Chapter 553 Auction Preview
“Sister Bai, are you sure you don’t want to go?”
At this moment, I stood in front of a large full-length mirror, gently swaying my body, looking at myself in the reflection…
How long has it been since I really looked at myself in the mirror like this?
“I’d like to go, but I can’t. Xiao Han knows that, right?” Sister Bai sighed slightly, her gaze still reluctant to leave me, “In order to stabilize the other Extraordinary Academies, the Witch Academy cannot be the first to break the agreement.
Of course, the main reason is still the Witch Contract signed by the Academy Head on behalf of all Extraordinary Witches.
“That’s such a pity…” My gaze passed through the mirror to Sister Bai behind me, one hand gently lifting the corner of my skirt, “So how does this outfit look? It doesn’t seem overly extravagant, not really like a formal dress at all.”
“Of course, Xiao Han looks beautiful in anything.”
“Then Sister Bai, are you really okay with me going out like this? Aren’t you afraid someone will kidnap me?” I adjusted the corner of my dress slightly; the unique collar design displayed a geometric opening shape, and paired with the sleeveless design, it didn’t seem overly exposing.
In the mirror, this classic pure black mid-length formal dress seemed quite conservative, the hem not even touching the ground.
Of course, this outfit essentially belonged to a magical effect; I chose this one because it was the most conservative option available. If I wanted other styles, I would have to personally own an outfit for recording magic, which is even more cumbersome than recording weapons in the Box of Books.
“Is that so?” Upon hearing my question, Sister Bai didn’t answer immediately but stepped forward, wrapping her arm around my small leg and lifting me up.
“Hey?! Let me down!”
“Then, Xiao Han, besides me… who else would you be interested in?”
“Alright, alright! I can’t look at anyone else other than Sister Bai!” I clung to Sister Bai’s neck to maintain my balance, eventually managing to place one foot on the ground as she set me down.
“You just answered your own question,” Sister Bai said with a smile.
“Okay, okay! Let me check the time, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Isn’t it a bit early to go? Don’t you know that the more prestigious the identity, the later they should leave?” Sister Bai asked when she heard I was leaving early, but she didn’t seem to mean to stop me.
After learning that I was going to attend the auction, Bai Yu had done some research and comprehensively went over a lot of information, which even included specific planning arrangements for the event, so she naturally knew the timing of the auction and had quietly shared this information to the Knowledge Tree early on.
“Well… it’s just a habit. The first time is always a bit curious…”
“Then it’s good to see more of the world. This way, when you encounter similar things in the future, you won’t appear immature, especially after preparing for several days,” Sister Bai said with a smile, although she had also accompanied me in preparation over the past few days.
However, after Sister Bai said this… I did realize something.
Even though I had been pretending not to care, after receiving the invitation, I had indeed been subconsciously thinking about what I needed to watch out for.
“Um… okay… maybe it’s because of the significant leap in status; my experiences just haven’t caught up.”
“Then go see more. Life isn’t just about the Witch Academy; there are many exciting things waiting for you to discover.”
After saying farewell to Sister Bai for the last time, I left her residence.
The address on the invitation was located within the Magic Capital, so it wasn’t very far. In fact… the Witch Academy has a dedicated teleportation passage directly to that hotel, after all, that place is nominally owned by the Witch Academy, thus naturally becoming the connection point between the academy and the outside world.
However, there was still a somewhat long distance from Sister Bai’s residence to that teleportation passage.
But having teleportation landmarks made it much more convenient; that location was situated in another branch of the All-purpose Association within the Witch Academy.
I originally thought there would be quite a few people here, but I found that there weren’t many when I arrived.
Actually, after thinking about it briefly, it was understandable; most people usually chose to leave school during the holidays, and at this time, most were probably just starting their journey back to school. However, I did encounter some young girls with professional equipment gathering here, seemingly waiting for someone.
After a brief identification, I learned their identities; they were members of the Witch Academy’s journalism club. This auction would also be covered in various Extraordinary Academies, but this information wouldn’t be shared with the outside world.
Once I understood their identities, their keen journalist instincts quickly shifted their gazes towards me.
“Hey, hey! That sister over there is so pretty, do you know her?”
“Wipe your drool, stop making that lovestruck face.” A girl beside her nudged the first one to remind her.
“Is that her? White hair… It seems like the academy is really popular for white-haired girls lately.” Another girl also followed her gaze and expressed her curiosity.
“Whether she has white hair or not, I like them all!”
“Speaking of which, isn’t white hair the aesthetic trend started by Xiao Han? That group of students calling themselves Xiao Han’s fan club just follows along; whenever I see someone with white hair, I think of my great-grandmother…”
“It’s mainly about contrast… She’s coming our way.”
At that moment, I brushed past the group of girls under their gazes.
Of course, I heard their low whispers. After all, I’ve trained my five senses, including hearing.
However, since they didn’t approach me, I naturally wouldn’t respond to their eager gazes.
I walked directly into a building that seemed less conspicuous than the All-purpose Association’s headquarters, which was my goal for this trip.
This place was directly connected to the auction hotel before the school year started, so the All-purpose Association had arranged many members who hadn’t left school to receive guests here.
Although most students had left, there would be many more people than usual today for the auction.
As soon as I arrived, I saw someone welcoming me, asking if I needed anything. If one was attending the auction, they just needed to show their invitation. For special groups, like journalists from the journalism club or staff shuttling back and forth, they weren’t to be stopped.
Due to the frequent use of the teleportation passage, this segment had been stabilized using alchemy equipment.
After I presented my invitation, one of the staff warmly led me to the teleportation passage.
I stepped out.
I arrived on the other side.
With the tips of my toes barely touching the ground, I landed softly on a carpet with minimal sound.
Once I fully emerged from the teleportation passage, the scene before me became completely clear; I was in a corridor where a scarlet carpet stretched straight to the end.
Where I came out was a huge mirror at the end of the hallway, with a frame decorated with ornate patterns.
There were also welcoming staff members dressed uniformly. The moment they saw my outfit, they quickly assessed my identity, and the first attendant stepped forward.
“Honored Miss, welcome to this Extraordinary Auction hosted by the All-purpose Association of the Witch Academy. I am the receptionist here; please show your invitation for us to confirm your identity.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I took out the invitation and handed it over. Seeing them all act normally, they didn’t seem shocked by this type of storage equipment.
After all, most of them were professional receptionists and had a much broader horizon.
Once the receptionist received the invitation, she immediately confirmed its authenticity, and the screen in her hand quickly displayed the information.
It’s no wonder they needed to verify the authenticity, considering this invitation-only auction attracted many wealthy elites wanting to enter through connections or other means. There had even been a daring individual who once forged an invitation and managed to get in, so the verification step was essential.
However, this teleportation portal was directly linked to the Witch Academy, so there shouldn’t be such cases, but this procedure was still necessary, if only symbolically.
After all, they needed to confirm the identity of those coming, particularly the distinguished guests marked out by the hosts needed to be treated with caution.
As the receptionist looked at the generated information, her eyes widened, and suddenly she appeared reinvigorated.
Because this seemingly unremarkable and gentle girl… was actually a teacher!
In an instant, she felt a wave of dizziness from good fortune; the managers of their reception had specifically instructed them on which invited guests needed special attention, and they had all been briefed and shown photos in advance.
But… but the auction hadn’t started yet; even the auction preview had just barely finished preparation, and now was the time to welcome guests… Generally, those who rushed in early were usually club journalists from the academy or wealthy elites, nobles, and socialites who entered through connections, etc.
However, she instinctively looked up at the girl before her, who appeared somewhat inexperienced, almost like a student who had just started school, and was curiously surveying every corner around her.
Yet she could not doubt whether the information was incorrect; even if it were wrong, she had to treat it as correct for reception, and given her appearance, there was no way she could be mistaken. Not recognizing her before was merely due to preconceived notions.
However, with this situation, her identity was not enough to qualify her for reception, so she didn’t hesitate to directly call over the responsible person for the area. But before the person arrived, she had to make sure everything was perfect and not show a trace of negligence.
“It is a great honor to serve you, Teacher Yang Yuelan. The person responsible for this auction preview will be here shortly. Please allow me to introduce some specifics regarding the auction preview.” She enthusiastically explained to me, leading me into the main venue with a professional restraint.
I followed directly behind; it was obvious that no outsiders would come into this place aside from personnel going back and forth from the Witch Academy. But once we proceeded down the corridor, we entered the main venue.
Crossing through the doorway, I spotted a familiar face—a vice president from the All-purpose Association that I had encountered earlier, Xing Anlei.
She was currently explaining something to a few girls in front of her, but her gaze was clearly drawn to the opened door. After all, that door usually wouldn’t open; if it did, it meant someone from the Witch Academy was coming.
However, she likely predicted that those who arrived this early were primarily the invited journalism clubs, who usually came early to sh**t rare items during the preview when fewer people were around.
But after a casual glance, her heart skipped a beat, and she was secretly astonished; why had this one arrived so early?
“Sorry, a distinguished guest has arrived, let’s pause this conversation for now, and come meet her.” Xing Anlei quickly changed her words without hesitation and ran over.
“Teacher Xiao Han, I didn’t expect you to come so early!” Her voice called out from a distance, and immediately the receptionist who had been leading me let out a sigh of relief. She knew that this important figure didn’t need her to receive them.
However, she was also quite surprised because this girl who had just rushed over… was one of the presidents of the All-purpose Association hosting this auction!
Normally, such a person was someone you wouldn’t even get a chance to meet.
So she smartly stopped and fell back, waiting for an opportunity to head back on her own.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to curry favor, but people like that were simply not someone she could approach.
With her identity unclear, she had no qualification to host their reception.
“Um, I came here to stroll around since there was nothing to do at the academy.” I casually explained.
But looking at Xing Anlei’s expression, she clearly didn’t think I was just wandering around, and as she approached, her few accompanying girls followed along.
She eagerly introduced me to them as well.
These young girls were also the backbone members of the All-purpose Association, responsible for maintaining the normal operation of the auction, arranging various processes, and receiving special esteemed guests.
“Teacher Xiao Han, would you like me to lead you around to see the items for this auction preview? I believe there will be many items that will interest you.”
“I’m fine just browsing around, it’s no trouble. I can see you’ve been busy just now; there’s no need to waste time with me,” I replied.
“Oh, is that so? Well, if you need anything, just let me know. How about this—I’ll leave this girl here…” Xing Anlei brought a girl named Jiao Xiaoshuang in front of me and said, “She’ll be your personal attendant; if you need any information or run into any trouble, just ask her.”
“Hello, Teacher Xiao Han.”
“Mm.” I nodded, not refusing. Having a personal attendant beside me would indeed eliminate a lot of trouble.
“Xiao Shuang, from now on, you’ll follow Teacher Xiao Han. Just do whatever she says,” Xing Anlei briefly instructed the girl named Jiao Xiaoshuang and then turned her attention back to me, “As for you, Teacher Xiao Han, since you want to browse freely, we are more than happy to accommodate. If you get tired, this is a hotel, well-equipped with all kinds of services, and we’ll do our best to meet your requests. I hope you enjoy your time here. For now, I’ll take my leave.”
“No problem.” I waved my hand, indicating that it was fine, and showed a friendly demeanor.
