CHAPTER 642: CHAPTER 36: THE SUSPICIONS OF THE 10 OLD MEN

Thirty Soul Crystals (Medium) is not a small number. Although Bick agreed verbally, it will take some time to prepare these Soul Crystals. Producing them immediately is simply impossible.

"Wait a moment, at most ten minutes."

Bick put down the phone in his hand and sighed.

"Gentlemen, the auction has been interrupted, but the items are very safe. The problem now is whether the auction will continue."

Several members of the Ten Old Men appeared to be deep in thought.

"Let’s forget about the auction. Previously, the report from below indicated that the Spiders’ target is those auction items."

"I’m of the same opinion. The auction should be postponed."

"No, Yukexin Auction is held once a year and has never been interrupted. The reason so many people attend is because of our reputation built over many years. If we give up like this, I’m afraid the reputation of the Yukexin Auction will be damaged."

"You’re right. It has been running continuously for decades, with the candidate for the Ten Old Men changing again and again, but the auction has never been interrupted."

"Why care about the auction when your own life is at stake!"

The Ten Old Men began to argue, with most supporting the continuation of the auction. The auction must continue. If the Ten Old Men dare to interrupt the auction, Su Xiao would be the first to object.

"The auction cannot be interrupted."

Bick spoke with unusual determination.

"But..."

"No buts. First, let’s not consider the matter of reputation. The Spiders’ target is those items. If the auction is canceled, who will the Spiders, unable to find clues about the items, go after? Therefore, the auction must continue. This will divert the Spiders’ attention, focusing them on the auction rather than us."

The Ten Old Men remained silent, most agreeing with Bick’s words.

"Bring some food, I’m starving."

Su Xiao spoke up. Though he wasn’t injured during the fight with Feitan, he did expend a lot of stamina.

Not long after, the conference table was filled with food, indicating that the Ten Old Men were hungry too.

The room was filled with the fragrance of food and wine mingling. A member of the Ten Old Men beside Su Xiao raised a glass to him.

"Mister Bai Ye, you’ve worked hard. Don’t worry about what happened at the auction house. Since the enemy showed up at our doorstep, we must give them a painful lesson. Although we’re all brutes, we understand this reasoning, don’t we?"

The other Ten Old Men also raised their glasses. Su Xiao, his mouth full of food, mumbled, "What about the Yin Beasts? Even if their combat capabilities aren’t impressive, a few of them working together could hold off one or two members of the Troupe."

The combat strength of the Ten Old Men’s power was too weak. Aside from Su Xiao, they only had the Yin Beasts and a dozen or so contractors.

Su Xiao never expected much from those contractors. When Feitan appeared earlier, those guys were useless except to spectate and ran away faster than rabbits afterward.

No wonder the passage rating for most contractors isn’t high. With such a cowardly attitude within Reincarnation Paradise, obtaining a high rating would be strange.

Su Xiao couldn’t help but think that if the Ten Old Men’s faction had a contractor like Crazy Healer or Cowboy Hat Man, things would be much easier. Even Gulu, who loves to kill, or the Red Clown would suffice.

Though these people were adversaries to Su Xiao, they had one trait in common: they weren’t afraid to die and considered fighting a part of daily life.

Unfortunately, a high-tier contractor like Gulu wouldn’t appear in the Hunter World. The reason Su Xiao encountered high-tier contractors was that the Pirate and Hokage worlds are open worlds.

In open worlds, you can meet contractors of any tier, but you cannot in ordinary derivative worlds.

For example, in the Hunter World, you can only encounter Second Tier contractors. High-tier contractors need to use special items to enter, and those items are extremely rare. Even if they use such items to enter the Hunter World, their powers would be limited.

Because of this, many large adventure groups enjoy open worlds. They can quickly strengthen new members and gather the entire adventure group together in open worlds.

After hearing Su Xiao’s question, a Ten Old Man spoke up. Ignoring Su Xiao was not a wise choice.

"The Yin Beasts? They’ve gone out to look for traces of the Spiders."

"Just now, news came in. A group of Spiders is being hunted down by our men. Strangely, the Spiders’ people aren’t very strong. Under the siege of our subordinates and the cooperation of the Yin Beasts, two of them died."

Su Xiao was stunned. Could the motley crew of the Ten Old Men’s power have killed two of the Troupe? It’s somewhat unbelievable. Could there be a hidden expert among the contractors?

"What do the two look like? Do you have any photos?"

"Yes, this happened just five minutes ago."

A Ten Old Man casually tossed a few photos over, beginning to doubt Su Xiao’s prior statements.

"From what I know, the Phantom Troupe is merely a thief gang. In V5’s assessments, they’re just a bunch of rabble."

"How do you explain that kind of destructive power at the auction?"

"Who knows, I don’t understand Nen either."

After learning the gang members killed two of the Troupe, the Ten Old Men’s expressions eased considerably. Their gazes on Su Xiao began to shift.

Su Xiao didn’t care about their gazes. He simply tossed aside the photos. These guys had been calling him brother earlier, but now they’re fence-sitters. Requesting an advance payment was a wise move.

"There’s more news coming in. Good news, a group of Spider members has been surrounded by our people and is now trapped in a valley."

"What?"

A Ten Old Man was so excited he slapped the table and stood up. Their troublesome threat had been surrounded, lightening the atmosphere in the conference room significantly.

At this point, the Ten Old Men began to suspect whether the previously known terrifying strength of the Troupe was genuine. A white-haired Ten Old Man squinted his eyes slightly, looking at Su Xiao.

The destruction of the auction was a fact, but no witnesses were present. The heads and information were all provided by Su Xiao, along with his request for an advance payment.

A smile appeared on the Ten Old Man’s face as he considered a possibility: perhaps the Spiders’ strength was an exaggeration, or maybe there was something fishy about the destruction of the auction, designed to create a terrifying imagined enemy and ensure compliance.

The more he thought about it, the more the Ten Old Man was convinced that this was indeed the case.

The Ten Old Men were all sly individuals. They liked plotting against others, so they feared being plotted against even more.

"Cough, I’ll step out for a moment."

A Ten Old Man stood up, and Su Xiao glanced at him before losing interest.

If the Ten Old Men had carefully observed Su Xiao’s expression, they would have noticed he was smiling. The photos provided by the Ten Old Men were not of the Troupe members’ bodies, but more likely contractors acting with the Troupe.

With contractors joining the Ten Old Men’s power, the Troupe, of course, would have some, probably quite a few. Though joining the Troupe posed risks, becoming temporary members was an opportunity the Troupe Leader wouldn’t refuse.

"Since the Spiders have been surrounded, we should put them to the test."

"Makes sense, the Sick Dog and others are nearby too."

The Ten Old Men ceased talking. Bick looked around, catching Su Xiao’s eye, hesitating for a moment before making up his mind.

"Bai Ye, the Eternal Crystal Stone has arrived."

Under Bick’s direction, his secretary entered the conference room carrying a tray.

Su Xiao tapped the table lightly. He wouldn’t ensure the safety of all the Ten Old Men, but if he were to protect one, it would be Bick. This guy was smart. He was the one who agreed to provide five Soul Crystals per day, gave the advance payment, and even delivered an innate psychic user.