To make friends

About two hours later:

"Everyone!"

A clear voice echoed throughout the auction hall, immediately silencing the crowd. All eyes turned toward the center of the room, where Wang Yi and his companions also directed their attention.

An elderly man, bald and wearing a black tortoise shell on his back, stood at the center of the hall. A massive three-dimensional projection of him, nearly 1,000 meters tall, appeared in the sky above.

"Welcome, everyone, to this session of the Dry Witch Auction, thanks to the strong support of the Virtual Universe Company and the Dry Witch Universe Kingdom." The old man began with the customary opening remarks, introducing himself and explaining the format of the auction.

A total of 1,462,338 participants had gathered for this auction, making it one of the more successful events in the history of the Dry Witch auctions.

"Now, I know you're all eager for the auction to begin, so let's follow the usual tradition. Before we start the main event, we'll kick things off with a 'pre-heating' auction item!" the old man announced, raising his voice to capture the audience's full attention.

"Our first item is the 'Scorpion Puppet,' from the newly discovered 'River Blue Secret Realm,' located in the Noah Universe Kingdom!"

At his words, a large screen appeared beside him, showing a vast starry sky. The scene rapidly zoomed in, passing through breathtaking landscapes before stopping at a broken palace atop a silver-white mountain. Even though the palace was in ruins, its intricate, exotic architecture still managed to captivate the audience.

At the entrance of the palace, a group of tall, silver-white creatures resembling upright scorpions marched out in neat formation.

"These scorpion puppets are remnants of an ancient civilization that once inhabited the 'River Blue Secret Realm.' While they may not match the technological sophistication of the mechanical race, they possess unique qualities. The civilization that created them has long since been destroyed, leaving behind only a few relics..."

"These scorpion puppets are highly valuable both for research and collection purposes. Their strength reaches the ninth rank of the domain master level, making them excellent choices for guards!"

"This batch is limited, and we will begin the bidding for a set of 100 domain master-level scorpion puppets at 100 Universe coin units. Each bid must be an integer multiple of one Universe coin unit," the old man declared energetically.

"A ninth-level domain master puppet guard!" Thor exclaimed in amazement. "With a guard like that, you could roam freely throughout the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, as long as you don't provoke any of the major powers."

A domain master could rule over an elementary civilization, becoming an emperor within their own corner of the galaxy. The power of a ninth-level domain master puppet guard was undeniable.

Additionally, these puppets had no lifespan limit, making them ideal for long-term inheritance, passed down as family heirlooms.

"Still, it's expensive," Hong muttered. "Many Domain masters only possess 10 Universe coin units in total assets, and a single scorpion puppet of this level costs 1 Universe coin unit. For 100 puppets, that's the entire fortune of a peak Domain master. But if someone can afford it, it's a great investment as a bodyguard."

Despite their interest, Thor and Hong could only watch as the bidding began. Although Wang Yi had provided them with resources and treasures, they didn't have much in terms of money. Their combined wealth didn't even amount to 1 Universe coin unit, so all they could do was observe as others placed bids.

The hall was packed with participants, and the auction soon became lively. Among the millions of Domain masters present, many were wealthy or had powerful backgrounds, with even a few immortal beings in attendance.

Several were clearly interested in the scorpion puppets, as the bidding quickly escalated.

Soon, the screen displayed the first bid—101 Universe coin units.

"110 Universe units."

"115 Universe units."

The prices continued to rise.

Thor couldn't believe his eyes. "Wow, someone is really willing to pay that much."

Nearby, two Domain masters with purple hair and gems embedded in their foreheads exchanged a lighthearted conversation.

"These scorpion puppets look nice. I think they'd make a great gift for my father."

"Yes, I'm sure your father will be pleased with such a thoughtful present."

Thor and Hong were speechless. A powerful ninth-level domain master puppet, used as a gift or a collectible?

"Clearly, we haven't seen enough of the world," Thor muttered in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Hong and Thor overheard Wang Yi quietly speaking to his companions.

"These scorpion puppets are great. They can even mimic human appearances. Let's buy them and use them as guards for the castle."

Moments later, they saw the central screen in the auction hall display a new bid—125 Universe coin units!

The price Wang Yi casually threw out was enough to buy ten Silver Blue Empires, the civilization that controlled Earth's galaxy. A galaxy's price typically ranged from 1,000 to 1 trillion Universe coins, with the Silver Blue Empire's territory estimated at around 10 Universe coin units in total value.

Both Hong and Thor knew Wang Yi was wealthy, but they had never realized just how rich he really was. Watching Wang Yi nonchalantly bid hundreds of Universe coin units, representing the collective wealth of ten peak Domain masters, they were left stunned.

In the end, Wang Yi successfully purchased the set of 100 scorpion puppets for 155 Universe coin units.

The two purple-haired realm masters beside them, who hadn't won the auction, approached Wang Yi's group. "You got a good deal. 155 Universe coin units for the entire set means each puppet only costs 1.5 Universe coin units."

One of them, clearly thinking it over, said, "Even though the full set is a bit expensive for a collection or a gift, we'd like to buy a couple of puppets from you. Would you be willing to sell two?"

Wang Yi smiled generously. "Sure. I'll sell them to you for the same price, 1.5 Universe coin units each, as a friendly gesture."

"Ha! Thanks, you're very generous. Let's exchange virtual network details. It'd be great to stay in touch!" the purple-haired world master said happily.

In the end, the two women paid Wang Yi 3.4 Universe units for the two puppets.

The two world masters were strikingly beautiful, at least by Earth's standards, and seemed quite pleased with the deal. Thor couldn't help but glance at Hong in disbelief.

"Is this really happening?" Thor whispered, "He makes money, and now he's making friends with beautiful women?"