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*****
Dai Weisi chuckled at the comment, the corners of his mouth lifting with confidence. "Heh, I am your captain. Of course I have to show the imposing presence of Star Luo Royal Academy when we're in public."
Dong Hui added, "Big Sis, since you've already obtained your fourth soul ring, why don't we go check out the Star Luo Auction House today?"
Much like Heaven Dou City, Star Luo City had its own bustling auction house filled with dazzling goods of all kinds.
Dong Hui continued, "I was going to tell you about it three days ago, but unfortunately, you weren't around. I've got insider info—tonight's finale item is a ten-thousand-year soul bone!"
As she spoke, she glanced at Dai Weisi's tall, powerful frame with admiration. "Captain, you're already at Rank 48. If you manage to obtain a suitable ten-thousand-year soul bone, your strength will skyrocket. Three years from now, we'll have a better shot at defeating the Spirit Hall team."
"Mhm, you're absolutely right, Xiao Hui."
Dai Weisi nodded. He could afford to ignore thousand-year soul bones, but ten-thousand-year ones? No way. Even if the soul bone wasn't suitable for him, he could always trade it later.
Having made up his mind, Dai Weisi smiled. "Alright then, let's go have a look. Zhuyun, Zhuqing—what do you two think?"
Zhu Zhuyun replied firmly, "Weiss, I'll follow your lead. We can't miss out on a ten-thousand-year soul bone."
"Brother-in-law, I'm going too!" Zhu Zhuqing chimed in.
"Alright, we're all going then. Xiao Hui, when does the auction start?"
"Ten o'clock tonight," Dong Hui replied. "We've still got about three hours."
"Then let's eat first. After dinner, we'll head out to the auction," Dai Weisi suggested.
Everyone agreed, and Dai Weisi went out to buy some raw meat and fresh vegetables—enough for a hearty hotpot meal.
With so many people around, hotpot was the obvious choice. Though on the Douluo Continent, hotpot wasn't really a thing, so at first, everyone was skeptical—even Zhu Zhuyun dramatically declared she'd rather starve and roll out of the house than eat that strange concoction.
But once the rich aroma of the bubbling hotpot hit her nose, the "Jingze Theorem" activated. With a muttered "so fragrant…", she dove in and ended up eating more than anyone else.
By nightfall, the group arrived at the Star Luo Auction House. Upon showing their Star Luo Royal Academy badges, the staff immediately ushered them into VIP seating, complete with complimentary wine and drinks.
Soon after, the auction officially began.
A sultry red-haired beauty stepped gracefully onto the stage. Moments later, a few attendants wheeled in a massive iron cage. The hostess smiled seductively, "Welcome, honored guests, to tonight's auction. I am your host, Honglian. Let's begin with our very first item."
With a slight smirk and a flash of her long, snowy legs, Honglian stepped beside the cage and whipped off the black cloth covering it—revealing the auction's first "item."
Inside were a pair of beautiful twin girls posed suggestively, their clothes barely covering the essentials—practically naked.
Their seductive curves sent waves of stimulation through the male guests in the room. Some couldn't even restrain themselves and began fooling around with their companions right there in public.
Everyone in the auction hall was either rich or powerful. Naturally, most of the men had one or more female companions by their side. And Dai Weisi? He was no exception.
Four young ladies, each just barely eighteen—and another who, legally speaking, would be "three years minimum, max death penalty." Anyone watching would have to admit: "The Crown Prince really knows how to have fun."
Seeing the scene, Zhu Zhuyun immediately covered Dai Weisi's eyes, her tone sharp and commanding. "Weiss! You're not allowed to look! If you dare open your eyes, I'm breaking up with you!"
"It's fine. I still have Zhuqing…"
"Then I'll make sure Zhuqing ignores you too! Try it and see what happens."
Zhu Zhuyun, having perfectly predicted Dai Weisi's cheeky response, kept both hands clamped over his eyes, determined not to let him sneak a glance.
"Alright, alright, I won't look!"
Dai Weisi chuckled, thinking to himself, What's even the point? In my previous life, I had seen it all—every genre, every teacher, every title. This kind of stuff isn't nearly enough to tempt me.
At that moment, Honglian's voice rang out from the stage.
"Gentlemen, these lovely ladies are twin sisters. After some... thorough training, they've become quite obedient."
"If you buy them, I guarantee an experience so divine it'll melt your bones… Oh—and they're both still virgins, by the way. Starting bid: 100,000 gold soul coins! Bidding is now open!"
"I bid 110,000!"
"120,000!"
"150,000!"
As soon as Honglian finished her sentence, the auction hall erupted in thunderous bidding. The atmosphere turned feverish as numerous male guests shouted over each other, desperate to take home the twin sisters.
Dai Weisi, however, neither placed a bid nor even glanced at the stage. Despite feeling a trace of sympathy for the twin girls, he knew this kind of thing was far beyond his power to stop right now. Maybe when I become Emperor, he thought, I'll outlaw this kind of garbage once and for all.
Eventually, the twins were sold for a steep 200,000 to a greasy, pot-bellied middle-aged man whose face practically oozed slime.
The second auction item was a custom-made suit of armor forged by Grandmaster Lou Gao himself. It was durable enough to withstand a full-power strike from a Power Attack-type Soul King, causing quite a stir in the hall.
For Support-type Soul Masters, this kind of defensive treasure was extremely attractive.
The next few items weren't anything special. Dai Weisi remained in the VIP lounge with his eyes closed, resting.
The only thing that made him open them was the tenth auction item—a soul bone. But it was only a 3,000-year-old limb bone. Not particularly valuable, and neither Dai Weisi nor any of the girls beside him were interested.
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for.
"Alright! And now, we arrive at the fiftieth item—our grand finale!"
Hostess Honglian's smile turned captivating as she slowly picked up a deep emerald-colored soul bone. Judging from its shape, it was clearly a torso bone.
The powerful soul energy radiating from the bone made many Soul Masters in the hall turn their heads in awe. Even Dai Weisi's eyes shot open as he focused on it intently.
"That's... at least a 20,000-year-old soul bone," he murmured, his voice tinged with excitement. "And not just any kind, but one of the rarest: a torso bone."
Honglian's lips curled with a knowing smile. "Hehe~ I see many of you can already sense it. This is a 20,000-year soul bone called the Compressed Venom Torso Bone—taken from the corpse of a corrupted Soul Master, extracted by one of our esteemed clients."
"Once absorbed, it significantly enhances back strength and muscular density, and it even grants a soul bone skill."
"As the name suggests, the ability Compressed Venom allows the user to condense toxins within the body into a highly concentrated, devastating poison. It can be used internally—or as a weapon against others."
"For any Soul Master with poison attributes, this is undoubtedly a treasure. Starting bid: 5,000,000 gold soul coins. Let the bidding begin!"
"I bid six million!"
Dai Weisi's voice rang out the moment the bidding opened. He didn't hesitate to raise the price by a full million, his tone full of confidence and intent.
As the Crown Prince of Star Luo, six million was nothing but pocket change. And he had to win this bid.
With this soul bone, he was absolutely certain he could help Dugu Bo resolve the poison in his body—maybe even boost the old man's power beyond its former peak.
A favor that big? Taking the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well from Dugu Bo's hands wouldn't be that difficult after. Maybe he could even recruit Dugu Bo into Star Luo Empire.
And even if that didn't happen—having a Titled Douluo as a friend? That was a deal with zero downside.
(End of Chapter)