While He Was Unconscious
"Let's auction him to the brothels"
Boom!
Everyone's minds exploded in disarray.
'D-did…did she just say t-to…!' The bandits' mind tried to process the decision, but to no avail. They were stuck in a daze.
How vicious! For money, she was willing to dirty such a beautiful creature!
For money, never did she also find him suspicious and connected him to the appearance and disappearance of the peculiar mountain.
"Did you not hear me? Tie that product up and throw him into the carriage! Make sure he does not get bruised or injured or his price will go down!" She ordered turned her heels away. "The sects are coming. We better hurry."
"Boss…" Everyone looked at each other before they sighed and followed her orders.
'Poor thing' They gazed Argen with sympathy as they tied him up and carried him towards their carriage.
Two days went by and the bandits, masking as merchants, continued their travel at their next destination.
These bandits weren't your ordinary ones that look like common brutes. After showing their real form back at mine, they immediately transformed like your everyday group of merchants with 3 carriages. Their boss removed her piercings wore a wig while sipping her tea inside the front carriage. Her face was still grotesque as usual and she was still their boss no matter how she looked like.
The other members of the bandits either controlled the reigns or acted like a bodyguard.
During these past two days, the sects' investigations were not bountiful. Because of the sudden appearance of a mass quantity of spiritual essence at the area where the grassy plain was, they had immediately dispatched disciples and elders to investigate. After they arrived and found nothing abnormal, they were at doubt therefore they asked the local residents. It confirmed their suspicions of something peculiar did happen when the people told them of the mountain's sudden appearance and disappearance. They have also interrogated the bandits, which were masking as merchants, about it. However, like the locals' words, the bandits did not devolve too much as commanded by the boss. The sects did not find their reply, suspicious and immediately went on their way to uncover more clues.
Another two days passed and the bandits' captive, Argen, still did not show any signs of awakening. The orange light coming from the sinking sun gave a melodious feeling for the acting-merchants
Argen's handsome features were beautifully laid down on one of the 2nd carriage's benches. However, his hands was tied up on the front, in a relaxed praying position. The perfect words to describe the feel would be his posture was like a dead person, peacefully resting inside an invisible coffin.
"Good thing there's this switching routine or else we won't be able to guard the boy." One of the bandits, who were guarding Argen, commented in a satisfied smile.
This group was once assigned to be the carriage's guards who fight random beasts that pops up on the road. But because there was this switching routine that their boss implemented, the former group on Argen's guarding duty, hesitantly exchanged posts to this current group.
"Dude, stop staring at that kid. Lest you'll turn gay"
"Shut the f*ck up! Tell me that when you apply those words to yourself"
" *Sigh* This kid's features are too much! I'm a married man and I feel like I'm committing adultery just by stealing a glance at this person even though we're both males."
"Urgh…This is insane. No wonder boss was willing to auction him. I bet the crowd will go crazy!"
The group continued their abnormal conversation until the bandit in-charge of the reins of the front carriage let out a loud announcement.
"We are about to arrive at Tanon Kingdom!"
Not long after, a massive kingdom appeared in their sights. Its wall was heavily guarded with soldiers on top and beneath them were two gates. One gate was heavily populated by a long line of heads with carriages and horses, while the other was devoid of any people except for a few guards stationed on it.
The bandits patiently parked their carriages on line and waited for their turn. An hour and a half went-by when they had finally accessed inside. Night had already dominated the sky as they traveled passed market vendors and buildings until they had arrived at the kingdom's largest auction house.
The bald female, still wearing the wig, gracefully landed her heels on the ground. The bandits' second-in-command, approached her and uttered some inquiries.
"Boss, should we brand him as a slave?" He asked. The female raised her hand. "No need. There is another face to this auction house that only a selected few, knows. Guard the product until I someone is sent to bring him." She said and proceeded towards the entrance, unhindered.
The auction house's servants greeted her politely and asked whether she has an entrance card or not. The bald female then whispered something to one of them before she backed away and showed her card. The servant that was whispered to, smiled mysteriously and led her to a door.
The room was eerie dim and a silhouette was languidly sitting at the red front-desk. In front of it was a door. It let out a pale glow before spitting out two cultivators.
"I have something to sell for the black auction tomorrow" The bandit's boss let out a complacent smile.
The receptionist, which was strangely an old man, dryly asked. "Specifications?"
"The brothels. Or perhaps, wealthy sluts? Well, just make the product a surprise one for the majority" This reply made the old man's eyebrow shot up.
"Let's see first whether it's worthy. Bring the product through the secret entrance!" The old man waved his hand dismissively to the servant who immediately obeyed his orders.
'That boy should fetch a good price, worthy enough to sustain our loss back in the mine.' She thought while she sat down on a sofa.
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"Hmm…he's a top-tier quality product alright. Although his spiritual essence is barely noticeable, it's what the brothels want. Weak yet beautiful people; Easy to subdue in bed. Where'd you get him? Aren't the things you usually sell are stolen treasures?" The old man said after he appraised the unconscious Argen.
"Yes, but this product is special, I got him from the vanishing mountain" The grotesque female then let out a boisterous grating laugh.
The old man blinked his eyes. Did he hear wrong? "What? Do you mean THAT vanishing mountain that the sects are crazily inquiring about?" His interlocutor nodded "This…!"
"See? Isn't it worthy to be a surprise product now? He could also be perhaps a genius! Hehehe~ I and my troops were the first ones to discover the vanishing mountain. Heck there was even a spirit mine!" After that, she chattered the happenings to the old man while the servant and the bandits' second-in-command listened on the side. The female wasn't worried about the auction house's confidentiality about its customers so she chattered all about. After all, seeing that mountain was something to brag about; furthermore, experiencing it firsthand.
Also, employees and customers from the black auction house are usually criminals and evil people. Therefore, the customers hold something to threaten the employees and vice-versa if ever they divulge something about them. No customers would also do something as to endanger the whole black auction house since behind that business was a terrifying power not even the emperor could offend. They benefited from each other. Why would they do something to break that? So usually, secrets here are tightly kept. You wouldn't want to step on the tiger's tail and thought it was just a stick on the ground right?
"So, what do you think he's worth?" She asked expectantly.
The old man pondered for a moment before he spoke "More than a hundred thousand silver spirit stones!"
The female smiled when she heard this. Back at the mine, they were only able to collect a few thousand silver and barely scraping a hundred gold spirit stones at the . Well how much can you get within a barely two minutes anyway? These numbers were already an astronomical amount for the common people, but for the bandits whose appetite was large, it was measly. Plus, she had lost precious members on the way.
It was not that she did not think of Argen as suspicious. It was because he was suspicious and also had a weak spiritual aura that she decided to dispose of him and earn at the same time.
"I will notify the brothels and some others about a new surprise addition" The old man said and took out a message plate and inscribed with the notification.
That night was a sleepless night for the potential customers. They were agitated of the new product to be auctioned tomorrow. After all, the surprise products always never fail to amaze them, so they stacked up some extra spirit stones in case.
When the next day's midnight arrived, the black auction's customers arrived through the secret entrance.
As usual, the auction started from the cheapest item towards the expensive ones. Appearances of an ancient evil emperor's emblem, forbidden pills, slaves and dark techniques appeared. They were wildly fought by the people.
Finally, the awaited surprise product's auction arrived. The people held their bated breaths and stared at the slowly emerging platform on the stage. A covered human-sized cave then appeared before their very eyes.
"Would you like for the product to be shown or be kept as a surprise?" The gorgeous female auctioneer asked the people.
This question is always asked every time they auction the surprise product. It was a gamble.
If the product remained mysterious and unknown to the people, there was a large chance that the highest bidder would get a great deal. Like spending a coin to buy a diamond. However, you can't disregard the fact that there are also times where the bid would be several times too much for the product, therefore getting the short end of the stick. But, if ever the product was to be revealed and it turns out to be priceless, bidding would be hard and it wasn't rare for the bidder to be reduced to poverty just to buy the product.
"Please raise your number signs for those who wants the surprise product to be revealed." The auctioneer instructed and a few signs were raised. However, its numbers couldn't rival the majority who wanted to gamble.
"Alright. The starting price is as usual. 50, 000 silver spirit stones! Start!"
"60,000!"
"65, 000!"
"80,000!"
It wasn't long until the hundred thousand mark was surpassed. The bald female, still wearing the wig, located inside one of the private boxes of the auction room, smiled.
"150,000!" An arrogant voice of a female dissolved the frenzy of the people when they heard her crazy number. Although her voice contained distain, she dared not to say it out loud for fear of offending a powerful cultivator unknowingly. After all, this crowd consisted of mostly criminals that even the smell of blood lingered inside the whole hall.
"Is anyone willing to bid a higher price?" The auctioneer presented her lovely smile as usual and began the countdown.
Silence reigned the hall. The people weren't willing to gamble anymore. 150,000 silver spirit stones is quite a lot to spend for a gamble.
"SOLD!" The auctioneer banged the mallet and she immediately asked the buyer. "Are you willing to pay the Secrecy Information Price of 10,000 silver stones? Or not and we should disclose the product for all to see and hear the information?"
After buying the Secrecy Information Price, the auction house would secretly disclose the appearance and every information they know about the product towards the buyer. However, if the buyer is not willing to pay and ready to take on another gamble, the auction house would disclose the surprise product for everyone to see and know.
Just as everyone was waiting for the buyer's verdict, the surprise product which had been hidden from the prying eyes of the bidders, woken up.
"It's dark, did I die again?" He uttered in dismay. "Wait, am I tied up?" He tried to budge his arms, but it was futile since the arms were securely wrapped in a cushioned steel bind.
After a moment of pondering, the female with the highest bid, spoken. "No need. Show the product now!"