NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 121: Buying and Selling
This time, the six fine horses were temporarily kept in the hotel’s specialized stable, while the group leisurely strolled and observed.
In no time, Ling Yi and his companions arrived at a massive, opulent circular building.
Raising his head, one had to tilt at a forty-five degree angle just to see where the building’s top met the pale blue sky.
Jiang Yuan mused whether there were such grandiose constructions in the entire Water Wood Principality and ultimately shook his head in his heart, the answer clear-cut.
Turning back to look at his little companions, he met the gazes of Ling Yi and the others.
Jiang Yuan was momentarily taken aback, puzzled at how these youngsters seemed so unfazed.
It was understandable for Ling Yi, with his composed demeanor, to exhibit such behavior. But how Zhang Mufeng, his three peers, and even Li Zhishu appeared so indifferent was baffling.
Unbeknownst to him, having witnessed the ever-changing progress of the Blue Silver Territory, Zhang Mufeng and his peers were unimpressed by a mere building, unlike Jiang Yuan, who felt otherwise.
The three knew that while architecture could symbolize a place’s prosperity, true strength lay in its people.
Observing the bustling streets, seemingly thriving, yet noticing that more than half the passersby wore cautious expressions and faced life with apathy was nothing like the Blue Silver Territory’s spirited citizens.
However, Li Zhishu was busy looking around the streets for unique snacks and delicacies, entirely indifferent to the architectural grandeur.
Ling Yi witnessed the scene before him and understood that Jiang Yuan was simply overthinking.
Having once ventured out from the "Shuimu Principality" and maneuvered through the battlefield along the border of Heaven Dou and Star Luo, Jiang Yuan took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and patted Ling Yi’s shoulder, saying, “Ah Yi, you take the lead this time—it’s primarily about you, after all.”
Without waiting for Ling Yi’s response, he stepped back slightly and stood behind Ling Yi’s side, waiting for him to move forward.
Ling Yi glanced at Jiang Yuan, then at his friends beside him, receiving four pairs of eyes that seemed to say, "It's up to you," he sighed resignedly. With a nod to Jiang Yuan, he stepped forward toward the circular building ahead.
Under the watchful eyes of guards at least at the first soul ring level on either side, the six of them passed through the grand doors and were greeted by a vast space adorned with luxurious decor.
A well-dressed young man approached, wearing a genial expression as he asked, “Hello, everyone. My name is Xiao Tie, and I work here. How may I assist you?”§
Ling Yi noticed the youth, who appeared around Li Zhishu’s age and emitted an aura similar to Long Yin’s. Ling Yi’s face broke into a matching—not quite—an even more genuine smile and replied, “Hello, we've heard there’s going to be a large auction here. What are the requirements to participate?”
“I understand~” Xiao Tie replied with an unwavering smile, nodding.
He paused briefly, then walked alongside Ling Yi and the others, starting to introduce the place:
“Dear guests, the auction will take place in three days on the third floor of our building.
Unlike the large marketplace on the first floor, which is open for all visitors, access to the third-floor auction room requires bidding qualification certification.”
As they listened, Ling Yi promptly asked, “Could you please explain the bidding qualification certification in detail?”
Hearing this, Xiao Tie nodded and continued with a smile, “Generally speaking, the qualification certifications for auctions in all major cities and main cities are quite similar. They are divided into several different levels, with the entry threshold being ten thousand gold soul coins.
This means you need proof of assets worth ten thousand gold soul coins to participate in the bidding. This requirement was put in place to prevent malicious bidding. We hope our guests understand.”
At this point, the young man named Xiao Tie discreetly observed the expressions of the six people before him. Seeing that none of them showed any concern upon hearing the amount of ‘ten thousand gold soul coins,’ he felt reassured, and his smile grew warmer.
In the meantime, they had reached the weaponry section of the first-floor marketplace. Ling Yi glanced around and saw all kinds of finely crafted items above five hundred forges, as well as some swords and knives with seven or eight hundred forges, displayed on weapon racks that clearly indicated their high value.
Just as Xiao Tie's eyes lit up, intending to say something, Ling Yi shifted the conversation and continued, "I still have a few questions to ask."
Xiao Tie quickly responded, "Please, ask away, esteemed guest."
Ling Yi continued, "The first question is, if we wish to use this auction opportunity to sell some items, what procedures should we follow?"
“That's simple,” Xiao Tie replied, “Our auction house has dedicated appraisers. As long as you hand over the item to one of our appraisers and it is valued at over a thousand gold soul coins, it can be included in the auction happening in three days.”
Xiao Tie paused here, smiling apologetically at Ling Yi before continuing, “However, if the auction is successful, the auction house will take ten percent of the final sale price as a handling fee. I hope you can understand.”
“That's reasonable,” Ling Yi nodded, expressing his understanding of the auction house's handling fee policy.
Though he said this, he couldn't help but feel a bit critical inside.
The data in this world truly leaves one speechless.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, when Tang San took Xiaowu to the Heaven Dou Auction House, the introduction seemed identical to what Xiao Tie just said.
From the various information he had gathered earlier, Ling Yi already understood these rules inside out. He only went through the process with Xiao Tie to make it look less abrupt to outsiders.
According to the information Ling Yi obtained, the auction would always take a ten percent handling fee from the final sale price, regardless of the amount for which the item was sold.
This data seemed somewhat arbitrary. Typically, the higher the sale price, the lower the handling fee percentage should be adjusted accordingly.
However, on the continent of Douluo, things are quite different. Here, if the auction reaches a final price of one million gold spirit coins, the auction house takes a cut of one hundred thousand gold spirit coins. If it's ten million, they take a million.
Of course, according to the lowest auction participation standards, if the starting bid is one thousand gold spirit coins, then the auction house only charges a fee of one hundred gold spirit coins.
Yet, this data still makes people feel immensely frustrated.
Currently, if Ling Yi had enough strength, he would start an auction house himself, setting various commission rates depending on the price of the auction items, ranging from 0.5% to 5%. This reasonable profit margin alone could potentially capture over eighty percent of the auction business on the continent of Douluo!
Who doesn't love saving money, especially when dealing with valuable high-end items? A ten percent brokerage fee is enough to make many people hesitate.
In Ling Yi’s view, in such a world of extraordinary capabilities, the auction house's ability to generate profits should be secondary. The main thing is the potential to gather rare and valuable items from all over the continent onto this platform.
Many items might not be of significantly high worth, yet they are highly desirable and not easily found in the market. You might want to buy them, but there's nowhere to go to find them.
Just like Ling Yi's target this time.
(End of Chapter)
