She was afraid that he would show a pained expression and that he would leave her and no longer be her friend. So she just let Ye Lin hold her hand as her thoughts raced.
No one noticed the faint blush on Ye Lin's ear or the hint of nervousness on his face.
Soon, the group entered the interior. With Mu Yijie's care, their treatment improved.
They put on their masks and started strolling around. There were quite a few curious things along the way, but Yong Shanling was still preoccupied with the beast - tamer. As for Cruz, who had never been to the black market before, he couldn't help but stop and look around from time to time.
An hour later, they finally reached the center of the black market.
A man in a black robe slowly walked up to them. He made a gentlemanly bow and then spoke leisurely.
"Honored guests, there is currently an auction of spiritual beasts in the venue. May I ask if you would like to enter?"
"Will the beast - tamer be there too?" Yong Shanling was still concerned about this question.
The man bent down again. "Yes, miss."
Yong Shanling cast an inquiring look at Cruz. Only after seeing him nod did she reply.
The black - robed man saw their interaction, smiled and said, "I'll arrange a private box for you now."
Not long after, the four of them followed two female attendants through a corridor and entered a private box. There was a piece of glass in front. People on the second floor could see everything below, but those below couldn't see inside.
This made Cruz can't help but sigh at the power of authority.
The two female attendants presented the catalogs to the four of them respectively and then left the room. There were currently ten items up for auction. The spiritual beasts would be auctioned in ascending order of their levels. Even the lowest - level spiritual beast here started at a price of five hundred thousand in money and five hundred medium - grade spirit stones.
The exorbitant prices left Yong Shanling and Cruz dumbfounded. Compared with the calm pair beside them, they seemed a bit inexperienced.
Ye Lin took a sip of tea gently and let out a low laugh. "It's okay. The first time I came in, I was also shocked by these prices. When I was a kid, I even thought that with so much money, it would be better to buy candies instead."
She laughed at Ye Lin's words, but thinking of what he said in the car, her smile quickly faded. Ye Lin was puzzled by her expression, and Ye Sen stepped in to defuse the situation.
"It's about to start. Let's see if there's anything we need. Maybe someone has brought something from the mist, and then you won't have to put in too much effort."
Seeing that Yong Shanling didn't reply for a long time, Cruz smiled and responded to Ye Sen.
The lights in the box and the venue outside were turned off at the same time. Then, one by one, dim orange lights flashed on. A button popped up beside each person's seat, and the attendants seemed to have entered the box without anyone noticing.
"My lords, the buttons beside you are for the auction prices. They are 5, 10, 15 respectively, and you can increase the price like this."
"Damn it!" Cruz was startled by the sudden voice. Then, the high - pitched voice of the host came from the stage.
"Noble guests, there are some small rules here that I hope you all know. The consignor is not allowed to participate in the auction or entrust others..."
"The rules are set. Now let's see which spiritual beast will be our appetizer today."
As soon as the voice fell, a man in white with a mask walked onto the stage. After bowing, he snapped his fingers, and a mastiff covered in flames walked onto the stage.
It exuded an air of nobility all over, and Yong Shanling thought it must be very expensive.
"Hey, has the order of appearance changed?" Cruz looked at the brochure and asked.
"Generally, in the auctions of the black market, items of greater value are presented first to attract attention."
"Then, it's like throwing out a brick to attract jade, proceeding step by step. This is a common tactic." Ye Sen patiently explained to Cruz.
Yong Shanling was a bit dazed. After all, the mastiff in front of her was extremely beautiful. Its pure - black, shiny fur and the flames on its body made anyone want to own it.
But thinking of her dog at home, she decided to give it up. A wave of disappointment welled up in her heart. Ye Lin's eyes were always on her, and he didn't pay attention to the auction at all.
He turned to look at the pure - bred spiritual beast on the stage. It was a mastiff as fast as a soul leaving the body. For a mastiff of this age, being at the soul - leaving stage was already a very high - level advancement for a canine beast.
"Shanling, do you want it? How about I bid for it and give it to you?"
Hearing his words, her eyes lit up, but then thinking of her dog at home, her bright eyes dimmed again.
"No, I already have a dog at home. I don't have time to accompany it as it is. I don't want to neglect another one."
Ye Lin smiled, which made her a bit confused. "What's wrong?"
"Well... actually, you can tame it by your side. Moreover, most of the spiritual beasts here are for combat. Having a good spiritual beast will help you improve and fight in the future."
"Really!" The spark in her eyes was reignited.
Ye Lin looked at her with shining eyes, and his face blushed again. It wasn't very obvious because of the dim light.
"Yes. The beast - tamer will teach you some methods later."
Ye Sen patted Ye Lin's head and said teasingly, "Weren't you clueless about everything before? How come you're like a great scholar now?"
Ye Lin straightened his expression. "I used to be playful. Now I think I should know these things more or less. After the last incident, I finally understood what you, brother, and mom and dad said before."
Ye Sen was a bit touched to see his younger brother finally grow up, but thinking about his relationship with Yong Shanling, he felt a lot of anxiety.
"Shanling, I'll bid for it and give it to you!"
"No need. Ling'er will tell me if she wants something." A male voice broke the warmth in the room.
She ran over excitedly and hugged Mu Yijie. "Uncle Shu! Why are you here?"
The cold look on Mu Yijie's face was replaced by a warm smile. "I've finished dealing with the company's matters, so I came to see how you all are doing."
He pulled her hand and sat down. The guard prepared a new teacup for him and presented the brochure.
The auction below had already reached the highest price of ten million. A charming woman looked at everyone haughtily. Just as she thought no one could compete with her, a new bid came from the private box upstairs.
"Twenty million!" Even the host broke into a big smile. No one had expected that a mastiff worth five million would be bid up to twenty million.
"Twenty million once... twenty million twice!"
"Twenty - five million. The lady on the first floor has made a new bid."
The woman glared at the private box on the second floor hatefully. The spiritual dog that was originally worth ten million now made her pay twice as much. It was really heart - wrenching for her.
"Thirty million. Oh my god, the people in Box 3 really bid an astonishing price."
"Thirty - five million!"
The first auction seemed to turn into a battle between the two. But when the lady made a new bid, Yong Shanling stopped Mu Yijie.
"There are other items later. There's no need to rush."
Then she whispered in his ear, "It's too expensive. Let's choose something else."
Seeing her a bit shy, Mu Yijie smiled indulgently and agreed. But the woman downstairs panicked. "Wh, what's going on? Why don't you bid anymore? Hurry up!"
"Thirty - five million! Lady No. 38 has successfully won the bid!"
The woman froze on the spot. It wasn't until the guard beside her told her to go and pay the price that she came to her senses.
She showed her hatred for the people on the second floor without hesitation.
"Don't let me run into you."