Just as he approached the entrance, the Star Plate vibrated once again.
Could it be sensing the presence of the Dragon Blood Stone? Han Yan knew that the Star Illusion Thousand Machine would not easily get excited—it must have discovered something, which made his heart beat wildly.
While others were surveying the auction house, Han Yan quickly and discretely took a glimpse at the Star Plate and could not help but laugh and cry.
"The handwriting is really ugly, even uglier than mine," a sentence flashed across the Star Plate.
No wonder it was so excited—it had found its psychological balance.
Han Yan had been briefly elated for nothing; he had thought too highly of the simplicity of the Star Illusion Thousand Machine. This device indeed had a personal touch, even knowing how to compare.
"How do you like it? The name I chose for this auction house isn’t bad, right?" Mu Nan was evidently very satisfied with the name he had chosen for the auction house and narcissistically asked. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fire·net
"Yes, it’s not bad, ugly yet quite charming. I once saw someone whose handwriting was so uniquely terrible it was breathtaking. After seeing yours, I realized there are always people who are worse. There’s no ugliest, only uglier," Han Yan sincerely commented.
Mu Nan’s face fell all of a sudden, and he pursed his lips, refusing to say another word.
Upon entering the auction house, they found it to be bigger than they had imagined and much livelier than the market outside. Rows of brick and wood structures stood one after another, with a large open space in the center resembling a massive courtyard.
In the courtyard, every two strides, there was a stall set up with various items related to cultivation—strange flowers and herbs, jade and Beast Bones, or Weapons and Skills. It was indeed a small-scale marketplace with hundreds of people brushing past each other, even busier than the market outside, and the quality of the goods was much better as well.
"Where did you find these people?" Han Yan curiously asked, gazing at the obviously cultivated vendors. He was a bit curious, as the attraction of Heishi City alone couldn’t possibly gather all these cultivators.
"They came on their own. I just built these several buildings and let the word out. As long as someone comes to Nanmu Auction to sell cultivation items, regardless of their strength or status, Nanmu Auction provides food and accommodation for free. I only take a commission on the sold goods, which is much lower than other markets. Once the news spread, they came by themselves," Mu Nan responded.
"Is it really that simple?" Zirong looked at Mu Nan skeptically. Just by providing free lodging and slightly cheaper commission, so many people were drawn to Heishi City?
"It’s really that simple. At first, only some impoverished cultivators came, and the goods they brought were of mixed quality. You know the situation in Heishi City; those goods couldn’t sell for much, and the commission I could take was much lower, basically making a loss.
However, once these guys gathered together, they started exchanging what they had with each other, essentially getting what they needed. Knowing they had no money, I just took some flowers, grass, jade, and Beast Bones as commission. Among these, there really were some good items. I stocked up on some goods and hosted a few auctions, and actually made some money.
Although those people didn’t make money at first, they got free food and drink and could find the cultivation resources they needed. Naturally, they recognized my Nanmu Auction House and would bring their goods here whenever they found something valuable. Word of mouth spread, and more and more vendors came; many weren’t here to make a profit but to find the cultivation resources they needed.