When Lin Gui woke up, the sound of the gavel falling echoed in his ears from time to time.
Sitting up from Elvia's shoulder, he rubbed his slightly sore neck and asked:
“Is it still not over?”
Elvia said calmly:
“Not yet. We've just reached the grand finale items.”
“What about the mask?” Lin Gui asked.
Elvia chuckled:
“I've already had someone deliver it to that half-demon.”
“Before long, you'll probably see her storming over here, practically dripping with jealousy.”
On the stage, the auctioneer's voice grew louder with excitement.
Two burly guards carefully carried up a metal chest that was nearly as tall as a person.
Intricate sealing runes were engraved on the surface of the chest, and wisps of cold air seeped from the seams.
“Honored guests! Next is our first grand finale treasure of the evening!”
The auctioneer, wearing white gloves, solemnly opened the lid.
A biting wave of frost instantly swept through the room, causing the nobles in the front rows to shrink back and shiver.
Inside the chest, resting quietly on thick velvet, was an ice-blue, nearly transparent greatsword.
The blade looked as if it were carved from pure ice, with a faint, flowing luster shifting within it like drifting glaciers.
Embedded in the guard was a deep blue gem the size of a pigeon's egg, which radiated a visible icy mist.
“The Legendary ice-attribute weapon, 【Frost Soul】!”
The auctioneer's voice trembled slightly.
“This sword was forged by a master dwarf artisan from the core of polar ice marrow, and it contains the ultimate power of extreme frost!”
“A single swing can conjure ice to freeze your enemies! The starting bid is—eight million gold coins!”
A collective gasp echoed throughout the hall.
Immediately, bids erupted from all directions like a lit powder keg.
“Eight million five hundred thousand!”
“Nine million!”
“I bid ten million!”
In the frenzied atmosphere, the price skyrocketed, quickly breaking past the ten-million mark.
Ultimately, the greatsword 【Frost Soul】 was claimed by a rarely-seen high-ranking military figure for the astronomical price of thirteen million gold coins.
The atmosphere in the venue was completely set ablaze.
Right after, the second grand finale item was presented.
It was a crystal box only the size of a palm.
Inside, a teardrop-shaped gem emitting a soft blue light and a faint scent of ocean tides rested quietly on a velvet cushion.
“Our second grand finale item, 【Mermaid's Tear】!”
The auctioneer's voice was full of allure.
“Legend has it that it was formed from the true tears of a deep-sea mermaid, containing the essence of the water of life!”
“Wearing it long-term can preserve one's youth, delaying aging by at least thirty years!”
Before he could even finish, almost every woman in the audience—
including the elegant, noble ladies in the front rows—had an astonishing light erupt in their eyes.
Even the Eldest Princess, Diana, who had maintained a cold, indifferent expression the entire time, subconsciously sat up straight.
Her gaze was locked tightly onto the gem.
“Starting bid, five million gold coins!”
“Six million!”
“Seven million five hundred thousand!”
“Nine million!”
The price jumped at a staggering speed, instantly leaving the bids of all previous items far behind.
The frenzy of the noblewomen far surpassed the men's enthusiasm for weapons.
Eldest Princess Diana raised her bidding paddle several times, quickly pushing the price up to thirteen million.
She exhaled softly, a composed smile of certain victory appearing on her face.
However—
“Fifteen million.”
A clear, calm female voice rang out from the back row.
It was Elvia again!
The composure on Diana's face froze instantly.
She whipped her head around, her gaze piercing toward the back like an icicle.
“Hexteen million,” Diana said through gritted teeth.
“Seventeen million,” Elvia countered, not even batting an eye.
“Eighteen million!”
“Twenty million.”
Every time Elvia raised the bid, she precisely countered Diana's price.
It was neither too much nor too little, but it carried an undeniable sense of financial dominance.
Diana's well-maintained cheeks twitched slightly.
Unable to hold back any longer, she abruptly stood up, glaring at Elvia as she said coldly:
“My dear sister, since when did you become so wealthy?”
“It couldn't possibly be squeezed out of those lowly allies of yours, could it?”
Elvia covered her mouth and chuckled. Her posture was elegant, but her words cut like a knife:
“My charming sister, who is nearly fifty—I, your little sister, don't have this much money.”
“This money all comes from my husband.”
Having said that, Elvia casually pulled out a card shimmering with a purple metallic luster and intricate magic patterns.
Many who recognized it gasped in low whispers:
“It's the Alliance Bank's Purple-Gold Voucher!”
“You need a deposit of at least fifty million gold coins to get one!”
Quite a few people clicked their tongues in disbelief. That number...
If they were counting pure liquid gold coins, among all the high nobles, generals, and knights present,
not a single person could produce such an amount.
The Eldest Princess's face turned incredibly ugly as she stared intently at Lin Gui.
Lin Gui yawned and retorted indifferently:
“What are you staring at? With this little money, you couldn't even buy a plot of land in the Central City-States.”
“What's there to be so shocked about, you bumpkins?”
His completely undisguised contempt made the Eldest Princess's face twist with rage.
However, she did not lash out immediately. Instead, she took a deep breath and asked back:
“Oh? It seems my brother-in-law has quite a background.”
Lin Gui smiled but didn't take the bait.
All the nobles in the hall began to whisper among themselves, speculating about the true identity of this unfamiliar mage.
Even Charles and Joseph, who had long since investigated Lin Gui's identity, frowned.
According to the investigation reports, the man was just a mage from New Covenant City.
But there was almost zero credibility to that now.
According to what those refugees said, he had traversed the Withered Rift to reach the Royal Capital with only a Transcendent Ranger and a High-tier High Rank knight.
Most importantly, their speed was strangely fast.
Their advisors estimated that traveling from the Royal Capital to Caran would take at least a month, yet judging by the date on the letter the refugees received, he had only taken a little over a week.
It was hard not to suspect that there was some unknown, powerful force backing him.
Elvia maintained her perfect smile.
Creating leverage out of thin air had always been her specialty.
And Lin Gui's mysterious outsider identity gave her plenty of room to maneuver.
Especially since Lin Gui himself was a mage with bizarre abilities.
Attributing the sudden influx of massive funds to Lin Gui, the “deeply hidden” outsider, was an incredibly safe strategy.
Elvia was even wondering if she should take Lin Gui to “borrow” some funds from a few of her rivals' homes.
Many of the people here were targets she secretly wanted to eliminate.
Elvia spoke to the somewhat dazed auctioneer:
“Aren't you going to strike the gavel?”
Shaking himself out of his daze, the auctioneer quickly struck the wooden gavel.
“Sold! The 【Mermaid's Tear】 goes to Her Highness Princess Elvia for twenty million gold coins!”
Lin Gui leaned in close to Elvia's ear and asked curiously:
“As the leader of a major faction, does the Eldest Princess really lack money?”
“The things we took from the Duke's manor are probably just a small fraction of that mountain of gold, right?”
Elvia smiled and explained in a low voice:
“My royal father's illness is extremely severe, and it won't be long before he must name an heir.”
“Twenty million is already no small sum. My eldest sister could afford it, but the people backing her wouldn't let her spend it on this.”
“The Mermaid's Tear is useless for the struggle for the throne. Using it to bribe the families of high nobles? That would be overestimating the status of women in this world.”
“Which of those high nobles doesn't have a harem of wives and concubines?”
At this point, Elvia rested her hand on Lin Gui's chest, leaning in close to whisper in a sultry, tempting tone:
“If you give up delivering letters and become my husband in truth... as long as you wish, I will gather all the beautiful ladies of the Royal Capital for you.”
“I guarantee they won't be any less beautiful than those from the families of dukes and high nobles.”
Lin Gui yawned and gently pushed Elvia's exquisite face away.
“You'd better find someone else.”
“I have no interest in playing house with your struggle for the throne.”
“Playing house?” Elvia raised an eyebrow.
“Countless high officials and nobles have died for this throne, and you call it playing house?”
She huffed inwardly, highly displeased by Lin Gui's remark.
His words felt like he was pointing directly at her nose and saying:
This throne she was risking her life to obtain was nothing more than... disposable trash.
Elvia was furious, but she didn't show it, her face still wearing that charming smile.
The auction soon arrived at the final item.
A maid brought up a long, slender wooden case.
The moment the lid was opened, a green radiance flowed out, and the rich aura of the wind element made the air in the entire hall feel lighter.
Inside the case was a staff that was emerald green all over, looking as if it were carved from fresh bamboo.
Natural wind patterns wound around the shaft, and its tip was set with a spinning green gem that seemed to harbor a miniature storm within.
“Our final grand finale item, the demi-artifact—【Staff of the Windwhisperer】!”
The auctioneer's voice grew hoarse with excitement.
The audience instantly boiled over!
Especially the mages and several knight commanders who knew the value of the staff—their eyes turned red in an instant!
Even Elvia was stunned and couldn't help but gasp in a low voice:
“Joseph actually brought out something like this?!”
Without a single whisper of warning, Joseph had just put a demi-artifact up for sale.
Looking at the artifact, Elvia leaned in close to Lin Gui's ear and whispered:
“Do you need big sister Elvia to win this for you?”
“That's a demi-artifact. It's extremely rare even in the Central City-States.”
Lin Gui replied, speechless:
“Don't forget, eighty percent of the money you're using for the auction is mine.”
“Besides, this thing is useless to me.”
The importance of a staff to a mage was entirely different from a weapon to a warrior.
A good staff could greatly accelerate a mage's chant speed, improve control precision, and even boost the power of specific elemental magic.
These things might have been important to the old Lin Gui.
But now, for the main spells he used,
【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 was already at max level, and 【Levitation】 was also close to its peak.
They were cast almost instantly like second nature, and his control precision was flawless.
Thus, the auxiliary effects of a staff were negligible to him, and it might even get in his way.
Even if it was a demi-artifact.
Elvia shrugged, understanding his reasoning.
The bidding for the 【Staff of the Windwhisperer】 was exceptionally fierce, and the price quickly broke past sixty million.
The Second Prince, Warren Carter, who had been silent and almost forgotten the entire time,
raised his bidding paddle for the first time and directly called out a price that shocked the entire hall.
“Ninety million gold coins.”
This price carried an undeniable determination.
It instantly crushed all possible competition.
The auction drew to a close in a strange silence.
After completing the transaction backstage and receiving the Mermaid's Tear,
Elvia instructed Lin Gui:
“Go to the wedding banquet venue first. I doubt there will be many people.”
“My high-society connections are practically nonexistent, so I've only invited some minor nobles and wealthy merchants to fill the room.”
“I need to go get dressed up first. After all... tonight is technically my wedding banquet.”
Rate on N.U.
