the glass domes onto the street, turning half of the street into a pale gold.
Two jade unicorns, each three zhang tall, stood at the entrance, each holding a fist-sized luminous pearl in its mouth, which glowed softly in the twilight.
As Chen Fan stepped through the gate, he was greeted by an extremely spacious lobby.
The floor of the hall was paved with a single piece of cyan jade, and the four walls were inlaid with dozens of fist-sized moonstones, making the entire hall as bright as day.
Directly opposite the main gate is a three-zhang-tall sandalwood screen, on which is carved a picture of a hundred treasures, including magical weapons, elixirs, spiritual herbs, and array plates, all vividly depicted.
On the left side of the lobby is a row of windows for individual customers to trade, while on the right is a dedicated passage leading to the VIP area. Two black-robed guards at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm stand at the entrance of the passage, their eyes fixed straight ahead and their auras calm.
A middle-aged deacon dressed in a blue brocade robe approached, bowing with a beaming smile, and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you here to bid or consign your item?"
Chen Fan didn't say much, and handed over the dark gold token from his waist.
The steward took the token, glanced at it, and his smile instantly shifted from professional politeness to genuine respect. He returned the token with both hands and gestured for the guest to enter: "So you are the honored guest, my apologies for my rudeness. This way, please, fellow Daoist. The VIP box is ready. May I ask what treasures you wish to consign today? Our firm can appraise them and arrange for them to be included in tonight's auction."
"I'm consigning a batch of magical artifacts," Chen Fan said calmly, taking out a storage bag from his sleeve and handing it over. "One hundred and twenty Nascent Soul level magical artifacts, two hundred various magical pills, and a certain amount of magical crystals. Give me an estimate, and I'll exchange them directly for spirit stones."
The steward took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense. His pupils contracted slightly, but he maintained a calm smile on his face.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I will go and fetch an appraiser immediately."
He turned and strode into the side door, and soon led out an old man in black robes with white hair and beard, whose cultivation was at the late Nascent Soul stage.
The old man took the storage bag and examined it carefully. A glint flashed in his eyes. He nodded slightly to the steward, then cupped his hands to Chen Fan before retreating back into the side door.
The steward approached Chen Fan again and lowered his voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist, our firm estimates the value of this batch of goods at 2.8 million mid-grade spirit stones. According to the VIP pass's discount, our firm will only take a 10% commission, meaning you will receive 2.52 million mid-grade spirit stones. Are you satisfied with this price?"
Chen Fan nodded.
The price was slightly higher than he had estimated, proving that Jubao Auction House's reputation was indeed well-deserved.
Seeing that he nodded, the steward took out a storage ring, counted out 2.52 million mid-grade spirit stones, put them into the ring, and handed it to Chen Fan with both hands.
Chen Fan took the ring and scanned it with his divine sense. The number was exactly as advertised, so he put it into his sleeve. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the steward suddenly took a half step closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please wait. Tonight, our establishment is holding an auction. The grand finale is a precious treasure that just flowed out of the Boundless Sea. If you are interested, you might as well stay and take a look. VIPs have their own private boxes, so there's no need to squeeze into the main hall with the general guests."
A treasure flowing from the boundless sea?
Chen Fan's heart stirred slightly.
He had just returned from the Boundless Sea and knew all too well the dangers of that area. Anything that could flow out of there and be called a treasure by the Treasure Auction House was definitely not an ordinary item.
"Since there's such a valuable treasure, there's no harm in taking a look," he said casually.
The steward looked pleased and personally led Chen Fan through the right-hand passage and up the spiral staircase to the third floor.
The VIP box wasn't large, but it was decorated with great care!
Inside the room, a pot of spiritual tea and several plates of exquisite spiritual fruit were placed on a rosewood table. A landscape painting hung on the wall, depicting cranes circling and flowing water.
The wall facing the main hall was made of a single piece of transparent spirit crystal. From inside the private room, one could clearly overlook the entire auction hall, but external divine sense could not penetrate the spirit crystal to enter the private room.
Chen Fan sat down at the table, picked up the spirit tea and took a sip, his gaze falling on the main hall through the spirit crystal wall.
The lobby was now full of people, at least four or five hundred, with cultivation levels ranging from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul, and even a few Divine Transformation level auras faintly emanating from other VIP boxes.
To the north of the main hall is a semi-circular platform with a long sandalwood table on it. Behind the table stands a beautiful female cultivator in a red palace dress, with a late-stage Core Formation cultivation level. She has a slender figure and charming appearance and is the main photographer for tonight.
Beside the long table stood two black-robed guards at the late Nascent Soul stage, their eyes sharp as lightning, scanning back and forth in the hall to maintain order at the auction.
After a melodious chime, the auction officially began.
The woman in red smiled and bowed respectfully to the audience below. Her voice was soft yet penetrating, each word clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.
"Fellow Daoists, I've kept you waiting. I am Liu San Niang, and I will be hosting tonight's auction. As usual, the highest bidder wins, and there will be no take-backs once the gavel falls. If anyone disrupts the auction, don't blame me for being rude."