Xiao Yi casually returned to his room to freshen up while communicating telepathically with Huo Li through the wall. "Last night, I seemed to have entered an alternate reality. I pried locks and broke the window—but it did not leave any marks in the real world. Yet that world could still influence me."

"Then if the person pulling the strings set off a nuclear explosion in that domain, you'll die while we totally wouldn't have a clue in the real world?" Huo Li asked.

"In theory, yes," Xiao Yi answered mentally while brushing his teeth. "I might be playing the role of 'Young Master Philip' one moment and then turn into vapor from a nuclear explosion. Still, that wouldn't be my true death—it's only one-thousandth of my physical form. There are still 120,000 tons of me in the system space. That's probably why the person didn't act against me last night. Perhaps they want to lure out my entire body."

"That's impossible!" Huo Li shouted. "Only me, the system, and Xiao Mao know you're an alien. None of us would hurt you or spill that secret. I mean, sure, sometimes Xiao Mao gets a bit too emotional, but her 'calamity star' physique means that any prophecy she shares comes back to bite her even harder. If she hadn't spent centuries keeping things under wraps, the world would be a total mess by now."

"What about Happy Planet? Did you destroy it completely?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Not a single cell remains."

The youth frowned slightly as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Maybe they were just testing me? Uncertain if I'm really an alien? After all, too many beings in this universe want me dead—not just parasitic beasts, but nearly all humans aside from a few of you. Who knows what those trillions of lifeforms are capable of?"

"Luckily, you weren't harmed this time. But next time—"

"Who said I wasn't harmed!" Xiao Yi interrupted Huo Li's thoughts sharply, speaking telepathically while staring into the mirror. "I slept for nearly 20 hours straight! My face is a bit puffy from it. The quality of the human physique, tsk tsk tsk!"

.

An hour later, the two young masters from the Philip family, along with their family assistant, Mr. Liu, entered the grand hall of the Prosperity Auction House. The hall was dazzling, adorned with golden decorations; even the gaps in the marble flooring were lined with gold. At the front of the hall, a row of windows was separated by vintage-style metal railings, each featuring intricate relief designs. The railings were creatively shaped at the top to form numbers, ranging from 100 star coins to 10 billion star coins, from left to right.

The leftmost windows were the busiest, particularly those handling transactions under 10,000 star coins, where long lines had formed. In contrast, the windows on the right were less crowded. The attendants at the 1-billion and 10-billion star coin windows were leisurely reading newspapers or sipping tea.

"Young masters, please follow me," said the bald uncle, Mr. Liu, politely. "According to Miss Aliena's information, the acquisition price for the hospital that meets your requirements ranges from 20 to 50 billion star coins."

Liu Mo led the two brothers to luxurious armchairs near the far-right window. After they sat down, he stood respectfully to the side and, using the local business jargon, requested, "Please show us the list of non-discounted high-value items."

According to the auction house's rules, customers needing immediate cash could sell items directly to the auction house without going through the auction process. However, the purchase price was typically only 50% to 80% of what the items would fetch at auction—except for highly sought-after items, which Liu Mo referred to as 'non-discounted items.'

The elderly woman sipping tea behind the counter initially regarded the two young Philip brothers with sharp disdain through her reading glasses, treating them like clueless newcomers. But upon hearing Mr. Liu's words, she adjusted her attitude, set down her teacup, and handed over a finely crafted booklet resting on the desk. Mr. Liu quickly bent over and passed it to the elder brother with both hands, embodying the image of a shrewd yet subservient middle-aged businessman.

Huo Li skimmed through the booklet while Xiao Yi, playing the spoiled brat, snatched it away haughtily. "Let me see! What does the Philip family lack? Even one of my discarded toys could fetch tens of billions!"

The stern old lady behind the counter shot a glare at Xiao Yi. Having spent most of her life dealing with deceitful business practices, she had little patience for unruly young masters. Unable to resist, she said curtly, "The luxury items you rich kids flaunt—branded goods, sports cars, jewelry—don't hold value here. Even the finest pure-blue starlight gems are worth less than a billion in this place. This is the top-tier counter of the Prosperity Auction House, not one of those overpriced boutiques you often visit.

Xiao Yi glanced at the booklet. The first page listed energy stones priced between 1.5 million and 2 billion star coins per ton. Further down the list were rare animals, plants, technical patents, and even interstellar battleships. The last pages included unique requests from clients, such as a wealthy patron seeking a long dress worn by an intergalactic celebrity or the Heritage Planet offering high prices for antiques and artwork. For instance, a well-preserved painting from ten thousand years ago could sell for billions, and a masterpiece once exhibited at the Louvre Museum could fetch a staggering 20 billion!

Even pharmaceutical companies openly sought medicinal items from the Savior Alliance's system mall, and tech firms requested defensive talismans. It was clear that desperate or greedy saviors sometimes secretly sold their items.

Huo Li considered the extensive collection in his system space and realized that none of his high-profile auction purchases could be sold. In the end, he selected a few high-grade energy stones, including several pieces of top-tier ice crystal, black abyss, and cosmic light stones. He extracted small samples from his space for Liu Mo to present to the old lady.

"We have top-tier ice crystal stones, black abyss stones, and cosmic light stones—five tons each of the first two and two tons of the last. Based on the listed prices, the total value should be around 66.4 billion star coins." Huo Li leaned back in the armchair, exuding an air of refinement reminiscent of a business elite.

Upon hearing the names and quantities of the energy stones, the old woman's dismissive and impatient expression instantly vanished. Her eyes sparkled as she quickly took the samples and placed them into a detection machine. As she reviewed the readings, she suppressed her astonishment and said respectfully, "Mr. Philip, the quality of your energy stones is exceptional. They can be sold at full market value. I will arrange for our collection and inspection team to assess the entire batch. Once the verification is complete, we can finalize the transaction…"

"So tedious! Does it really have to be this troublesome?" Xiao Yi interrupted irritably, fidgeting in his chair. "Brother, what junk are you selling? It's only worth 60 billion! How are we supposed to get by with such a small amount?"

The old woman, already exasperated with the younger Philip brother, ignored him and maintained her professional demeanor. Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she continued stiffly, "At the Prosperity Auction House, we offer three payment options for the 66.4 billion star coins. Do you prefer—"

"Brother!" Xiao Yi complained loudly. "The junk you're selling isn't worth as much as a random decorative piece I could find at our house! I bet I could earn more pocket money selling those. Honestly, it's embarrassing for the Philip family to be carrying only a few hundred billion in liquid assets while we're on business."

The old woman had to restrain her frustration. Although this brat clearly lacked any sense of propriety, he was still the younger brother of an important client. With effort, she forced a stiff smile and asked, "Young Master Philip, may I ask what sort of 'priceless' decorative piece you have in mind?"

Xiao Yi sprang up from his chair and leaped forward. With a casual wave of his hand, he produced a rectangular wooden panel from his space—a seemingly old and unremarkable object. However, the old woman's hands trembled slightly as she recognized it. She shot up from her seat, pointing at the board. "Monet's Impression, Sunrise! This—this can't possibly be the original!"

Xiao Yi sneered dismissively at her astonishment, his expression dripping with contempt. "Don't you have a detection machine? Hmph, it's just a painting. Why would I bother creating a fake?"

He carelessly passed the painting through the gap in the railing. Although the old woman was almost certain it was a fake—assuming the young master had been swindled—she couldn't entirely dismiss the slim possibility that it might be genuine. She carefully donned pristine gloves to handle relics and placed the painting into the detection machine.

The black-haired young master snickered. "The painting is secured with a high-grade protective charm. It would come out unscathed even if you threw it into a fire."

During the interstellar era, as humanity developed superior methods for preserving artifacts and artworks, most precious paintings from ancient times had already been destroyed. Many others were locked away by wealthy private collectors. For an artwork to survive and be displayed on Heritage Planet was a rarity among rarities. If well-preserved, even a student's practice piece from an art academy thousands of years ago could now be exhibited in premium galleries. Let alone—

A stream of data from the detection machine brought the old woman's thoughts back to reality. "Created in 1872!" she exclaimed, lunging at the screen. Her movement was so sudden that she spilled her scalding tea without noticing.

Standing to the side, the bald Liu Mo added nonchalantly, "The age cannot be faked. This painting, which was criticized when it first debuted, was unlikely to have been forged at that time. Of course, you can review the other parameters at your leisure." Despite his composed tone, Liu Mo's heart was pounding. (Sister-in-law's abilities are incredible! She can even replicate this flawlessly and get the date right! Let's hope the other parameters won't give us away…)

To their surprise, every parameter aligned perfectly, confirming the painting's authenticity. The old woman, on the verge of a heart attack, hastily contacted Heritage Planet through her smart bracelet. Her voice trembled as she explained the situation: "... It's truly that 'Sunrise!' The machine confirmed it. Okay! The professional team will arrive in an hour. Yes, right away!"

"It's not just 'Sunrise,'" the younger Philip brother interjected lazily. "There's another one that's too large for me to hand over here. What's it called… Oh right, 'The Lunch on the Grass,' and there are eighteen more paintings."

"This—this—"

"I think I'd better take it out later," he remarked casually. "You might want to arrange for some emergency security personnel."

Three hours later, Xiao Yi and his companions successfully regrouped with Aliena's team. They shared lunch in a private room at a high-end restaurant near Prosperity Plaza, celebrating their successful auction and acquisition.

Liu Mo, finally releasing the tension he had been suppressing all morning, couldn't help but chatter excitedly. "Britney, you wouldn't believe it! When the deputy curator of Heritage Planet came for the appraisal, I was scared out of my wits. What if they noticed something was off? The entire auction house was surrounded by Heritage Planet's armed forces, as though they feared someone might try to steal the paintings. Hahaha! Sister-in-law's twenty counterfeit paintings completely fooled them!"

Britney imagined the scene and felt a bit worried. "Boss, that's 186 trillion star coins—186 trillion! If Heritage Planet discovers something's wrong in the future… Also, isn't it a bit unethical to deceive them? After all, they're dedicated to preserving and restoring cultural relics."

"Relax, what are you so worried about?" replied the red-haired beauty nearby, her sultry tone matching the wine she sipped. "Heritage Planet's wealth is greater than most small star systems. 186 trillion won't bankrupt them."

The black-haired youth interjected calmly, "Who said I gave them counterfeits?"

"What?!" His six companions gaped in shock.

Xiao Yi continued matter-of-factly, "Those twenty paintings are indeed Monet's originals. They were just taking up space in my storage, so I thought it would be better to hand them over to the museum."

Huo Li asked, "Could it be... from Happy Planet?"

"They were heirlooms of a declining aristocratic family," Xiao Yi replied, taking a bite of a translucent pink apple. "I thought it would be a shame to let them be vaporized by a nuclear bomb. But now, Huo Li, you'll need to forge an entire Philip family. Countless eyes will be on us soon."

"Then our Philip family must be one of the oldest and most law-abiding magnates," Huo Li added with a faint smile. "No problem at all."

An hour later, Huo Li set off from Prosperity Plaza on his solo forging task. At the same time, Xiao Yi joined Aliena and her team in a car heading toward the hospital. Sitting in the backseat, Xiao Yi was brimming with energy, eagerly looking out at the bustling streets of Prosperity Planet.

However, the lively crowds on the streets suddenly vanished, leaving only autonomous vehicles moving back and forth.

Xiao Yi immediately sensed that something was wrong. Before he could react, the two opposing lanes of the road collapsed into one, merging violently. Vehicles traveling in opposite directions collided head-on in an instant! A deafening explosion reverberated as the entire street turned into a massive accident zone in the blink of an eye.

In less than a second, Xiao Yi smashed through the car window, jumping out just as the vehicle became engulfed in flames. He had no leverage to stabilize himself mid-air, and then the space around him distorted again. A massive truck, flung high into the air by the collision and explosion, appeared just 0.5 cm from Xiao Yi's face!

The truck's enormous force struck him head-on, sending him flying. The youth was launched like a projectile, carving an almost straight arc through the air before crashing toward a burning fuel tanker.