Evan Chu swaggered out of the Savory Loft, catching sight of the two men still keeping watch over him. But now, with his appearance and outfit completely changed, there was no way they could recognize him. He strolled right past them, bold and unhurried.
The bustling energy of Xuanwu City (Bastion City) was eye-opening for Evan. Here, trades rarely used spirit stones; everything was priced in Starstones. Even an ordinary weapon could go for one to five Starstones—making Starstones feel almost cheap in this place.
Without lingering, Evan Chu headed straight toward Lyric Hall Auctions, following Gavin Wei's directions. Soon, he spotted the massive signboard and knew he'd reached his destination.
He walked in without hesitation. At the front counter, a young and pretty woman was busy doing accounts, while a line of customers waited nearby.
Evan's arrival immediately drew some attention, but seeing his unfamiliar face and youthful age, no one thought much of it. Most visitors were here to buy or sell, especially with the big auction happening tomorrow—the crowd was nearly twice the usual size.
Evan didn't bother lining up. He had plenty of time, and there was no way he'd take out his treasures in front of everyone. With nothing urgent, he wandered around the auction hall, checking things out.
Just then, a middle-aged man approached. Seeing Evan surveying the hall, he stepped forward and asked politely, "Young sir, are you here at Lyric Hall Auctions to consign items for auction, or are you looking to purchase something?"
Auction houses all have a rule: if you want to auction something, you must submit the item in advance for the house to handle. The seller receives Starstones or equivalent goods after the sale, but there's a fifteen percent commission fee.
If you want to buy something, you have to register first. Once there's an item you want, you pay a commission as your bidding capital, and the auction house will arrange a suitable seat or private room for you.
Of course, if it's just ordinary goods, you can buy them outright—these are usually items others have brought in for auction.
Evan glanced at the middle-aged man and said, "I do have something I'd like your auction house to sell for me, but with so many people here, it's not convenient."
"Is your item a rare treasure?" the man asked. Customers like this were extremely uncommon, and lately, quite a few had started going to the rival auction house next door.
It was rare to meet someone with valuable goods, so the middle-aged man wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away.
"Of course it's something good. I'm just worried your auction house might not have the strength to handle it. Also, do you have any medicines for healing mind or soul injuries?" Evan asked, steering the conversation toward his real goal.
"The things you mentioned are extremely rare medicines. I can't say for sure if we have them—maybe our manager knows. But what exactly do you want to auction? If it's truly a rare treasure, Lyric Hall Auctions might be able to get you what you need," the man replied quickly.
Evan smiled, "All I can say is my item is worth tens of thousands of Starstones. This place just isn't suitable."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man was nearly shocked out of his wits. Items worth tens of thousands of Starstones were extremely rare—the auction house hadn't seen a consignor like this in years.
"Young sir, please follow me into the inner hall. I'll go fetch our manager right away." Evan followed the man into a tastefully decorated room.
The man soon left, leaving Evan alone in the room. Evan took a careful look at the furnishings, quietly impressed by what he saw.
Only a few words could describe it: exquisite, elegant, noble, luxurious. This probably wasn't even the best room—likely reserved for clients with especially precious consignments.
Not long after, the middle-aged man returned, followed by a white-haired elder in a white robe. After entering, the elder didn’t speak right away—instead, he studied Evan closely.
After a moment, the elder finally said, "I hear you have something important to consign with us. May I ask what it is? Please show us."
Evan didn’t take out his item immediately. He glanced around the room, prompting the middle-aged man to reassure him, "Rest assured, young sir—this room is specially designed for VIPs to display rare treasures. It’s soundproof and completely private; no one will disturb you."
"Lyric Hall Auctions has built a solid reputation for confidentiality over the years. We never leak client information," the man added.
Evan grinned, "I just hope you both recognize the goods—otherwise, I’ll be in trouble."
With that, he drew an Ice Crystal from his storage ring. The freezing aura instantly dropped the room’s temperature.
Evan watched as both men stared in shock at the Ice Crystal in his hand, their faces full of astonishment. After a long pause, the elder finally asked, "Young sir, is this really an Ice Crystal?"
They actually recognized it. Judging by their expressions, Evan could tell they were deeply shocked. He smiled, "That’s right, it’s an Ice Crystal. Would you say it counts as a valuable item?"
"Absolutely! Are you really entrusting Lyric Hall Auctions to sell it?" the elder asked, clearly excited.
"Of course. Why else would I come to Lyric Hall Auctions? If you’re not interested, I can always go to Valorcrest Auctions next door—I’m sure they wouldn’t refuse." Evan smiled. If he didn’t raise his value now, things would get tricky later.
"Since you trust Lyric Hall Auctions so much, we'll do our utmost to handle this matter for you," the elder's tone grew much more respectful.
"How many Starstones is this Ice Crystal worth?" Evan asked, probing for a baseline. He needed resources from this auction, and if the price was too low, it would be a problem.
"This Ice Crystal is extremely rare—a dream treasure for water-element cultivators. Its value should be between fifty thousand and three hundred thousand Starstones," the elder answered immediately.
The more valuable the item, the higher the auction house's reward. At this moment, the two men truly regarded Evan as a VIP.
At this point, Evan took out a Fire Crystal from his storage belt and asked, "Then how much is this Fire Crystal worth?"
The appearance of the Fire Crystal startled both men even more. The middle-aged man was merely surprised, perhaps never having seen one, but the elder was different—he trembled and asked, "Young sir, do you also wish to auction this Fire Crystal?"
"That's right. What's the price?" Evan asked.
"The price of a Fire Crystal is much higher than that of an Ice Crystal, since there are more fire-element cultivators. Your Fire Crystal should fetch between two hundred thousand and one million Starstones," the elder replied honestly.
"Good, then I'll leave these two crystals with your auction house. But I have one condition: if you can't meet it, I'll have to go elsewhere," Evan said.
"What is it? In Xuanwu City, there's nothing we can't handle. Please, tell us," the elder said, growing even more respectful.
"Today, my friend's Windfiend Colt caught the eye of your young master. But my friend is reluctant to part with it and hopes to see it tomorrow. If you can arrange that, I'll leave my items here; if not, I'll find someone else," Evan said.
"We can do that—it's a small matter. Rest assured, I'll guarantee it on Lyric Hall Auctions' reputation," the elder said immediately.
"Good, I trust you. I'll leave my items here. What procedures do I need to complete?" Evan asked.
The elder took out a red crystal chip and said, "Young sir, this is Lyric Hall Auctions' VIP card. You don't need to fill out any paperwork; we'll handle everything for you as quickly as possible."
"Tomorrow, just go straight to the VIP room indicated on your card."
Evan took a look and saw the number three on it—VIP Room Three.
He smiled, "Then I'll leave it to your auction house. I'll take my leave for now!" With that, he left the room.
"Take care, young sir!" After Evan left, the elder said, "Go report this to the family head and handle the matter quickly. For a youth to possess such treasures, he must have an extraordinary background..."