Chapter 26 — Orange Ears
Hua Mian curiously poked her head out from behind Yu Jin.
A young beastman boy, short and delicately featured, stood before them with a pair of bright orange beast ears twitching on his head. He was trying to sell his services.
When he noticed Hua Mian, he shrank his shoulders shyly, looking a bit embarrassed.
“How much do you charge?”
Hua Mian’s gaze drifted over his clothes—washed until the color had faded, the cuffs frayed, and the overall fit clearly wrong for him.
The boy’s eyes lit up.
“It’s very cheap. Just 35 a day! I grew up on Ilika Star, I know everything about this place.”
As he spoke, the boy clenched his fists, his face full of anticipation.
“Madam, hire me instead! I only charge 30 a day!”
A small beastman boy with a fleshy, five-毛–colored tail suddenly cut in.
“Jiuning! They’re my clients!” The orange-eared boy stepped protectively in front of Hua Mian and Yu Jin, glaring at the scrawny newcomer.
The little beastman called Jiuning flinched back, scared, but still mustered his courage and whispered,
“S-sir… I’m cheaper. I only charge 30—no, 27.”
Hua Mian sighed internally.
As expected, the worst thing in business is malicious competition from peers.
“I’m sorry. First come, first served. If there’s a chance next time, I’ll hire you, okay?”
Hua Mian bent down to speak to Jiuning gently.
Then she casually pointed at the orange-eared boy.
“Let’s hire him.”
Orange Ears’ face lit up with joy. Jiuning opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but closed it again. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and left with dragging steps.
Yu Jin had no objections. “Alright.”
He immediately paid the 35 and officially hired Orange Ears. Yes—his name was exactly that simple. Because he had orange ears, they named him Orange Ears.
“Orange Ears, take us somewhere to stay. Good environment, preferably quiet, but still close to the Stone-Gambling Street.”
The moment Orange Ears heard “Stone-Gambling Street,” he became even happier and eagerly chattered about Ilika Star as he led the way.
Walking behind him, Hua Mian and Yu Jin soon saw a massive building the color of green rust, like aged bronze—ancient yet imposing.
“This is built from lapis ore.”
Hua Mian: “Oh.”
“The pure ones go for two million per jin.”
“Oh. Wait—two million per jin?!”
Hua Mian craned her neck to stare at the enormous metal structure.
“Who said Ilika Star is poor?”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the building, even looking around greedily for places where she might pry off a piece of lapis ore.
“These ones are too low-purity. It takes thirty-thousand jin to refine half a jin of pure lapis.”
Yu Jin shook his head, amused.
“How much?” Hua Mian dug at her ear.
“Thirty thousand jin for half a jin,” Yu Jin repeated, glancing at Orange Ears, who was listening with an adorably crooked ear.
“Never mind then.” Hua Mian gave up instantly.
Orange Ears’ ears drooped in disappointment.
Yu Jin took Hua Mian’s hand and led her into the hotel.
Hua Mian looked around. It was clean inside, and the receptionist was a tall beastman.
He only asked one thing:
“May I ask if you are a Soother?”
After Hua Mian said no, Yu Jin noticed Orange Ears lowering his head again, looking discouraged. The receptionist’s attitude also became slightly impatient.
“Our hotel is hosting an auction tonight. Would you like to attend?” the receptionist asked suddenly.
“We’ll consider it,” Yu Jin replied.
Orange Ears watched them go up the stairs, but when they were about to turn the corner, he suddenly ran after them.
“Madam! I heard tonight’s auction has a top-grade soothing potion!”
“Top-grade?” Hua Mian blinked. She had never even heard the term.
“Yes! Rumor says it’s natural pheromone essence made by an S-rank Soother. It’s extremely expensive! It’s the finale item tonight!”
Hua Mian grew curious and turned to Yu Jin.
Yu Jin’s expression was strange.
“…Then we should go take a look.”
Hua Mian asked, “Do we need to prepare anything for the auction?”
“Probably not…” Orange Ears scratched his head sheepishly.
Once Hua Mian and Yu Jin entered their room—
Hua Mian said, “Isn’t openly trading soothing potions illegal?”
Yu Jin also felt something was off.
“It is illegal.”
“Then why are they…?”
At that moment, neither of them knew what they would witness that night.
Eight o’clock.
Hua Mian and Yu Jin arrived at the entrance of the hotel’s rooftop level.
They were handed large black cloaks to conceal their identities.
The oversized cloaks hid their figures completely, and a button-sized voice changer could alter their voices.
Holding Hua Mian’s hand, Yu Jin led her inside.
Dim red lighting dyed the surroundings in a disturbing blood-hued glow. Cloaked figures moved about like wandering ghosts.
After they sat in a tiny second-floor private box, the lights dimmed further.
“Welcome to the Gemstone Auction!”
A booming, enthusiastic male voice echoed out.
Hua Mian narrowed her eyes, peering through the one-way window.
A beam of red light illuminated the center like a scarlet cage, and a platform slowly rose.
A tall masked beastman stood upon it.
After a few words to warm up the atmosphere, the auction began.
“First item: thirty-five jin of rose-quartz ore! Starting price—500,000!”
Yu Jin frowned at the stage.
“700,000!”
“800,000!”
“One million!”
…
By the time the bidding exceeded a million, Yu Jin’s frown deepened as he examined the extremely mediocre ore.
“With that quality, you could buy twice that weight for under seven hundred thousand,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Hua Mian asked.
After hearing his explanation, she also felt something was off.
The following items—twenty-three jin of jade-沉 stone, twenty-eight jin of refined iron ore—were all mediocre.
But the starting prices climbed higher and higher.
No one questioned anything.
Everything felt wrong.
Hua Mian and Yu Jin both sensed the abnormality, but they couldn’t pinpoint the issue.
Finally, near midnight, the finale item appeared—
The S-rank natural Soothing Essence.
A sudden white spotlight lit the stage, and a small pedestal was pushed out. Inside a glass case rested a tube of rose-red liquid.
The entire hall fell silent, eyes locked on the potion.
“This is natural pheromone essence produced by an S-rank Soother!” the host announced.
“How do we know it’s real?” a beastman shouted impatiently.
“Please, don’t worry.”
The host poured a single drop of the liquid onto a clean tray.
A strange machine retrieved the tray, absorbed the drop, and expelled a mist-like vapor through vents.
Soon, a faint rose fragrance drifted into the private boxes.
Hua Mian’s pupils contracted the instant she smelled it.
She turned sharply—meeting Yu Jin’s equally shocked gaze.
That scent…
It was clearly her own rose fragrance.
The similarity was so high that they could only stare at each other in stunned silence.
