Chapter 439: Selling
Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Selling
「The next day.」
After retrieving the Mechanical Gods, Long Ming returned to Spine Fortress.
When he went through security and opened his safe, the staff member in charge of the inspection looked at Long Ming, stunned.
"Sir, why are there so many damaged Mechanical Gods in your safe?"
"Is there a problem?"
Long Ming asked calmly.
"No, it’s just that I need to make a record of it."
"Go ahead."
"Alright, you may pass."
"Mm."
Long Ming entered the corridor nonchalantly.
...
「Over an hour later.」
Long Ming arrived at the commercial street in District H1 of Spine Fortress.
The entire commercial street was bustling. Luxurious shops lined both sides, with all sorts of promotional signs displayed at their entrances.
Various holographic advertisements were projected in mid-air.
’So lively.’
Long Ming walked toward the Star Canon Auction.
Soon, he arrived in front of an ingot-shaped building.
The building’s exterior was decorated so splendidly it was almost blinding.
’How flashy.’
Long Ming walked straight toward the main entrance.
At that moment, a guard at the entrance was startled to see Long Ming in his Blade Blood Demon mecha-armor. He quickly raised a hand to stop him and asked,
"Sir, may I ask your business?"
"Selling something."
Long Ming said in a hoarse voice.
"Very well, please come in!"
The guard hesitated for a moment but still let Long Ming enter.
After entering the main hall of the Star Canon Auction, Long Ming discovered that the floor was paved with gold bricks and the light fixtures on the ceiling were also gold. The decor was extremely luxurious.
The other patrons in the hall couldn’t help but stare when they saw Long Ming.
At that moment, a handsome, rakish young man was smiling at a beautiful woman in front of him. She was alluring and tall, dressed in a wine-red evening gown with a plunging neckline that revealed a swath of pale skin.
"Betty, care to join me for a drink tonight?"
Just as Betty was about to politely decline, she suddenly saw Long Ming enter, and her eyes lit up.
Although she didn’t recognize Long Ming, based on the armor he wore and the aura he projected, Betty knew this was no ordinary guest.
"I can’t chat with you anymore. My client has arrived."
Betty licked her red lips and then walked toward Long Ming.
She walked straight up to Long Ming and greeted him warmly.
"Welcome. I am Betty, the manager of the Star Canon Auction. And you are, sir?"
"Red Ghost."
Long Ming glanced at Betty and replied coldly.
"Mr. Red Ghost, how may I be of service to you?"
"I’m selling something!"
Long Ming stated his purpose simply and clearly.
"Well then, Mr. Red Ghost, you’ve certainly come to the right place. Let’s discuss the details in the VIP lounge!"
Betty very enthusiastically invited Long Ming toward the VIP lounge.
Soon, the two arrived in a VIP lounge.
Betty asked with a smile.
"Mr. Red Ghost, what is it you wish to sell?"
"Mechanical Gods!"
Long Ming replied coldly.
"Mechanical Gods! Now that’s some good merchandise!"
Betty’s eyes immediately lit up.
’No matter what tier the Mechanical Gods are, as long as the price is right, they’ll sell.’
"Of course they’re good. The question is whether you have the guts to take them."
Long Ming looked at Manager Betty and spoke with profound meaning.
’Although the reviews for this auction house on the Civilization Forums were decent, he was still a little unsure of their capabilities.’
Betty immediately understood the meaning behind Long Ming’s words.
"Oh, Mr. Red Ghost, this must be your first time at the Star Canon Auction, isn’t it? Let me be frank with you, our auction house has powerful backers."
"Oh? And who might that be?"
"The Forty-First Legion!"
Betty said with a smile.
’And here I was thinking it was someone impressive.’
Hearing Manager Betty’s words, Long Ming was indeed a little disappointed; he had thought it would be some powerful figure.
"Mr. Red Ghost, don’t you underestimate our Forty-First Legion. I dare say, in the entire Star Alliance, there’s no merchandise our Forty-First Legion wouldn’t dare to take. Even if it’s something the First Legion lost, we’d take it without batting an eye!"
Manager Betty boasted.
"For real?"
Long Ming looked at Manager Betty in disbelief.
"You can ask around! Who doesn’t know what our Forty-First Legion is all about?"
"Oh? Do tell."
"Business, of course! The legion backing us only cares about money!"
Betty was not the least bit evasive.
Hearing Betty’s words, the corner of Long Ming’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
’These last few legions of the Star Alliance are really something else.’
’The Forty-Second Legion does the grunt work, looting goods from the Military Department. Now there’s this Forty-First Legion that specializes in business, and they even deal in hot goods from other legions. He didn’t even know how to describe it.’
"So, you’re saying you can take anything I bring out?"
"Not quite. We don’t take anything related to the Second Legion."
"Why?"
Long Ming asked, slightly taken aback.
"Even we have to know when to bow our heads. But aside from the Second Legion, anything goes."
Betty said with a chuckle.
"Fine! Then find a bigger place for me to show you the goods!"
Long Ming said simply and clearly.
"Of course. This way, please!"
Betty led Long Ming out a side door of the lounge and into a massive inspection room.
Long Ming raised his wristband and tapped it a few times.
SWOOSH!
One fourth-generation Standard Mechanical God, two third-generation custom models, and five Third Generation Standard Mechanical God ’Destroyer’ models appeared.
"Heavens, so many Mechanical Gods!"
Betty was also very surprised.
"Give me a quote!"
Long Ming said coldly to Betty.
"Alright. This fourth-generation Standard Mechanical God, the Hunter model, is severely damaged, but I can offer you 70 million!"
Manager Betty offered a price with a smile.
"That price shows a complete lack of sincerity."
Long Ming said, narrowing his eyes.
"Sir, that price isn’t low. If I’m not mistaken, this batch of goods belongs to the Third Legion, doesn’t it? Their origin is a bit... dubious!"
Betty had a sharp eye; she could tell who these Mechanical Gods belonged to at a glance.
"Cut the crap. If I dared to bring them here to sell, I’m not afraid of anyone finding out!"
Long Ming made his attitude clear to Betty. He wasn’t afraid of the Third Legion finding out he was fencing their goods, so she couldn’t use that to lowball him.
Betty was also very surprised. She hadn’t expected Long Ming to be so confident.
’Normally, people fencing stolen goods are terrified of their identity being discovered.’
"Hehe, in that case, I’ll add a little more. 75 million!"
Betty said with a chuckle.
"Too low!"
"It’s not low! We still have to find someone to repair it and find a buyer... all the costs add up."
"Give me a break. Don’t treat me like a three-year-old. Third Generation Mechanical Gods are already hard to order, and fourth-gen models are practically impossible to get. The market price for a Hunter might be 100 million Star Coins, but the premium on it is ridiculously high."
Long Ming said to Betty.
Betty was a bit surprised again. ’Turns out this guy is an expert. It seems a lowball offer won’t work, but paying a high price is also a bit risky.’
She thought for a few seconds, then said with a smile,
"Mr. Red Ghost, why don’t we do business another way?"
"What way?"
"Besides direct acquisition, we also offer consignment auctions. You can choose to consign them, but our commission fee is higher than other auction houses."
"How much higher?"
"Double. Other places charge a 10% commission fee. We charge 20%!"
Betty replied with a grin.
"That’s a real rip-off!"
"Now, sir, don’t say that. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth. Not only is our confidentiality top-notch, but our promotional channels are also first-class. We can absolutely get you a great price at auction!"
"Fine, I’ll consign all of them!"
Long Ming thought for a few seconds, then agreed.
"Excellent! Let’s sign the contract!"
Betty, grinning from ear to ear, took out a blank contract and handed it to Long Ming.
Long Ming took the contract, read it over carefully, and after confirming there were no issues, he signed the two words "Red Ghost."
"Here. When can we expect the auction to start?"
"Sir, we have an auction the day after tomorrow. I’ll add your items to it. With two days of promotion, I guarantee you’ll get a very good price."
"It had better be."
"Sir, we’re not in the business of one-time deals. If our clients aren’t satisfied, who would come back to us?"
"True."
"This is my card. If you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me."
Betty respectfully handed Long Ming a solid gold business card.
"Mm, I’ll be going then."
Long Ming took the card and put it away.
"Let me see you out!"
Betty politely saw Long Ming off.
...
PS: Happy New Year, everyone!