The host, dressed in an elegant gown, lightly clapped her hands.
From the other side of the stage, a staff member strode forward, pushing a delicate tray.
On the tray lay a rolled-up scroll.
The beautiful host began her introduction, "Now, please allow me to present the first item in this exquisite auction.
This is the city lord appointment certificate for Mo City, located on the edge of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Due to the city's proximity to the desert region, coupled with the previous city lord's mismanagement, the city's finances are on the verge of bankruptcy.
Out of desperation, the former city lord has entrusted our Auction House to select a suitable replacement.
The starting price for this item is 10,000 Gold Soul Coins, with each subsequent bid increasing by no less than 1,000 Gold Soul Coins."
As soon as the beautiful host finished speaking, several bidders from the Black Zone began to raise their prices in succession.
In an instant, the bidding price soared from 10,000 Gold Soul Coins to 20,000 Gold Soul Coins.
During the auction, people could use the bidding buttons next to their seats to participate in the bidding process in a simple and convenient manner.
However, these buttons were directly linked to personal savings accounts, and if the amount proposed exceeded the savings in the account, it would not be possible to continue.
Quan Yi and Huo Wu's accounts only had temporary authorization granted by Zheng Xiao, which allowed them to bid in the millions, but in reality, they didn't have a single coin in their accounts.
The exquisite auction lived up to its name.
Starting with the first item, the starting price was no less than 10,000 Gold Soul Coins, and what surprised Quan Yi even more was that the Auction House was openly auctioning off the right to govern a city.
Selling official titles and positions, these corrupt practices that generally only occurred in the twilight years of a dynasty, were vividly displayed before Quan Yi's eyes.
The darkness of the Auction House was even deeper than Quan Yi had imagined.
Huo Wu, who was beside him, also had a look of astonishment in her eyes.
She whispered to Quan Yi, "This Auction House is too bold. Don't they know that buying and selling official positions is against the law?"
Quan Yi didn't know what to say, and could only reply, "The law can't punish these people."
Huo Wu was still young, and the fire of passion in her heart had not yet been extinguished. Seeing such a scene, she felt indignant.
Quan Yi touched Huo Wu's head and comforted her.
However, at this moment, Quan Yi had a deeper understanding of the overall situation of the Douluo Continent.
In recent years, the Heaven Dou Empire had been in a rare period of peace.
Having temporarily avoided external troubles, the Heaven Dou Empire was now facing another crisis.
That was internal strife.
The corruption of the nobles, and the increasingly strained relationship between the Empire, Kingdoms, and Duchies.
The vast Empire had shown signs of decline long ago.
And the selling of official positions was merely a symptom of this decline.
Most of the bidders in the Black Zone were wealthy individuals without power.
They were rich, but they didn't have much power in their hands. Therefore, even if it was just the position of city lord of a small border town, they would do their best to obtain it.
"50,000. Alright, a distinguished guest from the Black Zone has bid 50,000. Are there any higher bids?"
Seeing that no one was continuing to bid, the beautiful host decisively brought down the auction hammer, saying, "50,000 Gold Soul Coins for the second time, 50,000 Gold Soul Coins for the third time.
Sold.
This document will belong to the distinguished guest from the Black Zone."
The beautiful host smiled charmingly, and a pot-bellied man from the Black Zone got up and walked towards a side passage.
Clearly, this person was the bidder who had won the city.
Judging from his impatient behavior, this person had obviously come specifically for this.
However, the man's actions did not affect the auction process.
The staff quickly pushed up a small cart and began the next round of bidding.
The next auction item is a Soul Guidance Device with storage capabilities.
Although its storage space isn't even as large as the original Blazing Sun Heart, its starting price has been directly raised to 20,000 Gold Soul Coins.
For this auction item, the VIPs in the Red Zone, who had remained silent in the first round, began to raise their bids one after another.
In the end, the Storage Soul Tool was auctioned off to a Red Zone VIP for the price of 30,000 Gold Soul Coins.
The price increase of the second auction was significantly less than the first.
This was because the first auction item accurately grasped the desires of the Black Zone bidders, attracting everyone to compete.
Ultimately, it was sold for an amount exceeding its actual value.
After the second auction ended, the Host moved from the center of the stage to the edge area.
She said with a smile, "Please pay attention, distinguished guests, the following auction item is somewhat special. In order to fully demonstrate its wonders, we have decided to present it to you in a unique way."
She raised the megaphone and said, "Lights."
In an instant, the lights in the room gradually dimmed, and the bright room became dark.
Just then, a crisp bell sound came from the passage next to the Host.
"Ding-a-ling!"
The attention of all the VIPs in the audience was instantly drawn to it.
The next moment, a stream of light flashing with golden fluorescence rushed out of the passage and quickly circled the ring-shaped stage.
Just as everyone was wondering what this was, the VIPs in the Red Zone sitting in the front row exclaimed, "What is this thing?"
Another person said, "I saw a human figure."
Taking a closer look, everyone clearly saw a person sitting on a wonderful device, using only the drive of their legs to propel the body forward.
Seeing this situation, Huo Wu said excitedly, "Xiao Yi, this is our auction item."
Quan Yi also did not expect the Auction House to make such arrangements for the Bicycle.
The staff member skillfully rode the Bicycle around twice, and then the lights in the room gradually brightened.
Everyone was then able to clearly see the full appearance of the Bicycle and the rider.
"What? This is not a Soul Guidance Device?"
At this time, a sharp-eyed Noble took the lead in shouting out his surprised emotions.
The Noble next to him continued, "Then how is he maintaining his balance?"
The mysterious appearance of the Bicycle instantly attracted the attention of everyone present.
Under the bright lights, the fluorescence dimmed slightly, revealing the pure white body of the Bicycle. The smooth, simple construction allowed everyone to clearly see its operating structure.
At this time, the Host standing on the stage introduced to everyone, "Distinguished guests, please allow me to solemnly introduce this auction item.
This thing is called a Bicycle. It is a means of transportation that converts human power into driving force by stepping on the pedals with both feet.
It is a magical tool created by a mysterious craftsman with wisdom.
At the same time, I assure all distinguished guests that this is the first appearance of the Bicycle on the Douluo Continent, and all the distinguished guests present will be the first people on the entire continent to witness this thing."
The Host's enthusiastic introduction instantly aroused the interest of all the bidders.
Bicycle, first appearance, these two words had a strange attraction for these wealthy people.
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