Chapter 100: The Lords’ Association

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Chapter 100: The Lords’ League

Li Hongshen glanced at the troublemaker across from him without reacting. After all, everyone here was a lord, and generally speaking, their intelligence was still intact. Even when they occasionally lost their minds, they would not normally behave in such an aggravating manner.

Yet the man opposite him had done exactly that. Dressed in an unusually bizarre outfit, he struck an exceedingly arrogant pose and deliberately put on an air of provocation. It was obvious that he had come prepared, ready to withdraw from the Infinite Wilderness the moment danger arose.

Li Hongshen gave a slight tilt of his head and leaned toward Li Fuzhen’s ear.

“Go find Senior Brother Roth for me. Ask him what’s going on, where that fellow comes from, and whether he wants us to deal with him.”

Li Fuzhen nodded slightly, rose from her private booth, and hurried toward the seats farther back, where Roth was sitting.

Li Hongshen remained in his booth and began a new round of bidding.

“Two thousand two hundred blood crystals. I need this batch of slaves; they concern my progress in the Infinite Wilderness. I hope everyone will show me some consideration.”

His words caused the man opposite him to pause. After a brief struggle, however, he continued bidding.

“Two thousand two hundred and two blood crystals. Your favor may be worth something, but it depends on the circumstances. In the face of certain matters, your favor is worthless.”

“Three thousand.”

“Three thousand and three.”

…

At that moment, Li Fuzhen returned. She bent down and whispered in Li Hongshen’s ear for a while.

“Phew…”

Li Hongshen slowly exhaled, his brows relaxing. Wearing a professional smile, he rose from his booth.

“Five thousand blood crystals. Would that be enough to let someone else enjoy the pleasure of winning their first auction? You know, some people are orphans who have never seen much of the world.

“It took them no small effort to attend an auction at last. No one wants to leave disappointed, especially certain people whose personalities are rather twisted and whose hearts are not particularly broad. They enjoy holding grudges—or, more accurately, keeping lists.

“Look at these blood crystals. They are a considerable resource, especially for someone like you. In the Infinite Wilderness, blood crystals concern your future and your safety. Wouldn’t you agree?”

As he spoke, Li Hongshen carried his little notebook to the private booth opposite him. His eyes had narrowed completely, his lips pressed into two red lines, and the corners of his mouth curled faintly upward. He simply stood before the man.

Seeing Li Hongshen approach, the man quickly sensed his determination. After a moment of silence, he stiffly turned to the catgirl beside him.

“Feed me some fruit. My mouth’s gone dry from bidding for so long. Give me something to moisten it.”

Li Hongshen’s smile grew even broader. He gave a slight nod and walked back to his seat. When Sumba’s confirmation rang out, Li Hongshen officially won the batch of slaves.

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“He backed down just like that?”

“He didn’t back down. He had more or less accomplished his purpose and finished whatever he came here to do, so he stopped.

“He came here to deliberately cause trouble and disgust people. He never intended to make a serious incident of it. Besides, coming here probably wasn’t his own idea. He looked incredibly arrogant, as though he had come to provoke us, but in reality he was issuing a warning and delivering a message.

“So once I confronted him, he had no intention of escalating things. The alliance behind him probably wanted him to enjoy the benefits while avoiding the consequences, leaving him caught awkwardly in the middle.

“His situation is rather embarrassing now. He should have come for Sumba’s auction, but he happened to draw me as his opponent, and I blocked him.”

Li Fuzhen covered a laugh after hearing Li Hongshen’s analysis.

“I don’t think he happened to draw you. He probably saw that, among the Elite Society members present, you were the most famous—and also a newcomer and only an unofficial member. You simply looked easy to bully.

“Hahahaha, honestly.”

“Is that any way to talk about your own man? Whether I’m formidable or not, don’t you know? Who is it that begs for mercy every night?”

“Disgusting. What are you saying in public? Answer me this: Why did he keep bidding earlier, only stopping after the price approached five thousand and you walked over to warn him?”

“That was because he wanted to disgust people while establishing a sufficiently high price, so he would have something to report when he went back.

“Besides, you said earlier that he was from the Lords’ League and was technically our senior brother. He still has some bottom line.

“I’m telling you, if Senior Brother Roth had said we should deal with him just now, I would have pursued the matter relentlessly, driven the price up, and then withdrawn.

“From the looks of it, he was using his own blood crystals. If he really had to hand over such a large sum, it would hurt him. He doesn’t enjoy the privileges of civilization the way I do, with the rent in the Infinite Wilderness waived. Blood crystals are still a burden for the other lords.

“Now he has managed to disgust us and, at the same time, warn the Elite Society. If he continued bidding, he would offend me completely, which would be unwise. As I warned him just now, if I truly wrote his name in my little notebook, it would be a terrible bargain for him.

“After all, I’m a fairly famous contender with considerable potential. Seeing me here, he should be able to make a rough estimate of my strength. I’m merely weaker than the other senior brothers in the Elite Society.

“I estimate that Senior Brother Sumba obtained this shipment through his own efforts, probably by using certain methods. Now it is simply the alliance opposite us making its move.”

“So that fellow was the point man, sent here as cannon fodder?”

“No. What exactly are you thinking? We’re in the Infinite Wilderness, not on the front lines of the Boundary War. Who could treat a lord as cannon fodder here?

“He was assigned by the Lords’ League to scout the way and annoy us while he was at it. It’s just that this senior brother’s acting was terrible. Then again, if his acting had been too convincing, he might genuinely have been unable to leave Dizzy Star Valley.

“Just wait and see. The Elite Society and the Lords’ League will probably clash again later. We’ll see how the senior brothers in the Inner Domain communicate and negotiate when the time comes. I estimate that they probably won’t come to blows.

“Still, we need to be prepared for a fight. Once this auction ends, we’ll take our people and leave.”

“Good.”

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After this minor conflict ended, the lords in the bar gradually abandoned their roles as spectators and resumed their heated bidding, competing for the items they needed.

The senior brother from the Lords’ League also remained silent and made no further attempt to cause trouble.

And so Li Hongshen’s first auction experience came to an end. When the auction was over, he brought Li Fuzhen to the bar’s front desk to settle the bill.

However, just as Li Hongshen was preparing to send someone back to the settlement to retrieve the blood crystals, Sumba approached.

“Junior Brother, this time, because of my affairs, you were made somewhat unhappy. So consider this batch of slaves a gift from your elder brother, compensation for what happened. Keep your blood crystals. I’m not short of that amount.”

“No, Senior Brother, there’s no need. I don’t resent you. I was merely used for target practice by that senior brother from the Lords’ League. It’s no great matter. I haven’t even lost a piece of flesh.”

“No, Junior Brother, don’t put it that way. Take them…”

“No, Senior Brother, I really can’t accept them…”

“No, Junior Brother, you must accept them. This is a token of your senior brother’s sincerity…”

“No, Senior Brother…”

“No, Junior Brother…”

…

After a lengthy round of polite refusals, Li Hongshen finally accepted the batch of slaves under Roth’s persuasion.

Once the slaves had been received, Li Hongshen bid farewell to the senior brothers of the Elite Society and led his people out of Dizzy Star Valley. With the goods and slaves they had acquired in the transaction, they returned to his own city, Flood City.

End of Chapter