The Great Desert lies at the border where the human and the monster tribes meet. To be more specific, it is located four hundred miles north of Linjiang City and eight hundred miles east of the royal capital of the Xia Kingdom, covering a vast expanse of land.
Due to the harsh conditions where almost no grass grows and water sources are extremely scarce, aside from a heavily fortified military stronghold like Chize, there are no villages or settlements in this area. It is simply unsuitable for human survival, thus making it a paradise for ferocious beasts.
In the Realm of Fallen Immortals, most ferocious beasts tend to conceal their positions and ambush their prey. However, the creatures of the Great Desert are different. These beasts possess a natural yellowish camouflage and exceptional vision, enabling them to detect prey from great distances. Taking advantage of the open terrain, they track their targets from afar, waiting until their prey is exhausted before launching their attack.
But even so, ferocious beasts are still beasts. Compared to humans, they are far inferior in intelligence.
Some veteran mercenaries cleverly exploit this trait by pretending to be exhausted at the right moment, waiting for the beasts to approach them willingly.
Li Tan is precisely the kind of sly human who deeply understands this trickery.
At this moment, he is in the middle of the Great Desert, his hands already stained with the blood of three or four ferocious beasts.
However, they were all merely second-tier beasts.
“It seems I haven’t ventured deep enough,” Li Tan said, glancing up at the moon. “Is it already past seven o’clock? Hmph, the auction is about to begin. I’ll call it a day. After all, this mission allows me three days.”
Li Tan dusted off his clothes and headed back.
By the time he returned to the inn, there was only about a quarter of an hour left before the auction started. Without even changing clothes, he walked directly under the faint moonlight toward the venue.
It seemed that the auction at Chize this time was quite large. Outside the Nolan Auction House, the place was already packed with people. Colorful and luxurious carriages lined the roadside, and the number of guards around the auction house had doubled compared to usual.
Li Tan casually glanced around, paying particular attention to a house in the northwest direction.
The window of that house was open, and faintly, he could make out a figure inside. Li Tan guessed that the person inside must be an expert at the Master level.
With a Master guarding the place, it was almost certain that the items to be auctioned were extraordinary.
Perhaps something he needed would appear?
Therefore, Li Tan felt a bit more anticipation for this auction.
“Next, next.”
He obediently lined up at the end of a long queue. The mechanical voice of the guard in charge of verifying identities in front of him kept echoing, growing louder as he approached.
Finally, it was Li Tan’s turn. Yet as he stepped forward, the guard immediately frowned with a look of disdain.
“You… what is that on your clothes?”
Li Tan glanced at the slight bloodstains on his sleeves and replied, “It’s just some blood from killing beasts earlier.”
The guard decisively said, “Sorry, to avoid disturbing other guests, please come back after changing your clothes.”
“It’s just a little blood on the sleeve. It won’t affect anyone else, will it?” Li Tan asked.
The guard impatiently grabbed him to the side. “Don’t waste my time. Next!”
“Hmm?”
The guard’s expression turned puzzled as Li Tan stood still without moving.
The guard exerted more force, trying hard to pull Li Tan aside, but it was as if he were pulling a mountain—Li Tan didn’t budge an inch.
Li Tan said with displeasure, “I merely wish to enter and participate in the auction. Please be accommodating.”
Then, Li Tan stared silently at the guard, who felt an inexplicable sense of fear from his gaze.
Feeling somewhat uneasy, the guard broke into a cold sweat but still maintained a firm attitude: “No means no!”
“Hey, can you hurry up there?”
“Stop wasting our time, will you?”
People in line started to get impatient and urged him.
Li Tan was silent for a moment before turning his body and flicking his sleeve.
“Fine, I won’t go in.”
As he spoke, he turned to leave. Just then, a somewhat familiar female voice came from inside the auction house.
“Mr. Li!”
Li Tan turned his head. The source of the voice, a very mature woman, was rushing toward him in haste.
She asked in confusion, “What are you doing out here? Did something happen?”
Li Tan calmly replied, “My clothes are a bit dirty, and they wouldn’t let me in.”
The woman was taken aback. She immediately pointed at the guard and said, “He’s new and doesn’t understand the rules. Please forgive such a small man’s rudeness. Follow me.”
The woman walked aside, and Li Tan followed. The guard’s eyes widened in shock and fear. “That area… isn’t that the exclusive passage for Platinum Card holders? I actually dared to offend him just now. I’m done for, completely ruined!”
The other guard beside him was also stunned. “If that young master has a Platinum Card, why would he even come through our entrance?”
He silently felt relieved that he wasn’t the one who had spoken rudely.
Their concern wasn’t that Li Tan might retaliate against them, but rather that the auction house might hold a grudge and settle accounts with them later.
After all, nobles with Platinum Cards wouldn’t bother with such lowly guards. However, their superiors in the upper echelons would certainly not let such a matter slide.
However, what happened to that guard wasn’t something to be discussed here.
In any case, Li Tan followed the woman into the auction house and directly went upstairs.
If the guards outside had seen this scene, they might have been so frightened they lost control of themselves.
Because the second floor was the area leading to the high-end auction room, accessible only to those holding Black Gold Cards or Purple Gold Cards.
Black Gold Cards themselves weren’t rare; there were dozens of them in each branch of the Nolan Auction House. However, the owners of these cards were extremely valuable because each was a powerful figure in the Xia Kingdom.
Actually, the reason Meng Tianhua had given Li Tan this Black Gold Card wasn’t to flatter him, but rather to show respect for Li Tan’s mysterious “master.”
Li Tan entered the private room and casually glanced around.
The interior was luxuriously decorated. Sitting on a large chair covered in rare fox fur, one could clearly see the entire auction hall, while from the outside looking in, nothing was visible. This was also a measure to protect privacy.
“Come.”
The woman clapped her hands, and immediately many female voices responded from outside.
Li Tan roughly knew what was happening and waved his hand, saying, “Send them away. I want to be alone.”
The woman clapped her hands a few more times, and faint sighs of disappointment could be heard from outside before quickly disappearing.
“If you need anything, just call. There are attendants waiting outside.”
After briefly explaining, the woman herself left.
As the door closed tightly, the auction room became completely silent.
This was also to protect the guests’ privacy. The walls were made of soundproof materials, allowing only the auctioneer’s voice and the sounds of bidding from others to be heard inside.
The room was completely silent.
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