Chapter 4830 — The Sole Supplier
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
To be looked at like that, the way one looks at a dog, right to his face—Steward Jin nearly exploded with rage. Had the hall not been packed with Morning Star Academy's guard disciples, he might well have lunged at Old Chai for a fight. Never mind that he really was a dog at Steward Hao's heel these days—who tore open another man's scars to his face like that?!
"Hmph. You won't shed tears till you see the coffin. Once this grand auction is over, it'll be too late even if you come begging. By then your Morning Star Branch won't even be fit to be a vassal of my Haomen Metropolis. Just wait for bankruptcy," Steward Hao said coldly, then swept off with Steward Jin in tow.
Wei Zhao and Old Chai exchanged a glance, too disdainful of this clown to waste another look on him, and walked straight to Table One to take their seats. The grand auction was about to begin. People of every description were filing in one after another, and within mere moments the whole hall had grown loud with the hum of voices, bustling and lively.
Wei Zhao swept his gaze around and found that this place was, as expected, Morning Star Academy's stronghold—more than half of those in the hall were disciples in Morning Star Academy attire, while the rest came from every walk of life imaginable. One thing, however, was certain: all of them must have considerable backing and connections, or they could never have obtained admission.
With so many Morning Star Academy disciples about, Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao might well be among them. Wei Zhao immediately wanted to extend his divine sense to probe, only to find that his divine sense simply would not function here—as if some special formation shrouded the place, screening it off completely.
With no other choice, since he could not probe with his divine sense, Wei Zhao had to confirm them one by one with his own eyes. The trouble was, there was no way to manage the people in those VIP boxes—unless the curtains were drawn and the angle just right, there was simply no seeing inside.
Having swept his gaze over everyone in the hall, Wei Zhao sat back down at last in disappointment. There was no trace of Wang Xinyan or Huang Xiaotao among them. Still, on reflection it was hardly surprising—the two of them were, after all, the only two personal disciples of the East Sea Divine Nun. Given her standing, if they had come, being allotted a VIP box would be perfectly normal.
Amid the bustle, the Morning Star Grand Auction finally opened. An old man with white hair and a boyish face, his beard snowy white, stepped onto the central podium under the gaze of the crowd, and there followed a flood of flowery opening remarks. This old man, it turned out, was the official host specially invited by Morning Star Academy.
The white-bearded elder was responsible only for the opening words. The next person to step onto the podium made Wei Zhao's eyes light up—here was a familiar face: Ling Yuanqing, the headmaster of Morning Star Academy!
Compared with the white-bearded elder's grandiloquence, Headmaster Ling Yuanqing's words were far more brief: "Ladies and gentlemen, after five years, the Morning Star Grand Auction is convened once again. I trust that every merchant guild has already submitted its most valuable offerings, and that they will surely treat you all to an auction feast beyond imagination. As stipulated in advance, the guild whose lots fetch the highest total today shall become this academy's sole supplier. I ask you all to await the spectacle with patience. And now—let us begin." (To be continued.)