Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Entrusted by Another

The Beast Skin Bag in the center of Dongye Middle Square was massive; it was hard to tell how many Beast Skins had been stitched together to create it.

Unlike other fully enclosed Beast Skin Bags, this one only had a high roof. Beneath the roof was a three-tiered stone platform, about thirty feet wide. It was surrounded by concentric rings of stone steps, each tier higher than the last. A space the height of a person was left between the top tier of steps and the roof, and the entire seating area was quartered by intersecting aisles.

This design allowed the auction hall to accommodate a large number of Beastmen, ensured everyone had an unobstructed view, and provided excellent ventilation!

Ji Liang had snagged a spot in the middle of the third row. He transformed into his Beast Form and stretched out on the stone steps, securely saving seats for about ten Beastmen.

The moment Si Shuo arrived, his tail coiled around her and scooped her up. He then shifted back to his human form, wrapping his arms around her with a soft laugh. “Having fun?” he asked.

Even though he had been saving their seats, Si Shuo had been placing a portion of everything she ate into her spatial storage for him, so he hadn’t stopped snacking either.

The other males saving seats were so hungry their stomachs were growling, but he, using a Beast Skin Bag for cover, was pulling out all sorts of treats and eating at a leisurely pace.

The snacks were especially tantalizing, and they were still steaming hot. In the slow-moving air of the Beast Skin Bag, the aroma drifted about like a mischievous cat, teasing one person and then another, making the hungry people’s stomachs rumble even louder!

Tsk. This just went to show how important it was to choose the right female. Some females were fickle, never learning to cherish their males and only ever knowing how to take.

Over time, a relationship like that would inevitably fade, and the male’s once-ardent heart would slowly grow cold.

Si Shuo hummed in agreement, taking out the piece of paper and whispering her plan in his ear. “First, let’s check out the situation. We don’t know the location, size, or condition of the manor and the shop.

The manor will definitely be for farming and raising livestock, and we’ll open a restaurant in the shop to sell all kinds of delicacies…”

Ji Liang was extremely interested in this. “Sounds good. We should buy more shops and farmland if we get the chance.

But, Little Shushu, I don’t think you should get your hopes up about the manor and the shop.

If the City Lord is willing to part with a manor and shop in Guangshou City that he went through so much trouble to acquire, they’re definitely not going to be top-tier. There’s probably something fishy about them.”

Si Shuo took out the two land deeds—recognized by the great families of the Central Continent and authenticated as genuine by both Master Xu and Ji Liang—and pressed her lips together. “No matter how bad the situation is, it can’t be so bad that we don’t even have a place to stay, right?”

“It shouldn’t come to that. Besides, we have plenty of Crystal Stones. In a city as big as Guangshou City, you really think there’s no place for us?” Ji Liang was surprisingly optimistic. “Worst case, we’ll just go to a Border City and make a name for ourselves there!”

Beastmen continued to arrive one after another. Although it was nighttime, Fire Ability Beastmen were stationed throughout the Beast Skin Bag, controlling floating fireballs for illumination.

There were quite a few fireballs, and their temperature was controlled. The entire auction hall was as bright as day, with almost no shadows, rivaling the shadowless lamps she used to see over operating tables in her past life!

She hadn’t thought about her past life in a long time. She couldn’t help but press her lips together and snuggle deeper into Ji Liang’s embrace.

Ji Liang chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. “Little Shushu, buy whatever you like later. Don’t worry about saving for us. Crystal Stones are meant to be spent.”

Si Shuo chuckled in reply, nuzzling against his chest. Hearing his faint, excited hissing, her smile deepened.

A short while later, the Red-haired Ape Beastman, Xie Shi, walked onto the stage with a smile. He infused his voice with Spiritual Power, ensuring every Beastman in the auction hall could hear him clearly.

“Welcome, esteemed females and males who have traveled from afar, to our auction here in Dongye Middle Square!”

All the Beastmen applauded excitedly, the sound ringing out for a long time before finally subsiding.

Xie Shi smiled and briefly explained the auction’s rules, then had the first ten items brought up. He described each one in turn, and the Beastmen seated on the stone steps began to bid.

There were rare and beautiful Beast Skins, exquisite jewelry, high-quality seeds, and some fairly effective elixirs, but Si Shuo wasn’t particularly interested in any of them.

However, later in the auction, they even started auctioning off Beast Husband slots for females, recipes for delicacies, and land deeds for fields, shops, and residences in various Beast Cities!

The Beastmen were all red-faced and yelling, their excitement palpable as the bidding grew exceptionally fierce.

Zhi Le took out a piece of Beast Skin; it was a map of the Central Continent he had purchased from another Beastman. He had translated all the Beast Text on it into Pinyin, carefully burning the letters onto the surface, stroke by delicate stroke, with a fingernail charged with Thunder Power.

Si Shuo leaned over to look. Every time Xie Shi announced the name of a Beast City, they would search for its location on the map.

The auctioned lands only came with a general location; without inspecting them in person, there was no way to know their actual condition!

Although there were no land deeds for Guangshou City, they could still compete for land in the surrounding cities if the conditions were right.

But how were they to know the condition of the land?

Just as they heard about a manor deed for a property only two Beast Cities away from Guangshou City, near a water source, and about five hundred mu in size, they felt a stir of temptation. This was especially true as many Beastmen raised their placards, faces flushed with excitement as they shouted their bids.

Just then, however, a Squirrel Beastman walked over, hunched at the waist. With a wave of his hand, he set up a Protective Shield, then looked at Si Shuo and said respectfully, “Female Si Shuo, I was sent by someone to clear up your confusion.

“This plot of land sounds good, but it’s a place where not a single blade of grass will grow. The soil is barren, unsuitable for planting or animal husbandry. Moreover, any Beastman who stays there for too long will become bad-tempered.

If you wish to purchase land, it would be better to tour the various Beast Cities of the Central Continent first…”

After his explanation, the group understood. The land being auctioned today was basically all unusable, places where you couldn’t even build a house. They were undeveloped, unsafe, and far from any Beast City. The great families and tribes had carved up these useless territories and were now selling them off piece by piece to clueless Beastmen who were flocking to the Central Continent.

Gong You scoffed. “So the Central Continent registers completely useless land, creates deeds for it, and then uses them to swindle Crystal Stones!

And those in the know just gloat while they watch others take the bait, even joining in the bidding to drive up the price and create the false impression that the land is desirable and highly contested?”

The Squirrel Beastman remained hunched over and said in a low voice, “Yes. Some of them are shills hired by our auction house with Crystal Stones.”

Si Shuo understood. ’So they’re just shills, huh?’

She couldn’t help but look toward the stage. She had met Xie Shi before—he was Xiao Shisi’s uncle-in-law—but she understood now that the “someone” the Squirrel Beastman mentioned had to be Xiao Shisi!

Although they were in the third row, the Beastmen in every row were packed in tightly. When she looked out, all she saw was a dense crowd of multicolored hair, enough to make her eyes swim.

A flicker of movement in Si Shuo’s eyes. She left the Squirrel Beastman to continue explaining things to Ji Liang and Gong You while she slipped over to Xu Chi’s side. She gave the male a meaningful look, and he immediately snapped his fingers, raising a Protective Shield.

Si Shuo sighed inwardly. ’We’re really never going to get past this finger-snapping gag, are we?’

“Xu Chi, let’s slip out for a bit. While everyone is distracted, use your Invisibility to bring me back in!

I have a feeling something’s off about Xiao Shisi…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep