"The next item is a Fragment of the Void Star—"
Gu Bing sat up straight; the main event had finally arrived. Displayed on the screen was a deep purple, rhombus-shaped crystal. Its surface was covered in fine cracks, and faint, starlight-like radiance seeped from each fissure.
It appeared to seal a swirling nebula-like substance within, emitting specks of starlight as the ambient light shifted.
"Starting bid: 80 million!"
As soon as the person in charge's voice faded, Gu Bing didn't speak immediately. The people from the Crafting Department in the back called out, "90 million."
"100 million," Gu Bing waited a moment before declaring clearly.
This voice was very unfamiliar, not having appeared throughout the entire event. It was obvious she came specifically for this item.
Everyone present was a veteran buyer, instantly realizing this point as their gazes shifted over.
Gu Bing held her head high, allowing everyone to see her face clearly.
Very quickly, someone recognized her, looking quite surprised. "That's the little girl from the Gu Family. She seems to be associated with that Core Seed from the Adjudication Court, Su Chen."
"The Gu Family sells meat; this thing is probably wanted by Su Chen."
"Word has it that Su Chen is extremely formidable?"
"You didn't know? You must have just returned to Yingfeng. He's not just formidable—"
The discussions continued incessantly, and as expected, the bidding stopped. The crowd didn't mind giving face, and of course, it was also because the others didn't have a pressing need for this fragment.
Gu Bing maintained her tense expression but released a sigh of relief internally. Yet, right at this moment, another voice resounded.
"110 million!"
From the corner, Xiao Ying called out. He Kang's face instantly darkened. "What are you doing?"
"I suddenly want it, is that not allowed?" Xiao Ying adopted a distressed expression.
He Kang said angrily: "You're driving up the price of this fragment now. What if someone else drives up the price of your potion later?"
Xiao Ying chuckled. "Let them drive it up. How high can they go?"
Nearby, Zhou Honglang looked over in surprise.
The noisy chatter grew louder. Some had already recognized Xiao Ying and He Kang, instantly understanding the situation: internal strife among the Core Seeds.
"It's Wei Yufan's men. To think they're actually here too." Gu Bing retracted her gaze, her face looking ugly.
Wei Yufan's accumulated wealth was obviously not something they could shake.
If these two deliberately chose to compete, they wouldn't be able to secure the item at all.
"Contact Su Chen—" Gu Bing whispered. Tie Feng hurriedly opened his bracelet and sent a message.
Simultaneously, Gu Bing called out her base limit: "130 million."
"140 million," Xiao Ying's lazy voice resounded.
Everyone else was just watching the show. This kind of competitive bidding for resources happened frequently, but they generally didn't artificially inflate prices against each other, otherwise, a vicious cycle could easily emerge.
Such a scene was a rare sight.
"What do we do? This price has already far exceeded our estimate, and they'll probably keep inflating it," Tie Feng warned softly.
"What did Su Chen say?" Gu Bing gritted her teeth and inquired.
"He hasn't responded yet," Tie Feng shook his head helplessly.
Her face unsightly, Gu Bing called out 150 million. Although they hadn't prepared this much cash, it wasn't impossible to acquire a short-term loan.
However, Xiao Ying's 160 million closely followed, clearly intent on crushing them entirely.
"Are there no higher bids?"
As the matter involved Core Seeds of the Adjudication Court, the person in charge on stage didn't dare to hype up the atmosphere either, quietly waiting for time to pass before ultimately asking.
Gu Bing's face turned bitter. Even with the combined strength of their three families, this was all they could muster.
"170 million."
Yet another voice suddenly rang out. The crowd was stunned to discover it was from the person sitting right beside Xiao Ying.
"Uncle Zhou, you want it too?" Xiao Ying looked over in surprise.
Zhou Honglang extinguished his virtual screen and chuckled: "Indeed, the department has a need for it."
"You should have said so earlier. I wouldn't have driven the price up this high," Xiao Ying dismissed the matter entirely.
The result lacked any suspense; it was pocketed by the Supervision Department.
Very quickly, it was the turn of the Jade-Hidden Flowing Light that Xiao Ying and his companion needed to purchase. Gu Bing gritted her teeth and inflated the price by 50 million, but Xiao Ying didn't care at all.
This auction quickly concluded. The friction between Su Chen and Wei Yufan was merely a minor interlude that the crowd didn't pay much attention to.
Arriving at the backstage of the Resource Depository, the crowd sequentially claimed the items they had successfully bid on.
"You shouldn't have forcibly inflated the price. The Supervision Department wanted it originally, so that item wouldn't have fallen into Su Chen's hands anyway." He Kang, standing next to him, couldn't stop shaking his head.
"Are you that terrified, Mr. Nice Guy?" Xiao Ying accepted the silvery-white metal box handed over by the staff, flipped the iron latch, and opened it. Inside rested a bottle of potion as brilliant as flowing light.
The liquid presented a bizarre, multifaceted texture. With a gentle shake, golden threads resembling shifting sands rippled within, swimming and intertwining through the emerald base as if alive.
Only after confirming there were no issues did Xiao Ying close the box.
"It's not about being terrified, but about it being unnecessary," He Kang shook his head and sighed: "Old Wei and Su Chen originally had no direct conflicts. Aren't we just exacerbating the contradictions by doing this?"
"No direct conflicts?" Hearing these words, even Xiao Ying laughed. "Do you think there's still room for reconciliation between those two?"
"Sigh..." He Kang exhaled deeply. "But there's still no need to obstruct him on something like this."
"You've played the 'Nice Guy' for so long that you're even fooling yourself now." Xiao Ying turned his head to walk outside. "Such a trivial matter... heh, as if anyone would inexplicably need this fragment just like that."
He Kang shook his head helplessly and followed Xiao Ying out of the Resource Depository to the parking lot. From afar, he spotted Zhou Honglang's back, walking towards a figure waiting by a hovercar.
In an instant, Xiao Ying's complexion worsened. As he watched, Zhou Honglang chuckled while receiving a black metal case from his subordinate and handing it directly to Gu Bing while speaking.
"That wouldn't happen to be the Fragment of the Void Star, would it?" Following behind, He Kang also witnessed this scene and asked with hesitation.
Xiao Ying put away his usual expression, his face utterly blank. "If it's not the fragment, what else could it be? Gu Bing came specifically for the fragment. Would Zhou Honglang really give her something completely unrelated?"
Since matters had reached this point, saying anything more would be useless. Xiao Ying coldly snorted, turning to board a hovercar parked nearby.
Two hours later, Gu Bing reappeared at Su Chen's residence with the item.
"So this is the Fragment of the Void Star..." Su Chen gazed at the crystalline fragment within the case. Starlight swirled within it; it was exceptionally magnificent.
"The Supervision Department spent 170 million, and we gave them the entire 130 million we had. Equivalently, they spent an extra 40 million," Gu Bing explained, her eyes carrying a strange glint.
Su Chen had instructed her to wait for the people from the Supervision Department after the auction concluded. Even she hadn't expected Zhou Honglang to directly hand the item over to him.
"Mm." Su Chen nodded. Upon receiving Tie Feng's initial message, he had immediately contacted Cheng Lang.
The two had just recently agreed to work together for the future of Yingfeng. Cheng Lang acted decisively, but the Supervision Department merely acted as the middleman; the money still had to come from them.
"However, won't excessive contact with the Supervision Department be..." She offered a warning. The strife between the Adjudication Court and the Security Bureau was public knowledge throughout Yingfeng.
"There is no need to worry." Su Chen closed the case and set it to the side.
Seeing Su Chen acting like he had a well-thought-out plan, Gu Bing also set her worries to rest. Shifting topics, she cautiously brought up, "Recently, due to the Security Bureau's audits, the shipping and sales channels of our few families have been subjected to some interference from the Supervision Department. If you could put in a good word, perhaps—"
Su Chen immediately stated: "Leave this matter to me."
The Security Bureau had been causing huge commotions in the city lately, and Su Chen had heard some rumors of it. He estimated that it was highly likely they were searching for the Divine Blood of Black Buddha.
However, such intelligence couldn't possibly be passed down to the absolute bottom tier. Thus, the lower-level guards actually executing the work would inevitably mix in some selfish intent and line their own pockets.
Seeing Su Chen agree so decisively, Gu Bing released a sigh of relief.
Accepting payment meant resolving their troubles. Su Chen considered this perfectly normal. These three families had indeed saved him quite a bit of trouble, coughing up the genuine funds to help him obtain the Fragment of the Void Star.
Giving it a thought, he offered, "Do you want to carve out a slice of meat from the Supervision Department as well?"
"Is that possible?" Gu Bing asked in astonishment. Even the seemingly dense Tie Feng couldn't help but look over.
The daily consumption of food, potions, weapons, and similar supplies by the Supervision Department was an astronomical figure. It was always somewhat connected to the businesses of these three families.
During their families' prime, they had more or less taken a slice of the action from various institutions within the city, so they naturally understood how immense the profits involved were.
"I can put in a word, but I only have one requirement: when I tell you to pull out, you must do so without hesitation," Su Chen said heavily. He had established an understanding with Chong Jingtian and felt no pressure in freeloading, but the day the dagger was revealed would eventually arrive.
Gu Bing immediately responded: "No problem. I can make the decision on behalf of my grandfather."
Tie Feng also nodded, representing the absent Wang family, indicating they wouldn't have any differing opinions either.
With this matter settled, Su Chen asked about the situation at the auction. Tie Feng's message had only briefly mentioned someone intercepting the bid, but the details were too complicated to explain quickly.
Gu Bing's smile faded, and she pursed her thin lips, saying resentfully: "It was Xiao Ying, an Inner Court Seed, a 4th-tier professional. He's one of Wei Yufan's men. I never expected to bump into them this time."
"Wei Yufan... him again." Su Chen frowned. This old bastard had pegged him as a strong competitor and had made sneaky moves against him multiple times already.
"This time it was probably Xiao Ying acting on his own initiative. No one knew we were aiming for the Fragment of the Void Star," Gu Bing analyzed.
"Acting on his own initiative... Xiao Ying..." Su Chen mumbled to himself.
Gu Bing gave a brief summary. "He's a 4th-tier mental-type professional. His 1st-tier and 2nd-tier were both top-level professions, while his 3rd-tier and 4th-tier are high-level ones."
"Is that so?" Su Chen was deep in thought.
Then, Gu Bing also voiced a hint of puzzlement: "The item he bought was the 'Jade-Hidden Flowing Light' potion. It's a high-tier potion used to stabilize a professional's state; it's only needed immediately upon advancing."
"He's only advancing to a 5th-tier high-level profession. Is it that difficult for him?"
Su Chen did not respond. After chatting for a few more sentences, Gu Bing and Tie Feng bid their farewells.
After seeing them off, just as Su Chen tossed the fragment into his storage space, Ming Lin knocked on the door and asked right away, "How is it? Did you get your hands on the profession you wanted?"
"Just got it; that's why I called you over." Su Chen invited him to sit down. "It's called [Armored Bone Adept]. Its general function is to strengthen the physical body by fusing external objects."
"General function?" Ming Lin blanked out for a moment before realizing, "A newly decoded profession?"
"Yeah." Su Chen nodded. Sensing Ming Lin's hesitation, he further explained, "It's quite powerful. It requires more than one top-level physical profession as a base."
The moment an expert makes a move, one knows their caliber. Upon hearing these two requirements, Ming Lin's eyes lit up brightly, and he immediately agreed, "Deal!"
But then, he quickly added, "There aren't any extremely difficult requirements involved, right?"
"No, it just requires some resources and time, which you can definitely satisfy."
"Great." Ming Lin was rather excited. "My profession also lacks any extremely difficult requirements."
At this point, his expression turned peculiar, as if recalling certain memories. "The eating part is just a bit unusual, but it shouldn't be too big of an issue."
Private profession exchanges basically depended on an individual's needs; there was no absolute measure of comparative strength between professions.
"Let's sign a contract first." With that, Ming Lin took out a piece of grayish-yellow parchment from his coat.
Upon unrolling it, Su Chen saw it was densely packed with text he couldn't comprehend, with black patterns spreading across its edges.
"A contract?" Su Chen looked at it with surprise. He wasn't unfamiliar with this item; it was a product of the special profession, Contract Maker, and it was widely used in many industries.
"Oh, right, you haven't traded any deeply important items privately before," Ming Lin realized, explaining, "Profession information can be replicated and spread, which benefits neither party involved in the trade."
"A contract serves as a binding force to ensure the profession isn't leaked."
"Are there penalties?" Su Chen's brow furrowed slightly.
"No," Ming Lin shook his head. "The stronger a contract's binding force, the higher the requirement on its creator. We don't need to employ a contract with punitive measures either."
"This contract of mine is very simple. If either party, in any form or manner, actively leaks the traded professional information, the other party will know—but they will strictly only know."
"You definitely don't want me reselling it either."
Ming Lin's thoughts were quite thorough. Su Chen contemplated for a moment before placing his hand on the contract. A vague sensation transmitted the information to his mind, indicating the general content matched Ming Lin's description.
"Let's sign it then." Su Chen nodded. The two hastily completed the signing process. The contract then transformed into flowing light, dissipating and integrating into their respective bodies.
"A Secret Contract..." Su Chen noted in surprise.
With the signing complete, the two exchanged the professions.
【Discovered special profession — Glutton. Requirements must be met to assume.】
【Assumption Requirement 1: Engage in consumption beyond one's limits, accumulating more than 30 days.】
【Assumption Requirement 2: The consumed food must not be repeated and must include dead matter, living organisms, plants, rotting matter, metal, and rock.】
【Assumption Requirement 3: Fuse an Abyssal Stomach.】
Su Chen scrutinized the three assumption requirements; they all basically revolved around eating.
"Consumption beyond limits, and the categories can't be repeated. Living organisms, metal... I even have to eat rock, and rotting matter—" Su Chen frowned. He was a rather picky eater; these requirements made him feel quite resistant.
【The plump Glutton dragged its body over. Upon witnessing the majestic figure of the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted, its fat trembled in fear as it realized its own insignificance. Assumption Requirement 2 has been erased.】
"This is more like it..." Su Chen's expression relaxed significantly. Who would want to needlessly subject themselves to torture? Wouldn't eating something nice be perfectly fine?