Chapter 1213: Chapter 961: The Elf in the Crystal Box
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Some nobles and tycoons gathered together inevitably engaged in conversation, starting with the routine mutual flattery, followed by the routine self-aggrandizement.
Then, a topic sparked Long Yi’s interest.
"Hey, brothers, I recently heard some news; guess what?" A young rich second-generation family member prepared to show off his new discovery to his friends; it seemed this new discovery was worth bragging about.
"Can we stop asking such childish questions? How are we supposed to guess the news you’ve heard?" One of his friends spoke up.
"Hahaha, I bet you can’t guess! Let me tell you, I heard that the Ancient Mage Tower’s master Elma has regained his human body again. Most importantly, during a conflict with Long Yi, he managed to injure Long Yi for the first time!" the man said mysteriously.
"Pfft! And here I thought it was some earth-shattering news. Is it just this? This matter has been circulating in the higher circles for days; you’re only just finding out now?" Another one of his friends looked at him disdainfully and said.
"Joking! Of course, I knew it long ago! It’s just that I only just ran into you guys!" The young man’s face turned red as he argued.
"But, to be honest, I think it’s more likely that this is a case of misinformation. We both know how strong Long Yi is; he would never be easily defeated. The Ancient Mage Tower isn’t the mysterious one of old, having been defeated by Long Yi so many times; they urgently need a victory to prove themselves. However, if the Ancient Mage Tower really managed to defeat Long Yi, then the news we’d be hearing now would be about the Ancient Mage Tower declaring war on Long Yi on a large scale, not just about Long Yi being injured," analyzed a little girl amid the crowd.
"Not bad, the smartest among us speaks and analysis pours out. What I’m actually most interested in is Elma’s teacher, that Ascender; I heard he’s also Long Yi’s teacher!" the young man continued to say.
"Also Long Yi’s teacher?" This time, the eyes of the surrounding youngsters widened.
"Haha! That’s some news you don’t know, right?" The young man laughed smugly.
"Where did you get this piece of information from?" someone asked.
"I have to keep that a secret, but rest assured, the source is very reliable!" The young man became even more smug.
"Well, this is interesting. Long Yi’s former teacher joining the Ancient Mage Tower, and even helping Elma defeat Long Yi—now that’s something noteworthy," the girl said, and then she suddenly smiled and added, "However, what does that have to do with us? After all, the war between the two empires led by Long Yi and the Ancient Mage Tower has nothing to do with us."
Upon hearing the girl’s words, the youngsters laughed and moved the conversation to other matters. But Long Yi and Ai Lin exchanged a glance—clearly, the girl didn’t believe what she’d said. In fact, she even seemed to think this matter was full of relevance to her!
This was somewhat strange. On a not-so-prosperous planet, a girl from an unknown family, why would she be interested in the fight between Long Yi and the Ancient Mage Tower?
Long Yi decided not to leave in a hurry after buying the tetrahedron but to see what exactly was going on with this girl. Meanwhile, he discreetly contacted Little Zi, asking her to send a Female Demon avatar to gather information here.
The auction began, and indeed, the initial items were rather common. The prices were also quite affordable, though "common" and "affordable" are relative terms—nothing here could truly be considered inexpensive.
Then, the auction reached its first climax of the day.
"I believe you have all been waiting for a long time. Now, we have our mid-year extravaganza’s first high-end item!"
Following the auctioneer’s words, two people pushed a tall cabinet onto the stage. The cabinet was large enough to hold a person, covered with a black cloth, so its contents were obscured.
"Actually, if it were up to me, this item would definitely be auctioned in the middle or even at the end. But my boss noticed that some of the lords and ladies seem a bit drowsy. Presumably, you showed little interest in those smaller items earlier, so he decided to put this up for auction now. I believe once you see it, you’ll definitely perk up!" the auctioneer said, nodding to the staff, who then quickly pulled off the black cloth, revealing the item inside that made Long Yi’s eyes widen.
It was an Elf!
Elves are a mysterious species that have existed since the Giant period, seen in any plane and any environment.
The Elf at the auction was dressed in a simple green dress, standing there quietly. However, unlike the Elves Long Yi remembered, who were typically tall with less exaggerated curves and an expressionless cold face—frankly uninteresting to men like Long Yi—this Elf’s figure could only be described as peerless.
This was not an Elf.
Long Yi made that judgment.
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But clearly, it wasn’t Tutor Yavenny either.
Long Yi could distinctly feel the breathing of some men around him growing heavier.
"As you can all see! Our first high-end auction item of the day! It is none other than the rarest being in this entire plane! An Elf!" the auctioneer shouted.
"Is this some kind of joke?" a rich man shouted from below.
"Oh, I can understand your skepticism, sir. After all, Elves are a very rare existence in our plane, and because they are so exceedingly powerful, even the few limited sightings we’ve had, no one has been able to capture them. But rest assured, I stake my reputation on it, what you see before you is indeed an Elf without a doubt!" the auctioneer said, as several staff members pushed up a case containing a full set of light armor, a long-handled curved sword, an armor-piercing sword, as well as a large bow, a quiver, and some intricately designed armor-piercing arrows with complex patterns even on the arrowheads.
Most importantly, these pieces of equipment were filled with a strong energy, constantly flowing through the patterns carved into them.
"Our client found this Elf in a certain restaurant, of course, the means involved were not honorable, but the result is as you see. This crystal case of energy suppression is a product of the Sanctuary Empire, originally designed to detain some powerful criminals alone. We had to go through many channels to acquire it. In fact, I feel obliged to remind every gentleman interested in the Elf that currently, the lady Elf refuses to communicate with us at all, and once she leaves the crystal case, she will immediately become an enemy almost as powerful as Long Yi. So, please think thrice before you place your bids!"
With that, the auctioneer glanced around, well aware that his warning would not make every person present think thrice, but rather, it would trigger the instinct of every male creature.
Competition and conquest.
Everyone here was either very rich or very noble; no one would admit to being a coward.
Thus, before the price was even called, some paddles were already raised.
"Then, for this auction, we have no reserve price, no incremental bidding, gentlemen, please feel free to make your offers!"
Almost instantly, a series of astronomical figures were called out.
"What do we do?"
Ai Lin asked Long Yi.
"What can we do? After all, the Elf is one of our own. Either we overturn the auction right now or we buy her out properly," Long Yi said.
In Long Yi’s memory, the Elves had always been on the Mountain Giants’ planet, and after the great upheaval there, the Elves had disappeared. After that, all the people on the Mountain Giants planet were gone too, which was really quite baffling.
Now, with an Elf suddenly appearing here, Long Yi felt a responsibility and obligation to rescue her. Of course, whoever was behind this, Long Yi would be sure to hold them accountable!
Soon, the price reached an astonishing figure. The two men raising bids clearly didn’t get along, almost glaring at each other as they shouted their offers.
"One hundred and seventy million!" a middle-aged man shouted.
"One hundred and seventy million and one hundred!" another fat man smiled as he called out.
"One hundred and eighty million!" the middle-aged man continued to raise his bid.
"One hundred and eighty million and one hundred!" the fat man was not the least bit intimidated.
The price was already astounding, and it was clear that both parties were simply fighting each other. Seeing such an astonishing price, the auctioneer was pleased but still said calmly, "Gentlemen, I must remind you once again that this Elf is not something you can do as you please after buying her. In fact, we have no way of guaranteeing your safety when opening the crystal case, so please, bid within your means."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man laughed loudly, "Fat pig! Did you hear that? That’s for you! Now beat it!"
But the fat man wasn’t upset, still smiling he said, "Don’t overestimate yourself, I know that’s all the money you’ve got. Buying the Elf is most likely for bartering with your family’s ancient powerhouses for some treasure. Poor thing, ever since the era of Long Yi began, your ancient powerhouses can’t protect you all the time anymore, and you, who have never been good at business, must be in dire straits."
The middle-aged man, with a cold smirk on his lips, said, "You don’t need to worry, fat pig. Everyone in this plane knows that Long Yi and Ai Lin have always wanted to leave here for the middle planes. Right now, they are at war with the Ancient Mage Tower, and there are only two possible outcomes. Either they win the war and leave this plane, or they lose to the Ancient Mage Tower and are exterminated. No matter the outcome, Long Yi and Ai Lin will not continue to exist in this plane. By then, I’m quite curious to see how long your business will last."
The fat man laughed even more joyfully, "To be honest, I can’t wait to spread the words you just said throughout the plane. If Long Yi finds out that there’s a group of people looking forward to their departure, I wonder how long the lineage of your ancient powerhouses will survive? Hahaha!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
