Chapter 1980: Tit for Tat
No one knew that beneath the grandeur of the Black Mark Assembly, the gears of chaos had already begun to turn!
At this moment, Jiangnan was buying with wild abandon, having already spent nearly twenty Incense Beads!
He had practically snapped up all the Black Marks he was interested in!
In reality, the goods Jiangnan bid on far exceeded the actual value of those twenty Incense Beads!
Not only had he secured that Cosmos-level strategic starship, but he'd also bought three mining planets!
Three hundred sets of Source Starlight Armor, one Star Core Power Furnace, a regional large-scale particle transmitter, a hive-type interstellar communication tower, and a hen-egg-sized Bowen Black Crystal!
Especially the Bowen Black Crystal—extremely rare, generated by a Crystal Clan peak powerhouse!
Its density was said to be as terrifying as a neutron star!
And aside from black holes, neutron stars are the densest celestial bodies!
A piece of Bowen Black Crystal the size of a ping-pong ball weighed more than a mountain peak on the Roof of the World!
It could be said to be the top material under the starry sky, even more absurdly hard than Cosmos Crystal Source!
Although an egg-sized piece wasn't good for much, Jiangnan had Boss Pang around, didn't he?
If he gave it to him later, who knew if he could mass-produce more?
By now, everyone in the auction hall was completely numb—Jiangnan really was here to stock up, damn it!
He'd already pulled out so many Incense Beads, and he still had more?
Was he planning to buy everything?
As for Wenge in the adjacent box, he was utterly despairing!
(꒪ͦ﹏꒪ͦ|||)
His gaze at Jiangnan could almost kill, contributing who knew how many resentment points!
What grudge, what enmity? Was he really not leaving a single Incense Bead for him?
Just then, another Black Mark appeared on the stage!
But this time, it wasn't an item—it was a living creature!
Over a hundred ragged, disheveled-looking half-humanoids stood on the stage!
Their hands and feet were shackled, their abilities bound!
These half-humanoids were male and female, with animal ears on their heads and furry tails behind them!
They were agile, some still had fur that hadn't fully shed, though most had fair skin!
Their body structure was extremely similar to humans, but they all bore the characteristics of beasts that hadn't completely faded!
Ling Yin smiled as she introduced:
(♬ᵒ̴̶̷ヮᵒ̴̶̷)ᕤ "These are from the latest Xing Xu opened by the Xingluo Round Hall, and they're all half-humanoids!"
"They can fully beast-transform and have decent abilities. The ones on stage are just a sample!"
"There are about thirty thousand in this half-humanoid tribe. They've already been marked with Slave Marks. Any esteemed guest interested?"
"For just ten billion, you can take the half-humanoid tribe home! Whether you use them as servants, guards, or do anything else you wish, it's all fine~"
Seeing this, the smile on Jiangnan's face gradually froze. At this moment, discussions erupted in the hall again.
"Tsk tsk~ Half-humanoids? Decent abilities? Mainly they look good, pleasing to the eye, eh?"
"Oh ho? They'd make a fine breeding ground for my insect race!"
"This batch of slave stock is fine. Train them well, and they might come in handy. Even if they're a waste, they're good for entertainment!"
Hearing the chatter in the hall, Jiangnan's expression darkened!
Ling Yin smiled: "So? Is the Jiangnan adult interested in this half-humanoid tribe?"
Jiangnan looked at the chieftain of the half-humanoid tribe!
It was an old half-humanoid covered in black stripes, the character "king" on his forehead testifying to his former status!
But now he was bound by shackles, his proud head bowed, staring at the ground, being auctioned like goods!
He was deaf to everything around him; there was no light left in his eyes...
Because of the many similarities between half-humanoids and humans,
In a daze, Jiangnan seemed to see humans standing on the stage, bound by shackles, branded with Slave Marks!
This was the fate of being a slave species, the destiny!
The Pupil race was like this, the Triangle Entity was like this, and so were the half-humanoids!
If humans lost the war, they would end up like these half-humanoids—dragged onto the stage to be displayed, sold, and played with at will!
What was tragic was that none of the myriad races in the hall saw anything wrong with this, nothing improper!
Instead, they excitedly discussed how they would use them if bought, business as usual, accepting it all as completely natural!
Jiangnan forcefully suppressed the surging emotions within him!
Life should not be measured by price!
Humans must never lose, must never become a slave species, reduced to tools and playthings for the myriad races!
Olivia looked at the silent Jiangnan, feeling a bit panicked, as if the air around them had grown cold!
Pangbulaji also turned his head, unable to bear the sight!
Perhaps only the Antennae race, also a slave species, could empathize at that moment!
What desolation those half-humanoids on stage must feel!
Qiu Nian looked at Jiangnan's expression thoughtfully!
Mo Mo bit her lower lip, while Ye Yuan sneered at the front stage!
No one knew what emotions were churning inside Jiangnan!
Ling Yin asked puzzledly: (•︠～•︡♬) "Jiangnan adult? You..."
Jiangnan forced himself to speak in a calm tone...
"Sorry, not really interested."
Even if he spent Incense Beads to buy them, it was useless. He didn't even know if he could leave safely. Even if he got out alive, he, Jiangnan, could change the fate of these thirty thousand half-humanoids,
But he couldn't save the entire half-humanoid race—a drop in the bucket!
Right now, humans could barely take care of themselves; money had to be spent on the blade's edge!
Jiangnan had no power to change this status quo, these rules. Just surviving in the cracks of the rules took everything he had!
The only thing he could do was to take care of himself first. Overflowing maternal kindness was useless!
If he wanted to do something for these pitiful slave species, he would have to strive to become the one who set the rules of the starry sky!
Jiangnan's fists clenched tightly as he stared at the half-humanoid chieftain, muttering softly...
"Don't give up. If you think you've lost in your heart, then you truly have lost. As a king, anyone can admit defeat, but you cannot!"
Olivia tilted her head: (๑•̌～•̑)ˀ̣ˀ̣ "Nan Shen? What did you just say?"
Jiangnan squeezed out a smile:
(⌒_⌒◕) "Nothing."
On the stage, the half-humanoid chieftain's ears twitched. He actually lifted his head, his golden eyes looking toward Jiangnan!
There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, then he gave a bitter smile and lowered his head again!
But his gaze seemed different than before...
Since Jiangnan didn't buy, there were naturally plenty of others who did!
After a fierce round of bidding, the Throne Angel Erdius finally acquired this half-humanoid tribe for 15.9 billion!
꒰ঌ(乛⇀乛)໒꒱ "Such beautiful forms—it would be a shame not to buy them back for breeding. As the most perfect carbon-based lifeforms, serving angels is the greatest honor of your lives!"
"From this moment on, everything you have belongs to me. Remember to be obedient. Disobedient slave species are no longer needed, understand?"
As he spoke, he patted the half-humanoid chieftain's cheek, making a crisp slap sound!
Erdius glanced smugly at Jiangnan:
꒰ঌ(๑¯ิٹ¯ิ)໒꒱ "You didn't want them? Then I'll take them!"
Several veins bulged on Jiangnan's forehead. For some reason, looking at Erdius made him inexplicably angry!
But he ignored him!
Just then, the lights in Box 666 flickered, and the internal quantum transporter started running on its own!
A pure white metal sphere three meters in diameter was transported over!
It was densely covered with mechanical eyes—anyone with trypophobia would faint just from looking at it!
Olivia and the others looked bewildered. Nan Shen hadn't bought anything new!
What was this thing?
Even Qiu Nian, who was well-traveled, couldn't recognize it!
Ai Jiang's expression sharpened: ᥬ(๑ᵒ̴̶̷～ᵒ̴̶̷)᭄ "Master! Just now..."
Jiangnan grinned: "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
As he spoke, he shoved the sphere into the Alternate Dimension!
So the Silicon race had finally delivered their goods?
If it had come any later, it might have been too late. At the same time, the earring on Jiangnan's earlobe lit up!
A smirk curled at the corner of Jiangnan's mouth. Hah~ very good.
He turned his head and asked, "I can also participate in the bidding, right?"
Qing Mei was stunned, then smiled: "Of course you can. You just need to give a heads-up."
A devilish smile spread across Jiangnan's face!
(◕¯ิ◡¯ิ◕)
He pulled out thirty-eight pure white Angel Eggs from his Alternate Dimension and put them into the transporter!
Qiu Nian's eyes widened:
꒰ঌ(‧̣̥̇⊙口⊙)໒꒱ "Damn! Are you serious?"
Jiangnan raised an eyebrow: (◕◔◡◔ิ) "What? Isn't it nice?"
Qiu Nian's face lit up with excitement:
꒰ঌ(๑͡°͜ʖ͡°)໒꒱ "Nice! This is absolutely nice! When it comes to stirring shit, you're the best!"
Although he didn't know what "nice" meant, it was definitely nice!
This was way more satisfying than just cracking eggs!
But was Jiangnan really going this far? Was he not planning to survive anymore?
Ling Yin was just about to present the next item when she suddenly froze!
Selling eggs? What kind of eggs?
The next moment, thirty-eight Angel Eggs were neatly stacked and transported onto the display stage!
The moment the eggs appeared, huge murmurs erupted throughout the hall!
And Ling Yin's face turned whiter than the eggs!
Holy shit! No one told her these were Angel Eggs!
(⌒﹏⌒♬;) "I... I don't know what creature's eggs these are. Starting bid: 250 Star Source Points!"
Even though she knew they were Angel Eggs, she dared not say it!
After all, there were angels present in the hall!
At that moment, Erdius shot to his feet, his eyes bloodshot!
꒰ঌ(ꐦ͡’益͡’ꐦ)໒꒱ "Who? Who the hell dares to put my Angel race's eggs up for auction? Do you have no regard for my Celestial Kingdom?"
"Is this how your Black Mark Assembly operates? Don't you know these are Angel Eggs? And you still put them up for sale?"
Yue Li smiled as she explained:
↜(⃔っ◠◡◠C)⃕ "It's none of the Black Street's business. We only handle bidding and auctions. No matter what it is, the Black Street can sell it!"
"This is an old tradition. If you're unhappy, you can go talk to Lord Noah about it!"
There really wasn't anything the Black Street dared not sell!
Otherwise, why would it be called the Black Street?
Jiangnan: (¯ิ⇀¯ิ๑) "My little darling Yue Li, you're wrong about that. This isn't a 'thing' at all—it's clearly not a thing. It's eggs, right?"
As soon as he said this, an uproar swept through the hall. Everyone turned to look at Jiangnan!
Damn? This guy is this bold?
[Resentment from Erdius +1009!]
Erdius's eyes were bloodshot, his aura suppressed to the extreme!
꒰ঌ(ꐦ°᷄益°᷅ꐦ)໒꒱ "Jiangnan! You put these Angel Eggs up for auction, didn't you? You're asking for death!"
Jiangnan spread his hands: ╮(•́ω•̀)╭ "Eh? That's right, I put them up! What can you do about it? If you're not happy, come and kill me!"
Hadn't he just bought the half-humanoid tribe? Jiangnan was full of pent-up anger and needed to vent!
Today, he was going to make the angels feel what it was like to be placed on a stage and sold like goods!
Just tit for tat!
Jiangnan really couldn't change the current situation, but he could at least disgust the angels!
Erdius nearly ground his teeth to dust. He indeed dared not start a fight with Jiangnan here, but he couldn't swallow this insult!
꒰ঌ(ꐦಠ益ಠꐦ)໒꒱ "Then I'll see who dares to place a bid today!"