Chapter 67: The Baihe Auction
Chapter 67: The Baihe Auction
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After saying goodbye to his parents, Song Chi found a secluded spot and summoned the Azure Sky. He then headed straight for Baihe City.
The Baihe Ember Marketplace was even more bustling than usual today, as the triennial Baihe Auction was set to take place on the top floor of the "Heavenly River Auction Hall."
Grim Tros stood beneath the docking platform for the Ember Warships, his face flushed with excitement and awe. In just half an hour, he had seen over fifty psychic airships land on the platform. Watching those twenty-meter-long steel airships, encased in thick armor, filled him with an indescribable thrill.
This was what he aspired to in the future. The idea of being a shop assistant in his uncle’s store was a disgrace to him.
Although his father wasn’t a powerful member of the Tros family, he had married into it, inheriting his mother’s surname and thus becoming a legitimate member of the formidable Tros clan.
Grim felt no resentment about this; instead, he was grateful to be part of the Tros family.
As Grim’s thoughts raced, another nearly twenty-meter-long psychic airship descended from the sky and landed precisely on the platform, which was over a hundred meters in diameter and could accommodate a guardian-class psychic airship.
The marketplace guards, standing around the platform, immediately straightened up, respectfully welcoming the arrival of the airship, which was cloaked in a dark energy shield, obscuring its identity and making it impossible to discern the color of its armor.
Grim’s face also took on a serious expression, his heart quickening.
From the energy fluctuations emitted by the airship’s energy shield, it was clear that the shield components were not standard psychic shields. They might even be of blue quality, as white quality shields rarely emit such powerful energy waves.
A blue-quality energy shield, even on a guardian-class ship, would be a significant asset.
Because of this, not only Grim Tros but many sharp-eyed individuals believed that the airship’s origins were far from ordinary.
Stepping off the Azure Sky, Song Chi still wore a white mask, though it was more human-like than the one he had worn five days ago.
Storing the Azure Sky in his ancestral acupoint, he followed a marketplace patrol officer directly to the Heavenly River Auction Hall.
There were no tickets required; any captain of a psychic airship or higher automatically qualified to participate in the auction.
Song Chi understood this.
With the convenience of the Ember Network, a virtual network that allowed for free communication and trading at any time, why did many large marketplaces still insist on holding auctions? It was to attract more people and make their marketplaces more popular. Why would they turn away high-quality customers like first-tier Ember Warship captains?
As for zero-tier Ember Warship captains who wanted to enter the auction, they would have to pay an entrance fee of 100 strands of zero-tier floating land essence, effectively raising the auction’s status.
The Heavenly River Auction Hall was vast, with rows of leather seats arranged in a circle around the central square auction stage.
Above the numerous leather seats, there were over twenty enclosed booths, specifically reserved for Second-Rank and higher Flameheart Captains.
Song Chi cast a quick glance and his face beneath the mask tightened. Seven of the twenty booths were already lit up, indicating that at least seven Second-Rank and higher Flameheart Captains had arrived at the auction.
"Didn't the network say that the White River Auctions usually only see two or three Second-Rank Flameheart Captains? Why are there so many this time?"
Muttering to himself, Song Chi found an empty leather seat and sat down, waiting quietly.
There was still about half an hour before the auction began, and more Flameheart Captains were expected to arrive. However, he wondered if there would be any more Second-Rank Flameheart Captains.
Closing his eyes, he sank his mind deep into his thoughts. Taking advantage of this time, Song Chi prepared to visualize the "Dragon Spine Tyrant Whale - Mythic Mech Projection."
This visualization directly influenced the future combat strength of the Azure Sky when it advanced to a higher rank. He had never relaxed his focus on it, and whenever he had free time, he would dedicate it to this visualization.
While his mental energy would gradually improve even without active visualization after the imprinting was successful, the active focus and visualization were far more effective.
Due to his frequent active visualization, Song Chi had already noticed a significant enhancement in his mental energy over the past two months, which was something the imprinting alone could not achieve.
For example, during the recent battle with the Void Demon, he had pushed his mental energy to the limit and managed to hold on for nearly an hour. If he had just awakened, he probably wouldn't have lasted even half an hour.
If he had let the imprinting operate on its own over the past two months, he estimated he could have only lasted about forty minutes. This was the difference between active and passive visualization.
Focusing his mental energy on the mythic mech projection, Song Chi's mental energy rapidly consumed itself, but it also slowly and steadily improved.
Suddenly, a series of exclamations interrupted his visualization. Opening his eyes, Song Chi quickly understood the cause of the commotion.
Just a moment ago, the tenth Second-Rank Flameheart Captain had entered the auction. Ten Second-Rank Flameheart Captains attending the White River Auction was clearly unusual.
"Could there be high-quality ship components up for auction? Or perhaps extremely rare ship reinforcement resources?"
Song Chi pondered, but after failing to come to a conclusion, he quickly gave up. Instead of trying to visualize the imprint again, he sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the square auction platform below.
Calculating the time, the auction was about to begin.
About two minutes later, a figure leaped down from the sky.
Bang!
With a heavy thud, the figure landed precisely on the stone auction platform. As it lifted its gaze to scan the surroundings, Song Chi recognized the figure's appearance, his eyes narrowing with a hint of seriousness.
The man had white hair and a white beard, clearly advanced in age.
What surprised Song Chi and the other guests was the overwhelming aura the white-haired elder emitted. Despite his advanced age, the blood energy radiating from his body was exceptionally strong.
"His Guiding Technique must be at least Level 20, a Second-Rank Flameheart Captain!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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