"Mm-hmm! Keke has fox ears—she's my friend. We're here to rescue her," Paimon nodded earnestly.
"She was captured along with us yesterday, but only stayed here for a short while before they took her away."
"What? That's bad news. Do you know where they took her?"
"I heard them mention something like… an auction house."
The girl lowered her head in thought. When Yu Keke was taken away, she vaguely heard the captors talking about an auction.
"That's right. I've been here for a few days already, and I know several pretty girls have been taken to the auction house."
Another girl, her eyes vacant, spoke softly. From her appearance, it was clear she had suffered greatly here.
"Auction house?"
Xue Qinghe, who had been standing silently by the side, frowned. He looked to Aether and said,
"There's actually an auction being held at the Heaven Dou City Auction Hall today. We received an invitation from the guards even before we met."
As he spoke, Xue Qinghe pulled out a black invitation edged in gleaming gold.
Paimon immediately flew over and grabbed it, inspecting it carefully.
"Whoa! Traveler, look! There's a fox girl listed here—this has to be Keke!"
She opened the invitation. Inside was a long list of rare and strange items she couldn't recognize, each with detailed annotations in tiny script.
Paimon squinted at it, flipping through page after page. The invitation ended up drooping almost as long as she was tall.
Finally, at the very end, she found a prominently marked auction item—Fox Girl.
"How dare they! They're actually auctioning off Keke like she's a thing?! That's so evil!"
Paimon clenched her tiny fists tightly. Selling people like this… everyone involved in such a trade was a villain!
Hearing her outburst, Xue Qinghe stepped closer and took a look. Sure enough, the item was not only highlighted as the event's grand finale, but even listed the fox girl's age, background, and other personal details.
"This… I honestly didn't know," Xue Qinghe said awkwardly. "I've never been very interested in auctions, but due to my status, I receive an invitation every time."
He hadn't expected that the person Aether and Paimon were looking for would actually be on the auction list.
He felt the need to explain quickly, worried they'd misunderstand him.
From how Aether had instantly struck down that thug earlier to protect the imprisoned girl, it was obvious he had no tolerance for these kinds of shady dealings.
"Your Highness, when does the auction begin?" Aether asked.
"This afternoon," Xue Qinghe replied after a moment's thought. "We entered not long before noon, so we should still have time to make it."
"Then we'll trouble Your Highness to accompany us."
"Of course, leave it to me. Shall we head out now?"
Xue Qinghe readily agreed. If that fox girl was truly someone they cared about, he'd buy her back for them if needed—no question about it.
"Wait, there's one more thing, Your Highness… these girls…"
Aether turned to the frightened girls still huddled in the corner. Since they'd been rescued, they couldn't just be left behind.
These girls were someone's cherished daughters. If left to fend for themselves, their fate might only worsen.
He hoped Xue Qinghe could use his status to help them either return home or find safe shelter.
"Don't worry. Once we're out, I'll have someone arrange proper care for them immediately," Xue Qinghe nodded, understanding Aether's intentions.
In truth, even if Aether hadn't spoken up, he wouldn't have left these girls behind.
The three of them then escorted the group of girls back to the surface. On Xue Qinghe's order, She Long, the steward of the crown prince's manor, conveniently appeared to take the girls into his care.
…
On the southwest side of Heaven Dou City stood its largest auction venue—Ascension Pavilion.
Ascension Pavilion was a nine-story tower, famed across the entire continent.
It held auctions for all sorts of treasures sought by soul masters and occasionally featured rare, exotic items—drawing in nobles, dignitaries, and even titled Douluo.
"Wow! So this is the auction house? It's huge!" Paimon exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder as she hopped off the carriage with Aether and Xue Qinghe.
"Indeed, this is the largest auction venue in the Heaven Dou Empire," Xue Qinghe replied with a smile.
"The biggest… Does that mean they have good food here too?"
Paimon rubbed her belly. They'd been running around all day and hadn't eaten a single bite. Her stomach was growling.
"Uh… maybe?"
Only Paimon would think of food in the middle of an auction visit.
"But I do know where the best food is. Once we're done, I'll take you to eat—how about that?"
"Is… is that really okay?"
Paimon's eyes sparkled at the mention of food, but she still hesitated out of politeness. She turned to Aether, clearly seeking his approval.
"Well, if His Highness insists, it'd be rude to decline."
Aether glanced at Paimon, whose eyes were already filled with dreams of gourmet dishes. He shook his head with a sigh and agreed.
They had just arrived here and hadn't yet found a way to make money. With Paimon being a gold-sink companion, the thought alone gave him a headache.
"Hehe, yay! Once we save Keke, we're going for a big feast! I promised her we would!"
Paimon clapped her hands gleefully. She'd already started planning out her meal—she was going to stuff herself full!
After all, she knew that ever since arriving in this place, both she and the Traveler had lost their teapot home along with their savings. Right now, they were basically living from meal to meal.
But Xue Qinghe was a prince. Surely his family was loaded. One meal wouldn't hurt, right? So she was going to make it count!
"Your Highness, welcome! Please, come in!"
At the entrance of the auction house, a graceful woman in elegant dress greeted them warmly as they stepped onto the stairs.
"These two are my friends. They're with me," Xue Qinghe said calmly, sidestepping her attempt to link arms with him.
"Ah, distinguished guests of His Highness! Please, this way!"
The woman, unfazed by being brushed off, kept her smile and led them inside.
She escorted them to the VIP section of the auction house, reserved for nobles and royalty.
This section was located on the third floor. Unlike the lower levels that only had regular seats, this floor featured luxurious private boxes, each marked with a number.
The lower the number, the greater the power of the guest.
Their room was labeled Box No. 2—second only to Box No. 1, and the closest with the clearest view of the stage.
"Your Highness, esteemed guests, the auction will begin shortly. Should you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," the woman said with a curtsy, her voice sweet and pleasing.
"You may go. I'll call you if we need something."
Xue Qinghe waved her off casually. He had little interest in dealing with such women.
_
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