Chapter 553: I, Taurus Zhang, Am Born To Have Fun


    The expansive Imperial Auction House resembled a grand vi in its opulence and scale. Spanning five floors, the building was impressively structured. The basement served as storage for the auction lots. On the ground floor were the main lobby and the appraisal room. The second floor featured the principal auction hall. Administrative offices upied the third floor, leaving the fourth floor currently unupied.


    Currently, the main lobby was bustling, predominantly with yers.


    "Fifteen percentmission? That''s outrageous!" a yer blurted out upon seeing the auction’smission rate.


    "Quit yourining; amission is standard. What, did you expect a charity?" another yer retorted with disdain.


    While a 15%mission rate might seem steep, it wouldn''t cost the sellers since the fee was passed on to the buyers. Naturally, this meant that the overall price of each item would increase. Yet, this was something beyond their control.


    Unbeknownst to the yers, this 15%mission was merely the starting point; it was set to gradually increase over time. Yaeger understood well the theory of the boiling frog.


    "Wait, there''s an additional fee for appraisal?" Another person eximed as they grasped the full details of the auction process.


    "Yes, as we need topensate our appraisers. But of course, dear guest, you have the option to trade without our appraisal services or hire an external appraiser," exined the staff member."This seems rather dubious!"


    "Dubious? That’s rather ignorant. Don''t you pay for external appraisals anyway? Trust me, the fees here are considerably lower," another yer chided, clicking his tongue.


    "Stop wasting everyone’s time, peasant. My time is worth hundreds of thousands per minute!" A yer interjected impatiently at that moment.


    Upon hearing that, the other yer turned to retort but stopped short upon recognizing the speaker as the Guild Master of a major guild; he swallowed his words. No way could he afford to offend such an influential figure!


    Initially, the crowd in the main lobby dismissed the boastful remarks as mere bravado, but upon recognizing the speaker, a collective shock rippled through the room. It quickly became apparent that he wasn''t boasting at all; if anything, he was understating his true status.


    The speaker was none other than Taurus Zhang, the eldest son of the influential Zhang Family from Huadu. Standing next to him was his well-known associate, S.K.Y. Both were celebrities within the Linhnan server’s gamingmunity. Their reputations were a mix of admiration and notoriety.


    Positively, their guild was renowned for its formidable power and wealth,manding respect and fear alike. Negatively, they had been humiliated by Princess just the night before, bing the subject of ridicule which tarnished their image severely.


    Yet, considering their high-profile status, such dramatic swings in public perception were not unexpected. Above all, ck-hearted Princess'' overwhelming strength and sway within the Linhnan server set her apart significantly from her peers.


    In this context, being defeated by her might even be seen as less of an embarrassment, given her stature. However, for prominent figures like Taurus and S.K.Y., the public defeat was particrly humiliating. Had any lesser-known yer suffered the same fate, the impact on their reputation would have been minimal.


    Once the initial shock of Taurus’ domineering presence wore off, normal operations resumed in the main lobby. yers set their starting bids, paid their deposits methodically, and collected their receipts.


    Participants couldter use these receipts to im their proceeds from sold items. The procedure turned out to be moreplicated and less convenient than anticipated. Nevertheless, the presence of a third-party guarantor reassured many, making the cumbersome process worthwhile.


    "These procedures are rather cumbersome. It would be great if we could streamline them," Yaeger murmured, peering through the small window of the appraisal room.


    Given the notable name above her head, it was imprudent for her to appear in the main lobby.


    "I mustn’t scare away these little kittens." Turning away, Yaeger returned to her seat contemtively.


    Five professional appraisers were seated around her. Upon realizing that the mysterious figure in ck robes and a mask was a high-ranking official of the auction house, a nervous silence fell among the appraisers.


    One appraiser was visibly nervous, sweating profusely under the scrutiny. His gaze flitted about the room, betraying his deep thoughts and unease. Yaeger observed these subtle shifts among the room’s upants, a yful smile hidden beneath her mask.


    Half an hourter, the main lobby remained bustling with activity.


    The entire procedure mirrored the tedium of banking paperwork, marked by inefficiency and prolonged waiting times. Luckily, opening sufficient counters mitigated the waiting times to some extent.


    A digital-style notification board to the right of the main lobby continuously disyed updates about new items, resembling a modern, enchanted advertisement disy. This board allowed yers to easily locate items of interest.


    "What did you manage to find?" Taurus inquired, lounging on a sofa in the VIP area, as S.K.Y. took a seat beside him.


    "Quite well; I''ve secured a tenth of the materials already. We mightplete the collection today. The reopening of this auction house has truly been a boon," S.K.Y. responded, adjusting his imaginary sses with a note of excitement. The prospect of defeating ck-hearted Princess filled him with an intense thrill.


    "Indeed, our long-awaited goal might be realized within the next three days," Taurus mused, taking a sip of his tea.


    To him, ck-hearted Princess was as good as defeated, his thoughts now turning to her imminent downfall. He envisioned her screaming in despair, begging for mercy like a defeated foe. Ultimately, she would be nothing more than a toy in real-life.


    ‘What a thrilling prospect!''


    Just then, a neer stepped into the appraisal room. ording to the auction house''s policies, only VIP guests—those of significant influence or bearing exceptionally valuable items—were granted ess to the appraisal room.


    Regardless of their background, they were all seen as lucrative opportunities… or rather, esteemed clients.


    Yaeger turned her attention to the neer. The man was portly, around forty, dressed in opulent attire. His ordinary appearance was asionally betrayed by a cunning gleam in his eyes.


    ‘Atst, it begins.''


    A smirk yed across her lips, her amusement evident. She had expected disturbances in the main lobby, yet here they were, directly in her presence, going straight for the heart of the matter.


    This bold move genuinely surprised her.


    ‘Well, let’s see what you''ve got nned.''


    "I have a highly valuable item I''d like to auction," dered the portly middle-aged man inly.


    With that, he set a ck case down on the table. The case, crafted from an unidentified metal, featured faintly glowing runes and a mechanicalbination lock. It was apparent that the case held something out of the ordinary.


    "Let’s take a look inside before deciding," suggested Yaeger.


    Her voice, altered from its usual tone and muffled by the mask, would only be recognizable to those close to her.


    The man shot a puzzled look at Yaeger but swiftly masked his confusion. He proceeded to enter a sequence of passwords and opened the case. Immediately, an eerie ck light flooded the room.


    As the ck light faded, a collective gasp escaped the room''s upants. Even Yaeger, taken aback, couldn''t help but exim in astonishment.


    "Could this be?"