Pollution throughout the territory

"Hey, did you sleep well last night?"

Early in the morning, after everyone had washed up, they met in the corridor. Niu Changshou said hello to Qin Yun and the others next door.

Qin Yun took Lily from Xia Ren's arms. The little girl was gnawing on her fingers in a daze, unwilling to wake up. She probably hadn't digested what she ate yesterday.

"It's okay, but it's always dark here, so I'm not used to it."

She always felt like waking up early in the morning, even though the time on her phone showed that it was already 7:30 the next morning.

Lu Yi complained: "This place should be re-electrified. After all, inefficient and unstable things like magic and alchemy cannot compare with the efficiency of modern industrialization."

Niu Changshou explained with a smile: "The original power system of the entire city has been destroyed, and the outside barrier prohibits ordinary people from entering. You feel that the residents of Arkham are the kind of people who have received compulsory education and like to use science. People who use other methods to solve problems? They would rather not use it than create trouble for themselves.”

Lu Yi pouted: "A bunch of pedantic guys."

"Hahahaha, you really should say these words in front of them."

Niu Changshou clapped his hands: "Okay, the auction starts at nine o'clock. Let's buy some things first, then go to the venue, and leave when the auction is over. I don't think you want to stay in a place like this anymore."

There are not many shops in Arkham, and most of them are places for eating and accommodation. Different from the outside, there are also magic supplies stores and alchemy equipment stores here.

The former mainly sells some deciphered ancient manuscripts and books, as well as other rare ores that can store magic power, while the alchemy equipment store, in addition to crucibles, flasks, and various metals, also has some strange , precious materials such as the teeth of Bayaki and the skull of the Qiuqiu people.

However, only wizards were allowed to enter this kind of store, and the curtains at the door were tightly covered, making it impossible for Xia Ren to see what was going on inside from the outside.

Niu Changshou took them to a remote clothing store and bought several black robes, one for each person. The robes had wide brim. After wearing them, it was almost impossible to see the face under the shadow from the outside, which was very suitable for concealing the appearance.

Xia Ren noticed that these robes were made of cotton, the same style as the robes worn by the foreign races walking on the street.

Lu Yi raised his sleeves and smelled it, then frowned and said, "Why does this robe have a strange smell? It's also stiff to the touch and has a strange texture."

"Yeah?"

Xia Ren also sniffed and found that there was indeed a strange smell that he couldn't describe, like... the smell of sweat from some kind of creature.

"Just get used to it."

Niu Changshou explained: "The cotton used in the clothes bought here is basically grown by those of other races. The material is different from that used by humans outside, and some smell is unavoidable."

"What?"

Lu Yi was greatly surprised: "Those alien races still grow their own cotton? But why don't they just use human cotton? The quality of the cotton they grow is poor and troublesome. Aren't they most afraid of trouble?"

"You do not understand."

Niu Changshou shook his head and said slowly: "Although these cottons are of poor quality, they are specially picked by slaves raised by foreign races. During the picking process, the sweat from the slaves is mixed with the cotton, forming this unique The smell of some oyster oil is authentic to them, and it can just cover up the foul body odor of other races.

Most of human cotton is picked by machines. Without the smell of blood and sweat from slaves, of course they wouldn't use it. In fact, there is another reason, that is, many of those alien races are relatively poor and cannot afford human cotton. "

Qin Yun pulled at her clothes. They were stiff, like plastic. The quality was indeed poor.

Even Lily felt a little disgusted.

"Okay, the auction is about to start, let's go to the venue." Niu Changshou said.

They came to the city center location.

Compared with other places, this place is obviously more luxurious. The street lights alone are far beyond comparison with other areas.

The architectural style on the street has also changed a lot. Most of them are two or three-story buildings made of bricks. Occasionally, there are taller round tube towers like sentry towers.

Rows of thick metal pipes can be seen hanging in the corners everywhere, as if sewer pipes were placed directly on the ground. These metal pipes are about the thickness of an adult's waist, and their surfaces are already rusty. Some of the valves connected to the pipes have some rust. There was a leak, and steam with the smell of burning coal came out. The wall next to it had been fumigated by steam for many years, and half of the red bricks had peeled off.

The streets were foggy, and several huge chimneys were vaguely visible in the distance, spitting out thick smoke.

I think the fog that lingers around me all year round comes from there.

Xia Ren asked: "What are those chimneys? What are they used for? Is there a factory here?"

Niu Changshou asked: "Otherwise, where do you think the electricity here comes from?"

"Fine."

Xia Ren really didn't understand anything about the wizards.

They arrived at the entrance of the venue. It was a three-story building with an exterior wall made entirely of gray bricks. It was rough but clean and had an old-era style.

There are no signs on the wall. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary house. If it weren't for Niu Changshou leading the way, Xia Ren feels that even if he passes by, he won't be able to tell that there is an auction house inside. venue.

Similar buildings are everywhere in Arkham City. Most of the shops here have no signs, making it difficult for people who are not familiar with this city to get around.

The auction started in half an hour, and people in black robes were already walking through the nearby streets one after another. Xia Ren and the others were among them, not attracting any attention at all.

The first floor is a hall. There is a semi-enclosed counter on one side, which is sealed with a fence. The specific situation cannot be seen clearly. Niu Changshou went to the other side to find the service staff, exchanged a few tickets, and then several people went to the second floor together. .

Each ticket represents a deposit of one million or other collateral of equal value. After the auction, you can get back the deposit and mortgage with the ticket.

Of course, the value of most of the auction items here cannot be directly measured in money. One million is actually a symbolic fee, which is not worth mentioning to the participants of the auction and the venue itself.

The space on the second floor is large, and the overall layout is similar to a theater. Hundreds of chairs are arranged from high to low. At the front is a high platform, where the auction items are displayed and the host stands.

Behind the chairs, there is actually a row of small rooms, which are well concealed. As long as they spend 10 million, anyone can sit safely in the room and look down at the entire venue. It is simply a bargain.

Although Xia Ren is rich, he is not so wasteful.

There were not many people in the venue at this time. They came earlier and chose a less conspicuous position.

Not long after a few people sat down, more people gradually poured into the venue. Most of them were wearing black robes, and some of them didn't bother to cover up. However, they all had one thing in common, that is, they rarely spoke.

Soon the hundreds of seats in the venue were almost filled with people, but there was an eerie silence.

Niu Changshou frowned and bumped Xia Ren next to him with his elbow.

"Things don't feel right today."