Catastrophe Card King

Leonard Churchill strolled around the market, bought some materials about Taren’s Classics that he had never seen before, and some other books.

Then he went to Downing Street to find the information merchant to learn about the latest news and details of some upcoming conflicts.

It was almost as he had expected.

At around eight in the evening, he again visited the Black Market on Dark Rain Street.

A flamboyant array of red and green lights greeted him at the entrance of Great Ivan’s Treasure Shop.

A group of sexy women with thigh-high slitted skirts greeted guests at the entrance.

There was no vulgarity, just pure titillation.

This place looked much more high-end than the pleasure houses on Downing Street.

Just this single feature set the shop apart from the hundred other stores on the street.

Every time a guest arrived, there was a burst of pleasing chatter ushering them in.

“Dear guest, please come in.”

After showing his VIP card, Leonard was also led to the auction site.

Great Ivan’s Treasure Shop had renovated its formerly abandoned basements into something resembling an aristocratic theater. The setting exudes an elegant extravagance, with just the right touch of worldly sophistication perfect for business entertainment.

The private rooms overlooked the auction podium but also guaranteed privacy —each one was like a private little room unseen by other guests.

Add to that the one-on-one sexy hostesses, well… let’s just say the experience was superb.

The auction would begin in half an hour.

Leonard took his seat and started perusing the auction catalogue.

The snacks and fruits on the table were all high-end goods scarcely seen throughout Sinless City.

Just these snacks alone would probably worth thousands.

Out of caution, Leonard did not take a bite.

The sexy blonde hostess by his side was very professional, keeping quiet.

She would occasionally serve tea and water, and provide massages.

Leonard skimmed through the auction catalogue and couldn’t help admiring, “So many good things…”

Naturally, an auction offered higher quality items than what one could buy on an ordinary day, including many rare items from the warehouse.

Most of which he couldn’t afford.

Besides the legendary materials announced in the advertisement, Leonard also found a mysterious Disaster Object among the auction items.

X-099-Useless Great Sword…

Could such a thing really be put up for auction?

After not too long, the lights focused on the podium.

A portly man in a tailcoat walked onto the stage.

He introduced himself directly, “I am Lew Williams of Dragon City, the shopkeeper here, if you will. I am here to express my sincerest…”

Looking at the friendly, cheerful, fat man, Leonard saw the owner of Great Ivan’s Treasure Shop for the first time.

The Song Family of Black Gold Trade Union, one of the top tycoons in the Federation.

It was surprising to see that he was a fat man of about the same age as himself.

Despite being young, the equanimity shown in his gestures could not have been cultivated by any regular family.

However, before he could finish his opening remarks, a discordant voice interjected, “Enough of this long-winded introduction. We are here to buy things, not to listen to you babble. Bring out the auction items already…”

Listening with interest, Leonard squinted his eyes.

Disruption was afoot.

But it was to be expected.

Great Ivan’s shop, in terms of capability and business approach, was streets ahead of its competitors, and was bound to become a commercial magnate in the city soon enough.

The rise of one led to the fall of others.

He must have made quite a few enemies through business competition.

In other places, people would still give face to the Song Family.

But in Sinless City, a haven for desperadoes, thwarting someone’s source of income was equated with forming a vendetta.

At this point, the familiar voice of a woman rose sharply, scolding, “Abel, by making a scene here, are you trying to disregard the unspoken rules of the industry?”

Leonard couldn’t see the woman, but her voice was familiar.

That was Seven Brown, was it not? The one he had met twice before.

The other person must be the ringmaster ‘Boxing King’ Abel, whom he had seen three days ago.

Abel responded sarcastically, “Are you throwing guests out, Flood Gang? I paid good money for this second-level VIP card. Is this the way you do business?”

Knowing that Abel was intentionally stirring up trouble, Seven Brown didn’t bother arguing with him over this matter. She responded directly, “Abel, the business of the ring must be dealt with by the unspoken rules of the industry. By disrupting these rules, you are making others look down on your gang.”

Abel seemingly ignored the damage to his reputation, and feigned ignorance. “Seven Brown, I’m just here to buy things. Why are you dragging these industry rules into this?”

Caught off-guard by Abel’s stubborn retort, Seven Brown was momentarily speechless.

Shaking his head, Leonard watched the proceedings.

He had just praised the surroundings and was finding himself feeling considerably less excited about the event.

This felt like everyone gathered around a feast, someone deliberately emitted a bad smell, immediately killing off much of the enthusiasm.

If this were to continue, not to mention how the auction would proceed, Great Ivan’s hard-earned reputation would suffer a considerable blow.

Which high-profile customers would dare frequent a shop that couldn’t manage a single gang?

A confrontation seemed inevitable.

From an unknown room, a deep voice suddenly rang out, “Abel, solve your personal matters in private. Don’t waste our time.”

At those words, the arguing sides immediately quietened down.

Leonard had thought a fight would break out, but it ended abruptly.

Both Seven Brown and Abel were giving face. It seemed there were many big fishes present.

Despite the slight disruption, the benefit was that there was no unnecessary introductory speech. They moved directly into the auction.

The fat man on the stage was still smiling brightly, seemingly unaffected by the drama. Such composure was not easily matched by the average person.

The auctioneer also took the stage and began his work..