Chapter 220: Coralisle Auction
When Faye Yardley came to, she found herself standing on a very post-modernist pier.
The pier was bustling with people, but the crowd was mostly made up of Merfolk of all shapes and sizes. They were fish with arms and legs; some had lost their tails, while others still had them.
’So this really is the territory of The Merfolk. There are so many Merfolk who haven’t fully evolved.’
’Speaking of which, my brother is way too slow. Why isn’t he here yet?’
Soon, she received a call on her All World Communication. "Faye, the Invitation Card can only be used by one person at a time. You used it a step ahead of me, so now I have to wait for you to come back before I can use it."
Faye Yardley was speechless. ’If that was the case, what had she been waiting for earlier?’
"Alright, I get it. I’ll do some exploring first, then I’ll head back and let you know."
After hanging up, Faye Yardley thought for a moment and decided to call Bella Dillon directly.
Seeing that she was on the phone, the Merfolk guides didn’t disturb her, but it was clear they hadn’t given up on getting her business.
Bella Dillon picked up quickly. "Hey, Faye, you’re... wait, are you at the pier on Coralisle, our Merfolk island?!"
"Yes, that’s right. Are you on the island? If you’re free, could you show me around?"
"That’s great! I can’t believe you came all the way here to find me. This is awesome. I’m bored to death at home. Wait for me, I’ll be at the pier in about five minutes."
Less than five minutes after she hung up, a cool-looking flying car pulled up in front of Faye Yardley. Bella Dillon, who had completed her transformation, took off her sunglasses. "Faye, get in."
Faye Yardley smiled and nodded, leaping lightly into the flying car, which was hovering at about a person’s height off the ground.
Then, with a WHOOSH, the cool flying car sped away from the pier.
The Merfolk guides couldn’t help but feel frustrated. "Why weren’t we more proactive? We might have won the favor of a high-class Merfolk."
"Stop dreaming. That’s impossible. If you were fully evolved, you could live the high life yourself."
Faye Yardley turned to look at Bella Dillon, who was munching on snacks in the driver’s seat. "Bella, you’ve changed so much! Almond eyes, cherry lips, fair and beautiful skin... tsk, if I were a man, I’d be absolutely smitten with you."
"Haha... not bad, right? I also think my transformation this time was perfect. My power has more or less stabilized, too, but Mom and Dad still won’t let me leave Coralisle. Here, try some of our local snacks. They’re pretty good."
Faye Yardley took the dried fish. "Don’t you, The Merfolk, find it a little strange to be eating dried fish?"
"What’s so strange about it? It’s always been big fish eat little fish."
"That’s true." Faye Yardley took a bite. The dried fish had a roasted aroma and a hint of fresh sweetness. "This is really good! Give me some more to take back with me."
"You’re really not one to be shy, are you?"
Faye Yardley laughed. "So, where are you taking me now?"
Bella Dillon pointed to the destination on the screen. "To the most prosperous place here, of course. The auction house is over there, too. I don’t have a ticket for the auction yet, but I’ll have my mom get me one later. Then I can take you inside."
Faye Yardley raised an eyebrow. "There’s an auction every day?"
"Of course. But there’s a big one once a month, on the last day of the month. You came at the perfect time; it’s tomorrow. Today, we can check out the smaller daily auctions first to get a feel for the atmosphere."
"Even the small auctions require tickets?"
"Mhm, of course. It’s a threshold. You can’t just let anyone in, can you?"
The two of them snacked on the roasted dried fish as the flying car’s auto-pilot took them to the auction house in the city center.
Looking at the building before her, Faye Yardley couldn’t help but exclaim, "Whoa, this auction house is so cool! Why is it rainbow-colored? And it’s all shimmering and sparkling."
"Haha, beautiful, right? The whole thing is shaped like a gemstone, and it’s even shinier on the inside." Bella Dillon said after parking the flying car. "Let’s go. My mom already arranged for someone to deliver the tickets. We can just go straight to the entrance."
Faye Yardley didn’t mention that she also had a ticket. ’Oh well,’ she thought, ’I’ll tell her if I get the chance. If not, I’ll just save it for next time.’
Just as Bella Dillon had said, the inside of the auction house was even more dazzling than the outside.
It could rival Nora Nash’s Crystal Castle.
The auction information for the day was displayed in the grand hall.
For example, the potion auction Faye Yardley was interested in was scheduled to start in an hour and a half in The Quicksand Hall. She tapped Bella Dillon’s arm. "Bella, let’s go check out the potion auction later."
"Sure. Let’s find a hall where an auction is starting soon and take a look."
As she spoke, Bella Dillon flagged down a nearby attendant and had him lead them to a venue where an auction was already in progress.
They went to a small auction for jewelry. At first, Faye Yardley wasn’t very interested, but when she realized the jewelry had other functions, her interest was definitely piqued.
A ring that could increase agility, a necklace that could increase charm, knee guards that let you jump three meters high...
The items were all magical. Faye Yardley tried bidding on a few, but she didn’t win any. It was mainly because they weren’t things she particularly wanted.
However, when a ring that could randomly teleport the wearer three kilometers away in times of danger appeared, Faye Yardley bid repeatedly. In the end, she won the cat-shaped ring for 75 Gold Coins.
She only had 74 Gold Coins on hand, so she exchanged 101 silver coins for one Gold Coin. After the exchange, however, Faye Yardley felt it was a complete waste of that extra 1 silver coin.
Of course, this price was far cheaper than what the shops in Serenia were selling it for.
Unfortunately, by the end of the small jewelry auction, no accessory that could block a fatal blow had appeared.
After leaving, they went straight to The Quicksand Hall to participate in the potion auction.
They found a random place to sit. The vast majority of those around them were also Merfolk, all excitedly discussing the items that might appear.
Some people turned to greet Bella Dillon when they saw her arrive.
But Bella Dillon wore an icy, aloof expression. After completely ignoring them, she leaned close to Faye Yardley and whispered, "Those guys are so annoying. They haven’t even fully evolved, yet they dare to covet me. They can keep dreaming."
Faye Yardley smiled faintly. "You do look quite beautiful and alluring right now."
’Silver hair, a curvy figure, a slim waist, long legs, and skin so fair it was almost translucent—she was perfect.’
’Speaking of which, she was a completely different type of beauty from Chloe Hughes. If she got together with her brother...’
’Then again, my brother doesn’t deserve her.’
"I’m telling you, the first few items are all just prank and gag potions. The good stuff comes later. If you have someone you want to mess with, you could buy a few."
When the auction began, Faye Yardley did indeed encounter some potions with bizarre effects, like one that slowed wound healing but relieved pain, and another that could make a person laugh uncontrollably for an hour.