C11 The End of the Auction and the Flat-headed Honey Badger!
"Ugh!" The chubby man heaved a sigh and ultimately decided against placing another bid.
"Daifu, it's okay, let's not bother with it," Zhong Qin consoled the chubby man with a sympathetic tone.
The chubby man shook his head: "I'm alright."
Despite the eager anticipation of the onlookers, he ultimately refrained from bidding.
"Ninety-nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand for the third time!"
The gavel struck the table with finality!
Kong Lingyue triumphantly secured the highly talented Inferno Tiger.
"Congratulations to our guest in room number one for acquiring the final showpiece of our auction. You will soon receive a complimentary gift from our establishment," announced Mike, his face betraying no emotion.
Yet, internally, his heart raced with excitement.
Sold! Sold once more!
Consider this: the auction house takes a 10% commission on the sale price, and as the auctioneer, Mike would receive 10% of the house's earnings.
That means, with a closing bid nearing ten million, the auction house would profit a cool million, and Mike would pocket a tidy sum of one hundred thousand!
Adding that to his earnings from earlier sales and other items, Mike had made a whopping two to three hundred thousand in just one evening.
If this wasn't striking it rich, what was?
Still standing on the auction stage, Mike was already making plans.
Such grand auctions were rare, as were such substantial earnings. He intended to splurge on a lavish dinner tonight, follow it up with a relaxing bath, and perhaps end the evening in the company of a couple of ladies...
...
As the auction came to a close, the crowd dispersed.
Lin Yih, too, made his way home, clutching his knife and bracelet.
Click! The sound of the door handle turning echoed.
"Bark! Bark!"
Little Wen, who had been quietly waiting at the door, sprang to life, its short tail wagging furiously.
"Little Wen, you're still here!"
Lin Yih felt a surge of emotion. It was now five in the morning, and he had left the house at ten the previous night.
That meant Little Wen had been waiting for him for seven hours...
Ever since his father had brought Little Wen home, the creature had grown especially attached to Lin Yih.
It seemed to have chosen Lin Yih as its master from the start.
Though Lin Yih had never intended to make Little Wen his Pet Beast, wasn't he now playing with an unfair advantage?
Regardless, he had to ensure both their safety.
So, he decided to let Little Wen stay by his side, to grow alongside him and to help each other along the way.
"Good boy! Time to rest," Lin Yih said softly as he stroked Little Wen's head, then let out a deep yawn.
Before leaving, he even placed the Earth Crystal he had purchased earlier beside Little Wen's mouth.
Considering it was already five in the morning and thankfully a holiday, Lin Yih quickly retreated to his room to catch up on some sleep.
And as he drifted off, an outlandish idea began to take root in his mind...
Three hours earlier, at two in the morning.
The pitch-black jungle was eerily terrifying, with pairs of luminescent green eyes glinting in the darkness.
"Roar!"
Deeper in the forest, a massive tiger, standing three meters tall, let out an angry bellow.
The roar echoed far and wide.
Soon, the once silent night forest was alive with noise.
Four spirit beasts converged around the Flame Tiger.
"Croak!" "Thud!"
A resounding frog call pierced the air, and in an instant, the Cry Frog King had leaped before the Beast King, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Swoosh!"
Near the Flame Tiger, the silhouette of the Wolf King emerged from a cluster of low shrubs.
"Swish! Swish!"
A large snake with distinctive triangular eyes lifted its head on a tree branch nearby, its bright red tongue flicking in and out, seemingly gathering information from the surroundings.
"Puff! Puff!"
The last spirit beast made a rather unremarkable entrance, its movements hesitant, alternating between crawling and upright walking.
This creature had a broad head, tiny eyes, and ears that were barely visible. Its back was a dull gray, its fur loose and coarse, and it sported a blunt nose.
This was the honey badger, also known as Flat-head Bro!
Notorious for its ferocity and strong will to survive, it was combative and would fight at the drop of a hat.
Most crucially, aside from its belligerent nature, it was incredibly powerful, the only Golden stage spirit beast in the forest, apart from the Beast King Flame Tiger.
...
"Roar!"
The Flame Tiger roared again at the sight of its assembled followers.
"Sssii!"
Flat-head Bro twitched his ears in response.
The Flame Tiger, trying to contain its sorrow, cast a solemn look at the honey badger.
"Thinking of challenging me again? This guy's strength is really something," it thought.
Flat-head Bro twitched his ears once more, then sniffed the air.
Suddenly, he stood upright and spoke in human language.
"Sssii! I smell humans."
At this revelation, the Wolf King and the Cry Frog King anxiously scanned the dark surroundings, while the giant snake remained perched on the tree, continuing to flick its tongue.
Spirit beasts experience a significant chasm in their development between the Silver and Golden stages. Below the Golden stage, wild spirit beasts typically rely on their primal instincts, possessing only rudimentary intelligence. However, upon reaching the pinnacle of the Silver stage, a spirit beast's intellect experiences a brief surge. Once they've fully transcended the Silver stage and ascended to the Golden stage, their intelligence reaches that of an average human, and they gradually acquire the ability to articulate human speech.
In the shadowy, chill of the forest night, even the faintest rustle is magnified to an eerie degree.
The crew-cut man's sudden articulation in human language startled not only the other spirit beasts but also the short man lurking in the shadows.
"Impressive, truly! You are indeed the mightiest in this forest, second only to the Flame King!"
Amidst the heightened tension among the beasts, a scar-faced man draped in a black robe emerged reluctantly from the shadows behind the Flame Tiger. Though not tall, he was accompanied by two brown-furred black bears, one large and one small. The subtle aura of menace emanating from the bears served as an indirect testament to the man's formidable nature.
"Chitter! Chitter! Are you here to challenge me as well?" The crew-cut man excitedly flashed his teeth at the two black bears trailing the scar-faced man, clearly intrigued by the unfamiliar newcomers.
"Roar! Human!"
The Flame Tiger's fur bristled at the sight of the human. With an angry roar, it lunged at the short man.
Meanwhile, the colossal snake perched on the branch had not remained idle. Unnoticed by the other beasts, it had stealthily navigated through the underbrush to position itself on the tree trunk directly behind the man.
Among those present, which beast harbored the deepest loathing for humans? Aside from the Beast King, it was likely this very snake, which had narrowly escaped death at human hands several times in its youth. So, when the short man was coerced into revealing himself, the snake had already positioned itself for a lethal strike.
