ATPnovel Chapter 52 Soul Guidance Device Storage Ring
Chapter 52 Soul Guidance Device Storage Ring
As the last item was solemnly brought onto the stage by the waiter, the atmosphere in the entire auction hall froze instantly, as if even the dust in the air had stopped dancing.
An invisible sense of oppression spread from the high platform, enveloping everyone present. The guests who were whispering earlier fell silent, their eyes fixed intently on the tray covered with red silk on the platform.
The auctioneer abandoned her previous flirtatious demeanor, her expression becoming unusually solemn. Her usually affectionate, almond-shaped eyes were now serious, carrying an almost reverent solemnity.
She took a pair of pristine white silk gloves from a waiter and slowly put them on, each movement deliberate and graceful, as if performing some sacred ritual. Hundreds of eyes in the room followed her every move, not daring to utter a sound.
The auctioneer extended her slender, gloved fingers and gently pinched a corner of the red silk, her movements as delicate as if she were touching a rare treasure. She took a deep breath and carefully lifted the red silk from the tray; the sound of the silk sliding down was clearly audible in the silent auction hall.
An antique silver ring, devoid of any decorative patterns, lay quietly on black velvet.
The ring looked unremarkable, even somewhat old, its silver surface bearing the mottled marks of time, with faint traces of wear along the edges. If it were tossed aside on the street, even a beggar probably wouldn't bother picking it up and giving it a second glance.
However, in that instant when the light shone on it, a strange light seemed to flow across the surface of the ring. The light was faint and elusive, rippling across the silver metal like water, emanating an indescribable spatial fluctuation.
"The grand finale item—an antique-grade soul-guided artifact, the Sumeru Storage Ring."
The auctioneer's voice was clear and penetrating, reaching every corner of the room.
"Upon examination, this ring was found to possess an extremely stable folding space inside, with a volume reaching an astonishing fifty cubic meters. Furthermore, the internal time flow is extremely slow, approximately one percent of that outside, making it exceptionally suitable for storing valuables or perishable items."
"Whoosh—"
The entire room erupted in uproar. Fifty cubic meters! That's enough to fit a medium-sized truck! In a small border town like Nottingham, it's practically a legendary artifact.
Li Fulan's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously touched the jade belt at his waist—it was something he had half-tricked and half-robbed from Yu Xiaogang, totaling a pitiful twelve cubic meters, and even those were scattered.
For a time traveler who needs to move supplies between two worlds, this amount of space is simply a drop in the ocean.
But this ring is different. Fifty cubic meters means he can carry a small arsenal with him.
The power of the state can better support him.
We must take it down.
Starting bid: 30,000 gold soul coins.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening roar came from the private room on the second floor.
"fifty thousand!"
Avalanche suddenly stood up, staring intently at the ring, his eyes filled with greed and a fanatical determination to possess it. As a prince, he naturally knew the value of such a high-capacity soul tool—in case the situation in the palace suddenly changed, it would be his life-saving treasure.
"Fifty thousand gold soul coins!" He strode to the railing, placed his hands on it, and surveyed the entire arena from his elevated position. "I am Xue Beng, the sixth prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. This ring is mine. Everyone, please give me some face."
The last phrase, "Give me some face," sounds like a negotiation, but it's actually a blatant threat.
The scene fell into a deathly silence. The wealthy merchants and nobles who had been eager to make their move all fell silent, and not a single one dared to utter a sound.
Xue Beng surveyed the entire scene with smug satisfaction, a cold, triumphant smile playing on his lips. He knew it; these merchants and commoners, no matter how wealthy, were nothing more than this. Before imperial power, they still had to obediently tuck their tails between their legs.
Just then—
"One hundred thousand."
Li Fulan didn't even raise her head, but lazily held up the number plate in her hand.
The entire audience gasped.
Xue Beng's smile froze instantly, his pale face turning a deep purplish-red. He whirled around, staring intently at the black-haired figure's back—it was him again! That damned bastard who'd been working against him from the moment he entered the auction house!
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Xue Beng gritted his teeth, his voice sharp with anger. "I am Xue Beng! How dare you disrespect me?"
Li Fulan chuckled softly, slowly turning her head, her deep black eyes coldly meeting Xue Beng's gaze.
"This is an auction house, Your Highness. The only rule is that the highest bidder wins." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the room. "Face? Sorry, your name isn't printed on my gold soul coins."
These words caused an uproar. The wealthy merchants and nobles who had been keeping their heads down and not daring to utter a sound all raised their heads, their eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.
Xue Beng's face had turned from a deep purplish-red to a ghastly blue. He had never suffered such humiliation!
"150,000!" he roared hysterically.
"Five hundred thousand." Li Fulan didn't hesitate at all, and even deliberately yawned.
Anyway, there are still 800,000 special coins in that box. Even if they are all destroyed, Lin An can just make more later.
Avalanche seemed to have been slapped in the face in public, freezing in place. Five hundred thousand gold soul coins—that's enough to buy half of Nottingham City! He gritted his teeth, about to raise the price again, when the silent old man beside him quietly leaned closer and whispered a few words in his ear.
"What?"
Avalanche's eyes widened suddenly, and then a strong, almost tangible contempt and disdain appeared on his face.
"You're saying... he's just a lowly commoner?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible in the quiet auction hall. His tone was as if he were talking about an ant, a lump of mud, filled with condescending disdain.
"A piece of trash who hasn't even awakened his martial spirit... dares to challenge this prince here?"
Avalanche suddenly burst into laughter, a shrill and arrogant laugh, tinged with a twisted pleasure. He leaned against the railing, looking down at Li Fulan as if she were an ant overestimating its own strength.
"So that's why you don't even have a noble crest. Turns out you're just a good-for-nothing without a martial spirit!"
His voice echoed throughout the venue, and the gazes that had initially held some curiosity towards Li Fulan instantly changed.
In the Douluo Continent, martial spirits are everything.
Those without a Martial Soul—no, they can't even be called "human." They are the lowest of the low, slaves, livestock to be slaughtered at will. No matter how wealthy or talented you are, if you don't have a Martial Soul, you will forever be kneeling and groveling before those who possess one.
This is not prejudice; it is an ironclad rule that has governed this world for ten thousand years.
Those wealthy businessmen who had just been in awe of Li Fulan now wore a subtle expression—a complex mixture of sympathy for their fellow human beings, contempt for the "lowly," and above all, an understanding of "as expected."
No wonder this kid dared to challenge the prince; he's just a fool who doesn't know his own limitations.
Xue Beng looked at Li Fulan, his eyes now filled with undisguised killing intent.
"Five hundred thousand it is, take the ring." His voice calmed down, a calmness more terrifying than rage. "I'm in a good mood today, too lazy to bother with a lowly commoner."
He paused, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.
"But I'm quite curious, where did a commoner get so much money? Could it be stolen or robbed?"
These words caused a shift in the atmosphere once again. The nobles who had initially been merely watching the spectacle now wore knowing expressions—they understood Xue Beng's implied meaning.
The fact that a commoner suddenly appears and spends money like water is itself an original sin.
Even if he really earned that money himself, as long as the prince wanted to investigate, he could always find some "problem".
Li Fulan listened to everything quietly, her expression unchanged.
He merely glanced at Avalanche, his gaze as calm as a stagnant pool.
"Your Highness is right." He stood up and, amidst countless gazes that were filled with disdain, pity, or schadenfreude, elegantly straightened his clothes. "I am indeed just a commoner."
His voice was neither humble nor arrogant, as if he were stating a trivial fact.
"But this ring is still mine today."
After saying that, he ignored Xue Beng's almost fiery gaze, turned around and walked backstage, preparing to hand over the Sumeru storage ring.
His back was calm and composed, as if the storm of humiliation he had just endured had never happened.
Xue Beng stared intently at the figure's back, the killing intent in his eyes almost tangible.
"Good... very good..." he squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, his voice as deep as a demon crawling out of hell.
He beckoned, and the gaunt old man who had been standing in the shadows silently walked up. The old man was thin and his face was as withered as a dried orange peel. He was almost invisible, but when he raised his head, the occasional glint of light in his cloudy eyes was as sharp as a dagger.
"Old Wang, investigate his background." Xue Beng's voice was icy cold. "A lowly commoner without a martial spirit dares to humiliate me like this. Since he doesn't know who he is, let him wake up."
He raised his hand and made a throat-slitting motion in front of his neck.
"You're a level 58 Soul King. Once he leaves the auction house, find a secluded spot and retrieve the ring and that piece of whale glue. As for the man..."
He paused, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Make it clean. He's just a lowly commoner; if he dies, he dies. Who cares?"
A flash of bloodthirsty fervor flickered in the old man's cloudy eyes; the glint was fleeting, yet it carried a chilling, sinister quality.
"Yes, Your Highness."
His voice was hoarse and grating, as flat as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.
"Killing and robbing is something this old servant excels at."