Chapter 4012 — Duped

As far as Wei Zhao knew, apart from Mid Island, among the four surrounding islands only West Island was a gathering place for female cultivators; on the other three, unless someone was a special case like Shangguan Lan'er, female cultivators were seldom seen at all. So the origins of these few people were all but obvious.

Quite apart from the others, the ones Wei Zhao could already identify included the spirit-beast clan of South Island and the female cultivators of West Island, and with Manager Hao and his party added in, this so-called North Island auction had plainly gathered experts from three islands or more—and among the rest, there might even be masters from East Island.

This was not quite the same as the introduction Wei Zhao had heard from Hong Zhong earlier. The North Island auction was held once every six months, and generally only the various powers of North Island took part; the factions of the other islands were usually not invited, and had never involved themselves.

But this time was plainly different. Together with the anomalies already discovered on the road, even a layman like Wei Zhao could now reach a definite conclusion: Hong Zhong and the Hong Clan Merchant Guild behind him had, quite clearly, been duped.

What Wei Zhao could see, Hong Zhong naturally knew even better. Seasoned as he was and used to great storms, his face still darkened by several degrees.

Just then, a man in white suddenly rose from the pavilion, his figure gliding gracefully and lightly across the lake surface to appear before Wei Zhao and the others. Smiling at Hong Zhong, he said, "Manager Hong, I trust you have been well. I have been waiting for you a long while."

Hong Zhong cupped his hands and said, "Steward Song, I trust you have been well. May I ask—is this auction different from those of the past?"

Hearing this, the man addressed as Steward Song smiled with a look of amusement. "Manager Hong, that question of yours is rather wide of the mark. The auction may be held on our Far North Island, but we merely act as hosts and provide the venue, sending a few men to lend a hand. All matters are discussed and decided among you yourselves, and never pass through our hands. Whether it is different or not, you should know better than I."

Hong Zhong gave him a long, deep look, then nodded. "That is true enough. Forgive my presumption. Then may I ask, Steward Song, when this auction is to begin?"

"That I do know. The formal start of this auction is set for three days from now," Steward Song said with a faint smile.

"Three days from now?" Hong Zhong's eyes narrowed at once, and Wei Zhao, hearing it beside him, was likewise taken aback. The North Island auctions of the past had always been settled in a single day—barring mishaps, one could go and return the same day. This time it was set for three days later. There was certainly no shortage of tricks afoot.

Steward Song raised his head to glance at the crowd in the distant pavilion, then looked back at Hong Zhong and said with an amused expression, "Out of regard for our many years of private friendship, I may as well warn you: this is no longer the North Island auction of old, but a Four-Island Auction Exposition. Over the next three days, the important figures of the other three islands will all arrive, and even Mid Island will send people. For merchant guilds like yours, this is a rare grand occasion. Conduct yourselves well."

With that, Steward Song departed lightly, leaving Hong Zhong alone where he stood, stunned and dazed, silent for a long while.

"Manager Hong, if there is anything I can do to help, I am willing to do my humble part," Wei Zhao said, taking the initiative.

A simple North Island auction had abruptly become a Four-Island Auction Exposition, raising its grade and stature by no small margin—and all the while Hong Zhong, kept in the dark from first to last, had been soundly played.

No wonder the other merchant guilds had each brought such vast quantities of goods. For an ordinary North Island auction, such stock could never be consumed; but a Four-Island Auction Exposition was another matter. The powers of all four islands would send people, and it was a rare grand gathering at which any amount of goods could be auctioned off.

And for the many merchant guilds, this was not only a chance to make a killing but also a perfect opportunity to raise their own influence. Their performance at this Four-Island auction could even affect each guild's ranking within the Merchant Alliance—and that was a crucial ranking, one that determined how the pie was divided.

The law of the jungle was nowhere more vividly embodied than in the world of commerce, especially within the fiercely competitive Merchant Alliance, where one rank higher or lower meant an utterly different situation. Through the snowballing effect, even a single place's difference had often been enough for the guild ahead to devour and absorb the one behind.

This time, every other merchant guild had come prepared, while Hong Zhong and the Hong Clan Merchant Guild alone knew nothing of it. Add to that the ambush midway and the loss of all their goods, and it was plain they had been jointly targeted by these people—their painstaking scheming was obvious.

Even if the Hong Clan Merchant Guild had deep roots, one must not forget that the guilds capable of opposing it were no weaklings either. If this Four-Island Auction Exposition went badly and they lost face, it might well become their Waterloo—and that would be a disaster of no small magnitude.

"Many thanks for your kind offer, Young Master Lin. Those thirteen top-grade Foundation-Breaking Barrier Pills of yours were already timely help in the snow; as for the rest, I will find a way to deal with it," Hong Zhong said with a smile, having recovered his usual composure.

Wei Zhao's thirteen top-grade Foundation-Breaking Barrier Pills had been added at the last moment before departure, so they had not been packed together with the other goods; Hong Zhong carried them on his person. That was a stroke of luck amid misfortune.

Beyond that, even though those two crates of auction goods had been lost, so long as they reacted in time there was still a way to replenish them before the auction, so there was no need for excessive worry.

That said, Hong Zhong did not go to the pavilion to exchange pleasantries with those so-called old acquaintances. He took Wei Zhao straight to their room, and without pausing for rest at once dispatched a flying-hawk message to the Hong Clan Merchant Guild's Mid Island headquarters and its branch guilds on the other islands, explaining the situation he had just learned.

The Far North Island had no teleportation array, but North Island did, and the North Island branch enjoyed a dedicated fast channel of communication with the Hong Clan Merchant Guild headquarters. A flying-hawk message to the North Island branch, relayed onward from there, could bring a response within a single day.

For this Four-Island Auction Exposition, the Hong Clan Merchant Guild had received not a whisper of warning from top to bottom, and had made no preparations beforehand. Fortunately, there were still three days; if they reacted in time, there was still a way to make amends.

While Hong Zhong busied himself with mending the fold, Wei Zhao had nothing to do. He wandered idly among the pavilions, terraces, and waterside galleries within the palace. Having come to the Far North Island at last, he naturally meant to see it properly.