"Qinghe, can we eat these fruits?"
Paimon glanced at Aether, who had been staring blankly at the auction hall. Xue Qinghe remained silent beside him. The fruits on the table looked juicy and fresh—too tempting to resist.
"Of course. Eat as much as you like, Paimon."
Xue Qinghe pushed the fruit platter toward her with a warm smile.
"Mhm! This red one looks just like a Luoluo Plum!"
Paimon picked up a translucent crimson fruit and handed it to Aether.
"Here, Traveler—it's really yummy! See how nice I am? The first thing I think of when I get food is you!"
"…Thanks. Testing it on me again, huh?"
Aether twitched at the corner of his mouth. This wasn't the first time she'd pulled this trick.
Anytime they encountered food that looked tasty but unfamiliar, she would hand it to him to try first.
After a stomachache incident in the past, Aether had ended up being her chef and her personal poison tester.
Still, he took the palm-sized fruit and bit into it under her expectant gaze.
"Well? How is it? Delicious, right?"
Paimon clasped her tiny hands, eyes shining as she watched the glistening juice drip from the fruit's bite mark.
"Yeah. It's sweet. You can dig in now."
Aether nodded and gave it a solid rating.
"Hehe, let's eat! Mmm~ this one's great too! Here, try it, Traveler!"
Paimon picked up another fruit and stuffed a half-bitten piece into his mouth.
Watching Aether reluctantly chew it down, her eyes sparkled with mischief and affection.
Of course she knew the fruit wasn't poisonous—it was meant for entertaining guests, after all. How could it be dangerous?
She'd noticed Aether zoning out, which usually meant he was thinking about his lost kin or something equally heavy.
As his best companion, she always stepped in at times like this—to lighten the mood and drive away his gloom.
"Um, Qinghe, is there any more fruit?"
Paimon pointed at the now-empty platter.
The fruit was just too good. She wanted more.
"There is. I'll have some brought over."
Xue Qinghe blinked, then quickly ordered the maids outside.
He had been quietly observing Aether and Paimon this whole time. There was something undeniably mysterious about the two of them.
"Hehe, thanks Qinghe."
Paimon beamed, then suddenly added,
"When we find our Serenitea Pot, I'll treat you to a feast too! The kind of food you can't find anywhere around here!"
"I'd love that. I'm looking forward to it." Xue Qinghe chuckled before asking curiously, "But what exactly is this 'Serenitea Pot' you mentioned?"
"The Serenitea Pot is a treasure given to the Traveler by Granny Ping. It's super big inside—it can hold all kinds of stuff, even food, and nothing ever spoils! But… we lost it…"
Paimon's voice softened with regret as she explained.
"A spatial-type soul tool, perhaps…"
Xue Qinghe's insight kicked in instantly. From the description, he was reminded of legendary storage-type soul devices recorded in ancient tomes.
But if what Paimon said was true, then their pot far surpassed any such soul tool in existence.
Not only were these two of mysterious origin, but the items they carried were just as extraordinary.
They could summon weapons out of thin air, didn't rely on soul power, and now this magical pot? He had never heard of anything like it.
A suspicion began to form in his heart—and it was a strong one.
Knock knock~
Just as Xue Qinghe was about to inquire further, the door to the private room opened. The seductive woman from earlier entered, directing two maids carrying fruit and desserts.
"Your Highness, here are the fruits and desserts you requested."
"Mm. Set them here and leave."
Xue Qinghe nodded calmly, masking his curiosity.
"Yes, sir…"
"Wow! These desserts look so good!"
Paimon was instantly distracted by the food laid out before her.
"I'm glad you like them. I asked them to bring these especially for you."
Xue Qinghe had noticed something. While Aether was cold and stoic, Paimon was a cheerful little glutton. Give her something to eat, and she'd warm up to you instantly.
"Hehe, thanks! Then I won't hold back."
Knock knock knock~
Just as Paimon was diving into the sweets, a rhythmic chime rang out from downstairs. All eyes in the room turned toward the auction hall.
The auction was beginning.
With a flashy opening speech from the auctioneer, one bizarre item after another was brought up for bidding.
One of them was a spirit herb reputed to neutralize all poisons, which was quickly snapped up by a man radiating immense pressure.
Aether remained uninterested in the auctioned items, his gaze drifting across the crowd. Besides the man who bought the herb, a few other rooms harbored individuals with strong auras.
Paimon, on the other hand, was excitedly chatting with Xue Qinghe, peppering him with questions about every item that went up for bid.
"This auction is wild! Even a Title Douluo is bidding!"
"Yeah, too bad we can't afford any of it…"
The crowd murmured among themselves as the auction proceeded smoothly.
"Distinguished guests, the next item is the grand finale of this auction! Many of you may have come solely for this moment…"
After a final item was auctioned off, the stage attendants did not bring anything new out. Instead, the auctioneer stepped forward with a dramatic flourish.
"What's the final item?"
"No idea. But it must be super rare to be the finale."
The audience buzzed with anticipation. Meanwhile, in Room 2, Paimon suddenly turned to Aether, her tone urgent.
"Traveler, it's almost the last item!"
"Don't worry," Xue Qinghe said before Aether could respond. "If it really is your friend, I'll help you win the bid."
"Huh? Why would we buy her? If it's really Keke, we're just gonna take her and leave!"
Paimon looked confused. She came here to rescue Keke.
If that fox girl was Keke, then not only would they take her, they'd give the ones who captured her a good beating too! Why would they give them money?
"Uh…"
Xue Qinghe froze. Snatching someone from an auction? That had never happened before.
He knew the auction house wasn't just backed by nobles—there were even shadows of powerful sects involved.
Every item they auctioned was rare beyond measure, and the fact that the auction had operated smoothly for so long spoke to the depth of its backing. No one had ever dared stir up trouble here.
But now, judging by Paimon's words, the two of them really seemed to be planning exactly that.
Thinking it over, Xue Qinghe gave a word of caution.
"There may be many powerful experts stationed at this auction. Trying to take someone by force… would be very difficult."
He still had no Idea what their true strength was. But if they really planned to start a fight in the auction hall… they'd need to be at least at the level of a Title Douluo.
_
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