For a few seconds after the words fell, no one bid.
The auctioneer felt bitter, but he couldn't say it.
"Who on earth would spend a thousand gold soul coins on such a tiny broken potato? Unless they have too much money burning a hole in their pocket!" Ma Hongjun scoffed dismissively.
Tang Sui, who had just placed her hand on Ning Rongrong's shoulder, paused. She glanced coldly at Ma Hongjun, then turned to Ning Rongrong and said, "Rongrong, help me bid."
Ma Hongjun stiffened. Under Tang Sui's forced smile, he took a step back, trying to hide his sturdy body behind the tall and slender Bai Chenxiang, then forced a fawning smile. "Uh, Sui Sui, I didn't mean it like that!"
Dai Mubai shook his head and looked at Tang Sui. "Sui Sui, did you see something?"
Tang Sui shook her head. "No, but I think its use just hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe I'll find it later."
Tang San's attitude was also indulgent. "It's fine, a thousand gold soul coins is nothing. Rongrong, place the bid."
"Okay." Ning Rongrong's heart settled, and she raised her paddle to make the base bid. "A thousand gold soul coins."
This bid immediately attracted the attention of others, who wanted to see which prodigal would waste money on such a thing just for fun.
Unfortunately, the auction hall was too dark, and everyone attending wore masks for disguise and deception, so they could only see the raised paddle emitting a faint glow in the darkness.
Hearing someone bid, the auctioneer, who had thought the item would go unsold, immediately brightened. He eagerly called out, "Good! VIP number three hundred seventy-eight bids one thousand gold soul coins! Are there any other VIPs who wish to increase the bid?"
There was constant whispering in the hall, but no one bid for five seconds. The auctioneer immediately struck his small hammer, a hint of excitement in his voice. "One thousand gold soul coins, once!"
"One thousand gold soul coins, twice!"
"One thousand gold soul coins, thrice! Sold! Congratulations to VIP number three hundred seventy-eight for acquiring this treasure!"
As the auctioneer uttered the final words "treasure," many people chuckled, looking at Tang San and the others in the back with schadenfreude.
Tang Sui's expression remained unchanged. It wasn't until the auction ended that Ning Rongrong went to pay with her paddle and collect their acquisition.
Looking at the yellow potato Tang Sui held in her palm, Xiao Wu curiously poked it. "Although it looks like a potato, this thing is as hard as a rock. Is it really a potato?"
"Yeah, Sui Sui, were you scammed? It just looks like an ordinary potato to me." Bai Chenxiang also curiously touched the cold, hard surface of the yellow potato.
An ordinary potato that could swallow her spiritual power, demon power, and soul power without any reaction, and that neither her system nor the masks could identify even when held?
Tang Sui's eyes flickered, and she made a move to put the potato away. "I'll mess with this later. Since it's still morning, Brother, why don't we rent a boat and set sail immediately?"
Everyone else had no objections.
The group ambled to the docks of Hanhai City. The carriage had been rented from the Great Soul Arena, and they had returned it when they entered the arena, so in a sense, the Great Soul Arena served as a qualified post station.
The salty sea breeze brushed lightly, and sunlight shimmered on the sea, creating a sparkling expanse. Above the azure ocean, under the clear sky, several white seagulls cried out as they soared across the heavens, gradually shrinking into tiny dots in everyone's vision.
Tang San and Oscar, who had experience sailing, went to choose a boat.
The bright sunlight and the rustling breeze blowing from the sea created an extremely comfortable environment.
"What a pleasant sea breeze."
Tang Sui squinted contentedly, raising her hand. Her sleeve fluttered, revealing a section of her fair wrist, the falling shadow temporarily shielding her from the glaring sun.
Bai Chenxiang, standing beside her, nodded as she looked at the vast blue ocean. "Yes, it feels like my heart has quieted down."
Ma Hongjun, who had been ignored, watched Bai Chenxiang huddle with Tang Sui and made a gesture like a wronged little wife clutching her handkerchief. Dai Mubai, with his arms crossed, shook his head, finding it unbearable to watch.
Tang San and Oscar returned not long after.
The sea vessel they chose was quite eye-catching in appearance.
The hull was painted entirely iron-gray, with only the deck decorated in red and white paint.
The ship was fifty meters long and over twenty meters wide. While not the largest among sea vessels, it was still quite substantial.
Upon closer inspection, it was evident that beneath the iron-gray paint of the hull was a thick layer of iron armor, protecting the ship and instilling a sense of security.
Tang Sui raised an eyebrow at the ship and was silently pulled aboard by Xiao Wu.
Once they were all on the deck of the sea vessel, a middle-aged man wearing a black pirate hat greeted them with a polite and composed smile, making a gentlemanly gesture of "please" and saying: Sultan Novel Network
"Welcome aboard the Sea Demon!"
Tang San, who had already communicated with the owner, introduced him to the group. "Everyone, this is Mr. Heidel, the captain of the Sea Demon."
Heidel smiled graciously. "Welcome, beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen. I am Heidel, the captain of this Sea Demon, and I am delighted to serve you."
The group offered reserved yet polite smiles.
Upon hearing "Sea Demon," Tang Sui's gaze at the gentlemanly captain deepened, and she thought, It's here after all.
Heidel enthusiastically began to introduce the Sea Demon to everyone.
There were currently eight crew members, consisting of himself as captain, one first mate, and six sailors.
Furthermore, the Sea Demon had three decks: two above, and one below.
As the main patrons, Tang San and his group naturally resided on the two upper decks, while the crew stayed below.
The uppermost deck offered a vantage point for gazing into the distance, providing a clear view of the ocean scenery during navigation, which was quite a unique experience.
There were eight rooms on the top deck, but one person would be on night watch outside each room, effectively meaning one person slept in each room, none were empty.
After all, most of the people on this ship were outsiders. Even if their strength didn't seem as high as theirs, they couldn't afford to be careless.
Tang Sui actually wanted to say she didn't need a room, just a place to sit and rest would be fine, but considering her companions weren't homebodies and would surely wander onto the deck during the voyage, for lone individuals to admire the sea view, and for couples to hold hands under the starry sky for dates, Tang Sui, who didn't want to be a third wheel every night, gave up on that idea.
With the assignment of the last room completed, Tang San handed Heidel the sea chart he had copied and partially altered, instructing him to proceed to the designated coordinates.
At Captain Heidel's command, the Sea Demon officially set sail for an unknown journey.
---Author's Notes---
The comment function, affected by the 20th National Congress, has finally returned to normal!
(Extending little hands.jpg) -- Can Mo Li have big cuties' comments and votes?