Seeing that zuzong seemed somewhat reluctant, Xiao Wu immediately became unhappy.
She promptly used a tactic she'd learned from Dugu Yan for dealing with boyfriends—coquetry.
"Come on! Come on, come on, I want to go in and take a look." Xiao Wu pulled Zu zong's arm into her embrace, coquettishly pleading.
"Uh." When did this little brat learn this trick? But she's really quite soft. "Alright! Let's go in and take a look!"
Holding Xiao Wu's hand, Zu Zong walked towards the auction house.
Only when they got closer could they truly appreciate the scale of the circular building.
According to Zu Zong's estimation, this semicircle on the ground was at least nearly 500 meters in diameter, and its highest point exceeded 80 meters. Although it was slightly inferior to the Great Soul Arena he had seen before, it was important to remember that this was just an auction house, and didn't need an audience.
Moreover, Tian Dou City was the capital of the Tian Dou Empire, a place where every inch of land was incredibly valuable. This showed just how important the auction house was in Tian Dou City, and its background was unfathomable.
Zu Zong couldn't help but mutter, "What a goldmine for the rich!"
"Little Zong, what are you saying? Let's go in!" Xiao Wu pulled Zu Zong, quickening their pace.
The auction house's entrance was also semi-circular, and like the rest of the building, it was milky white. Four tall, slender girls stood before the entrance.
These girls had clearly been carefully selected; they were all around 1.75 meters tall and had extremely well-proportioned figures. While not stunning beauties, their attractive appearances were still quite appealing. They looked to be no more than twenty years old.
They wore floor-length dresses that covered even their arms, revealing not an inch of skin, yet the dresses were very form-fitting, perfectly outlining their graceful curves.
Silver patterns were embroidered on their snow-white dresses, the patterns vaguely forming characters, but Zu Zong and Xiao Wu couldn't make out what they were. The four girls moved in perfect unison, hands clasped in front of them, smiling—a professional smile, but still very easy to like.
Seeing the two approaching, one of the four girls stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Gentlemen, is there anything we can help you with?"
"We'd like to—" Xiao Wu was about to answer when the zuzong stopped her. Having read the original story, he knew a little about the Heavenly Dou Auction House. To enter, one needed a "bidding qualification certificate." Those with such certificates were invariably high-ranking nobles or members of major sects in Heavenly Dou City, or those who displayed considerable wealth. That's why the zuzong called it a goldmine for the rich.
Although the zuzong was wealthy, he wasn't one to flaunt it.
Of course, there was another way to get in: by auctioning items.
Thinking of this, the zuzong took out the revolver he had stolen yesterday. "We're going to auction something."
"What's this?" The girl wasn't dismissive of the item the zuzong had taken. Having worked there for a while, she knew that the rarer and more unusual the item, the more valuable it sometimes was.
Xiao Wu recognized it, as she already had one, though a different model, but similar. He then said mysteriously, "Don't you have appraisers? Your opinion doesn't count. Just send it to the appraiser to see if it's valuable."
After the appraiser's evaluation, the auction house set a starting bid of 2,000 gold coins for the revolver, which was easy to use and powerful, and which was provided by the clan with an extra box of bullets.
Led by the young girl, Xiao Wu, hand in hand with the zuzong, finally achieved her wish and entered the true heart of the Heavenly Dou Auction House.
The auction center was located on the second floor of the auction house. There were eight staircases leading up from the lobby. Before entering the auction house, the receptionist gave each of them a mask, informing them that they would need to wear masks to enter future auctions for customer safety. Next time, no one would be there to assist them.
The girl escorted them to the entrance of the auction center before turning to leave; other staff members were also present.
While dressed in white and wearing skirts, the staff members were completely different from the previous guide.
All the auction center staff were women, about the same height as the previous guide, but with much more voluptuous figures.
Their white skirts were open at the chest and sleeveless. The short hems barely reached seven inches past the waist, revealing smooth, glistening thighs, and paired with white high heels, making them even more alluring. The deep cleavage and the rounded buttocks beneath the short skirts were enough to arouse any fantasies.
Zu Zong glanced at them briefly, then lost interest. He did enjoy looking at beautiful women, but he preferred genuine beauty. While the women before him were alluring, Zu Zong could tell from their eyes that they had lost themselves. Zu Zong
looked at Xiao Wu and said softly, "Let's go in!"
Xiao Wu was clearly satisfied with Zu Zong's reaction. Looking down at her budding breasts, she nodded in satisfaction. She knew Zu Zong would often stare at her there, especially when she leaned against him; though she said she didn't want to, she seemed to be enjoying it.
Gradually, Xiao Wu also noticed the strange behavior of the maids. Xiao Wu
said softly, "Zu Zong, haven't you noticed how strange these maids are?" Zu
Zong nodded. "They're just slaves who have lost themselves."
"This young man has a good eye," a gentle voice came from the side. Zu Zong and Xiao Wu turned to look. They saw a middle-aged man in white robes, with a refined appearance, smiling and nodding at them.
The middle-aged man had a handsome face, a straight nose and a square mouth, and a refined and gentle appearance. He wore a spotless white robe. He looked to be in his forties, with soft eyes, and seemed like an ordinary person. His smooth black hair cascaded down his back, and everything about him seemed so casual and unpretentious.
Xiao Wu couldn't help but ask, "People who have lost their sense of self. What does that mean? Are they all mentally ill and sold here?"
The middle-aged man smiled calmly and said, "There are many helpless situations in this world. This is the Heavenly Dou Auction House. Let alone slaves, there's nothing we wouldn't sell here. The reason those girls have such indifferent expressions is because they no longer have their own hearts, and they can't decide their own fate. All they can do is obey. They may be beautiful on the outside, but they don't have their own souls. All I give them is the word 'pathetic.'"
The middle-aged man's words made Xiao Wu fall silent. Now she finally understood why the zuzong didn't want to come in. Having spent more than six years with the zuzong, she could sense that although he usually seemed cunning, he was actually very kind at heart and hated anything dark.
The zuzong didn't interrupt, but secretly observed the middle-aged man before him. He felt the man was familiar yet he couldn't quite place him.
Wait, the way he smiles—that mouth, and he's not wearing a mask... Could it be Ning Fengzhi, Miss Ning's father?