Origin Paradise!

"See you later. Remember to keep an eye on Old Hei's situation; he's become the strategist again."

"clear."

Two Dawn soldiers escorted the Inspector General to the passenger seat, then got into the back seat themselves.

Ah Da and Ah Er were carefully selected by Dawn Tyrannosaurus Rex as his attendants on this trip. Fearing that the eldest brother might not remember them, he even gave them extremely simple names.

Jiang He stepped on the gas, and the Jeep drove out of the park's main road.

The chief inspector turned his head, about to speak, when he saw the cold, golden snake eyes beneath the other man's collar. His shoulders trembled slightly. Non-venomous snakes were extremely rare in the wasteland; a bite from one would either kill or seriously injure the victim.

"What should I call you?"

Even now, the Inspector General feels he has no idea who this young man is.

"What was written on the temporary investigator's badge at the beginning?"

"Jiang He".

"Then let's go with Jiang He."

The jeep bumped along, the distance from the park to the fortress wasn't too far, only half a day's drive in a straight line. The park's location took into account the fortress's residents' ability to survive in the wild; if they needed to spend the night, many wouldn't dare to escape into the park, greatly increasing the difficulty of the deception.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the hundred-meter-high silver wall drew closer and closer, gradually filling the entire field of vision. A smooth road began to appear ahead. Directly below the fortress, tens of thousands of wanderers had set up camp, and the small settlements seemed to form an outer city.

As the jeep drove through the small settlement, Jiang He surveyed the surroundings. Most of the homeless people were emaciated and pale. Many had contracted wasteland radiation sickness, with large tumors growing on their bodies. A significant number also suffered from silver lead sickness, a special disease that gradually stiffens the body, making it feel as heavy as lead, and eventually causing them to die like silver statues.

Lead poisoning is transmitted through blood, saliva, and sex, and importantly, there is currently no cure.

Jiang He drove to the gate of the fortress. The giant gate, which was over ten meters high, looked like an execution platform and seemed like it could fall at any moment.

"Let me do it."

The Inspector General handed over his pass, which contained five 100-yuan fortress coins. The right to mint coins was held by the Alliance Council, and the various subordinate organizations, the Fortress Councils, had no right to mint them. The original Silver City greatly consolidated its power through economic means.

The guard didn't even look at the pass; he just took the banknote and let them through. Although there were recent documents from above requiring strict checks on entry and exit procedures, the government office was overstaffed, and the powers of the twelve departments were confused. The guard post at the gate belonged to both the Security Bureau and the Garrison Bureau. Without sufficient external support before a major incident occurred, assigning responsibility to individuals was just a simple matter of words.

The jeep moved forward several dozen meters, passed through the outer wall tunnel, and the group entered the interior of the fortress.

The view before them suddenly opened up. Unlike the chaotic and dilapidated atmosphere of the settlement outside the walls, the inside of the fortress was a completely modern city. The streets were neat, the buildings were tall, the cars were constantly flowing, and the people's clothing was quite avant-garde and fashionable.

Jiang He gripped the steering wheel. Before coming, he had done some research. The Ninth Fortress consisted of sixteen districts, housing the Alliance's Ninth Army Group and the Garrison Legion directly under the Fortress Council, with a population of nearly ten million.

"President Jiang, the Venus Hotel is owned by Mr. A. The high-society banquet in two days requires invitations. My suggestion is that we get two from the auction first to avoid trouble later," the Chief Inspector suggested. The situation inside and outside the fortress is completely different; here, there are sound laws.

"Could they have chased me away in the past?" Jiang He said.

“Um…” the chief inspector hesitated, “If we can use the rules to reduce trouble, I think we should follow them.”

Jiang He pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense."

The chief inspector was stunned for a long time; he really hadn't expected the other party to be someone who would listen to advice.

"You show the way."

"Ok."

Jiang He changed direction and headed towards the auction house.

As the chief inspector explained, the entire auction house in the fortress was a joint venture between Mr. A and the Tu family, a prominent family of councilors. Most of the items on sale were legal and legitimate. In contrast, the underground black market outside the walls was far more appalling.

After leaving the city gate area, the jeep arrived at the college area.

The fortress has three major academies. The Military Academy continuously supplies talent to the Ninth Army Group and the Garrison Corps. Outstanding students can get platoon-level treatment upon graduation. The students of the Political Academy are the main force of the Governing Hall and receive G1-level temporary treatment upon graduation.

The last art academy had no connection to military or political affairs and trained artists for high society. Throughout its history, it has produced many exceptionally talented dancers and singers who have gained renown within the alliance. The popular female idol Mia Strowlen is an alumna of the art academy.

The jeep arrived at the auction venue in the commercial district.

Ah Da and Ah Er led the way; both were strong, capable, and clearly former soldiers.

Upon arriving here, the Inspector General pulled out another badge: Senior Section Chief of the G3 Security Agency.

The documents were genuine, and the auction house manager led the two directly into the VIP room.

"President Jiang, Mr. A is currently the Director of the Security Department of the Governing Council, a powerful G4-level position. It is even more valuable than his G5-level councilor position. His nominal superior is the Governor, one of the three giants of the Fortress."

The Inspector General explained, "According to the Fortress Act, leaders of large settlements can obtain G4-level citizenship as long as they join a fortress. Once you get the Advanced Development Order for the Park from Mr. A, you'll immediately become a celebrity."

Jiang He remained noncommittal; he naturally preferred social honors to tangible power and military strength.

Chapter 203 Auction

Auction venue in the commercial district.

The lights were dim, and the buyers seemed to be hiding in the shadows. The venue resembled an opera house. When the curtain was drawn back, a woman in a red dress in the center of the stage struck a gavel.

clang!

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Venus Auction House. This auction house is under the jurisdiction of the Security Bureau of the Governing Council and is responsible for the quality of all auction items. Fighting is strictly prohibited in the venue. Anyone found fighting will be immediately arrested and sent to the Black Prison."

The woman in the red dress had a charming smile, but her words were ruthless. For an auctioneer responsible for warming up the crowd, this performance was a failure, but she was clearly not an ordinary staff member.

Without much talk, the first item was brought out.

Fifty burly men took to the stage, fully armed, each carrying a modern rifle, and equipped with bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, multi-functional tactical helmets, and other gear.

At the same time, images appeared on the stage screen.

"SKS Squad, formerly a well-known mercenary group in the wasteland, is looking for a suitable employer. With ten years of experience, the squad has a good reputation and ability. Their starting price is five million Fortress Coins every two years."

The woman in the red dress explained in a loud voice that for such elite mercenary groups, a starting price of five million is standard practice. They don't flaunt their wealth, and the specific price is negotiated privately between the leader and the employer. Strictly speaking, what is being auctioned now is only the expected price.

On the stage screen, the SKS squad covered the retreat of the previous employer from the destroyed medium-sized settlement. A gang of thousands of wandering thieves launched an attack from all directions, but were all repelled. After sending the employer to the helicopter, the SKS squad surprisingly chose to turn back and fought for several hours to defeat the gang of thieves. They suffered nearly 20 casualties, showing an unusually fierce style.

The SKS team even has two high-level ability users: No. 81, Sword Master, who symbolizes water among wind, fire, earth, and water and represents the spirit; and No. 88, Fire Form, whose ability is an advanced version of fireball and ember.

As the woman in the red dress finished speaking, the bidding began.

But no one expected that someone would spend a lot of money right away.

"Ten million Fortress Coins".

A murmur of discussion arose in the first-floor auction hall. A 100% initial bid increase was rare in auctions. Many people turned to look at the second floor, but unfortunately, the VIP room was equipped with one-way glass.

"Ten million once!" The woman in the red dress slammed the gavel. "The VIP in room number four is determined to get this SKS team. The blade is drawn, the auction house is certified, the SKS team is worth this price."

Upon hearing this, a cold snort rang out from room number four.

This expensive mercenary force is meant to be used, the woman in the red dress was reminding the VIPs in room four that once the SKS team falls into the hands of the middle-aged man, it will immediately become a weapon to stab them. Even if they cannot stop it, they cannot let the middle-aged man acquire it so easily through auction.

Many people at the scene had already noticed that the VIP in room number four had broken the rules by doubling his bid in the first round of bidding. He had almost won the room outright, and this behavior provoked a counterattack from the woman in the red dress.

For the VIPs, there are countless ways to find out the middle-aged man's identity; the only difference lies in the cost.

"Twelve million."

"Twelve million five hundred thousand."

"Fifteen million."

The bidding suddenly became incredibly fierce.

The hiring agreement for the SKS team was finally settled for 20 million, and the middle-aged man's voice had become incredibly cold.

Inside VIP room number ten, someone watched the entire process.

"It's actually the park owner."

Through the Eye of the Beast, Jiang He saw the reflection in the one-way glass from the boss's perspective. The other party spent a lot of money to buy the SKS team, turning money into force, and the purpose was self-evident.

"They're probably targeting me."

Jiang He thought to himself that this meant the other party had found a suitable opportunity to make a move, and he was also looking forward to it.

"The second item for auction is an invitation to the Venus Hotel two days from now. I'm sure everyone here has some connection with the Security Bureau. I can't disclose the exact number of invitations for sale, but the starting bid for the first one is 500,000 Fortress Coins."

On the first and second floors of the venue, countless people cursed the woman in the red dress in their hearts. Hiding the number of invitations ensured the intensity of each bidding. This woman would be shot dead in the street sooner or later because of her ruthlessness.

In the next ten rounds of bidding, Jiang He made his third move, spending one million Fortress Coins to purchase an invitation. He could freely use the eight million in the park's accounts. The storage card came from Fortress Bank, which was owned by the First Fortress, the royal family of Silver City, and had a good reputation and credibility.

The auction was in full swing, and regardless of whether the woman in the red dress was worthy of criticism, she certainly succeeded in enlivening the atmosphere.

"The twenty-first item up for auction is the complete carcass of the superior wild beast, the Earth Dragon, with a starting price of one million Fortress Coins."

Jiang He cheered up.

In this world, occasionally a dominant king, the Silver Being, is born among the wild beasts. Because wild beasts are full of malice, their intelligence level is far lower than that of other beasts of the same level, making them easier to hunt.

Through the blood crystals of dominant beasts, superior ability users can advance to dominant level ability users after meeting the required proficiency level. The prerequisite is that their will is strong enough to resist the lingering resentment of the beast. Moreover, since dominant level ability is unique, there must be no one blocking their way in order to succeed.

Among the dominant wild beasts, the Earth Dragon King is one of the more notorious ones. It has a strong reproductive capacity and exhibits dragon-like characteristics.

"1500000."

Jiang He chose to make a bid. The complete earth dragon corpse includes the alien blood crystal and the skeleton, which can be used for two purposes. Not only can it help the mid-level ability users of the earth dragon system advance their level, but its skeleton is also one of the main materials for defensive military mechs.

"Two million."

Someone on the first floor is bidding against me.

Jiang He activated his snake eyes and cast his gaze. When purchasing the main materials for military mecha, no one would be a sucker at an auction. The other party was most likely a mid-level ability user who had accumulated a high level of proficiency.

"Two and a half million."

"...two million eight hundred thousand."

The bidder's body temperature suddenly rose.

"Three and a half million."

Jiang He simply raised the price. He didn't hesitate to spend the money in the park; this thing was related to the creation of the Spear of Destiny, so it was worth the price.

Generally speaking, when a person awakens, they must use the blood crystal of a lower-level wild beast, otherwise it is easy to fall into depravity. However, the intended recipient is the Child of Destiny, who is protected by the destiny bestowed upon him by the world, so the possibility of death is not high.

"Three and a half million each time."

"Three and a half million twice."

Finally, the woman in the red dress brought down the gavel.

In the VIP room, a waitress brought in an instrument. Jiang He swiped her card, and then the corpse of the earth dragon was brought over.

The corpses of more than a dozen high-ranking wild beasts were sold one by one, the woman in the red dress announced loudly:

"Three days from now, the annual Fortress Military Academy Survival Competition will be held in the mountainous forest of the academy area. The final prize for the winner of this survival competition is a Dominator-class mech that is more than half damaged. Now we will begin auctioning off the academy's betting rights."

Chapter 204 College Betting Rights

College betting rights.

This auction item immediately sparked countless discussions.

The Fortress Military Academy's survival competition is a renowned event, and the resulting betting market is enormous.

In the past, when military academies found that they could not prohibit it, they would directly intervene and seize this part of the profits.

The Military Academy is the talent training base for the Ninth Army Group, and the commander of the Ninth Army Group is one of the three giants of the fortress.

The three positions of governor, chairman, and commander represent the pinnacle of power, second only to the semi-retired chairman of the fortress council.

The army commander influenced the parliamentary standing council and reached an agreement with the chairman, successfully passing a secondary bill that legalized the "College Gambling Rights," but this aroused the dissatisfaction of the consul.

The governor orchestrated large-scale demonstrations by citizens, and after a struggle, the betting rights became a shared interest of the three giants.

The auction house belongs to the Security Bureau, which is under the administration. Eighty percent of the proceeds from the auction of the betting rights will go to the governor, while the profits generated by the bookmakers will be split equally between the commander and the chairman.

In fact, the buyers who purchase the college betting rights don't make much money, and given the costs of organization and labor, they are likely to suffer serious losses in the end.

But this is an opportunity to gain exposure in front of the Big Three, a chance to transform money into social status.

Ten years ago, a businessman used the college's gambling rights to generate exaggerated profits for the three giants, thus gaining the chairman's favor and rising rapidly in rank. Now he holds a powerful position at the G4 level and has become the famous Secretary-General Yin.

The auction hall was now completely engulfed in frenzy.

Most of the businessmen who had previously remained silent came here for this reason.

"Starting bid: 100 million Fortress Coins, with no upper limit."

"One hundred and twenty million!"

"One hundred and fifty million!"

"Twenty million!"