“Since this auction item is so massive, bidding will be conducted in gold coins, but we allow the use of materials, magic items, and other objects to offset the cost during final delivery.”
Phew—
Bei Adolis’s words allowed some who were still worried about whether they could afford it to breathe a sigh of relief.
If other items could be used for settlement, then there was a massive amount of room for maneuvering.
Some profiteers had even begun calculating whether they could take a cut of the price difference and milk the witches for their gold coins.
“The starting price for this item is 100 million gold coins, with a minimum increment of 1 million gold coins! Now, let the auction begin!”
As the wooden gavel in Bei Adolis’s hand fell, the auction for the magic circle officially commenced.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the room remained quiet even after the auction started.
It wasn’t just a lack of talking; no one was raising their bidding paddles.
This was true for both the main hall and the private booths.
“Aha, no one’s bidding? Looks like they’ve been scared off,” Vivian remarked, looking through the glass at the cold scene below while scratching her head and laughing.
In the Tarot Villa’s luxury booth, the atmosphere was quite different.
A starting price of 100 million gold coins could be said to have pierced the heavens.
One had to realize that taking a mission at the Adventurers' Guild that wasn't too life-threatening only paid a few silver coins. A single gold coin was enough to fund over a dozen such missions.
Yet, facing this situation, Lan Qingyou didn't panic at all.
Floating in the air, she looked down through the glass at the U-shaped hall, which was packed with over 90,000 people.
“It’s natural for them to be intimidated; after all, that’s a staggering amount of money. But that doesn’t mean no one will bid. This was sudden, so the delegates sent here simply haven't received word from their superiors yet.”
After all, this was a high-quality item.
As long as something was good, there would always be a buyer if the price was right.
Although 100 million gold coins seemed like a lot, it was entirely affordable for certain individuals and organizations.
This was also why there was a rule allowing payment in materials and such.
After all, if it had to be cash, even the Supreme Council—which had the power to mint coins—would take a long time to produce that much...
“Still, I believe this should be a truly fantastic mysterious auction item,” Lan Qingyou said jokingly.
“It’s more than fantastic; it’s absolutely superb. If I weren’t broke, I’d definitely bid for it. I have no idea how many fruit trees and tobacco plants we could grow in the forest elves’ autonomous territory with one of these,” Righteousness Riesling said, grinning with an unlit cigar in his mouth.
Because there were ladies present, he hadn't lit his cigar.
But this guy was also someone who was playing the pig to eat the tiger.
Tobacco and alcohol had been the most profitable industries since ancient times, yet this guy constantly complained about having no money, being poor, and needing to sell the shirt off his back...
Hypocritical—too hypocritical.
“110 million!”
Sure enough.
Just as Riesling finished speaking, the number 11896 lit up in Booth 51 nearby, accompanied by a high-pitched voice.
Moreover, it was an increment of 10 million at once, instantly heating up the previously cold atmosphere.
“No way, there’s actually a sucker willing to buy this thing.”
“Isn’t it normal for someone to buy it? This kind of thing was never meant for people like us who have to pinch pennies just to buy a few magic items.”
“Hey! I can speak now?”
“Really!”
“What’s the point of being able to speak now? At most, we’re just the hype squad.”
“What you’re saying is a bit discouraging, but it’s the truth. Anyway, I don’t want to become a cog in their game. I’ll just shut up and watch the show.”
“Fair enough.”
Unlike the beginning when everyone was silenced and had to wave their hands to show their presence, this time everyone surprisingly remained quiet, silently watching the people in the upstairs booths perform.
“120 million!”
“130 million!”
Because the first person to bid had added 10 million at once, those who followed—whether they wanted to or not—didn't bid anything less than that.
If for no other reason, they simply couldn't afford the loss of face.
It was one thing if they didn't win the bid.
But if they did, everyone would know that so-and-so had only bid the minimum increment when trying to buy this magic circle.
When that happened, never mind sovereign control; even their future development could be affected.
However, although the competition seemed fierce, in reality, only three or four groups were actually bidding.
After several rounds, the price had risen from the initial 100 million gold coins to 200 million, and then to 300 million.
The people who originally just didn't want to participate and become part of the game were now speechless.
It was no longer a matter of whether they wanted to speak; they were now unable to make a sound, their mouths hanging open like fish as they breathed.
Terrifying.
It was mainly just terrifying.
In the hall, there were actually many who had been wealthy back on Blue Star.
After transmigrating to Kalim, they had also completed their primitive accumulation through various means.
That was why they had the money to buy auction tickets at high prices from others and bid on those magic items.
But compared to these organizations that threw around millions or tens of millions of gold coins, they were just pipsqueaks.
So, every one of them hardly dared to breathe, only listening to the price increases occasionally ringing out from the booths above.
“What’s the deal with these people?”
In the Tarot Villa’s booth, Justice Chu Yuan looked at Lan Qingyou with great interest.
As the host, she surely knew who was sitting in which booth.
However, that wasn't the case.
Lan Qingyou spread her hands and looked at Chu Yuan helplessly.
“Regrettably, except for a few clan leaders, the heads of these organizations are mostly sharing booths with a few acquaintances. As for exactly who is in which booth, I’m not sure either.”
“Is that so? That is a pity indeed.”
Learning that the arrangements for the upper level of the auction were so flexible, Chu Yuan didn't press further.
While he was indeed curious about these wealthy organizations, now wasn't the time to investigate.
Because among those bidding was someone from their Supreme Council.
The Supreme Council... they might lack other things, but they had plenty of money.
If they didn't have enough, they could just run the mints at full power to produce more gold coins.
Although some core raw materials—such as the Thorium that allowed all currency to withstand high pressure—needed to be sourced from Shang Chuan, other materials were easy to obtain.
But Chu Yuan never expected so many organizations would be able to compete with them.
Yes.
In Chu Yuan’s view, at this stage, no one should have been able to match the financial strength of the Supreme Council.
“Justice, it seems your Supreme Council’s intelligence system isn't all that great either.”
The one speaking was Vivian, ever the seeker of fun.
She was currently sitting on one of the sofa's armrests, even resting one foot on it, looking at Chu Yuan with a playful gaze that completely belied her age.
Rate on N.U.
