Chapter 85: A Strange Sense of Déjà Vu
'Such a greedy little kitten,' Ye Cheng thought, his only evaluation of Zhu Zhuqing before shifting his attention back to the five young women standing respectfully before him.
"What are your names?" He made no effort to conceal his interest in the quintuplets. To be honest, from any perspective, the auction house had gone all out by offering these five outstanding girls as a gift.
Multiple births were already rare, let alone identical quintuplets who were not only stunningly beautiful but also highly talented Soul Masters. Their potential wasn't just average it was exceptional.
Moreover, to nurture five sisters to this level at their age, the auction house must have invested an enormous amount of resources. Considering all these factors, these five young women were a once in a century rarity.
Only a fool would pretend to be indifferent.
Upon hearing Ye Cheng's question, the five girls' identical blue eyes flickered slightly. Then, the girl on the far left took the lead.
"Ichika."
As if triggering a chain reaction, the other four girls spoke in turn.
"Nino."
"Miku."
"Yotsuba."
"Itsuki."
The quintuplets spoke with remarkable synchronicity, their rhythm so flawless it was as if they shared a single mind.
Watching their unusually well coordinated speech and demeanor, Ye Cheng became even more certain of his earlier suspicion these girls were not raised as mere maids.
Had they been trained from birth as attendants, their eyes wouldn't be this bright, and they would have developed the kind of submissive demeanor typical of lifelong servants. Instead, there was something familiar about them, a strange sense of déjà vu.
At that moment, if Ye Cheng used his system to check their background, he would have discovered a very interesting secret.
"Your names are based on numbers. What about your surname?" he asked curiously.
The five sisters exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison.
They had once had a surname, but in this world, it no longer held any meaning.
Seeing them shake their heads, Ye Cheng assumed they were orphans raised by the auction house, given only first names and no family name. Since that was a common practice, he didn't press further.
Time passed as they chatted.
Throughout the conversation, Ye Cheng realized that despite their identical faces, each sister had a distinct personality. Talking to them felt eerily similar to conversations he had with modern girls back on Earth lighthearted, engaging, and full of banter.
As the six of them sat on the couch, chatting and laughing, Zhu Zhuqing found herself completely excluded from the conversation.
No one had intentionally ignored her, but the natural chemistry between Ye Cheng and the quintuplets left her sidelined, feeling like a silent outsider.
She sat in the corner of the couch, puffing her cheeks slightly, sulking in silence.
Fortunately, at that moment, a soft chime echoed through the room, signaling that the auction was about to begin.
The quintuplets, upon hearing the sound, suddenly remembered their assigned roles.
They had been so engrossed in their conversation with Ye Cheng that they nearly forgot their duties.
Ichika, the eldest, stood up with a smile and said, "Allow me to explain the rules of the top tier auction, Your Excellency."
As she spoke, she gestured slightly toward Nino, the second sister.
Ye Cheng recalled that Nino was the one who had introduced herself second. She stepped forward toward the smooth, white wall and gently pressed against it.
Suddenly, a soft glow pulsed across the surface, spreading outward like ripples.
Gradually, the light intensified, and then to Ye Cheng's astonishment the entire wall transformed into a massive screen.
Seeing this, Ye Cheng was momentarily stunned.
It was just too familiar like watching a projection screen from Earth.
Noticing his surprise, Ichika smiled and explained, "This is an ancient Soul Tool, designed to transmit images and sound through special methods."
Ye Cheng nodded slightly.
Of course, he knew it was a Soul Tool, but he had been caught off guard by how similar it was to modern technology.
On the massive wall screen, the image gradually came into focus.
A large auction stage appeared, and standing atop it was the Spirit Douluo elder who had previously led them.
It was obvious he would be hosting the auction.
At that moment, Ichika spoke in a professional tone, **"To protect the privacy of all high tier auction participants, each distinguished guest has their own private suite, just like this one. Bidding and viewing take place entirely within these rooms.
All food and beverages here are complimentary. If you win a bid, the auctioned item will be delivered to your suite immediately."**
Ye Cheng simply nodded, signaling that he understood.
Realizing he wasn't particularly interested in the details, Ichika wisely refrained from explaining further.
At that moment, the Spirit Douluo host on the screen began speaking.
**"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Heaven Dou Grand Auction House's top tier event. Today, we present to you a total of eighteen rare treasures.
The items will be displayed in ascending order of value. We hope you all find something to your liking."**
Even though the main attraction was the three soul bones, the auction house couldn't just sell only those three items that would leave no room for entertainment.
Thus, the event was structured to gradually build anticipation, warming up the atmosphere with other items before unveiling the grand prizes.
The Spirit Douluo host continued, **"Time is precious, so without further delay, let us begin the auction.
Now, esteemed guests, please direct your attention to our first item of the evening."**
As he gestured toward the auction platform, the screen display shifted, showcasing the first auction item.
Since the screen was over ten meters wide, the item's details were displayed with remarkable clarity.
It was a bracelet, adorned with eighteen gemstones, exuding an elegant yet extravagant charm.
The host's voice rang out: **"This is an ancient Soul Tool, a storage type artifact.
Each gemstone contains a separate space measuring ten meters in length, width, and height."**
It was clear the auction house had gone all out to make this event a success.
Even a high capacity storage Soul Tool was being auctioned to set the stage.
If Ye Cheng didn't already have a superior storage ring, he might have been tempted to bid on it.
In the end, the bracelet started at 500,000 gold coins and was sold for 1.6 million.
Next came the second item a hairpin.
Infused with Soul Power, it could unleash a single attack equivalent to a Soul King's full power.
However, it had a major flaw it could only be used nine times before becoming useless.
Starting bid: 700,000 gold coins.
Final price: 2 million gold coins.
One by one, the auction items continued to be revealed.
Ye Cheng watched with great interest, occasionally placing bids on items he found appealing.
Time passed unnoticed.
Finally only three items remained.
The soul bones.
(End of Chapter)
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