Before long, several long lines formed outside the grand auction building.
Lu Qingshan joined one of the queues, taking a spot near the middle.
Surrounded by burly, towering figures—some even resembling bizarre exotic beasts—his relatively small frame was packed tightly in the throng.
The only one who bore any resemblance to Lu Qingshan was probably the short, chubby fellow behind him, who stood half a head shorter than Lu Qingshan.
He looked somewhat like an Earthling, except he had three eyes, bearing a faint resemblance to Yang Jian from classical Chinese mythology.
The universe was vast beyond measure; while many races possessed three eyes, very few looked similar to Earth humans.
Still, other than his humanlike facial features and three eyes, this fellow shared nothing else in common with the True Lord Erlang Shen.
"Hey brother, you're a member of some major clan too, aren't you?"
Probably feeling the pressure of being surrounded by a sea of World Masters, the chubby young man struck up a conversation with Lu Qingshan, who looked the most approachable.
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
From his words, Lu Qingshan deduced that this guy likely had an extraordinary background.
The fat on the young man's plump cheeks jiggled as he chuckled. "In a place like this, personal strength doesn't matter one bit. In fact, the lower your cultivation, the more terrifying you are—it means you have a massive background. I see no world power around you, so I'm guessing you're not at the World Master level either."
"Haha, indeed, I am not a World Master."
Lu Qingshan nodded and admitted it. The other party could tell from the absence of world power that he was not a World Master, yet had no idea that his actual combat strength might be even greater than a World Master's.
"Me neither!"
As if finding a kindred spirit, the chubby youth volunteered his name: "I'm Kuntukuta Katikotesuwaxilasong, from the Giant Dragon Empire. How about that? Imposing name, right?"
"Giant Dragon Empire?" Lu Qingshan wasn't familiar with it, but Nesethes quickly provided the answer.
The Giant Dragon Empire was also an intermediate universe kingdom within the territory of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, but its strength was far greater than that of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.
The founder of the Giant Dragon Empire belonged to the Dragonman race, just like the Sacred Lord of Black Dragon Mountain. Of course, the Dragonman race was a colossal power throughout human territory, so the two were very likely completely unrelated.
The imperial family of this Giant Dragon Empire actually had three Undying Deities.
In terms of royal imperial strength, they were far superior to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.
Looking at this guy with the tongue-twister name, Lu Qingshan figured he was probably the descendant of one of the Giant Dragon Empire's Undying. How else could someone so young possess a three-star account?
"My name is Han Li."
Lu Qingshan said calmly, keeping his real name to himself.
"Han... Han Li..." Kuntukuta Katikotesuwaxilasong muttered it once, shaking his head. "Your name is way too hard to remember. It definitely wasn't coined in the Universal Language, right?"
"Yeah, it's from my home planet's language." Lu Qingshan nodded.
"No wonder. A lot of local dialects sound awkward and hard to remember when translated into the Universal Language. My name is much easier to keep in mind..."
"Right, Kuntu. Your name is great..."
"My name is Kuntukuta Katikotesuwaxilasong..."
The chubby youth repeated it, not particularly pleased that Lu Qingshan had shortened his name.
"Right, I've got it... Kuntu... do you know how many World Masters are attending this auction in total?"
Lu Qingshan changed the subject.
The chubby young man looked up and around, then said, "No idea, but rumor has it this auction includes a World Master comprehension slot for the Initial Universe. I bet there'll be more powerhouses attending than before. I recall last time had 1,230,000 people—probably ninety-five percent of them were World Masters, and the rest were Undying Deities plus weaklings like us..."
1.23 million at a single auction, and even more this time—there had to be several million World Masters in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom.
No wonder it had to be held in the Virtual Universe. If held in reality, with so many powerhouses gathered in one place, the slightest incident could trigger catastrophic chaos—not to mention the security risks!
In the Virtual Universe, everyone stood on equal footing without the strong bullying the weak. It was completely safe, and items won at auction were delivered directly into the buyer's hands by the Universe Star River Bank.
Door-to-door delivery...
Absolute security.
After all, who would dare rob a spaceship belonging to one of the Five Great Hegemons?
Although the queues were long, admission went very fast. Before long, it was Lu Qingshan and Kuntu's turn.
Both received a seat number.
"Mine is KND56481. What's yours?"
Kuntu asked Lu Qingshan as they walked through the entrance.
"KND56480." Lu Qingshan glanced at his seat number. "We queued together, so our seats were assigned side by side."
"Haha, that's great! The auction lasts ten whole days and gets pretty dull. We can chat to pass the time."
The two soon found their seats.
Before long, most of the dense sea of seats had filled up with attendees.
Many were chatting amongst themselves. Though much of it was trivial chatter, Lu Qingshan still broadened his horizons considerably.
Having lived for ninety thousand years, he had spent all that time muddling around at the Cosmic Level, rarely even leaving the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, so he had seldom encountered circles of such high caliber.
Roughly an hour passed.
A resonant voice came through the broadcast, ringing clearly into everyone's ears.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming! I am Batuo... the new host of the Qianwu Auction. It is my privilege to host this premier feast for you all!"
Batuo's voice was sonorous and brimming with vigor; clearly, he had the makings of a fine host.
"First and foremost, our sincere gratitude to the Virtual Universe Company, the Giant Axe Battle Arena... and the Qianwu Universe Kingdom for their immense support of this auction."
Batuo bowed.
"We also thank every one of you for your presence and support. The final tally just came in: a total of 1.67 million bidders are participating in this auction! I hope you all acquire the treasures you desire."
1.67 million people!
The chubby youth beside him drew in a breath. "That's 440,000 more than last time! It looks like the Initial Universe comprehension slot holds an extraordinary appeal for World Masters."
"Naturally. It's the Initial Universe, after all," Lu Qingshan replied.
"Heh, honestly, most people are just here to watch the spectacle. Whenever a World Master slot for the Initial Universe appears, it fetches an astronomical price. Probably only Undying Deities can actually afford it."
True to his status as an Undying's descendant, Kuntu knew more inside details than many World Masters did.
Just then, Batuo spoke again, and Kuntu's expression grew serious.
"Following our tradition, let us begin with a warm-up lot."
As soon as Batuo finished speaking, a 3D holographic projection displayed a vast continent. Through their auction tokens, attendees could even experience the continent's aura as if present on-site.
"This is a newly discovered small secret realm located within the Giant Dragon Empire. It was uncovered by mercenaries of the Universe Mercenary Alliance and contributed to the Alliance. This secret realm spans one billion kilometers in length and eight hundred million kilometers in width... Eighty percent of it is landmass, and it is rich in a plant known as the Sangsong fruit tree..."
The introduction was meticulous, detailing what the secret realm contained and what it was suitable for. As for how much it was truly worth, everyone had their own yardstick.
"My imperial father ordered me to secure this secret realm no matter what—I can't let it fall into anyone else's hands!"
Kuntu wore a grim expression, his eyes fixed on Batuo.
"Alright, you have likely reviewed the details. The bidding begins now! Simply enter your bid into the token in your hand, and your offer will be clearly displayed on the screen. Now...
The starting bid for this continent known as the Sangsong Secret Realm is thirty Hunyuan units."
Thirty Hunyuan units—enough to purchase ten star systems—and that was merely the reserve price. It seemed those Sangsong fruits had to be quite valuable.
Lu Qingshan glanced at Kuntu next to him; the moment the starting bid was announced, Kuntu submitted an offer.
"Thirty-five Hunyuan."
However, enthusiasm ran high, and many participants were interested in a secret realm that offered continuous yields.
Of course, those interested were mostly backed by Undying figures. Ordinary World Masters did not dare bid rashly—after all, the introduction had made it clear that the Sangsong Secret Realm lay within the borders of the Giant Dragon Empire. Buying it would effectively create a kingdom within a kingdom.
Few rulers would tolerate such a situation.
"Fifty Hunyuan."
"Eighty."
"Ninety-five."
"One hundred Hunyuan!"
The bids soared relentlessly, quickly surpassing one hundred Hunyuan. In the end, Kuntu sealed the deal with a crushing bid of 150 Hunyuan, claiming the secret realm!
He let out a long breath, his whole body slumping in relief.
"Brother Han Li, I'm completely broke now. The rest of the show is all up to you!"
Chapter 53