Yuan
Sirius A-district Auction House is one of the A-level auction houses in the Dawn Star System, well-known outside.
The auction grand event, held every few years by the Sirius Auction House, usually lasts for three days. It gradually presents various rare contaminated materials, highly welcomed by both mecha pilots and collectors.
Even before the evening auction began, many merchants were already staking out around the auction house, and industry scouts were wandering outside.
However, the most crucial aspect of such auction grand events is the admission ticket.
To obtain the prestigious customer status to enter the auction house in Sirius A-district, one must either be wealthy or influential. Many are renowned mecha pilots or collectors. To protect the privacy of the clients entering these top-notch auction houses, special identification cards are used. Clients are allowed to disguise themselves using these cards, and the cards enable them to enter and exit.
At the somewhat quiet entrance of the auction, four people stood side by side.
"Will it be too conspicuous for us to go in like this?" Ji Qingfeng, rarely taking a coat and hat from the wardrobe before leaving, also received a mask given by Lu Xi. Finally, he wrapped himself up tightly.
Lin Yao: "It's better to dress up tightly. Huo Ge specifically instructed that we must not reveal our identities when coming to the auction."
An active-duty mecha pilot appearing in the auction house can easily attract too much attention, and if necessary, it could bring other troubles to the base.
One admission ticket can bring one person. Since Huo Yan and Lu Xi had other matters and didn't come, it worked out perfectly for the four of them.
Ji Qingfeng looked at You Su beside him, "But, You Su, I wouldn't have known it was you if you hadn't said."
You Su said, "They gave it to me when I used to sell materials."
Ying Chenlin lowered his eyes slightly, and on the light brain was the preview list of this auction.
Because of the batch of Sharp-Tooth Rat mutant crystals harvested in the Bannute contamination zone, he got the business card of that manager. Later, when KID harvested many special materials during the trip to Tianyu Star, some materials that looked a bit special, Shen Xingtang didn't have time to process. In the situation allowed by the base, he handed this batch of materials to the auction house for a high price.
Through multiple transactions, You Su and this senior manager added each other's contact information.
The reason for coming to the auction this time, in addition to the mutated Golden Scorpion venom sac they found being listed as an item for auction, another reason was the list of items for auction this time, including an S-level Attack-type mutant crystal.
Attack-type mutant crystals are hard to find, especially S-level ones.
You Su tilted his head slightly, noticing that the light brain of Ying Chenlin happened to slide to the page of the S-level mutant crystal.
But soon, the other party flipped past the page of the mutant crystal and looked at other materials.
The doors of the auction house were open, and security guards stood on both sides.
Seeing Ying Chenlin again, the senior manager found that the other party was still wrapped up tightly. Even the hand signing the document wore gloves.
He caught a glimpse of the signature 'Yuan' that Ying Chenlin signed, and he was slightly stunned for a moment, but he quickly covered up that unusual expression.
Ying Chenlin looked at him slightly sideways, and the eyes hidden under the brim of the hat happened to catch the fleeting expression. He asked, "What's wrong?"
The senior manager smiled apologetically, "You look exactly like that mysterious parts designer, KID, in the rumors."
The ID 'Yuan' wasn't a secret. When the parts sold by KID were in a craze, someone was already digging into the information of this designer online. Unfortunately, the information of this designer couldn't be completely dug up, and the four letters 'Yuan' were not special letters. There were plenty of people with the same name. A search online could even find foodies named Yuan.
When 'Yuan' was revealed, the senior manager did have doubts, but the mecha pilot brought only special materials every time he came, and never brought parts to their auction house. Another point was his age.
Even if he covered his appearance, based on his voice and the occasional glimpse of his eyes, he could be sure that this was a young person.
Such a young person was unlikely to be the designer 'Yuan' who tackled the technical difficulties of parts.
Lin Yao followed behind Ying Chenlin and asked in a low voice, "Chenlin, is this person reliable? Why do I feel like he's looking at you?"
After You Su finished signing, he paused slightly, "He should be reliable."
Ji Qingfeng, seeing through society, said with a face full of understanding, "Haven't you noticed that people around us are staring at us like we're out of a hole? I feel like I'm wearing this outfit for nothing."
After signing, Ying Chenlin and the others entered the private room of the auction.
The central auction house had independent private rooms, and the senior manager led them to a specific private room.
In the somewhat luxurious private room, there were gauze curtains, and outside the gauze curtains was pitch-black, but you could vaguely see a few bright spots.
Ying Chenlin found a place to sit down, and in front of him, the virtual screen showed a more detailed auction list. With a swipe, in addition to the previewed items, there were also some unrevealed material items.
Lin Yao took off the stuffy mask and asked, "I just looked at the things here, they're all so expensive. Can we afford to bid here?"
"Don't worry. Before coming, I specifically counted our small treasury. Even if we don't bid on S-level mutant crystals, we can still bid on small materials," Ji Qingfeng calmly sat on the sofa. "High-level materials are hard to find. Materials auctioned online are often snatched away as soon as they appear, and some materials are counterfeit. Offline auction houses like this are reliable. There are many big shots here, and some materials they might not be interested in. We can take advantage of the situation and pick up some bargains."
Lin Yao asked, "How do we pick up bargains?"
"Haven't you watched those online dramas?" Ji Qingfeng vividly described, "Just like that, as soon as the male lead enters the auction, he can see dusty good materials that nobody bids on because of the low price. In the end, the male lead picks up the bargains."
Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao began to dream of picking up bargains.
Ying Chenlin was still flipping through the new collection list. During the process, he noticed some items not on the list: "The list here is not complete."
"In this special auction, part of the auction items are fixed to attract customers, and the remaining items will be adjusted based on the preferences of the collectors or mecha pilots who come," You Su said, using his hand to slightly open the gauze curtain. Outside, you could see various tightly wrapped private rooms. "The auction house desires higher profits, and the order of the items will also be adjusted—"
Seeing the various private rooms set up in the special space outside, You Su confirmed, "Many people have come, and before the auction starts, the list will keep changing."
The more people, the more items will be presented tonight.
If certain key figures are present, special items will also appear in advance.
Ji Qingfeng said, "I seem to have heard Sister Tang mention this. It's called the 8th Auction in the industry. The years between each opening are uncertain, but the opening day is always February 8th. Some items are released to attract people each time, and then other mysterious items are added midway. Because the mystery is well done, many people come out of curiosity."
So, they can sneak in some things...?
Ying Chenlin continued to look at it. He was looking for the materials he needed.
Recently, through Shen Xingtang's channels with Jianheng Company, almost all A-level materials were collected. However, due to the temporary opening of Yuan and the contact with You Su's mecha Theos during this period, his original modification plan had a new adjustment.
He had done the plan of transplanting Yuan's intelligence into another mecha carrier in his previous life, but in the end, he couldn't complete it.
Yuan is an S-level mecha, and its intelligence appeared through resonance with its spiritual power and S-level embryo on the original carrier.
The transplantation method is feasible in the research field, and the theoretical success rate can reach 80%, but no one has ever tried to transplant the intelligence of an S-level mecha, especially the risky practice of degrading an advanced mecha to a sub-mecha. A slight mistake is likely to damage the intelligence of the mecha, which is also the reason he has been considering.
Until the recent spiritual resonance gave him a new idea, a different perspective—
If he doesn't downgrade the S-level mecha but tries to manufacture an S-level mecha that he can drive now.
In this way, the A-level mutant materials he originally prepared can only be used as auxiliary materials. The main materials still need to be S-level materials.
And S-level materials are not easy to obtain through ordinary channels, so he can only rely on channels like the auction.
He wasn't in a hurry for S-level mutant crystals, and weapons were the last step. Besides, Yuan's two weapons were still there. If it really didn't work, he could dismantle the mutant crystals from the original weapons.
But... Yuan is a single-unit mecha. To transform it into a mecha suitable for group battles, it basically requires a lot of, plus it is originally an offensive-type mecha. If he wants to use S-level materials to recreate an S-level embryo, then S-level strengthening materials become particularly important.
Ying Chenlin flipped through the list of auction items, quickly scanning various materials.
Suddenly, he stopped his flipping hand, and his gaze paused on a certain material on the auction item list.
Ji Qingfeng noticed the page that Ying Chenlin locked onto, "S-level Red Hare Beast's toe bone? Chenlin, do you want this?"
You Su tilted his head slightly and looked at him, "The Red Hare Beast is rare, and the toe bone is the most valuable material on its body."
Lin Yao said, "Chenlin, I still have some money here. Do you want us to pool it together?"
"Well, it should be enough." Ying Chenlin carefully considered his treasury, calculated the prices, and suddenly said, "It seems they can also exchange materials. I should have enough to bid on this."
You Su said, "No need to exchange. I have some here."
Ying Chenlin looked at him with confusion, "Don't you still need to bid on S-level mutant crystals?"
You Su replied, "... It's enough."
Ji Qingfeng looked at You Su, seeing You Su's plain attire, and heard from Shen Xingtang that You Su had been working in the pollution zone for years, "Brother, let's not force it. We know that raising an S-level mecha is very difficult. Theo must have spent a lot of money on repairs."
Theo: "???"
Lin Yao: "Yes, Big Feng is almost bankrupt from raising his wife."
You Su: "...Really wealthy."
Ying Chenlin looked at him, his eyes showing a hint of disbelief, but finally said, "I'll go and ask."
The corridor outside the private room was quiet. When Ying Chenlin came out of the room, there was no one in the corridor.
Just as he turned the corner past the private room, he suddenly saw a few staff members standing not far away, whispering and discussing something.
Mecha pilots have slightly better senses than ordinary people, and the low voices of the others were very obvious to Ying Chenlin.
"Why hasn't it started yet?"
"I heard that there's a new adjustment to the auction items. A parts designer has entered, and it's said that they're selling special parts that can be self-upgraded."
Upon hearing this, Ying Chenlin's steps paused slightly as he walked outside.
Self-upgradable parts...?
The staff members nearby were still discussing.
"What designer? Actually, it can make management decide to squeeze in."
"Who else could it be? It's the one who broke through A-level parts technology on the Star Network a while ago! That Yuan who sells parts in KID's online store!"
Ying Chenlin's eyes slightly stopped. KID's online store selling parts? Yuan?