As soon as we turned right after the teashop that receptionist told us about, instead of a fancy, colourful and delicate building, we were instantly surrounded by simple blocks made of stones and wood, with the pinnacle of decorum reached by planting some flowers in front of the entrance. 

While this place wasn"t the best to go on the date, I was there to trade the seven heavenly Naranakai stones that remained in my storage ring after I left everything else back in the shop under Leila"s protection. Even if I regretted that generosity now, there was nothing that I could do about it.,

"Maybe there?"

Eve pointed out at one of the bigger vendors whose stall was currently facing us with it"s back. From the size that is almost twice as big as the rest of the available shops, we could hope that we could get rid of those stones and get some local currency instead.

"I guess not."

After reaching the place and circ.u.mventing it to reach it"s front, it turned out that it was just another food stall, made by two different merchants that decided to work together. 

Not wasting our money on such unhealthy food that could cause Eve some problems later on, we roamed around the entire marketplace for quite some time, before finally losing the last shred of hope and leaving for the arena. 

Going back while using the same route that we used to get to the market in the first place, made me feel slightly humiliated. I hoped to get some money and buy better ingredients for crafting a whole new set for Eve before her fights would even start, but here I am, walking in shame back to the arena…

After pa.s.sing by our hotel, we followed down the main road for a short time, only to be blocked by a huge crowd of people running from our destination to a big building nearby. Considering how the tournament was just around the corner, something really big must"ve happened to attract so many people to disregard their last opportunity to train!

"Excuse me, where are you all going?"

Noticing a fat man who was barely able to keep up with the rest of the people, I stopped him for a moment to ask a question.

Noticing that I was speaking to him, he stopped, took a while to stabilize his breath and pointed at a fancy building in the vicinity.

"The Bakari Auction House opened its gates early this year. If you want to have a chance to acquire some useful treasures that will help you in the tournament, you better hurry up!"

Wait, that"s strange. If one could really get his hands on some useful artefacts, materials or other kinds of resources, why would this man share the news with me in the first place? If that"s really the truth, he should understand that he could only gain another compet.i.tor in this way!

"Thanks for your information, sir."

Taking a closer look at him, I realised that his leaking aura indicated that he was barely at the soul hazard level! What is such a weakling who can"t even run a kilometre straight without sapping his condition dry doing in such a city?

"Would you mind if we accompany you to the doors? It"s our first day in this city and I would actually send some resources that I have on hand with me, so I would love to get someone to point me out in the right direction once we get inside!"

Helping the fatso to stand up, I stuck to him as we followed the rest of the crowd. While I doubted that I could get anything from accompanying this person, since I used to be just like him, I felt strange kinds of connection and sympathy towards this poor guy.

"Oh, so you are actually going to auction something? Why didn"t you tell me sooner?"

Suddenly straightening up, an amiable smile erupted on his face as he pointed in a slightly different direction than everyone was going.

"If that"s the case, you should enter through the back door!"

After following him for just a few hundred meters, we somehow appeared behind the grand building in an open s.p.a.ce with many stalls and servants running around. As the fatso guided us towards the one with no one standing before it, a sudden shout resounded right behind my back.

"Ham, where the h.e.l.l have you been? Do you think my orders are a f.u.c.king joke?"

Turning around, I saw a young woman, around twenty-five of age, las.h.i.+ng out at the fatso that guided us here. What was more surprising, I couldn"t gauge her cultivation at all! While it could mean that she was a simple mortal with a high position attained through pure strength of her business talents, I highly doubt that anyone in this city could remain mortal with an abundance of resources that this place was known from!

"Forgive me, Ma"am! As per your request, I brought some more suppliers!"

Instantly pointing his fat fingers in direction of me and Eve, he turned his head around and tried to silently move away as soon as the woman"s head turned to our direction. 

Unfortunately for him, as soon as he made the first step, his body suddenly floated in the air and followed the female as she came to our side.

"Is that true? I can forgive you if he tried to swindle you to escape my punishment, but if you just tried to skip the proper queue, I will have you banned from taking part in the auctions for life!"

"It is as he said, we came here to sell some stuff. Would you mind to take a look, Ma"am?"

Putting on a kind smile, I dished out a single heavenly Naranakai stone from my storage ring. Since she could make the fatso float, she had to be a cultivator. If I couldn"t gauge her strength, that could only mean that she was far stronger than me! 

With that thought, I didn"t dare to pa.s.s the jade to her but showed it on my opened palm instead.

"I"m not sure what are the prices in this city, but I believe that it will still sell for quite a bit. Are you interested in auctioning it down for me?"

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