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Coming to River West City was all about buying those shops!
These past few days, they had been eagerly waiting for Oliver Sheng’s return.
Some people couldn’t wait to form caravans and head to the Western Regions.
A hundred years ago, the Western Regions were filled with gold. Now that the opportunity to pick up gold had come, how could they miss it?
Once they purchased shops in River West City and had a transit point, those wealthy merchants were ready to take action.
“Xunhuan, great news! I just heard that Shengwu King has returned to River West,” Lin Tian excitedly ran into the inn.
“Alright, calm down, Brother Lin. I already know,” Li Xunhuan said.
“Brother Xunhuan, I’ve heard many people discussing forming caravans to go to the Western Regions. Should we also form a caravan?” Lin Tian said with anticipation.
“Forming a caravan is a huge expense. Can you and I handle it? We must take things one step at a time,” Li Xunhuan glanced at Lin Tian.
“Brother, Shengwu King is back,” Shen San ran into an inn and said to his brother Shen Yan.
“Shengwu King is back? Then the auction will probably start soon. Have we prepared the money?” Shen Yan asked.
“Brother, the money is ready. We’ve gathered two million taels of silver, enough to buy some shops.”
The Shen brothers, from the Shen family of Luzhou, were from a large family with a significant commercial scale. Their family had been in the silk and fabric business for nearly a century, accumulating substantial wealth. This time, the two brothers came to River West City to expand their family’s business.
Hearing that Oliver Sheng had returned to River West City, the wealthy merchants were all eager, waiting for the auction to begin.
Everyone knew that the auction of shops in River West City signaled the opening of the Western Regions trade route.
Even the Empress, far away in Luo Capital, was paying attention to this matter.
“Your Majesty, Shengwu King has returned to River West,” Jade Han reported.
“Oh, has Beloved Secretary Sheng returned to River West City?” Hazel Han paused her brush from reviewing memorials.
“Keep a close watch and inform me of the results.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Many courtiers were also paying attention to this matter, with some even sending people to River West, planning to buy a few shops to establish some family assets for their descendants.
Quickly, three days passed, and the day finally arrived.
During these three days, Oliver Sheng had been heavily promoting the auction, and everyone in River West City was waiting for this day.
In front of the auction house, a crowd had already gathered.
A team of elite soldiers guarded the entrance, and no one dared to cause trouble.
The soldiers, clad in armor and holding weapons, exuded a fierce aura. All of them were Martial Masters, and the leader was a Colonel in the Postnatal Realm.
Even though many of the wealthy merchants had their own cultivation, with some even in the Prenatal Realm, no one dared to act rashly.
After all, the auction was held by none other than Shengwu King of Great Wei.
“Creak!!”
The doors of the auction house slowly opened.
Wang Zhan stepped out, looking at the vast crowd, and said, “Everyone, my lord says that to enter the venue, each person must pay one hundred taels of silver.”
“What? We have to pay to get in?” someone complained immediately.
“Exactly, we’ve been waiting here for so long, and now we have to pay to get in?”
Wang Zhan’s sharp gaze swept over the crowd, causing many to feel a chill in their hearts.
As the captain of Oliver Sheng’s personal guards, Wang Zhan had followed Oliver through countless battles, killing innumerable enemies. His fierce aura was not something ordinary people could compare to.
Moreover, with his mid-Prenatal Realm cultivation, his presence alone silenced many.
Dare to cause trouble in River West City?
They must be looking for trouble in the wrong place; this was the base of the River West Army.
“Everyone, the auction hall has limited seating and can’t accommodate too many people. To avoid overcrowding, my lord has ordered that only those who pay one hundred taels of silver may enter.”
“If anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with my lord!” Wang Zhan said indifferently.
Hearing that they could take it up with Shengwu King if they had a problem, many people instantly quieted down.
Many had no choice but to leave. They had come to join the fun, but asking them to pay one hundred taels of silver was like asking for their lives.
In an instant, thousands of people left, more than half of the crowd.
“We’re two people!” Li Xunhuan stepped forward with Lin Tian, handing over two hundred taels of silver notes.
A few more people came out of the auction house to start collecting money.
With someone leading the way, others began to pay as well.
One hundred taels of silver per person, and the money collectors were soon overwhelmed.
Those wealthy merchants attending the auction wouldn’t miss a hundred taels of silver; it wasn’t even enough for a meal for them.
Soon, the three thousand seats were filled, and Wang Zhan immediately ordered the soldiers to close the doors.
“Close the doors, the auction seats are full!”
“What? The seats are full?”
“But we haven’t gotten in yet!”
“Wait for us, we haven’t boarded yet!”
Wang Zhan ignored them and had the soldiers close the doors.
Those who hadn’t paid in time to enter were anxious. What was this? They hadn’t even gotten in yet and were being shut out.
The soldiers guarding the entrance, with their long spears and fierce gazes, made those who had thoughts of forcing their way in swallow their saliva and give up reluctantly.
Inside the auction hall, three thousand people were seated, and the hall was brightly lit.
Elite armored soldiers stood by, maintaining order and preventing any disturbances.
On the high platform stood Finn Chen, the River West Protectorate’s governor.
Oliver Sheng had pushed Finn to serve as the auctioneer. Initially, Finn wanted to find a beautiful woman for the role.
But since Oliver Sheng had designated him, he had no choice.
As a dignified governor, he had to lower himself to be an auctioneer.
“Ahem, everyone, quiet down!” Finn Chen’s voice rang out.
The attendees looked at Finn on the auction stage.
“Interesting!”
“Governor Chen as the auctioneer, it seems Shengwu King values this auction highly.”
“Indeed, this is good. With Shengwu King’s endorsement, it’s more secure.”
“Everyone, this auction will be hosted by me, Governor Chen. Let’s not waste time and start with five Class C shops, combined for auction, with a starting price of fifty thousand taels of silver.”
Hearing this price, many people frowned. It was too high.
A single Class C shop starting at ten thousand taels was almost as expensive as in the Capital City.
But soon, someone started bidding.
“Fifty-five thousand taels!”
“Fifty-six thousand taels!”
“Sixty thousand…”
“One hundred thousand and one tael!”
“Is there a higher bid?”
“One hundred thousand and one tael, going once!”
“One hundred thousand and one tael, going twice!”
“One hundred thousand and one tael, going three times, sold! Congratulations to this distinguished guest.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention, there are only two thousand shops for auction in River West City: one thousand Class C, seven hundred Class B, and three hundred Class A shops on the bustling streets in the city center.”
“All are sold in groups of five!”
As soon as Finn Chen finished speaking, many people felt uneasy.
Groups of five, auctioning five shops at a time, meant many people wouldn’t get a chance to buy.
“Damn, who came up with this idea? It’s too ruthless,” someone grumbled.
This way, the competition would be too fierce.
“Damn it, who came up with this? What kind of auction is this?”
Countless people felt like a herd of alpacas was running through their minds.
“Alright, the second group, still five Class C shops, starting at fifty thousand,” Finn Chen continued, ignoring the crowd’s reactions.
After all, this was Oliver Sheng’s arrangement; he just needed to follow orders.
At this moment, Oliver Sheng was also in a pavilion, watching the auction.
“Fifty-five thousand!”
“Sixty thousand, I bid sixty thousand!”
“Sixty-five thousand!”
The competition was evidently fierce.
“One hundred and fifteen thousand taels, going three times, sold!”
The auction continued, with one group of shops after another being sold. Many people couldn’t sit still and started participating in the bidding.
Those who had planned to buy just one or two shops were stunned. What was going on?
This was not playing fair at all!
Bundled sales showed their power at this moment.
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