Shen An frowned. "Isn't this just slavery?"
"Aren't you going to do something about it?"
Xue Qinghe looked slightly surprised. Shen An seemed quite unaccustomed—or rather, clearly disgusted—by such practices.
"The power behind the Heaven Dou Auction House is immense. The imperial family is in decline—how could we possibly control them?"
"In the face of overwhelming profit, they'll do anything. Unless we possess absolute strength to silence them all."
Xue Qinghe's tone hinted at something deeper.
Shen An said no more, but Tom, the cat, wore a look of sympathy on his feline face. Tom was a kind-hearted cat with strong morals, and this cruel trade in human lives left him deeply disturbed.
"Meow~"
Tom let out a soft cry, tugging on Shen An's pant leg as he looked toward the puppet-like girls being led around like marionettes.
Shen An understood—Tom was asking if they could be saved.
Xue Qinghe sighed and explained, "These attendants were bought at a young age. They've been trained only to serve men—they know no other skills. Even if you set them free, they'd have no means to survive. In the end, they'd still have to rely on men."
"They have no life of their own, no soul of their own. All they possess is a destiny steeped in misery."
Shen An fell silent. Tom, frightened and overwhelmed, bit his paw. The world felt so dark.
Xue Qinghe then took out two masks—after a moment's thought, he retrieved a third and handed them to Shen An and Tom.
"Put these on. It's for privacy and safety. Though we have little to fear, it's better not to invite trouble."
The auction center resembled a grand hall. At its heart was a circular platform, and the surrounding seating was arranged in concentric rings, color-coded to indicate different tiers.
Xue Qinghe led Shen An through a special passageway into the red VIP section, a zone reserved for those with assets in the millions and significant social status.
The red VIP area was luxurious. Unlike the common back seats, it was divided into private booths, each furnished with a table, sofa, snacks, and tea.
Of course, despite the exquisite presentation, few actually touched the refreshments.
These were prominent figures—they came to the Heaven Dou Auction House for rare treasures, not to snack.
But today was an exception—because Tom was here. Compared to the auction items, he preferred the delicious treats.
Good food always made Tom happy.
Shen An glanced around. The hall was only a quarter full.
Xue Qinghe smiled. "Actually, today's turnout is already above average. It's only because word got out that a thousand-year soul bone would be up for auction. On a regular day, we wouldn't even see this many—maybe not even a fifth of these seats filled."
Shen An was surprised. A soul bone—that was a rare treasure indeed. He hadn't expected something so valuable to be auctioned off here.
Soul bones only had a tiny chance of appearing when a soul beast died. They not only enhanced a soul master's attributes, but often came with powerful abilities and could evolve alongside the user's growth.
Having been in the Douluo Continent for some time now, Shen An fully understood their rarity. It was incredible that someone was actually willing to sell one.
He looked up to see a soul tool currently on the block. Its price had already soared to 80,000.
Soul tool crafting methods had long since been lost to history. These days, most were unearthed from ancient ruins.
This made Shen An wonder—what exactly had happened in the past? Judging by soul tools' functionality, the previous era must have been a time of brilliance and technological marvel.
Yet now, no trace of it remained.
As several more items were auctioned off, the host took the microphone and said with a grin, "Before we begin bidding on today's highlight—the soul bone—we'll first auction off another extraordinary rarity."
"In fact, both the soul bone and this special item were obtained during the recent soul beast riot in the Star Dou Forest."
"A few months ago, during that large-scale upheaval, one of our soul masters was fortunate enough to acquire the soul bone. While passing through a nearby village, he discovered this rare find."
As he spoke, three burly men wheeled out a cart covered in red cloth.
Judging by its shape, it looked like a large, square container.
Shen An's curiosity was piqued. Even Tom, busy munching snacks, looked up with interest.
"Some of our more experienced VIP guests may have already guessed what this is. The starting bid is 100,000 gold soul coins, with minimum increases of 10,000 per bid."
"Now then, feast your eyes."
With that, the host grabbed the red cloth and yanked it away.
Shen An's gaze froze.
Beneath the cloth was an iron cage.
The so-called treasure was... a girl.
Inside the cage, a girl huddled in a corner—most of her body exposed, with only key areas covered by shells. Her face was hard to see clearly, but her figure was nearly flawless.
Her pale skin glowed like polished jade. She had short, light green hair with a distinctive charm—not seductive, but deeply stirring nonetheless.
Shen An's perception was razor-sharp—he saw the pain, the despair, and the hatred in her eyes, barely concealed beneath her bangs.
In that moment, a storm surged within his heart. An overwhelming fury rose in his chest. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen the dark side of this world before.
But now—a person had been stripped naked and sold like merchandise.
This was cruelty in its rawest, most brutal form.
Then the host picked up a stick and used it to lift the girl's hair near her ear, revealing a pair of cat ears.
The catgirl trembled violently, and her mismatched eyes were filled with heart-wrenching despair.
"Meow!"
Having embraced modern ideals from the 20th century, Tom simply could not accept what he was seeing. He bolted onto the stage, trying to open the cage.
The host's gaze sharpened—someone dared cause trouble at the Heaven Dou Auction?
And it was... a cat?
He was about to call for the guards to kill it on the spot—but then he noticed something.
This cat had come from the red VIP area.
That scared him.
People in the red VIP section weren't just rich—they had real power.
He changed tactics immediately.
"You there, get that cat off the stage. Be careful—don't hurt it."
The three strongmen received the order and moved to intercept Tom.
Normally, Tom would cower at the sight of people.
But today, he bared his fangs, glaring at them as if to say: You're all bad guys. I'm not afraid. I'm going to save her.
In the white VIP section, a masked middle-aged man suddenly cried out, "Tom? Why is he here?"
Beside him, an elder with a plain appearance and closed eyes abruptly opened them wide.