Chapter 99: The Starseed of Power

"It's finally starting…" Feng Mo murmured, looking down at the vast hall below, almost fully occupied. His eyes sparkled with anticipation. Out of the 108 treasures on display, nearly half were things he'd never seen in person. This was the perfect opportunity to learn.

The three women beside him stopped their whispering, focusing on the holographic screen.

"Good morning, esteemed guests. I am Lian He, the chief auctioneer here," the woman on stage announced with a graceful smile. "Thank you for your patience. I'll briefly go over the auction process. Over the next three days, we'll be auctioning 108 items, with 36 treasures per day, split between morning and afternoon sessions. I'm sure most of you have already reviewed the catalog."

She tapped a small gavel on the podium. "Now, without further ado, let the auction begin! Please welcome the first item."

With her words, a one-meter-wide crystal pedestal rose on the stage, displaying a storage capsule. Above it, a hologram of a starship appeared, detailing all specifications and performance data for a T4 Ant-Class Interstellar Destroyer.

Lian He paused, giving the audience time to absorb the information. After about five minutes, she continued, "The T4 Ant-Class Interstellar Destroyer. The specs and data are visible to all, so I'll skip the details. Starting bid: 9 million star credits."

Feng Mo instantly recognized that the final price for this starship's blueprint wouldn't stray far from the base price. For typical copyright transactions, T4 blueprints like this ranged between 9 million and 30 million star credits. To him, this ship was only average—if anything, even 9 million felt overpriced. Yet, he anticipated that some bidders might drive the price to around 15 million.

While Feng Mo wasn't interested, plenty of others were. For interstellar trade companies, it was still an attractive acquisition, even if not exceedingly valuable. The hall filled with electronic bidding sounds as many made their offers through the bidding system. Though most held back in the beginning, he expected that once truly valuable items appeared, someone would get carried away and shout their bid out loud.

The destroyer blueprint didn't attract much attention. After a few minutes of back-and-forth bidding from starship trade companies, the design sold to a guest in seat 74 on the first floor for 14.3 million star credits—a bit lower than Feng Mo's estimate.

After this first item, the auction picked up speed, with a mesmerizing array of treasures going under the hammer: T4 combat armor, T4 resource planets, T4 planetary defense systems, life fruits, female slaves, and more—sixteen items in total.

The female slave in particular caused a stir, driving bidding to a peak. She was a half-beast, a tiger-woman, and a level-four gene warrior, once a queen of the Half-Beast Kingdom. With her wild beauty and royal background, she fetched a price of 17 million star credits.

"Esteemed guests, the final item for this morning is a quasi-T5 Star Destroyer Cannon! Starting bid: 20 million star credits!"

Lian He's words caused a commotion. All eyes turned to the hologram above, showcasing the cannon. It was a rare weapon, something few people had access to, and while not everyone intended to bid, curiosity was high.

In his private box, Feng Mo straightened up. Among the 100-plus items in the catalog, this quasi-T5 Star Destroyer Cannon was one of the top five treasures he desired—and the only one he could afford. Though not a full-fledged Star Destroyer Cannon, it still boasted quasi-T5 power, far surpassing the main cannons on his Hurricane-class ship.

"Twenty-three million star credits!" The first bid followed almost immediately.

"Twenty-five million!" Many were interested in the cannon, and the bids climbed quickly, with the price rising to 25 million within seconds.

Over the next ten minutes, the electronic bidding sounds continued as the price rose from 25 million to 43 million star credits—well above its original estimated value. Even a genuine T5 Star Destroyer Cannon might not cost this much.

But such a weapon rarely appeared on the market, and with limited supply, a premium was expected.

"Fifty million!" Feng Mo finally placed his bid, silencing the hall.

"Fifty million, from our honored guest in Box No. 3! Any further bids?"

Lian He repeated her question three times, but no other bids followed, and she brought down her gavel, ending the auction.

The price was close to Feng Mo's estimate. Even with the inflated price, 50 million should have been enough to secure it. With the cannon acquired, he calculated his remaining funds: 50 million in auction credits, plus additional funds from the Storm Star System's accounts, totaling around 120 million star credits.

Of the five items he wanted, the Star Destroyer Cannon was just one. He could barely afford one more, and only if he got lucky with the bidding.

As the morning session concluded, Feng Mo decided not to wander around with the women. They stayed in the box, where lunch was provided, allowing them to relax.

After their meal, they returned to the auction for the afternoon session. Although the items were enticing, they weren't particularly useful for Feng Mo. That afternoon and the entire next day's auctions were dedicated to longevity items, which weren't much interest to younger people. However, the sessions reminded Feng Mo of the Star-Eater Tree seed he had. Once the T4 ships were all constructed, he would plant the tree.

Feng Mo and the women skipped the second day's auction, exploring Radiant Prime instead under Chu Yunjian's guidance. The Chu family had already paid for the Star Destroyer Cannon and arranged for it to be delivered to the Hurricane.

On the third day, the four of them returned to Box No. 3 for the final day's auction. The most valuable items were saved for last, with treasures that made Feng Mo drool, though his finances still fell short of those of the old-money families.

The auctioneer, the graceful Lian He, began the day's session. Feng Mo had overheard some gossip from the women about her. Over the past three days, she'd garnered the attention of many noble young men, but all their advances were rebuffed, as she'd openly declared herself uninterested in men, stating she already had a girlfriend and wished not to be disturbed.

Her stance had broken more than a few hearts, with some nobles channeling their disappointment into doubling or even tripling their usual nightly indulgences. Lian He's background wasn't simple either, and those pursuing her had been warned by their families not to use force. It was clear that her connections were as significant as her beauty.

One of her many admirers was a young noble surnamed Hua—a member of the same family as the Duke Hua, who had recently requested Feng Mo's personal records.

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