Reincarnated into a Snow Griffin-Chapter 71

Once we finally arrive at the auction house I can describe it in one phrase that comes quickly to my mind:

We surely did not fit in here, or rather, I did not fit in with this bunch of pompous humans at all.

The place is more than opulent, rich in more than one way, and surely beyond our paycheck, which made me give a septic glance at Ethan who simply gave me a sheepish dimpled smile back pretending that nothing is wrong and walking up to it as if owning the place.

I follow suit, glancing at everything at least once while trying to take the details in, thankful for my owl night vision. The auction house is not a building per say, even though the path to it had been visually prepared to receive us, with not only martial artists guards, which were a luxury on itself for how expensive it is to pay for these many, however any other type would be useless I guess since the clients are martial artists themselves too, and the only ones able to contain such troublemakers are the ones with higher strength.

Not only there were guards at the very entrance but opportunists sellers with stalls all over, trying to appeal to the money of the binders, only not been allowed pass the gates and inside the walled gardens were lanterns swung softly in the wind as inside these walls is already the ticked only people zone.

To my surprise we enter without much of a second glance from the guard at the door that checks our invitation; when did Ethan get those?; and as we pass the red gate I frown under the veil as I feel a prickling pressure pass over myself, only to be gone as quickly as it got there, and as attentive as ever to anything regarding me, constantly studying my face as much as he could with a veil in front, the devil beside me says at the same time that I recognize the sensation:

"It is a barrier, to avoid using any flying device on the premises and some other things..." He says, giving the brick walls around a glance, and one untrained would not have noticed the runes prickling all over them, buzzing the place with energy, and I cannot help but study them for a few seconds, engraving their traces in my mind for further study later on.

And as much as I may have regretted agreeing to this trip earlier that day, now... now I saw the opportunity of observing many interesting things, not only engraving runes but other martial artists and cultivators, beyond a more ground level look at the world we live at, or at least how most humans live as.

Surprisingly we got to arrive early despite Ethan’s attempts to dwell on the city, and as we wait for the main building gate to open we get to stay under a tree close to the path yet concealed enough to grant us with a great observation spot as people came in from the red gate, and I could tell that there were two major groups among the interested for the goods tonight, the ones from sects like ourselves, and rich merchants that, even though without an ounce of Chi in them, had enough of the coin to buy security and goods to make up for it.

It was hard to tell which of them was the most dangerous one... the ones with brute force or the ones with contacts to boot.

But I guess with enough money one could buy enchanted weapons to make up for their lack of inner ability, and as much as the older generation of cultivators twisted their nose to this pompous untalented humans trying to play on their field, it did not make them less dangerous.

But as we were offered tea and rested our cups on the high round tables, I narrowed my eyes at the ones I thought to be the most dangerous of the lot.

And they are... the incognito mysterious ones.

The ones that, like myself, had something to hide, and with their figures covered it was hard to tell if they were nobodies or perhaps illustrious cultivators avoiding drama.

And considering that if they were from the first category they would not have been allowed inside... it only makes me wonder of all the possibilities of their identities and why would they need to hide themselves when showing off is part of a martial artist’s nature.

Just take the example beside me, wearing his sect colors with pride and not losing an opportunity to show me his moves.

"Ladies and gentlemen, The Phoenix Plaza is now open and ready to receive you all, if you please follow me inside." I was so focused on watching the crowd that once he a man comes and announces the opening of the Plaza it actually takes me by surprise, enough so that a line had already formed at the entrance before I realized it as all gathered to enter it.

I follow soon after, looking up at the building and finding the name, Phoenix, fitting, as its structure could truly lift up and flight.

And if that huge balloon filled with hot air surrounded by massive flags and sails to direct its course were not for show, the wooden boat structure of the building painted in red and gold would truly remind the flying creature when up in the air, if not at least for its magnificence.

The insides were so out of place from the wooden city outside that makes it quite obvious that this comes from far and beyond, withing a much more expensive source for as much as there is wood here and there there is also hot metal and bronze structures of pipes running along the walls in the intricate structure that made it possible for such a big heavy thing to lift up in the air.

And yet among the extraordinary and costly technology, there is still space for expensive furniture, red carpets, long staircases, all there was to make the plaza look big and grand, gold and red mixed with bronze everywhere.

This opulence makes me feel out of place and nervous that some of the most experienced cultivators around us could see past my human façade, but beyond my growing jittery nerves all went smoothly as we enter and take our places at a theatrical plaza with all the chairs pointing at the central stage.

For the true spectacular is just about to begin.