C61 The Flesh of the Horned Dinosaur

"I apologize, I just can't resist this flavor; I've missed it too much," the little elf said, wiping away the wine stain from her mouth with a goofy grin.

"Is Osmanthus Wine that hard to come by? With the resources of the Dark Auction, it shouldn't be too difficult to procure some for you, should it?" Wang Yan inquired with a hint of skepticism.

"It's not the Osmanthus Wine that's rare, but the Moon Beasts that brew it are exceedingly scarce," the little elf explained with a sigh. "Moon Beasts are an incredibly rare and unique type of spirit beast that reproduce on their own, and there can only be two of them at most. That means either a mother-daughter pair or sisters, never a third. Given that, acquiring wine made by a Moon Beast is quite a challenge. If I'm not mistaken, your third spirit beast must be a Moon Beast, the offspring of Suyue."

"Is wine made by a Moon Beast that valuable?" Wang Yan asked, turning the question back on his companion instead of answering.

"Exceedingly so! The Moon Beast is a manifestation of the moon's essence, an emissary of the Moon Goddess. The wine they brew, the food they prepare, it all resonates more closely with nature. For us Elves, there's nothing more delectable than the essence of the natural world," the little elf said, inhaling deeply with a look of sheer bliss on her face.

"I have a proposition. I'll buy all but one jar of this wine at double the price," the elf offered eagerly, barely containing its greed. If it weren't worried about Wang Yan suspecting a trick, it wouldn't want to part with even a single jar.

"Alright, that's fine by me," Wang Yan agreed readily with a nod. The wine wasn't all that rare; Moon could brew plenty each day, and the rest just needed time to ferment.

Though the little elf was merely a companion creature to the tree elves, it could, to some extent, speak on their behalf. Why not use something so trivial to foster good relations?

"Fantastic!" The little elf exclaimed, buzzing with joy as it flitted about for a full thirty seconds before coming to rest.

"As for the five-nut mooncakes, we can start the bidding at three thousand each. Items that can heal wounds and replenish energy are hard to come by, so they should fetch at least triple that price."

"Three thousand? Are we talking soul copper coins?"

Wang Yan inquired.

"What else? Even the lowest quality leader-class spirit beast starts at twenty thousand. You're not still thinking of paying with gold coins, are you?"

The sprite deftly handed a numbered plaque to Wang Yan. "Infuse it with your soul energy, and you'll be able to bid during the auction. If you have any questions, leave a message—I'll get back to you once I receive it. The auction is starting in ten minutes, so you'd better head inside."

With those words, the sprite vanished, and the surrounding din filled Wang Yan's ears.

Following the number on his plaque, Wang Yan found his seat and surveyed the room, taking in every detail.

The hall was spacious enough for three thousand, yet there were scarcely a thousand people present.

To his right, three figures in black robes exchanged silent glances.

The sight made Wang Yan inwardly groan.

"I just came to shop; please, no more trouble!"

Rice Bucket's oversized head popped out from under the seat, his gaze darting about curiously, somehow fixating on the trio in black.

One of the robed figures locked eyes with Rice Bucket, and it was as if sparks flew between them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The somber beat of a drum hushed the crowd.

An elder in a green robe, adorned with a twig hairpin, emerged at a leisurely pace, a wooden stick in hand.

After a ten-second scrutiny, Wang Yan confirmed the man's headpiece was indeed a branch, and the object in his grasp, a genuine stick.

"Welcome, everyone! No need for long-winded introductions—let's get right to it."

The elder's speech was brisk and to the point as he presented the first auction item.

"Soul Fragments - Particles. Ten in a set, with ten sets available, each starting at a thousand soul copper coins."

The elder's words had barely settled when the bidding erupted.

Wang Yan's heart pounded with excitement; his journey here was already proving worthwhile.

Here they were, selling in sets what one could only hope to obtain from defeating Rank 4 or higher ferocious beasts.

It was as astonishing as a calf knocking on a door to call for its mother—utterly remarkable.

A few months back, Wang Yan would have put up a fight for it.

But now, with his Soul Strength at a solid 24 points, the item held no value for him.

The ten sets of soul fragments were quickly snapped up, followed by an assortment of spirit medicines.

These were only effective on basic attributes under 100 points and came with a lethal toxicity.

After a quick chat with a sprite, Wang Yan got the rundown of the auction process.

Held biannually, the auction was split into three segments. The first, currently underway, featured a plethora of materials for novice beast tamers.

The second segment auctioned off a variety of slaves—men, women, those neither clearly male nor female, blacks, whites, and every shade in between. Every type of slave was available, except for citizens of the Flame Empire.

Every so often, one might spot a beast tamer with spirit beast organs, a result of bloodline erosion, as well as hybrids of spirit beasts and humans.

The third segment was the highlight, where the fiercest competition took place.

Exquisite spirit herbs, unique spirit beasts, and a host of odd yet invaluable items were up for grabs.

For Wang Yan, seeking the bloodlines of dragon and phoenix species, this was the place to try his luck.

The Rank 1 phase concluded swiftly, and several iron cages measuring two meters in all dimensions were brought onto the stage.

Without any visible cue from the auctioneer, the black cloths veiling the cages soared, revealing the slaves within.

Arranged from left to right, two women and a man stood bare, their humanity marred by bloodline corrosion.

One resembled a cat-woman, her vertical pupils narrowing to slits, her slender tail flicking with unease.

Next to her was a rabbit-girl, her fluffy white ears hanging low, her demeanor shy.

The last was a donkey-man, whose specifics need not be detailed—too risqué for polite company.

Suffice to say, it was half a meter long...

"Man, this is quite the revelation!" Wang Yan couldn't help but marvel. The trip had been worth it, indeed a real eye-opener.

All three slaves were Caucasian, likely hailing from the Holy Empire.

Due to a cataclysmic event over four centuries ago, the historical trajectory of this world diverged significantly from what Wang Yan knew in his past life.

The Q Dynasty, which had once set the Flame Civilization back by a millennium, perished in its infancy. In contrast, the decaying Bright Dynasty mounted a last-ditch counteroffensive, miraculously persevered, and even repelled the ferocious beasts, establishing the dominant Flame Empire.

In Wang Yan's previous existence, what is known as the A Continent was referred to as the Nine States. Besides the Flame Empire, there were three subordinate kingdoms: the Dune Kingdom, the Gold Kingdom, and the Mogul Kingdom.

Regions such as the R Country and the K Country were directly integrated into the empire's domain, governed by the Eastern War Zone.

In his former life, the B Continent was known as Great Qin, a name unrelated to the historical figure Ying Zheng.

The Han Dynasty's Zhang Qian pioneered the Silk Road, fostering exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations. It was during the Three Kingdoms period that the name Great Qin was coined, a nomenclature the Flame Empire adopted.

The political landscape of Great Qin mirrored that of the Nine States, consisting of an empire with three vassal states: the Holy Empire, the Sun Dukedom, the Celts Dukedom, and the Rafer Dukedom.

Previously, continents like Oceania, Antarctica, North America, and South America had succumbed to the reign of ferocious beasts, becoming their haven.

Africa, on the other hand, was engulfed in turmoil.

Lacking the foundations of civilization and the necessary wisdom, how could beings scarcely distinguishable from gorillas hope to contend with such savage creatures?

This world's narrative unfolded on the stages of the Nine States and Great Qin, with the Flame Empire asserting its dominance.

The Holy Empire wouldn't dare to wage war against the Flame Empire, let alone actually do it.

Their underlings, however, were a different story—constantly provoking and nitpicking at each other.

This is how the Caucasian slaves found themselves on the auction block.

With the commencement of the auction, bids soared.

A cat girl and a rabbit girl fetched 80 million and 90 million, respectively, while a donkey boy commanded a price of 120 million.

Naturally, these transactions were in flame coins, not the treasured Soul Copper Coins.

These slaves were destined for labor or leisure; no one would spend the valuable Soul Copper Coins to acquire them.

Following several rounds of sales, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.

The elder didn't waste any words as he presented the first item—a substantial offering.

"This is the egg of a giant shell turtle, a leader-grade ferocious beast. It's excellent for boosting Qi and fortifying both Yin and Yang. When stewed with a phoenix species ferocious beast, the benefits are even greater. Alternatively, you may choose to incubate it."

He unveiled the egg by whisking away the cloth on the tray.

"Turtles are renowned for their formidable defense. Unless you're dealing with something one or two grades higher, they're virtually untouchable."

"What good is an untouchable defense if it just hides at the first sign of danger? What about the beast tamer?"

Scoffs and derision bubbled up from the crowd, signaling their awareness of the creature's shortcomings.

"Let's start the bidding at fifty thousand!"

The elder moved on to the auction without engaging in debate.

The giant shell turtle's weaknesses were as clear as its strengths, but for the average beast tamer, it still offered a high value for the price.

The bids climbed steadily until they plateaued at 110,000.

"Congratulations to the winning bidder!"

With a wave of his hand, the elder introduced the next item.

"A Snow Spirit Fox cub..."

"The toad robe of a Green Crystal Cold Toad..."

"Scales from an Iron Armored Dragon..."

And so it went, with each item being swiftly snapped up by eager buyers.

Wang Yan, listless and bored, idly rubbed his dog's head with his foot.

"The twenty-third auction item: five hundred kilograms of horned dragon meat."

The announcement jolted Wang Yan to attention, his toe even jabbing into his dog Rice Bucket's nostril.

"At last!"

A spark of determination lit up Wang Yan's eyes. He resolved to purchase the meat at any cost, knowing how rare dragon species were, especially one he needed.

Missing this chance to acquire horned dragon meat meant an indefinite wait for the next opportunity.

"Horned dragon meat? Five hundred kilograms? Why not the entire creature? Has the choice meat been carved out and only the leftovers put up for sale?"

A man seated in the third row spoke up.

"This horned dragon was discovered in an ancient forest, its body charred and in tatters. The seller surmised that it likely reached the threshold of an advanced king but failed to survive the lightning tribulation, ultimately being struck down."

The elder replied with a twinkle in his eye.

"An advanced king, taken out by the lightning tribulation?"

Upon hearing the elder's explanation, the whole assembly burst into a commotion.