"Welcome, Mr. Song!" Cliff Fu greeted with a smile as warm as a spring breeze, enthusiastically shaking Ian Song's hand.
"You're too kind, Mr. Fu," Ian replied calmly with a smile.
Because of Cliff Fu, several dignitaries who had arrived early—hoping to befriend or curry favor with him—were waiting at the entrance instead of going inside. They were curious too: Cliff Fu was clearly standing at the door to welcome someone, but who could it be?
When they saw Cliff Fu was greeting a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy, even those used to big scenes couldn't help showing surprise and disbelief.
"By the way, Mr. Fu, let me introduce you. This is Zach Zhang, my classmate, and this is Mr. Daniel Zhang, Zach's father." Ian pointed to Zach Zhang and Daniel Zhang as he spoke.
Immediately, gratitude flashed in Daniel Zhang's eyes.
Although he was worth billions, compared to a superpower like the Fu Family, he was still far behind. He was sure that if he tried to visit Cliff Fu on his own, Cliff probably wouldn't even give him the time of day.
"So you’re President Zhang of Evergrand Group. A pleasure to meet you." Cliff Fu quickly greeted Daniel Zhang with polite enthusiasm.
"Young Master Fu, you—you know me?" Daniel Zhang was even more excited to hear Cliff Fu recognized him.
"President Zhang, you built your empire from scratch. Of course I’ve heard of you," Cliff Fu said admiringly.
Hearing Cliff Fu’s praise, Daniel Zhang’s face flushed red and he quickly waved his hand. “No, no, it’s just small business. My assets are nothing compared to yours, Young Master Fu!”
Cliff Fu smiled and said, "Let’s sit down for a real chat sometime, President Zhang. The auction is about to start, so let’s head in."
"Yes, yes!" Daniel Zhang nodded eagerly.
Although Daniel Zhang was excited, he kept his composure and promptly invited Ian Song and Cliff Fu to go ahead first.
Even after arriving in the auction box, Daniel Zhang still hadn’t fully calmed down from his excitement. This trip was so worth it—just building a connection with Cliff Fu would make expanding his business outside Riverstone City much easier. Of course, he knew very well that it was all thanks to Ian Song that Cliff Fu treated him with such respect.
So his desire to befriend Ian Song grew even stronger.
Since Cliff Fu was the host of the auction, he only stayed in the box for a short while before leaving.
The hall wasn’t very large, with room for only about two hundred people. Around the edges stood a group of tough-looking men in black, and Ian Song noticed that each of them carried a handgun.
With such tight security, it was obvious the auctioned items wouldn’t be ordinary. This piqued Ian Song’s curiosity.
The entire hall was divided into three levels.
The first level had regular seating.
The second level also had boxes—only six in total.
The third level was for luxury boxes, just three of them. Ian Song and his group had one all to themselves.
Ian didn’t need to use his Clairvoyance to know who the guests in the other two luxury boxes were.
One was Leon Lee, representing the National Martial League; the other was the Nangong Family, local heavyweights in Riverstone City. This time, Nathan Nangong had come in person, accompanied by the family’s Second and Third Elders.
As for the six boxes on the second level, after using Clairvoyance, Ian found that Fiona Xiang was in one of them, along with another person—likely her father, Mayor Harvey Xiang.
He didn’t recognize anyone in the remaining five boxes, but they were surely big names in Riverstone City.
Eight o’clock sharp.
The auction officially began. The auctioneer was a lean old man dressed in a long black robe. Although he gave off no aura, Ian could sense he was a master—at least at the Innate realm.
Using an Innate master as an auctioneer—clearly, tonight’s auction items were anything but ordinary.
"Now, let me present our first auction item of the night—the Strongbody Pill." The auctioneer’s voice was powerful and clear, reaching every corner of the hall without a microphone.
As soon as he finished speaking, a slim hostess brought out a tray covered with a red cloth.
"It’s actually the Strongbody Pill!" Daniel Zhang’s expression grew excited.
"Uncle Zhang, you know about the Strongbody Pill?" Ian Song asked.
Prompted by Ian’s question, Daniel Zhang quickly explained, "Of course! The Strongbody Pill is amazing. Nowadays, nine out of ten rich men have weak constitutions, but with this pill, you can strengthen your body—and it works incredibly fast. You’ll see results in just three days. For people like us, it’s practically a miracle cure! I’ve even heard it’s good for men’s performance, too. Last year, a wealthy man bought one and, after taking it, his health improved dramatically. He even found himself with two new young girlfriends within a month."
"Dad, you’re not thinking about getting a girlfriend too, are you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Mom?" Zach Zhang teased.
"You brat! Do you think your old man is that kind of person?" Daniel Zhang retorted, a bit embarrassed.
Zach Zhang grinned mischievously. "Really? You look pretty envious to me."
Just then, the auctioneer lifted the red cloth, revealing three jade-green bottles on the tray.
"I’m sure everyone knows what the Strongbody Pill is, so I won’t introduce it further. Now, I announce that the three Strongbody Pills will be auctioned off one by one. The starting price for the first pill is five million, with each bid increment no less than five hundred thousand. Bidding starts now!"
Bang!
The auction hammer fell, and a wealthy man on the first floor immediately called out, "Five million five hundred thousand!"
"Six million!"
"Seven million!"
...
The price kept climbing, and in the end, a prosperous man in his fifties bought it for twelve million five hundred thousand.
The second Strongbody Pill was auctioned next, going to a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight for thirteen million.
With only three Strongbody Pills available, the bidding for the third was much fiercer. It finally sold for fifteen million.
Although the bidding for the Strongbody Pills was intense, none of the guests in the boxes on the second and third floors took part.
"Now, let’s bring out the second auction item!"
A hostess brought out a black wooden box.
The auctioneer opened the box and took out a three-foot-long ancient sword, introducing it loudly: "This is a fine antique sword. It may not cut iron like mud, but it’s still extremely sharp. The starting price is three million, with each bid increment no less than one hundred thousand."
"Three million two hundred thousand!"
"Three million three hundred thousand!"
"Three million eight hundred thousand!"
This time, Ian noticed that few wealthy businessmen participated in the bidding; those who did were likely martial artists.
In the end, the sword was sold for five million.
The third auction item was a calligraphy painting by a famous artist from the previous dynasty, selling for eighteen million.
The fourth item was a blue-and-white porcelain vase, which a wealthy man won for thirty-nine million.
The fifth auction item appeared—a bronze ring.
When the screen magnified the ring, Ian noticed its surface was covered with tiny inscriptions. Curious, he used Clairvoyance to zoom in even further. Instantly, his eyes widened—the bronze ring was inscribed with formation runes.