Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

Angers clearly knew he disliked these social interactions, so he never brought it up.

We've been offered good cigarettes and alcohol along the way, but we'll talk about it when we get there. After all, we're already here, and it's not easy to refuse.

Lin Yuan nodded in agreement and turned to walk towards the theater.

His custom-made suit was obviously expensive, but it looked somewhat shabby among the group of wealthy old-timers with a century-long history.

As Lin Yuan walked up the steps, he wondered if he would encounter some kind of slap in the face from those who looked down on him.

But the waiter at the door only glanced at the invitation before politely ushering him inside.

The theater was almost full.

Lin Yuan checked the information on the invitation and found his seat in the middle section – number 99.

The number plate is placed on the seat.

Not long after we sat down, the wall lamps around us went out one by one, leaving only a giant crystal chandelier in the center of the dome casting a beam of light.

The auction is about to begin.

A waiter dressed in white, carrying a string of bells, walked along the aisle; the clear sound of the bells echoed, and the conversation quickly subsided.

The curtain fluttered, and an auctioneer dressed in a black tuxedo stepped to the front of the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the 2008 Summer Chicago Cultural Tour will begin in five minutes. I am your auctioneer. Please take your numbered paddles. Every item up for auction is unique."

The auctioneer paused, his voice falling into a low murmur.

"Now, it's dark, please close your eyes."

Lin Yuan was stunned.

What's going on here? Are we playing Werewolf? And there's a process where the eyes close when it gets dark. Will the werewolf and the witch have to open their eyes one after the other?

He looked around and saw that all the well-dressed guests around him obediently closed their eyes and bowed their heads slightly.

"It's dawn, please open your eyes."

Everyone opened their eyes at the same moment.

The opera house was brightly lit again, and the hall was no longer illuminated by crystal chandeliers, but by hundreds of pairs of golden pupils.

This is a secret gathering of hybrids, and also a feast for dragons.

Lin Yuan looked at the eyes that lit up around him and was speechless. It was just taking pictures of something, and they were all showing off their golden eyes. Would they start fighting later?

He initially disdained joining in the fun, finding it quite boring, but then he remembered Angers' instructions.

Lin Yuan sighed, and the golden eyes belonging to the Azure Dragon ignited in the darkness.

Intense golden light surged from his eyes, causing the guests closest to him to catch their breath and instinctively lean back.

Amidst a series of tumbling and screams, the surrounding area was a scene of chaos and disarray.

Chapter 90 Everyone was quite polite

The auctioneer on the stage was drawn by the commotion and instinctively looked over.

As a result, their eyes met directly in Lin Yuan's golden gaze.

He has presided over auctions for many years and has seen all sorts of mixed-race individuals display their golden eyes.

But in the brief moment of eye contact with Lin Yuan, he had the illusion of suffocation.

Like the depths of a surging sea of ​​clouds, the ancient dragon slowly lowered its head.

The auctioneer nearly dropped his gavel, which struck the edge of the podium with a dull thud.

The auctioneer pulled out a handkerchief and hastily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Um... distinguished guests, since you're here on a cultural tour today, there's no need to be so formal. Keeping your golden eyes shining all the time is quite tiring. How about... everyone put away your bloodlines for now?"

Upon hearing these words, the guests around Lin Yuan felt as if they had been granted a pardon.

The once brightly lit theater dimmed again as the mixed-race individuals extinguished their golden eyes one after another.

Lighting up the golden eyes was originally a traditional program that was held before the start of each auction.

They were used to using the brightness of their golden eyes to measure each other's dragon blood concentration during those few minutes when the lights were off, which was a respectable and safe way to show off.

Unfortunately, a true tyrant has arrived at the venue today.

Faced with Lin Yuan's intimidating presence, the tricks they used to play as social interactions were no longer effective.

No one cared about showing off their bloodline advantages anymore; they were only thinking about how to lower their heads as quickly as possible.

Lin Yuan suppressed his aura and looked at the group of men and women who were still in shock, feeling a bit disappointed.

Is this all North American mixed-race people are capable of? They only released some aura and they scared everyone to death.

It seems my expectations for mixed-race people from the outside world were too high. Are the mixed-race people in Kassel College already elites?

What Lin Yuan didn't know was that not every hybrid in this world was like the Secret Society, harboring the obsession of a martyr and always charging to the front line of dragon slaying.

Many more mixed-race individuals remained outside of this millennia-long war.

They despise dragons, yet they do not believe they should associate with ordinary people.

This group considers themselves to have a superior bloodline, belonging to a third race somewhere between the two.

Relying on the special abilities granted by dragon blood, as well as intelligence and lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary people, he accumulated astonishing wealth and power.

They branched out and gradually formed large families in the shadow of human society.

However, most of these people were born in peacetime and had never experienced a real battlefield.

While the wealth and power they wield are astonishing, the numbers in their bank accounts and their political titles cannot protect them from the terrifying might of the emperor.

Therefore, after Lin Yuan activated his golden eyes, many pampered and privileged people were almost scared to death on the spot.

Only when the intense golden light in his eyes gradually faded did the stagnant air around him begin to flow again.

As if afraid that this troublemaker would change his mind, the auctioneer on stage hurriedly made a gesture to the backstage, and the lights in the room were turned back on.

Whispers could be heard from time to time around them, as people inquired about the background of the terrifying young man sitting in the front row.

In a private room on the second floor, Mai Shude leaned against the velvet railing.

Wearing a black velvet evening gown with a deep backless design that revealed her well-defined shoulder blades, and a string of pearls around her neck, she perfectly matched the theme of today's gathering.

She gently swirled the half-full glass of champagne in her hand, watching Lin Yuan's retreating figure downstairs, secretly feeling fortunate.

Luckily, the boss booked a location far enough away; otherwise, with that outburst just now, I might have embarrassed myself in public.

Others were merely intimidated by his aura, but she had witnessed firsthand the savage scene of this murderous beast tearing apart a high-level pure-blooded dragon with his bare hands in an underground mine.

"boom"

The crisp sound of a wooden mallet striking the ground came from the center, interrupting Mai Shude's reverie.

On stage, seeing that order had been largely restored, the auctioneer straightened his slightly disheveled bow tie, put on a professional smile, and announced the official start of the regular auction.

The initial process progressed very quickly.

The first few items are the official cultural relics listed on the front of the information card.

A doucai three-legged plate from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty was the first to be put on the stage, with a starting bid of two million.

Only a handful of people participated in the auction.

The bidding paddles were raised idly, the price slowly climbed past the ten million mark, and then the gavel fell.

Lin Yuan found it somewhat boring; apart from the fact that all the participants were of mixed race, this gathering was no different from an ordinary auction.

Everyone raised their paddles and bid with great restraint and followed the rules. The heated scene he had anticipated, where the bidding would become heated and people would use their incantations to attack each other, did not happen.

After several regular artifacts were auctioned off, the auctioneer cleared his throat:

"Now we move on to today's special segment, where we will be auctioning some more 'special' items."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan keenly noticed a change in the crowd around him.

The previously lifeless venue was stirred up by the mixed-race people who had previously shown little interest in the artifacts. Suddenly, they became interested, and the atmosphere became lively.

The first item is a mithril chainmail from the 11th century Crusades.

The auctioneer lifted the red cloth on the trolley, revealing dark silver metal under the light, its surface engraved with intricate alchemical matrices.

"After activating the alchemical matrix on the surface, it can easily withstand shots from large-caliber sniper rifles. Starting bid: five million US dollars."

Lin Yuan's spirits lifted.

Finally, something useful came up. Angers gave him a quota of 20 million, which must have been for these purposes.

He held up the number plate in his hand: "Five million."

Many people turned around and followed the sound.

After recognizing the person holding the number plate, several mixed-race individuals who were initially eager to bid withdrew their raised hands.

This guy didn't say a word when bidding on artworks before, but now that it's about dragon-related items, he's raised his paddle so quickly, it seems he's determined to get them.

Considering his terrifying dragon might just a few minutes ago, no one dared to utter a sound for a moment.

The North American mixed-race community is only so big, and none of the representatives from the various families present recognized this young, unfamiliar face.

However, it's only because the Sackler family has been dealing with too many troubles lately that they didn't send a representative; otherwise, they should have been able to recognize Lin Yuan.

Their origins are unknown, yet they possess formidable strength.

In the eyes of North American old money, such a foreign investor is an uncontrollable variable.

Business people have always hated uncertainty.

This chainmail is indeed a life-saving artifact, but if you miss this opportunity, you might encounter it again.

But if you anger this evil star, it's hard to say whether there will be a "next time".

The auctioneer raised his gavel, scanned the audience, hoping someone would step forward and raise the price.

Time ticked by, and apart from a few deliberately suppressed coughs, no one raised a sign.

As an auctioneer, his income is directly linked to the final sale price.

This chainmail would normally fetch close to 30 million at auction, but now that it's been struck by this jinx, his heart is bleeding.

After waiting for half a minute, the auctioneer reluctantly brought down the gavel and forced a wry smile: "Congratulations to VIP number ninety-nine for winning this mithril chainmail with the starting bid of five million."

Sparse applause broke out around us, and it was clear that everyone's applause was forced.

After the first item was hastily sold, the waiter quickly picked up the second tray.

The auctioneer ripped off the red cloth, seemingly eager to expedite the process.

"Next up, a fragmented rubbing of a dragon pattern from an Icelandic ruin."

"This contains many dragon scripts that have not yet been deciphered, and has high research value. The starting bid is three million US dollars."

Lin Yuan raised his paddle again: "Three million."

The mixed-race people in the venue became more well-behaved.

To put it nicely, this thing has research value; to put it bluntly, it's just a broken rock.

We are no longer in the era of cold weapons, where people wield swords and rely on words to fight each other. Humanity's firearms are often more efficient than words.

They didn't even bother to steal a single piece of defensive equipment, so it's not worth offending a scoundrel for a rubbing meant purely for research purposes.

In a private room on the second floor, Jiu De Mai looked utterly helpless.

Her primary goal today is to acquire that rubbing of the dragon pattern.

If someone downstairs were to raise the price, she could try to take advantage of the situation, but since Lin Yuan was the only one holding up the sign, she really didn't want to be the center of attention.

As expected, it sold at the reserve price again.

The auctioneer mechanically counted down from three and struck the gavel. A few scattered claps rang out from the surroundings.

Hearing the sound of the gavel falling on the stage, Lin Yuan felt that this mission was quite simple. He could get everything he wanted at the reserve price, and there was still more than half of the 20 million left. Would the remaining money go into his own pocket?

After two items were sold at the reserve price, the organizers finally realized they didn't want to let this rascal continue to fleece them.

The auctioneer listened to a few instructions through his earpiece and hastily announced the end of today's auction.

Lin Yuan smacked his lips, still somewhat unsatisfied; there were only two items.

Guided with reverence by the waiter, he went backstage, swiped his card to pay eight million, and left the theater carrying two insulated cases containing his collection.