Chapter 50 The road is narrow

Standing at the door of the auction house, Scarlett looked a little lazy.

She wore a small white round hat on her head and a bright yellow tuft that framed her slender waist. The long blond hair was pulled high behind her head, revealing her graceful neck. A pair of pearl earrings swayed slightly with the flick of the small incense fan in his hand, and the corners of his mouth had a hint of arc that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

Although she just stood there quietly, her charming figure still attracted the attention of countless people. Not only did the noble children around her crowd her, scrambling to be the first to offer their courtesy, but even the participants of the auction focused their amazed eyes on her as soon as they got off the carriage.

In the eyes of everyone, Scarlett was born to be a shining pearl. It's hard not to get noticed. As long as his eyes fall on her, he will involuntarily be firmly absorbed by her, thus ignoring the qiē beside her. With her, no matter how beautiful a girl is, she is just a foil.

Scarlett is the only daughter of Prince Charles, the niece of Emperor Edward I, and the cousin of Princess Ellethea.

The brothers and sisters of Emperor Edward I were not many of the three imperial families. There is only one older brother, two younger brothers, two older sisters and one younger sister. Because of his brother's early death, Edward has been the first crown prince of the Saint-Soran Empire since birth.

And his two younger brothers, the eldest died fourteen years ago, and the younger one was Prince Anthony.

According to the regulations of the founding ancestor of the country, Grand Duke Solan, no child of the royal family is allowed to lead an army, enjoy fiefdoms, participate in political affairs, and hold any position. It can be said that if they can't become emperors, then they will only be rich people in their lives, and there will be no room for them to display their talents.

This provision, although it seems a little impersonal. However, this also avoids the possibility of royal strife. In the 100 years since the founding of the Saint Solan state, several generations of emperors have never had a tragedy of fratricidal brothers. Compared with the cruel battle for the throne of the other two imperial families, this can be regarded as a kind of luck.

And the princes are not all fools who have nothing to do and wait for death. On the contrary, among the princes of the past dynasties, there have been many amazing and brilliant characters.

Over the past 100 years, there have been as many as 10 paladins who have been honored as princes. There are also quite a few people who have achieved considerable success in painting, music and architecture. Two of them, even if you look at them in the context of the entire human world. He is also recognized as a top art master, and his works are collected by aristocrats and museums.

From a very young age, Prince Anthony showed an outstanding talent for painting and engraving, and under the tutelage of several famous painters and sculptors in the empire, he has always devoted himself to artistic creation, not to mention political affairs, and even the basic aspects of life.

He was unambitious, kind, and had a very good relationship with his brother Edward I. Although he knew nothing about politics and could not provide any help, whenever Edward I had troubles, as long as the brothers played chess and chatted, they left everything behind.

In the Saint-Soran Empire, Anthony was known as a virtuous king.

Scarlett is the only daughter of the Prince. From the day he was born, the prince has always regarded his daughter as a treasure. If you hold it in your mouth, you are afraid of melting, and if you hold it in your hand, you are afraid of flying.

Scarlett has been pampered in every way since she was a child. As long as she wants it, there is nothing she can't get. And Scarlett herself is indeed worthy of pampering. Not only is she beautiful and moving, but she is also extremely talented, revealing a powerful elemental sense and amazing magic early on.

Originally, with her identity, she should have been in the Magic Association of the Imperial Capital, and was accepted as a disciple by a certain god of law and carefully tutored. No matter how bad it is, I still study in the training camp. But no one expected that she would leave the imperial capital and come to Lulian, where she was admitted to the first training camp Muni City Branch. ..., no one understood her decision. Neither her magic teachers nor her father, His Highness Anthony, understood what was going on in the chick's head.

However, this did not affect her to become the dream lover of all noble children with her beauty, noble status and outstanding talent. Whether it is in the circle of noble children in the imperial capital or in the noble circle of Muni City, she is the focus of attention, and she is the goddess loved by hundreds of aristocratic youths.

"Xia Li, shall we go in?" Seeming to be not used to the eyes of the people around her, Scarlett stretched out her jade hand with white embroidered gloves and gently held Xia Li's arm, and said softly. The trace of coquettishness and pleading in her tone made people want to do anything for her.

Today's Xia Li is wearing a crimson cardigan and a white raff collar. Like the dozen or so noble children beside him, they are all dressed as regular nobles.

Hearing Scarlett's soft words, he was talking to others, and frowned slightly. And the children of the surrounding nobles couldn't help but cast envious glances at him.

In everyone's eyes, Xia Li and Scarlett are an enviable couple. Not only are the parents of the two families close friends, but he and Scarlett are also childhood sweethearts who grew up together.

But only Xia Li himself knows that the relationship between Scarlett and himself is definitely not the kind of relationship that others imagine.

In Scarlett's heart, there is no room for any man other than one man. The reason why she is so gentle and obedient when she is with him is because she likes such games.

From the day he came to Muni City and was admitted to the training camp together, Xia Li was Scarlett's shield. With Xia Li in front of her, Scarlett can not only dispel some people's wishful thinking, but also make those young people who are equally confident and excellent have the illusion that they can replace Xia Li.

Seeing the envious, jealous, hot, or pretending indifferent gazes of the nobles around him, the corners of Xia Li's mouth couldn't help but hook up a sneer.

To him, it's like a game of cat and mouse. Scarlett is like a lazy Persian cat, playing with them with her paws. Constantly giving them hope, and turning hope into despair again and again. The better the person, the deeper he will sink into this quagmire of hope and despair.

When they thought that as long as they worked harder, they could defeat Xia Li and win Scarlett's favor, but they didn't know that compared to the person in Scarlett's mind, even if they were as proud as Xia Li, they had to admit that they were just a firefly under the sun.

Although he didn't like Scarlett's move to attract firepower by herself, Xia Li was used to it. Frowning slightly, he glanced at Scarlett, and after a playful spit out of her tongue, he turned around and walked up the steps of the auction hall with her arm in hand.

Seeing that Xia Li and Scarlett were about to enter the venue, the aristocratic ladies and sons chatting next to them hurriedly followed.

Along the way, there were many gentlemen and nobles, all of whom greeted them with smiles.

In aristocratic circles, the auction is not only an auction, but also a very important social activity. It even surpassed the prom and hunting, and became the most accustomed and valued one of all social occasions.

You know, in this world, it's not like you can buy a qiē with money. If you want to get something that you can't see in the world, you have to compete in the auction room.

For the aristocracy, no matter how much money there is, it can't be flowed, it's just a pile of useless metal. And a set of exercises, a set of armor, a bottle of elixir, a gift, or a batch of bulk materials and materials may be able to raise the strength of their territory and family to a higher level.

At the auction, they can not only enjoy spending money, but also have fun fighting with each other. If there is a treasure that everyone is determined to get, then the fierce atmosphere of fighting for each other is no less than a small war. It's always addictive. ..., not to mention participating in the competition, even if it is just a bystander, it is a pleasure.

And these noble children are also frequent visitors to the auction.

Although they are not the main bidders in the auction house. But for young people, improving themselves without relying on family strength, learning the struggles and compromises between nobles, and showing their abilities are the only ways to win fame, respect and recognition, and lay the foundation for the future.

Moreover, with the recent arrival of a large number of mercenaries, knights, and nobles in Muni City, there have been eye-catching auction items in the previous auctions. One of them, a seven-star legendary-level long sword and a six-star rebirth pill, were even auctioned at sky-high prices.

For young aristocrats who are in a competitive environment like training camp and urgently need to improve their strength, this in itself has a fatal attraction.

The crowd laughed and greeted each other as they walked towards the auction hall.

This auction attracted almost all the nobles and the rich. As the crowd around and the carriages parked in front of the auction hall became more and more, everyone couldn't help but scan the surroundings with anxiety while smiling and greeting, to see how many nobles who were stronger than themselves appeared.

After all, a large number of people means a large number of opponents, and later, it may be a bloody battle with bayonets.

Among a group of young people, the most eye-catching is naturally Scarlett.

In the sight, Scarlett gently held Xia Li's arm, smiled, and kept greeting the people who greeted her, gentle and polite. However, everyone knows that this beautiful and gentle young lady, in terms of status and wealth, is not comparable to ordinary nobles.

If there is something that she sees in the eyes of the law, then it is better for everyone to be interesting. Don't offend people again in the end, and you can't compete with each other, that's why stealing chickens doesn't make a handful of rice.

Just as everyone was about to enter the gate of the auction hall, suddenly, there was a sound of horses' hooves. A carriage without any heraldic markings, escorted by a dozen riders, stopped at the door of the auction house.

Seeing this convoy, many people couldn't help but stop.

That carriage was not surprising in the eyes of these nobles and rich people. Not to mention two ordinary Tregna horses and an ordinary carriage worth no more than a hundred gold langs, it is a magic carriage worth more than ten thousand gold road langs, dragged by demon pets, they have also seen a lot.

What attracted everyone's attention were the dozen or so riders who were guarding the carriage.

These people cover their faces with hoods or masks, apparently unwilling to reveal their identities. However, they did not hide their momentum.

Needless to say, the four knights in front, the black Dayu and the black Shatai horse are enough to make anyone as far away as they can to hide. And the fluctuations of the fighting spirit emanating from the three guys behind the carriage made many of the knights present feel powerless to resist.

And the sharp-eyed people unexpectedly found that there was also a magician holding a demon clan and several bow and arrow hunters with a body shape similar to elves in the team!

Not to mention the mysterious magician, just talking about the elf guard, it is not something that ordinary people can have. The cost of taming an elf to make him willing to become a guard is far higher than recruiting a just knight. Such a luxurious escort team, among the nobles present, except for a few top ones, no one can take it. But the carriage they were guarding didn't even have a sign.

When it comes to population territory, the province of Lulian is very large. But if it's small, Lulian is also small.

Although the nobles are scattered in different places, and many of them have never even met in their lives, even if they don't know each other, they can get a general idea by looking at the coat of arms and asking the clerical staff next to them. ..., but in the face of such a convoy, no one present knew where the other party was sacred, so everyone's curiosity became more and more intense. Whether it was the people who entered the stadium or the people who chatted, they all stopped to shut down and look at the convoy in front of them.

For a while, there was a rare vacuum in front of the auction hall.

Next to the driver's seat in front of the carriage, an old man dressed as a butler, wearing an expressionless mask, bowed down and opened the door.

In the eyes of everyone, a small hand as white as jade gently rested on the butler's gloves, and then, with a young lady wearing a half-cut peacock mask and covering her eyes, she elegantly lifted the corner of the skirt of the puffy skirt and slowly stepped out of the carriage.

With her appearance, the air, which was already extremely quiet, was even more silent. Even though she had covered her face above her nose, her dreamlike eyes, delicate lips and demonic body under the peacock mask were still dazzling.

Not only the eyes of the nobles present lit up, but even the children of the nobles who surrounded Scarlett were also holding their breath one by one. When they looked at each other, their eyes were full of surprise and eagerness.

This wasn't the only person in the carriage, though.

With the appearance of the amazing young lady, a young man wearing a mask stepped out of the carriage. He's not outstanding. He was a little thin, dressed in a black gentleman's cardigan, with a large hood and a devil's mask covering his entire face, including his hair and chin.

He and his subordinates didn't seem to care about the attention of everyone. Miss Peacock Kamen, who got out of the car first, took his arm, and the group quickly disappeared into the gate of the auction hall. When they passed by Xia Li and Scarlett, they didn't even glance at the two of them.

Xia Li narrowed his eyes slightly, and the smile on the corner of Scarlett's mouth was a little cold

"Who are they?"

Tracy stood on the third-floor balcony of the auction house building, cup of coffee in hand.

"I don't know. Li Fanxi, the sixth-level director of the Muni City Auction Center, stared at the group of people downstairs who walked through the crowd and walked into the door, and shook his head in confusion.

After sitting in the position of director of the Muni City Auction House for so many years, this is indeed the first time he has seen this team downstairs.

In this world, wearing a mask is not unusual.

For the aristocracy, the veil mask was not only a prop in the masquerade, but also a fun and fashionable decoration. Many men and women who cheat on each other wear masks all the time. Even if you know every detail of each other's body, no one knows each other when you put on your clothes and meet on a different occasion.

Moreover, the popularity of masks and veils has also made it convenient for people with status to go to some less decent occasions. Among the people Li Fanxi knew, many of the nobles who had their own industries in the underground world and often dealt with some vicious outlaws had their own identity as another mask.

When he greets you with a smile on his face in the palatial castle and warmly introduces you to the ball, you never know that he may be the devil in the slums east of the city the night before, sitting indifferently in a chair with a mask on his face, watching rivers of blood.

However, generally speaking, the people who come to the auction house are aristocratic gentlemen with heads and faces, and no matter how bad they are, they are also rich on the rich side, buying and selling, you fight for me, not only make money, but also earn prestige, and few people will wear a mask in such a social occasion.

There is only one reason for the people who come with masks, that is, no matter how many famous families there are, the other party is not rare, and there is no intention of dealing with each other at all.

The purpose of their coming here is just to trade..., "Is there anything special about today's auction?" Tracy watched the group of people below walk into the auction hall, muttered for a while, turned to leave the balcony, and walked into the room.

Tracy is Chinese New Year's Eve years old and is the seventh elder of the Lulian branch of the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce, and the top executive of the Golden Skull Auction House under the club's name.

The Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce is not a chamber of commerce, but a business organization with hundreds of large and small chambers of commerce participating together.

From its inception to the present, the history of the Chamber of Commerce has been nearly 200 years. The age is even far greater than that of the Saint-Soran Empire itself. If it weren't for the collapse of the Roman Emperor at the beginning, the Chamber of Commerce could only be in a corner of peace, but I am afraid that the current Chamber of Commerce would have become a world-class super joint organization.

Even so, the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce still has supreme authority in the business community of Saint-Solan. Its tentacles can be found in every corner of the empire. Its Silver Vouchers and Magic Cards pass through the Empire. Whether it is royalty or common people, it is inevitable to deal with the Chamber of Commerce.

It can be said that in the Saint Soran Empire, the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce is a behemoth that even the nobles are not willing to offend lightly. Like the Mission Hall, the Divine Craftsman Hall, the Demon Mountain Law Temple, and the Knight Hall, it has a profound impact on all aspects of the empire, and has long been part of the empire's huge root system deep in the ground.

And the most famous institution in the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce is the Golden Skull Auction House.

Because of the joining of countless chambers of commerce, the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce has a unique advantage in terms of supply. And it has a wide range of business routes and commercial information channels, which is the best network to promote the circulation of goods. Therefore, the Golden Skull Auction House, which has been at the top of the auction house list for many years, has become the symbol of the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce.

It stands to reason that the head of an auction house in a province is at least a big manager with decades of experience. But Lulian's head of the auction house went to Tracy, who was only thirty years old.

To be honest, since Tracy took office three years ago, no one has been convinced that she was only twenty-seven years old. Several senior directors and expert experts even resigned en masse, trying to force her out with a mess. But no one expected that it was this woman with a graceful demeanor, like a noble lady more than a guild director, but in the case of being a general, she would make Loulian's auction house prosperous.

On her own, Tracy not only gained a foothold in Lurian's auction house, but also earned the respect and obedience of all the auction house staff. It can be said that at the Golden Skull auction house in Lulian, Tracy's words are a holy decree. No one dares to disobey it.

However, Tracy is not invincible and will always be smooth sailing.

For now, at least, she's facing a dilemma.

Originally, according to Tracy's performance and ability, she could already be promoted to the Imperial Capital Association. But because of the suppression of some people in the upper echelons, Tracy was pressed and couldn't move. In a few months, it will be the re-election of the House of Elders of the Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce, if it can't go up this time, I'm afraid

Hearing Tracy's question, Li Fanxi was not a little surprised. In his opinion, with Tracy's ability, it is simply normal to grasp the key in an instant.

"This is the list of registered auction items today," Li Fanxi handed Tracy a copy of the auction catalog, "There is no clue in the registered auction items." Although there are some good things, they are not to the point of hiding their identity to buy them. As for what will come out of the free trade later, I don't know. ”

Tracy flipped through the list and shook her head.

The auction will be held in three phases. The first stage is the auction of bulk commodities, which mainly focuses on grain, ore, fine iron, cotton and linen and other materials, and sometimes mass-produced weapons and horses. The second stage is the auction of rare goods, where all lots are registered and appraised in advance, numbered, and set a reserve price, and auctioned one by one according to the process. ..., and the third is free trading. The commodities that appear at this stage are all temporary. The auction house provides a trading platform to help with appraisal and auction, and charges a certain fee. This is a service for those who have not had time to register in advance, in fact, there are many treasures, which appear at this stage.

However, since there are no treasures worth hiding their identities in the registered auction items, then naturally these people will not come to the auction items of the free auction.

After all, even the auction house doesn't know what goods will appear in the free auction, and if the other party knows, just find the owner and buy it, so why bother?

This means that Tracy put down the catalogue and a smile of interest appeared on her face: "They're here to sell something!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps. A third-level director quickly knocked on the door and walked in, handing the auction registration form to Li Fanxi.

"Miss Tracy, you guessed it. Li Fanxi scanned the registration form and showed a smile on his face: "They really came to apply for the auction." ”

"Oh?" Tracy asked, taking a sip of her coffee, "What are they selling?"

"A bottle of elixir, a demonic sword. ”

"Oh?" said Tracy's brow, a hint of disappointment. In her opinion, since the other party came to the auction house in such a form, it should at least be an auction of some kind of secret technique or something special that makes people blush. But I didn't expect that it was just a bottle of elixir and a demonic sword.

Although in the auction house, elixirs and magic pattern products are the most popular, and they are the focus of the nobles' spending. But on the contrary, the Empire's Demon Pattern Master and Alchemy Master, she has seen a lot, and she has seen any quality of pills. This kind of thing really doesn't really arouse her interest.

"What kind of pill is it, how many stars?" Tracy asked excitedly.

"There is no identification yet. Li Fanxi said.

Tracy was stunned for a moment, frowning slightly: "What about the demonic sword?"

"It hasn't been identified yet. Li Fanxi coughed dryly. He has presided over the auction house for so many years, and it is the first time he has seen someone mobilize the public, just to send two auction items that have not even been appraised to auction. On weekdays, there are some magicians or pharmacists who send in the works they have just completed.

But who sells both elixir and magic patterns? Could it be that all these unidentified things are the work of one person? And he is so confident?

Hearing Li Fanxi's answer, a trace of anger flashed in Tracy's eyes, and she almost thought that the other party was specially here to entertain her.

However, as soon as she thought about it, she put it away and groaned instead.

"Go and invite them to the VIP room upstairs, and invite the chief appraiser in charge of the medicine and the magic pattern," After pondering for a while, Tracy instructed the third-level principal who came to report, and turned to Li Fanxi and said, "Mr. Li, let's go and have a look together." ”

"Yes. ”

Walking into the auction hall, Roy and the others were directly led to the auction registration hall on the second floor after being asked by the person in charge of reception.

The Golden Skull Auction House in Muni City is a beautiful Romanesque architectural ensemble. In terms of size, it is not much smaller than the Cathedral of the city of Munich. As for its long history, it is still far above the cathedral of the city of Muni. More than 100 years ago, when the Empire and the Holy Church were at war, the church in Muni City was burned to the ground, and it was later rebuilt on its original site. And the Golden Skull Auction House has remained unscathed throughout the war and stands to this day.

After 100 years of expansion, renovation and renovation, the auction house is now one of the grandest and most beautiful landmarks in the city. ..., in the middle of the auction hall is a rectangular hall. Huge pillars painted with elaborate frescoes hold up the dome of the round vault. The floors are covered with smooth marble, and the walls and eaves, beams and columns, and porches are full of exquisite sculptures. All around, there are three annex buildings that show the arrangement of the characters.

The style of the annex building is known for its steeple, narrow windows, and intricate and graceful lines. Downstairs is a stone-paved pavement, and the grass is green on the side of the road and in the open space between the buildings. Walking through it is not like entering a trading market full of hustle and bustle and the smell of copper, but like arriving at the riverside mansion of a certain prince and minister.

Looking closely at the auction house, Roy secretly admired in his heart.

The Golden Skull Chamber of Commerce can stand for two hundred years, and there are some doorways. Not to mention anything else, this auction hall alone makes the noble gentlemen who come and go comfortable. If you change to the dirty and smelly auction halls of the Chengbei Bazaar, I am afraid that everyone will not even be interested in staying a little longer, let alone using it as an important social place.

It is precisely because of the elegance of the auction hall that it attracts the aristocracy, so that these large and small auctions are integrated into people's lives. It became one of the most important parts of this era. If you don't have access to the guò auction house, many nobles don't even know where to use their money?

After going up to the auction registration hall on the second floor and filling out the form, Roy put the items he needed to auction on the appraisal table waiting for identification.

There are not many people in the auction registration hall, but there are also many people. Most of them are holding things to apply for auction. There are antique calligraphy and paintings, magic cores, furs of high-level magical beasts, materials for painting demons and alchemy, and weapons and equipment. As he passed through the hallway, Roy even saw a few dark-skinned Barabs registering their horses with the auction house staff.

It's a huge market.

The Golden Skull auction houses scattered throughout Saint-Soran release falcons every hour to deliver information. There are also empty magic ships flying back and forth and thousands of mercenaries, merchant groups, delivering goods to the places where their value can be most realized. It can be said that as long as you have money, there is nothing you can't buy.

"I heard" While waiting quietly, Malt whispered in Roy's ear: "That Scarlett, is the county lord?"

"Hmm. Roy nodded.

When he got out of the carriage just now, he saw Scarlett and Xia Li, and at the same time, the mage student Si Walker next to the two of them, Klaus who had his arm pinched off by himself, and Xiang Feng and Ning Mao'er and others. Unexpectedly, he also saw Anne and her brother Rice among a group of noble children.

Obviously, with Anne's beauty, she is quite popular among the noble children of Muni City.

"Do you want me to help you kill her?" came the voice of Malt.

Roy was stunned: "Who?"

"What kind of lord is that," Malt said as a matter of course.

Roy had a headache. After getting along with Mai'er for a long time, he knew that for Mai'er, such a mention was completely natural. Someone like Scarlett who took the initiative to provoke herself, in the eyes of the dark elves, should be killed with a knife to avoid trouble. She doesn't care what the county lord is or not.

"Don't make trouble!"

"Hmph," Malt pouted, "I know that when you see a beautiful woman, you are reluctant to do it." No wonder the people in the manor say you're a pervert. ”

"Go, go. Roy grinded his teeth and glared at Malt. This girl did everything, and now she is still framing herself with the crime of planting herself, what the is this. It seems that she can't spoil her anymore in the future, otherwise it will be overturned.

One malt, one Oliver, these two debt collectors can do anything.

"No," Malt twisted Roy's arm vigorously, "I just don't like that Scarlett, you don't allow me to kill her, then I'll get rid of her hands and feet." If you don't cut her face with a knife, take a step back, you can let Karenic hold her and let me beat her. ”

Looking at the unreasonable malt, Roy's heart warmed. He didn't know that Malt was trying to vent for himself.

"Actually," Roy thought back to what Scarlett said in front of him in the academy, and his eyes narrowed slightly, "I don't think she is very pleasing to the eye, either." ”

Malt was pleasantly surprised: "So, you agreed?"

Roy shook his head, "There are many ways to get revenge on her. "I replayed the look in Scarlett's eyes when she and Malt walked into the auction room. The corners of his mouth hooked up a silly evil smile: "In a while, let's go to the auction to take a look, since the road is narrow, maybe, we can find some interest first." ”