...With skin thin and tender, the adjective sent shivers down one's spine.
Chloe couldn't help but tug at Ren Yunying's sleeve. "Do those guys on the Barren Planet still eat human flesh?"
At her words, Ren Yunying turned her head slightly to look at her, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Human flesh isn't tasty."
Just as Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, she heard Ren Yunying speak again.
"But when they buy infants, they always have some other purpose in mind. It's not like eating your flesh raw is any better."
With that statement, everyone fell silent.
Daniel's voice echoed from behind, "It's truly barbaric."
Chloe thought, indeed it was barbaric.
These people here probably long forgot what civilization was.
Similarly, this was the most suitable way of survival for the people on the Barren Planet.
If they were placed elsewhere, they probably wouldn't fare as well as they did now.
Lost in thought, they had already arrived at the center of the auction.
Many people were already seated here, and the noise from their conversations filled the air.
"Get out of the way, you're blocking the path!"
"Back off, can't you hear? Get away from me, or I'll skin you alive!"
"Push me one more time, and I'll draw my knife!"
"One head for each person who dares to block me!"
Ren Yunying calmly led the infants to their seats.
Luckily, the tickets the old man gave them were towards the back, far away from those rowdy and violent individuals, so there was no need to worry about accidentally harming the infants.
There were six of them in their group, and Ren Yunying didn't want them to sit too far away from herself. So, she simply lifted Chloe with one hand and Anderson with the other, keeping them on her lap.
Katherine sat closely beside Ren Yunying, alone on the other side, while Qin Huaibei and Daniel squeezed onto a single seat.
The two boys didn't give way to each other, and Daniel imitated the way those lunatics spoke, saying, "You brat, push me again, and I'll chop off your limbs!"
Qin Huaibei coldly smirked, "Just you?"
They got into a small scuffle, and after enduring for a few seconds, Ren Yunying couldn't hold back anymore and gave both of them a stern scolding.
Instantly, the surroundings quieted down.
But the commotion at the front continued.
After an unknown amount of time, the stage at the very front finally lit up.
The light was glaring, almost blinding Chloe's eyes.
She bitterly thought—once the auction was over, she would smash that big light.
The crimson curtain gradually drew back, revealing the shabby display stand in the center. A host wearing a cheap suit and a fox mask on his face walked up, shaking a bell in his hand.
The crisp sound of the bell caught the attention of most people, and the room gradually quieted down.
The host didn't waste any time on pleasantries but instead waved his hand, signaling for the auction items to be brought up.
The first item was a massively powerful weapon, instantly sparking excitement among the crowd.
Ren Yunying whispered to them,
"This is a small-scale ion cannon. Although it's compact, its firepower is no less than that of a regular-sized ion cannon. On the contrary, it's even more expensive due to the advanced technology. If it weren't for working in the military district, ordinary people would rarely come into contact with such high-end weapons. After all, even if you buy one, the maintenance costs are unaffordable."
Qin Huaibei pondered, "Impressive."
Chloe glanced at the ion cannon on the platform for a moment, indifferent as she remarked,
"Not bad. Xavier had me practicing shooting with that thing when I was only five."
Everyone: "..."
Qin Huaibei silently withdrew his gaze from the ion cannon. Daniel's eyes turned green with envy, and he clenched his fists, making a faint "creak" sound.
Ren Yunying shook her head helplessly and lightly patted Chloe's head,
"If you ever die, it will definitely be because of your own mouth."
Chloe covered her mouth, pretending to innocently avert her gaze.
Well, it's true. She had broken many of those ion cannons before, but Xavier never said anything. Every time, he just silently replaced them with new ones.
So Chloe always felt that thing was cheap.
She glanced at Daniel, whose emotions seemed to be on a rollercoaster, feeling it necessary to comfort her wounded friend. So she kindly asked,
"Don't be sad anymore. How about I buy that thing for you?"
Before Daniel could respond, Ren Yunying sternly intervened, "Absolutely not!"
She looked at Chloe, "Don't draw attention to yourself here. We have no roots here. If others find out you have such a large sum of money on you, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Hearing this, Chloe could only regretfully give up, while apologizing to Daniel with her eyes.
Daniel's face, fluctuating between ecstasy and despair, looked particularly amusing.
There were already many people loudly bidding at the scene, and one ion cannon was sold for a sky-high price, yet some still refused to give up, persistently doubling the bids.
"What's up with this auction today? It's starting with a bang."
"Who cares? If we get our hands on that ion cannon, we'll be unstoppable on the barren planet."
"...What if we don't have enough money?"
"Don't worry, we'll just go back and kill a few more kids to send to the boss."
Hearing this, Chloe frowned uncomfortably.
Noticing her mood, Anderson reached out and held her hand.
Chloe felt slightly better and looked up, "In that case, why did we even come to this auction?"
Ren Yunying calmly replied, "The item I want to bid on has a low starting price, and few people on the barren planet can use it. It won't attract attention."
Upon hearing this, Chloe felt a bit relieved, "Oh, okay."
As the items at the auction passed one by one, Chloe even saw some being sold alive, which made her feel a wave of discomfort.
Indeed, it was a bloody and dirty place.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren Yunying straightened up in her chair.
Noticing this, Chloe also opened her eyes.
Ahead on the stage, a display platform showcased something resembling a shy plant, tinted in a vibrant shade of green.
The host seemed unenthusiastic about the plant: "Starting bid for the Frostgrass is fifty thousand."
Just fifty thousand?
That did seem surprisingly cheap.
At that moment, Ren Yunying released the hand she had been holding, leisurely raising her paddle.
Spotting her, the host announced through the microphone, "Sixty thousand! Anyone else?"
No other paddles went up in the audience; they couldn't fathom the utility of such a small herb.
The host continued, "Sixty thousand going once!"
"Sixty thousand twice!"
"Sixty thousand thrice—"
"Two hundred thousand!"
A sudden bidding war erupted from the back row.
Even the host was taken aback by the unexpected interest in this seemingly ordinary plant, stumbling over his words before saying, "This gentleman bids two hundred thousand. Any further bids?"
Ren Yunying furrowed her brows slightly, turning her head to glance behind.
There, in the back row of their seating area, sat a man in a sharp suit.
Chloe leaned against Ren Yunying's shoulder to catch a glimpse, her eyes widening with surprise upon recognition.
The man casually withdrew his paddle, smiling at her, "Miss Chloe, long time no see. How have you been?"
—It was Hurst, the curator of the Deep Sea Fish Exhibition Hall on Ocean Planet.
Chloe stared at him for a moment, then turned away without a word, bluntly shouting, "Two hundred and ten thousand!"
