After the last bid.
Now everyone knew something was wrong in the auction house.
Even the Qi refining realm monks felt it in the air, the taste of an incoming storm. They can practically smell it. The way how some of the figures here had been paying 'extra' attention to this strange 'Mysterious expert'.
And from the looks of it, these people doesn't seem to be the type of person that would invite a someone into their house for a warm cup of tea.
Everyone in the venue understood the same thing in an instant: whoever that mysterious figure was, sitting openly among the crowded benches rather than retreating into a private room, he was inviting trouble onto himself.
The rules of an auction house weren't written, but everyone present knew them. Privacy was sacred here.
Most that showed their faces weren't afraid of troubles since they came with their force.
But of course, numbers meant nothing in front of a crushing strength. Then again, would a powerful monk rumble with them just for an item that might not be worth it?
The answer is no...
A bidder's face was not meant to be exposed to strangers, not with the sharp eyes and sharper schemes that filled the room. Private rooms existed for a reason, yet this figure chose to ignore that protection entirely.
And he didn't look unsettled by it in the slightest.
His posture was relaxed, his movements unhurried, the faint composure of someone who had weighed the consequences and dismissed them as irrelevant.
For most, it would have been an act of arrogance. For him, it carried a different weight, the quiet assurance of strength that didn't need to prove itself.
Liam chuckled quietly at the thought. The faint glow from the chandelier overhead shifted across his eyes, making the gesture look all the more deliberate.
At his side, Ilya reached for the fruit platter that had been arranged neatly between them.
Her fingers, slim and pale, plucked a slice of carefully cut fruit, its surface glistening faintly under the light.
Without hesitation, she lifted it toward his lips.
Liam accepted the gesture without the faintest pause, chewing casually, unconcerned about appearances.
The auction itself rolled forward.
One rare treasure after another was carried to the stage, shimmering jade artifacts, boxes lined with spirit stones, herbs sealed within glass containers that gleamed faintly with light.
Each unveiling pulled the crowd in further.
Voices rose, bids rang out across the hall.
What had begun as orderly exchanges turned restless, the pace quickening, and the tension in the room tightened like a string stretched to its limit.
But this what Liam wanted, the more the better.
By the time the fifth item of this round was sold, the crowd had already warmed to the rhythm. By the tenth, it was feverish.
By the 30th item, everyone was going crazy.
Then the momentum reached its peak.
The curtains at the side of the stage parted, and a woman in a revealing outfit stepped out. Just to make sure everyone was paying attention to the auction, the slit over her right tight was larger than usual.
The huge expanse of white she showed without a doubt attracted everyone's attention. Male monks mostly...
Her steps were light, calculated to draw attention without seeming forced, every sway of her body catching eyes that were already primed for something greater.
A dazzling item and a beautiful host, what a combination it was.
Behind her, a group of attendants followed, their expressions focused as they pushed a massive rectangular box onto the stage.
it was easily two meters tall, wide enough that dozens of people could have stood shoulder to shoulder inside it.
The sight alone caused a sensation through the crowd.
Backs straightened, conversations dropped into sharp whispers. They all knew what it meant. This was no ordinary item. This was the true highlight of the auction.
That one single item that attracted multiple third rate forces of the region to this barren city tonight.
Could it be...
Could it be?!
Everyone became excited at the thought of this.
Liam's eyes narrowed, the faint amusement in them replaced by a discerning gaze, his divine mind rippled outward into the whole auction hall.
His attention, casual until now, settled fully on the stage.
And then the room shifted again.
From behind the pillars, out of the alcoves, and even from corners most had ignored until now, figures in dark cloaks emerged.
They moved and positioned themselves from the monk's eyes.
Their steps perfectly synchronized.
Their bodies gleamed faintly under the chandelier light, and their hollow gazes swept across the crowd as they took positions at key points around the hall.
They weren't hiding this time. Their intent was obvious: to be seen.
And all of these figures were puppets.
Liam sent them out to act as a mean of deterrent to anyone with foolish thoughts.
And for that, the monks began to notice.
One by one, the crowd became restless. After all, seeing so many Foundation Building experts in a single place wasn't something common in this region. Only those second rate forces might be able to pull this off.
But some fo them noticed something. The numbers felt more than what a normal second rate force should have.
This realization settled into the crowd like a stone being thrown into a still water. And some paled on the spot, as they were quite close to the 'puppets' that stood guards in random positions across the auction hall.
"They're pulling out everything now," someone muttered under their breath, though the words carried easily in the tense quiet.
Another voice answered quickly: "Quiet. Look closer. Foundation Building cultivators, there, one's right next to some clueless fellow. Ha! He doesn't even notice."
More whispers followed, threading through the benches like sparks across dry grass.
"Seems they're ready for trouble tonight."
"But aren't they worried…? Selling puppet to another force. Couldn't someone turn them against the house later?"
The comments never grew into full conversations.
And the woman in the beautiful dress smiled when she saw the crowd's reaction.