This expert was named Dong Shanyang, a man with a bulbous nose, a perpetually flushed face, and a goatee to boot. He reeked of whiskey, his eyes perpetually bleary.

Normally, when he appeared to appraise treasures, his nostrils were practically aimed at the heavens, yet he possessed genuine acumen, rarely misjudging an item. However, the egregious part was this: if an item he authenticated, even if not a fake, was deemed of lesser value, he acted as if he himself had been cheapened and disgraced.

He would often smash the object on the spot and stomp on the pieces, leaving the subsequent damage control to the auction house—a level of arrogance that was truly staggering. But at this moment, the usually haughty expert Dong Shanyang, upon seeing the light emanating from the object, accepted the bag made of stinking socks with the reverence one would reserve for a crown.

He then produced a single particle, holding it with a sacred expression of comparative study as he scrutinized it closely through a magnifying glass. One minute passed.

Two minutes passed. Five minutes passed… The expert remained motionless, holding his initial posture.

The corpulent auctioneer once again broke out in a cold sweat. What if he had misjudged this item again?

If this turned out to be fake, the ensuing farce would be monumental, potentially costing him his entire reputation. He crept closer, hoping to bolster his uneasy heart, only to be met by Dong Shanyang’s impatient retort: “What’s the rush, you fool!

Let me look for a few more minutes; this chance to broaden my knowledge cannot be missed!” Hearing this, the stout auctioneer’s heart immediately settled. He wasted no time showing the master any further deference, waving his hand to have the exasperated expert dragged away.

He was now pressing to finalize this deal! Although six months prior, news that the planet Eplos contained rich deposits of high-purity Xian element had caused a sudden plunge in stocks related to Xian across the Galactic Financial Exchange.

However, as soon as these corporations reduced their shipments, the price of the Xian element immediately surged. Even the stocks of these companies rebounded, perhaps even stronger than before.

Yes, having reserves was one thing, but developing them into one’s own resource was entirely another! It was like knowing everyone has money in the bank, but how many people can actually pull that cash out and make it their own?

Therefore, the auctioneer was certain of the immense profits this single transaction would bring his boss… and subsequently, how much he himself stood to gain. For him, it was a figure beyond his wildest dreams.

And at this point, the now-unmistakable Old Charlie pulled out another stinking sock—oh, no, a pouch—and pinched out a granule of Xian element, barely the size of a grain of rice. He then walked toward a one-eyed man across the way, whose face was covered in stubble.

This man was an executive in the Merchant Fleet Alliance, named Za’Boli, who made his living in interstellar transport, though he often turned pirate when encountering merchant fleets he could defeat. When facing large fleets or military forces, he became a loyal taxpayer to the Empire.

He was someone who had already withdrawn from the competition, but previously, Za’Boli had presented a cage. Inside the cage was a selenium-based lifeform capable of swimming and surviving in the vacuum of space—a Selenium Snake!

Selenium-based organisms had only ever existed in the theories of biologists; no living specimen had ever appeared. Undeniably, the moment this creature surfaced, the Empire's biologists would go insane over it.

Regrettably, the Empire was currently preoccupied with quashing the rebellion in the Alliance, meaning investment in biology was extremely limited. To put it plainly: those biologists simply couldn't produce the necessary funds.

Unfortunately, Za’Boli’s only passions were liquor, women, and weapons. He regarded posthumous fame and other such external accolades as stinking dog excrement.

This was precisely why the Selenium Snake hadn't already been sliced up for research but was instead present at the auction. Old Charlie looked coldly at Za’Boli: “This one particle, in exchange for your Selenium Snake.” Za’Boli’s eyes fixed on the stinking sock in Old Charlie’s hand, his gaze turning greedy: “I want everything inside it!” Old Charlie replied with cold indifference: “No.” Then he turned to another person, who possessed a large mass of mother ore of Yellow Star Cloud Stone, which had also been put up for bidding earlier.

This mother ore was a potent supplement for G-points. The owner of the mother ore, however, was not greedy and immediately agreed to the exchange with a nod.

While his Yellow Star Cloud Stone mother ore was certainly expensive and rare, it was far inferior to the Xian element, which was hard currency. It was an undeniable windfall for him.

Za’Boli was stunned, realizing Old Charlie had no intention of turning back. He rushed forward: “Hey, hey!

It’s not impossible to negotiate, I only need half! A little less, how about three pieces?

Three pieces?” Being a space pirate accustomed to taking, and knowing Old Charlie's background well, he suddenly lunged out, reaching for Old Charlie’s shoulder in a fit of desperation. The seemingly frail and withered Old Charlie, however, flipped his hand and pinned his massive grip onto Za’Boli’s hand.

Then, his already aged and small frame recoiled slightly as he hooked and kicked, instantly throwing Za’Boli into a sprawling heap! Two or three of his front teeth were knocked out!

It turned out that because Old Charlie’s brain cavity harbored a parasitic seed of the demon Freddy, Fang Senyan had specifically enhanced his physical conditioning before leaving. His base attributes were nearly double that of a normal person, which conveniently prevented the awkward scenario of Old Charlie being too frail to withstand a touch.

In the Nightmare World, base attributes doubled beyond normal were hardly anything significant, thus requiring the least expenditure. Crucially, Fang Senyan’s standard for "normal human quality" was based on the average Earthling of his era.

Now, however, due to adapting to low-gravity life in space and the automation provided by technology, a general decline in human physique was inevitable. While Za’Boli might have possessed decent conditioning among ordinary future humans, against Old Charlie, who benefited from the comparison, he was simply outmatched.

After swiftly taking down Za’Boli, Old Charlie shoved him, causing him to stumble backward into the crowd. He then produced half a piece of the Xian element ore and asked calmly: “Selling the Selenium Snake?” Za’Boli’s face was ashen.

He hadn't expected the profit to be halved in the blink of an eye. While he was undoubtedly cursing Old Charlie internally, even half a particle of the Xian element ore was definitely priced ten times—no, a hundred times—higher than what those dirt-poor biologists were offering!

He could only accept sheepishly. Fang Senyan was determined to acquire this Selenium Snake, as it was classified as an Unknown Marvel, valued at a full seven contribution points.

At this moment, Old Charlie looked toward the fat auctioneer and asked coolly: “Are you done inspecting? We are pressed for time.” The auctioneer’s face, wrinkling with laughter, trembled violently as he hurriedly nodded: “Almost done… Inspection complete!

There are five particles of Xian element in total, weighing eighteen point nine grams. Coming, coming!

We are preparing the blue briefcase as you instructed.” As he was smiling and speaking, someone brought over the briefcase. They then shut down the power output system of the personal mech and began folding it; it appeared to fit perfectly within the luggage.

Just then, the commission-taking man, Grang, spoke again in his raspy, sinister voice: “Very good, I’ll take both items. Have them brought into my private box.” The fat auctioneer immediately grew impatient.

It was one thing to let him act arrogant usually, but after closing such a massive deal today, the man was still acting up—was he deliberately trying to sabotage me? So, he instantly stiffened his face and roared: “Grang, shut your mouth, or I won’t mind having someone shut it for you!

The Boss has tolerated you long enough…” He had only gotten halfway through his sentence when a terrifying steel cable, interwoven with dazzling electrical arcs, shot out violently from Grang’s private box. Snap!

It lashed across the body of the fat auctioneer, the electric light converging before erupting in a blinding flash. It struck the fat man, whose weight was estimated to exceed 150 kilograms, as easily as cutting tofu, tearing him into quarters.

The vast space of the entire auction house seemed to rain down a shower of flesh and blood!! Then, a cube-like monster strode out from the private box.

It was humanoid, but its two arms hung down almost to the floor, like those of an ape. Its head appeared to be set directly onto its body, resulting in a neck so short and thick it was virtually nonexistent.

It was encased in specialized personal combat armor, yet the bulge of the muscles beneath the armor was still perceptible. The building materials of the private box offered no resistance to this creature’s passage; they were torn apart with cracking sounds.

The creature strode toward the center of the auction floor, dragging the slick steel cable with its left hand. The cable had been deliberately cast with numerous sharp barbs, and it was now slick with blood and gore, looking exceptionally brutal as it scraped noisily along the ground.

Such carnage had not been witnessed in this black market for a very long time, especially the deliberate murder of a staff member! One must understand that the most crucial elements for running a black market were stability and order.

If a buyer completed a transaction only to be robbed and killed immediately afterward, trust would evaporate. And those in attendance were all local powers.

If this happened too many times, even fools would realize something was rotten here, causing them to retreat out of fear rather than risk coming to be killed. Thus, even though this establishment was situated in the most chaotic and corrupt lower districts, its level of order and cleanliness far surpassed that of the wealthy sectors.

The mastermind behind the operation knew exactly why his venue was so popular, and thus painstakingly maintained order, even at the cost of foregoing some potential profit.