Chapter 1128 Astral Tower
The final bid for the book finally reached thirty-five million gold coins, with Rurik emerging victorious in the bidding war, defeating all other contenders.
"Congratulations, Master Blacksmith," Ayag teased the dwarf.
"The untapped knowledge, the Book of Seshat's Angel, has been sold for thirty-five million to the Blacksmith Guild," Meenal announced, and the crowd gasped. They had never imagined that a mere book would fetch such an astronomical sum. Even Michael was surprised, considering that the wealth in the realm of the gods was on a completely different level. The nobles here could easily spend hundreds of millions, making them seem vastly wealthier than the nobles in the mortal realm.
After Meenal sold the book, Michael felt many eyes turning their way. However, he chose to ignore their gazes and patted Rurik on the shoulder.
"What does a blacksmith like you hope to learn from that book?" Raphael asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I just like books," Rurik replied simply, without revealing that John had asked him to purchase the book.
With the book sold, Meenal shifted her attention to the crowd as the portal behind her opened once again. To Michael and Vedora's shock, what floated through the portal was none other than a four-headed hydra. It was a baby hydra, roughly the size of a puppy. The hydra stared at the crowd with confusion and shock as each head moved in various directions, looking around.
"Since we've had some intense bidding wars, let's bid on something fun," Meenal proposed. "As you can see, this four-headed hydra was artificially bred by the scholars of Runia."
Vedora trembled with anger. As a naturally born majestic creature, Vedora held pride and felt disrespected by the idea of their kind being bred in tubes. When they had learned that they were the last of their kind, they had felt helpless and desperate to find their kin. But in the realm of the gods, they had discovered that their kind was being bred through experiments and unnatural means. Various spells, runes, and potions were used for breeding instead of allowing them to reproduce naturally.
Since the inbred hydras were infertile, breeding them inside special tubes was the only option. But despite everything, Vedora hated the idea of breeding her kind in this manner.
Seeing the small collars around each of the hydra's tiny necks made Vedora tremble with anger.
"A child who doesn't love a cute hydra is no child at all. I remember when I was six years old, my father gave me my first pet—a milky white, three-headed hydra. We used to do everything together and go everywhere together. I don't remember a single second when I was away from my hydra. But twenty years ago, hydras had a lifespan of only three years. Now, thanks to the scholars and alchemists, these inbred hydras can live up to twelve years," Meenal informed the crowd, sharing a bit of her life story to engage the audience.
"As you may or may not know, these hydras cannot absorb celestial energy, so you don't have to spend your precious Celestial crystals or worry about them cultivating faster than you. Hahaha, I'm just joking," Meenal teased the crowd, and laughter echoed throughout.
"Now, what makes this cute little hydra special?" Meenal asked the crowd as she slowly moved her hand toward the hydra. The hydra hissed and cowered in fear, obviously terrified of her. Yet she smiled and grabbed the hydra by the neck where all the heads connected. Although she was smiling gently, Michael could see her tight grip around the hydra's neck. She held the hydra without any gentleness.
"This particular cutie is a feisty one, and it makes sense since the scholars of Runia have informed us that this hydra was bred using a small piece of flesh from the legendary Vedora," the crowd gasped in shock as Meenal uttered the word.
"We all know that many believe that the battle between the God of Darkness and his pet Vedora is just a myth created by the pantheon to scare us five thousand years ago. But we can all agree that this world is full of surprises. Bred from the legendary hydra Vedora, this hydra is a special, rare breed. You can be the star of any gala with this baby in your arms. Ladies, it's time to open your space rings and bid for this cutie."
Michael noticed the anger within Vedora's eyes. Each of their three heads brimmed with anger. Michael used a portion to disguise the hydra as a three-headed serpent, altering their appearance but not their eyes, which still glowed with fury.
Meenal raised her hand, and her voice rang out over the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin the bidding for this legendary creature, born from the flesh of the mighty Vedora! We shall start the bidding at a modest three hundred thousand gold coins."
The announcement sparked an immediate reaction in the audience. The nobles in their opulent seats and some of the commoners seated nearby eyed the tiny hydra with avaricious glints in their eyes. The bid war had begun.
A nobleman in the front row, resplendent in his fine robes, confidently raised his hand. "Three hundred fifty thousand gold coins," he declared, his voice carrying authority.
A lady from a noble family nearby, adorned with jewels and draped in silk, did not hesitate. "Four hundred thousand gold coins," she countered, her eyes never leaving the adorable but fierce-looking hydra.
The bid war escalated as each participant tried to outdo the others:
"Five hundred thousand gold coins!" shouted a wealthy merchant from the common seating area.
"Six hundred thousand!" another nobleman chimed in.
The commoners were not to be outdone. A craftsman who had saved diligently and dreamt of owning such a creature raised his voice, "Seven hundred thousand gold coins!"
The atmosphere grew tense as the bidding continued:
"One million gold coins!" a noblewoman with a regal air about her proclaimed.
The competition for this unique hydra showed no signs of slowing down. Both nobles and commoners were determined to possess the rare creature born from Vedora's flesh. Each bid was met with gasps, exclamations, and hushed discussions among the spectators.
As the fierce bidding war reached a fever pitch, it was a noble seated in the VIP pavilion who made the decisive move. With a confident smile, he raised his hand high and declared, "Eight million gold coins!"
The announcement rippled through the crowd, and all eyes turned to the nobleman in the VIP section. Meenal nodded approvingly. "Eight million gold coins going once, going twice..."
Before she could finish her countdown, the crowd fell silent. It was evident that the noble from the VIP pavilion had outbid everyone else. Meenal's voice rang out with finality, "Sold, the mighty creature is sold to the Alistair family for eight million gold coins!"
Rurik, seated in the VIP pavilion, couldn't help but roll his eyes and let out a snicker. "Well, that makes sense," he muttered under his breath.
Michael, who sat beside Rurik in the VIP pavilion, leaned closer and asked, "What makes sense?"
Rurik chuckled and replied, "The Alistair family, they meddle in all kinds of rare creatures. Serpents and hydras are their favorites."
"Fun fact about that family, John," Raphael said with an amused tone, "They worship the Great Serpent, an arch-nemesis of Goddess Gaya." He knew that Gaya was Michael's wife, and the fact that the Alistair family worshippes her arch-nemesis, the Great Serpent, implied that they were essentially enemies of Michael, Goddess Gaya's husband.
"Now, before we begin the auction for our next item, I am obliged to tell you that the Astral Tower keys can be purchased in the Divine Towers after the auction. For those who are unfamiliar with the Astral Towers, they are ancient towers found within realm tears that randomly appear throughout the realm. Every five years, a realm tear will manifest, and many cultivators, including some angels, venture into the tower to secure its treasures," Meenal said, pausing for a moment.
Michael listened attentively as she continued.
"Access to this tower is only possible with the Astral Tower keys. If you wish to lay your hands on the priceless treasures within the Astral Towers, you'll need one of these keys. We are delighted to provide you with the opportunity to acquire these keys, which will be available for purchase after the auction, as I mentioned before," Meenal announced.
The mere mention of the Astral Towers sparked excited murmurs among the crowd.
"Now that we've covered that, it's time for a short break. The auction will resume in an hour. Those who have won bids can collect their items in the lobby downstairs. See you wonderful people in an hour," Meenal winked as she waved her hand, creating a portal before her. She then stepped into the portal and disappeared.
Upon Meenal's departure and the announcement of the break, Michael stood up from the comfortable sofa in the VIP pavilion. He turned to Rurik and said with determination, "Let's go and get that book."
Rurik nodded, and the two of them made their way out of the VIP pavilion into the corridor, where they intended to collect the book they had won in the auction. Vedora, still simmering with suppressed anger from earlier remained silent on Michael's shoulder.
As they stepped into the corridor, they were immediately surrounded by several nobles, each accompanied by their guards. The nobles wore expressions ranging from curiosity to thinly veiled hostility. It was clear that their interest had been piqued by the unexpected presence of Michael and Vedora, particularly their successful bid for the book.
One of the nobles, a tall man with a regal air, stepped forward and addressed Michael with a polite but guarded tone. "Excuse me, sir. We couldn't help but notice your interest in the Book of Seshat's Angel. It's a rare and valuable item, and we were wondering if you might consider parting with it."
"No," Michael simply said, realizing these nobles wouldnt take no for an answer.
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