A Bite of Douluo Continent

(Quick access to today's recommended tickets)

The third chapter of this book

Chapter 135 Pre-auction Warm-up

On his way to the auction venue, after listening to the waiter's explanation, Qi Han finally understood what this pre-auction was all about.

Although the annual grand auction is tonight, many bidders have arrived early. To prevent them from getting bored or tired while waiting, Starlight Auction House will hold several auctions in advance as a special warm-up.

It's like the opening dance or similar performance that precedes some large-scale galas.

This is a level of prestige usually reserved for large-scale auctions.

These pre-auction events are small in scale, even smaller than small auctions, but there are many of them.

The Starlight Auction has twelve secondary venues and three main venues. The secondary venues are used for small auctions on weekdays, while the main venues are used for medium-sized auctions. For large auctions, the three main venues are temporarily combined to form a larger venue.

Meanwhile, the pre-auction events preceding the main auction are being held simultaneously in twelve secondary venues.

Even though the twelve auctions held simultaneously are not as large as small auctions, they are still quite a large-scale event when combined.

There is no difference in scale between the different pre-auction events, but the items for auction vary. Whether you can find your favorite items when you enter a secondary venue is also a matter of luck.

This is part of the unique fun of the pre-auction. Some people may have items they need that are up for auction, but they don't get into the right venue, while others are luckier and get into the venue where there are items that interest them.

In a sense, it can also be considered a blind box.

At least Qi Han felt that this was not much different from blind boxes.

Without much consideration, Qi Han chose the No. 8 pre-auction session and entered it under the guidance of a waiter.

In China, the number eight is considered auspicious, but this is not the case in Douluo Continent. Therefore, there weren't many people at the pre-auction event on the 8th. The venue was sparsely populated, and you could easily find empty seats between two people at a glance.

Qi Han looked around and chose a more spacious area to sit down. He casually swung the number plate handed to him by the waiter and looked at the auctioneer in the center of the venue.

The auctioneer was enthusiastically introducing a special ore from Gengxin City, the metal capital. Qi Han didn't know much about it, but from the auctioneer's description, it seemed to be a good ore.

After the introduction, the price of the ore, which started at 100 gold soul coins, soared and eventually sold for 450 gold soul coins.

Looking at the enthusiastic and excited expressions of the auctioneers around him, Qi Han felt somewhat bored.

Could it be that all the items in this secondary auction area are metal ores?

It shouldn't be that bad.

Soon after, a rare natural treasure, not too rare, was sold for 700 gold soul coins, followed by a hidden weapon from the Tang Clan.

It was still the same fine rain needle that Qi Han was familiar with.

Fine Rain Needle is something you can buy... but someone's auctioning it?

Qi Han silently complained, watching the Fine Rain Needle, which was priced at only two hundred gold soul coins, sell for three hundred and twenty gold soul coins after starting at one hundred and fifty gold soul coins. He couldn't help but sigh at how rich and foolish these people were.

Qi Han was unaware of this, but it was actually quite normal. Although Tang Clan's hidden weapons were clearly priced, not everyone could buy them; a qualification review was required. Those who were not qualified could only purchase hidden weapons through this channel.

Moreover, the Tang Clan only turns a blind eye to the lowest-level hidden weapons like the Fine Rain Needle. If more advanced hidden weapons were to be leaked and resold, such as the Tang Clan's renowned Zhuge Divine Crossbow, the Tang Clan would likely trace the source directly and disqualify them from purchasing them.

After the sale of the fine needle, the auctioneer's voice rose again, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's take a look at the next item!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a maid dressed in a bright long dress walked onto the stage carrying an object covered with a red cloth.

The red cloth blocked the view of all the auctioneers, and they could only make out the general outline from the surface. It was a rectangular prism.

what is this?

Is it ore again?

Qi Han yawned casually, then his movements suddenly froze.

Am I... seeing things?

The object under the red cloth seemed to have moved slightly?

Many people noticed this, and hushed discussions quickly arose in the venue.

Before keeping the auctioneers in suspense for long, the auctioneer began to introduce the beast, “Some of you may have heard of a soul beast called the Mist Cloud Cat. It is extremely fast and is one of the soul beasts that agility-type soul masters often choose to hunt. However, due to its top-tier racial bloodline, this soul beast is extremely difficult to kill.”

Upon hearing this, many auctioneers seemed to have guessed what was going on.

When introducing the auction item, the auctioneer first introduced a spirit beast?

Could it be that beneath this red cloth lies a misty cloud cat?

Looking at it this way, what's under the red cloth does indeed look like a cage.

Qi Han's thoughts were similar to those of the other auctioneers. Looking at the object still trembling under the red cloth, he frowned slightly.

Can soul beasts be sold directly?

Seeing the gazes of the crowd below, the auctioneer changed the subject, "You guessed right, but not entirely. Underneath this red cloth is a cat, but it's a little different from a normal Mist Cloud Cat."

As he spoke, the auctioneer gestured to the maid to lift the red cloth.

When the red cloth was lifted, a cage was indeed revealed underneath, inside which a tiny kitten was huddled in fear, emitting faint, terrified cries.

"Except for the tips of its ears and the base of its limbs, the rest of the Mist Cloud Cat's fur is dark silver, almost black. But this cat has a completely different coat color. As you can see, this cat's body is covered with alternating dark silver and light silver-gray markings, and its body shape is also somewhat different. It looks like it has nothing to do with the Mist Cloud Cat, but!"

The auctioneer's lips curled into a smile. "This cat was found in the nest of a Mist Cloud Cat, proving that it is definitely related to the Mist Cloud Cat. According to the auction house's appraiser, this cat may be a soul beast mutated from an ordinary Mist Cloud Cat. Everyone knows how rare mutated soul beasts are; they are as rare as the probability of a human soul master mutating their martial soul!"

"This cat is only a few days old and doesn't even have the strength of a ten-year-old soul beast, but as a mutated soul beast, its potential is extraordinary!"

"Alright, let's cut to the chase and start the bidding! This mutated Mist Cloud Cat cub, which we've never seen before, starts at one thousand gold soul coins!"

Qi Han subconsciously rubbed his eyes. Just then, the kitten in the cage turned its head to look at him, then hurriedly turned away.

But a single glance was enough to make Qi Han's expression turn strange.

You're telling me this is a mutated mist cloud cat?

Isn't that just a Maine Coon?

"System, is this a Maine Coon?"

[System check in progress...]

[Test complete. This soul beast cub is indeed a mutated Mist Cloud Cat. The resemblance to a Maine Coon cat in appearance is purely coincidental. Its inherent talent is extremely strong. It is recommended that the host purchase it.]

Ah, this...

buy!

Chapter 136 Qi Han's Cat-Petting Tips

In his previous life, Qi Han had owned a cat, which is why he subconsciously petted Ji Yunruo's cat ears when he saw them.

Therefore, upon seeing the kitten that looked remarkably similar to the Maine Coon cats of Earth, Qi Han felt his desire to pet the cat begin to stir.

Furthermore, the system itself assessed it as having exceptionally strong talent, so this little kitten must have something unique about it.

Qi Han tightened his grip on the bidding paddle, but instead of bidding immediately, he carefully observed the other auctioneers around him.

Unlike Qi Han, the other auctioneers fell into a rare silence after seeing that the item was a mutated kitten, and the atmosphere of the entire auction turned cold.

A thousand gold soul coins is not cheap. There are still a lot of soul beasts in the Soul Beast Forest. If you really want a soul beast, a thousand gold soul coins is enough to send people to capture a weaker thousand-year soul beast. It is not particularly cost-effective to buy a kitten that is not even as good as a ten-year soul beast at this price.

Even if this kitten's species is a Misty Cloud Cat with a growth potential of up to ten thousand years, isn't this a mutation? Who can say whether this mutation is good or bad?

It's true that mutated martial souls and mutated soul beasts are rare, but not all mutations are for the better. And it's impossible to tell whether such a tiny kitten has a good or bad mutation in a short time.

More importantly, while spirit beasts raised from a young age are certainly more loyal, the time and cost involved are too high.

The lifespan of a soul beast is not entirely representative of its lifespan; it is merely a measure of its power transformation. Consuming various rare and precious materials, as well as other soul beasts and even human soul masters, can increase the lifespan of a soul beast. However, even so, it would still take at least several decades to cultivate a soul beast to a thousand or even ten thousand years and form combat power.

This is an optimistic estimate; for less powerful soul beasts, it might take hundreds of years.

So, while it's said that a kitten like this could be raised indefinitely, it's more likely that people buy it to keep as a pet.

The auctioneers had different thoughts, but none of them made a bid at this moment. Seeing this, Qi Han simply stopped bidding as well.

Although he had never participated in any auctions in his past or present life, he still understood the tricks of the trade. If he bid too eagerly, it might attract some wavering speculators to participate in the bidding. Therefore, the best approach would be to bid slightly higher than the starting price when the auction was about to fail, and see if he could win the bid.

The rules of the pre-auction are that each bid for any item must be at least 10 gold soul coins, so Qi Han plans to bid 1010 gold soul coins and win the kitten directly.

Seeing the silence fall, a hint of helplessness flashed in the auctioneer's eyes.

It's been half a day and no one has raised the price yet. If this continues, the auction might fail.

The auctioneer's commission rate is directly linked to the auctioneer's performance. If he could, he would really not want his items to go unsold because no one bids. However, he knew the details of this mutated mist cloud cat very well, and could only sigh that he was unlucky to have this item assigned to him.

His description was certainly true; this mutated Mist Cloud Cat was indeed found among a litter of Mist Cloud Cat pups. However, after being examined by the auction house's appraisers, it was found to be much slower than a normal Mist Cloud Cat pup, only slightly stronger.

The Mist Cloud Cat is a top-tier speed-type soul beast. How can a slight increase in strength make up for a lost speed?

Therefore, this mutated kitten is most likely ruined.

If it weren't for this reason, the auction house might not be willing to put it up for pre-auction promotion.

It's a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast cub after all, with top-tier racial talent. It would be a good item to bid on in a small or even medium-sized auction.

The hourglass on the auction table was about to run out. The auctioneer sighed and spoke again, "Any guests interested in bidding on this mutated Mist Cloud Cat? We'll count down to ten now. If no one does, we'll declare it a failed bid and move on to the next item."

"ten!"

"Nine!"

...

"three!"

"two!"

"1010 Gold Soul Coins!"

Just as the auctioneer was about to announce that the item had failed to sell, Qi Han slowly raised his bidding paddle.

The auctioneer's eyes lit up, and he cast a grateful glance in Qi Han's direction. "Guest number 723 has bid 1010 gold soul coins. Is there any higher bid?"