Chapter 419: Entertainment to Death

Chen Ling slowly stopped in front of the auction house.

"Envoy, we will have dedicated personnel to count and store the items you wish to consign, but due to the sheer quantity, the appraisal will likely take two or three days... Your room is ready; please follow me," Gu Kaixian's warm voice resounded.

The auction house manager appeared seasoned in dealing with Golden Society envoys; his interactions with Chen Ling and the preparations made in advance were impeccable.

Chen Ling's gaze swept over the people behind Gu Kaixian. He slowly released his grip, put his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the auction hall.

Only then did the staff behind Gu Kaixian dare to step forward, temporarily covering the mountain of gold with a black cloth before carefully pushing it inside... They soon discovered that the auction hall's height was less than half the size of the gold pile, forcing them to begin disassembling it piece by piece for entry.

After Chen Ling and the gold mountain disappeared inside the auction entrance, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed. Zong Wen waved in the direction Chen Ling had gone, sincerely calling out, "Esteemed Envoy, please let me treat you to dinner tomorrow night!"

Lu Yuanzheng snorted coldly.

"They're gone. What's the point of shouting now?"

"What? Do you think the Envoy is like you, unable to hear once he's out of earshot?"

"Even if he hears, he won't go."

"Whether he goes or not is his business; whether I invite him or not is mine." Zong Wen slowly walked up to Lu Yuanzheng, patted his suit-clad shoulder, and spoke in a tone one would use with a junior, "Young man, when doing business, you can't be too concerned with appearances."

"Indeed, the Huadu Consortium has lost quite a bit of face too," Lu Yuanzheng sneered. "With the incident in Liuzhen coming to light, your Huadu situation doesn't seem to be looking good, does it?"

The smile on Zong Wen's face froze slightly, then slowly receded, leaving only a viper-like coldness in his aged eyes.

"Young man, don't be too arrogant... Do you think your Dinglu doesn't have any weaknesses exposed?"

Lu Yuanzheng's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared back at Zong Wen. The bodyguards behind both men simultaneously became alert, and a tense, deadly atmosphere rapidly spread around the entrance to the auction hall.

Auction hall, ninth floor.

Spherical ice cubes gently clinked within a glass, producing a crisp sound, while the malty aroma of whiskey permeated the air, intoxicating the senses.

In the reflection of the large glass window, an ancient golden mask was mirrored in mid-air, calmly overseeing the two hostile groups below, its eyes seemingly devoid of any emotion.

"Envoy, all your goods have been settled in the VIP storage room upstairs... Is there anything else you require?" Gu Kaixian, standing behind him, bowed slightly like an elegant, humble butler.

"Provide me with a list of all the small and medium-sized gold items."

Hearing this, Gu Kaixian paused slightly, a bit bewildered as previous envoys had never made such a request, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, please wait a moment."

"Wait," Chen Ling paused, then spoke again, "Bring me newspapers, all the newspapers from Hongchen Main City from the past two years."

"...Yes."

Gu Kaixian turned and left.

As the door closed, the dim room fell silent. Chen Ling stood alone by the window, his gaze still fixed on the two groups below, an expression of keen interest appearing on the face behind the golden mask.

However, the anticipated clash between them never materialized. After a period of stalemate, they dispersed, leaving Chen Ling somewhat disappointed.

"It would have been better if they'd fought..."

For Chen Ling, the worse the relationship between these major top consortiums, the better it was for him. Ideally, they would be fiercely opposed and irreconcilable. This way, his presence would become even more crucial to them, and only when all the major consortiums desperately courted him could he gain absolute dominance in negotiations.

Chen Ling retracted his gaze and slowly paced the luxurious, spacious room, as if deep in thought.

After an unknown period, Gu Kaixian knocked on Chen Ling's door again.

The first item handed to Chen Ling was a twelve-page goods manifest, densely packed with hundreds of entries, ranging from gold necklaces and wine glasses to half-human-tall golden chalices, covering almost everything imaginable. Each item also specified its gold weight, purity, and craftsmanship detail rating, and was finally stamped with the official seal of the Hongchen Auction House to signify authenticity.

Simultaneously, a handcart filled with newspapers arrived. Hongchen Main City's newspaper industry was quite developed, with dozens of publishing houses of various sizes. All the newspapers from the past two years, stacked together, looked quite impressive.

After Gu Kaixian left, Chen Ling sat back on the leather sofa and casually picked up a newspaper to read:

"Rising Female Singer Tian Jie Embroiled in 'Sex Photo Scandal'! The Male Lead Is None Other Than..."

Chen Ling: ...

Chen Ling was no stranger to news with such headlines; after all, even in Aurora City, there were some attention-grabbing entertainment tabloids. However, finding any useful information here seemed an impossible task... He tossed this newspaper aside and picked another from a pile belonging to a different major newspaper. As soon as he saw the headline, his mouth twitched uncontrollably:

"Famous Male Star Exposed for Sleeping with Fans, Reportedly Relies on Medication to Maintain Function?"

"New Generation of Trainees Officially Debuts, Public Voting Frenzy Begins!"

"Female Star Dating Paparazzi, Allegedly to Delete Damaging Information; Related Verdict Hearing Today!"

Chen Ling couldn't help but stand up and flip through most of the newspapers. All he saw were various celebrity gossip or paparazzi photos; he couldn't find a single piece of news related to public welfare or current affairs... And these were from some of the largest newspaper agencies in Hongchen Main City.

"This isn't right... How can this be?" Chen Ling found it hard to understand.

After all, he had been a journalist himself. While the Aurora Daily also reported on gossip, it was ultimately a very small section, meant for the entertainment of Aurora City residents in their leisure time. When it came to substantial news—from human affairs to exposing corruption and dissecting the powerful—all the necessary elements were present, along with journalists like Wen Shilun, who possessed a strong sense of justice.

However, the media in the Hongchen Dominion felt light and soft to him, as if someone had draped a veil over the sharp blade of public opinion. This not only blinded everyone but also silently allowed the blade to be turned and manipulated at will.

Chen Ling refused to believe it and continued sifting through the newspapers, from the most popular major agencies to obscure, lesser-known tabloids. Finally, among a small pile of unnoticed papers, he found a few different headlines:

"Aurora Dominion Destroyed, Twilight Society Denounced by All"

"Data Census: Main City Youth's Average Savings Are Surprisingly Negative?"

"What Have Entertainment Inducement and Excessive Consumption Brought to This Generation of Young People?"

Chen Ling picked up these few newspapers and read them carefully, discovering that the latest issue had ceased publication a month ago. The last page contained an apology letter stating that the newspaper agency closed due to poor management. The articles about the Twilight Society and the discussion of potential crises facing the Hongchen Dominion were the final printings of this newspaper.

Scattered gossip newspapers lay across the marble floor. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the perpetually bright lights seemed to adorn the human world like scattered stars, gradually enchanting the eye.

Chen Ling stood amidst the scattered newspapers, holding the coarsely printed, blurry-lettered paper in his hand, silent for a long time.

He suddenly chuckled, his face behind the golden mask reflecting mockery.

"It truly is entertainment to death..."