All kinds of people appeared at the auction.
Some, like Toji Hisami, had obvious remote links added.
The other part seemed to be the physical arrival of the attendees.
Toji Hisami picked up the card and inquired about some details concerning the auction.
It turned out that the auction introduction also listed several available lounges, which could be utilized as long as one paid a certain amount of points.
Inside the lounge, attendees could pay additional points to adjust the time flow rate, up to twice the normal speed.
This surprised Toji Hisami.
The owner behind the auction was far more powerful than he had imagined.
Some participants bought what they wanted at the auction and used it directly on the spot.
In this way, they could save a considerable amount of time and did not have to fear potential accidents.
After all, their respective territories might not be as secure as the auction house.
The crowd grew denser, yet they occupied less than half of the seats in the venue.
For individuals like Toji Hisami who participated remotely, their assigned locations were fixed.
Those who arrived in person occasionally stood up and changed positions, and most of them preferred to sit alone.
Most people wore masks over their faces, and remote participants could also configure their avatars to appear blurred.
Everyone placed great importance on personal privacy.
Toji Hisami himself was no exception. He crossed his legs and rested his hands upon his knees.
Within the transaction list, the few items he had earmarked remained unsold, with the Five Elements Essence proving to be the most sought-after.
Following closely behind were equipment, skill books, and various enhancement materials.
Yet Toji Hisami noticed that whenever certain items sold out, new listings would be added after a short while.
During this period, several people stood up and left the venue entirely, heading backstage.
He figured they simply went to claim and enjoy their newly purchased goods.
Toji Hisami did not find this strange. After all, the items on the auction catalog looked exceptionally high-end at first glance, and most attendees lacked the resources to compete for them.
Watching the auction served as both entertainment and a valuable learning experience.
"Little brother, are you interested in some seeds?"
At that moment, someone took the seat beside Toji Hisami, looked over at him, and spoke.
Toji Hisami appeared merely as an avatar with his facial blur enabled; otherwise, a dark line of exasperation would surely have crossed his forehead.
Good grief, are you trying to sell seeds? Do you have a link for a starter pack?
He turned his head to see that the stranger was a man wrapped in a gray cloak.
Beneath a mop of long, grimy hair lay a face lined with deep grooves.
The man parted a corner of his cloak, revealing that it was lined with various small cloth bags, emitting a subtle, fragrant aroma.
Plant seeds?
"Hehe, it seems this is your first time coming here, little brother. You’re so young and already have a promising future!"
"I am a druid lord, and I specialize in cultivating all kinds of seeds. If we trade directly, neither of us has to pay the auction agency fee..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Toji Hisami watched as two puppets quietly materialized behind him.
The pair of puppets stared expressionlessly at the druid’s back, then silently raised their arms and crossed them over their chests.
"You have violated the auction rules three times and will now be expelled."
"What?! Why did you show up so fast this time? I haven’t even sold anything yet!"
"I just felt a strong sense of destiny with my little brother here, so I thought about offering him a special opportunity, don’t you agree, little brother?!"
The elderly druid first spun his head around to shout in panic at the puppets, then glared fiercely at Toji Hisami, his eyes practically sparking with annoyance.
The two puppets clearly possessed no emotions, and upon hearing the druid’s plea, both turned their gazes toward Toji Hisami.
The corner of Toji Hisami’s mouth curved upward. It seemed this fellow was a repeat offender. He wanted to pocket the handling fees, so instead of submitting his goods to the agency, he was peddling them secretly within the hall.
He certainly wasn’t about to let the old bastard off easy.
Since the man had winked and tacitly asked for assistance, Toji Hisami decided he was fully justified in collecting a small handling fee of his own.
Toji Hisami extended an open palm toward the druid.
"Uncle, where are the seeds?"
The druid’s face twisted between distress and fury. He had initially spotted Toji Hisami’s youthful avatar and hoped to trick an inexperienced newcomer.
After hearing his opening remark, most young people would have felt inclined to show courtesy and humor him without demanding anything in return.
Once the puppets chased him out, he could have simply tossed over a handful of common seeds if he felt like it.
Instead, Toji Hisami had skillfully turned the tables and held out his hand demanding the goods right then and there.
That clearly meant that if whatever he handed over failed to satisfy, things would get difficult.
The two puppets standing behind the druid watched quietly, waiting to see how he would respond.
Several nearby onlookers also noticed the commotion and turned their heads with amused interest.
The auction had not yet officially begun, so a little pre-show entertainment was always welcome.
While Toji Hisami was unfamiliar with this druid, veteran attendees had encountered him at several previous auctions and knew him well.
This fellow was undoubtedly fabulously wealthy, yet he possessed an obsessive habit of squeezing every penny out of minor transactions.
The auction’s agency fee was a mere one percent, requiring just one coupon per hundred points, yet the druid refused to part with even a single coupon.
Every time he entered the auction house, he brought a massive stockpile of goods, intending to sell them off-market.
In the past, regular attendees were accustomed to his antics and completed private transactions through mutual understanding.
Today, however, the druid had lost his senses—perhaps eager to cultivate a fresh customer base—and had randomly targeted Toji Hisami.
After all, the vital aura radiating from Toji Hisami’s avatar suggested a very young age, yet he possessed the clearance to attend such a high-tier auction.
That implied he either possessed an extraordinary background, formidable personal strength, or exceptional fortuitous encounters.
Regardless of the reason, he commanded attention.
The standoff drew to its climax.
The druid pushed back his tangled hair with trembling hands, reached deep beneath his cloak, and pulled out a small pouch of seeds.
"These are guardian tree seeds! After my personal cultivation, they can grow to maturity in just one single year, and their combat strength is twice that of ordinary guardian treefolk!"
"This packet containing eight seeds is yours, young man!"
Toji Hisami looked at the druid with a half-smile, keeping his outstretched hand completely stationary.
Seeing this, the two puppets pressed their hands firmly down onto the druid’s shoulders, turning the man’s complexion a sickly shade of green.
"Take this packet instead! High-defense Fantasy Thorns! They sprout the moment they touch soil, making them an ideal match for territorial defense! Under my cultivation, their growth requirements have been halved!"
Toji Hisami maintained his calm gaze, gently pushing the two packets of seeds right back into the druid’s hands.
"Do you really take me for a fool who lacks such ordinary items, uncle?"
Hiss!
A sharp intake of breath echoed through the surrounding seats.
The circle of spectators had expanded, and the entire section buzzed with excited murmurs.
Many attendees recognized the druid from past auctions, and a good number had previously traded with him.
Everyone trusted his skill in plant cultivation.
The guardian treefolk he bred possessed double the strength and growth rate of standard treants, growing steadily more formidable with age.
As for the Dream Thorns, they served as core defense facilities across numerous territories.
Dream Thorns could expand indefinitely until they formed a living barrier around a domain.
Normally resting in a dormant state, they would instantly awaken the moment an unauthorized target crossed their perimeter, binding the intruder and releasing potent hallucinatory toxins.
Ordinary professionals stood no chance against them, and even high-tier experts could easily stumble if they let their guard down.
The physical toughness and toxicity of the plants cultivated by this particular druid were truly staggering.
During his very first auction appearance, he had even taken the stage to run a live demonstration.
Even an adult dragon could not easily break free from mature Dream Thorns, allowing him to command a massive price for his inventory back then.
Yet it was precisely that exhibition which made the druid realize how much he hated paying agency fees, prompting his subsequent career as an illicit back-alley peddler.