Chapter 229: Chapter 229 - Auction Mystery
Behind him, Jim’s eyes couldn’t help but widen.
’’You’re actually buying that?’’ he asked, taken aback.
Theo nodded, stashing his card back into his pocket.
’’Just in case,’’ he replied, smiling. ’’You know, in case a rainy day ever happens.’’
With the transaction completed, the staff member bowed respectfully before telling him the same story as with all his previous purchases.
’That’s another fifteen million gone...’ he thought, annoyed. ’Brings the total up to fifty-seven million now?’
That left him with just sixty-three million in his bank account.
’Twenty cores and two pieces of equipment, and half of it is gone already.’
Just as they wanted to start walking away, Iris suddenly spoke up.
’’Theo,’’ she muttered quietly.
Glancing back at her, Theo nodded once.
’’You know,’’ she said, sounding almost conflicted. ’’You didn’t have to buy these... my family manufactures them.’’
Theo raised an eyebrow.
’’They do?’’
She nodded without hesitation.
’’If you’d just told me first, I could’ve asked Father for one.’’
Theo smiled and immediately shook his head.
’’No, forget it.’’
Tilting her head, Iris stared at him with a difficult expression.
Theo casually slid the card back into his pocket, his smile only widening.
’’I don’t want to end up in debt to my father-in-law,’’ he said.
The hallway went silent for a moment.
Jim sputtered, his eyes wide.
Iris froze completely for several seconds.
Then, a deep blush rapidly spread across her face.
’’I-in-laws...?’’ she muttered, lowering her head so quickly that a few strands of deep black hair fell over her face.
Theo only smiled, his heart feeling a little lighter.
Just then, Jim burst into laughter.
’’Nice save, Theo!’’ he said, patting him on the back. ’’Beautifully done! If I didn’t have a fiancée already, I would’ve written that one down somewhere!’’
Theo simply chuckled.
’’I was only stating the truth,’’ he said lightly.
Iris’s face somehow grew even redder.
’’C-can we please stop talking about this...’’ she muttered, refusing to meet either of their eyes.
Jim couldn’t help but laugh again.
’’Alright, alright,’’ he said, raising both hands in surrender. ’’I’ll let you two off this time.’’
Just then, a clear chime echoed throughout the enormous hall.
The conversations around them died down almost immediately.
A calm, elegant voice spread throughout the entire auction house.
’’Attention, distinguished guests. The Horizon Auction will begin in ten minutes. We kindly ask all registered participants to proceed to the main auction hall on the upper floor.’’
Jim glanced up at the ceiling before smiling.
’’Perfect timing! Looks like it’s about to start.’’
Theo nodded once.
’’Then let’s go.’’
Iris quickly took a deep breath, trying to calm the warmth on her face before quietly following after them.
Together, the three joined the growing crowd heading toward the grand staircase leading to the upper floor.
As they reached the upper floor, a massive circular auction hall opened up in front of them.
Rows upon rows of luxurious seats descended toward the crystal stage at the center, while countless VIP rooms overlooked everything from above.
’Whoa,’ he thought, taken aback. ’This is something else...’
It wasn’t just the room itself.
Everywhere he looked, powerful hunters, wealthy merchants, influential families, and representatives from large organizations had gathered for this auction.
Jim casually led the two of them toward one of the front sections.
’’It’s a shame I only broke through so late,’’ he complained. ’’Otherwise, my parents would’ve reserved a VIP section for us.’’
Sitting down in his seat, Theo glanced at him with a strange expression.
’’Does it matter?’’ he asked. ’’I think the view is better this close, no?’’
Jim stared at him for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
’’I keep forgetting you don’t know these things,’’ he said, amused. ’’Naturally, those VIP rooms aren’t just for comfort. They have many perks, such as early buy-outs and anonymous bids.’’
Theo nodded thoughtfully, finally understanding.
’’Makes sense,’’ he muttered, staring back out in front of him.
Time ticked by rapidly as the hall filled with people.
Only after a few minutes had passed did the lights start to dim.
’’Welcome,’’ a loud female voice echoed through the hall. ’’This is the 982nd Horizon Auction since our founding nineteen years ago!’’
A round of soft applause rang through the room.
Slowly, a young, beautiful figure rose out of the ground at the center podium.
She wore a delicate and revealing black dress, highlighting her perfect figure as she bowed to the audience.
’’I am your host for today,’’ she said lightly.
The woman gracefully extended one hand toward the side of the stage.
’’Without further delay, let us begin today’s auction.’’
Moments later, a crystal pedestal slowly rose from below the stage.
Resting upon it was a polished wooden box, barely larger than two hands.
’’We’ll begin with something relatively simple to warm everyone up.’’
The auctioneer smiled as she opened the lid.
Inside lay a crimson fruit covered in faint golden veins.
The moment it was revealed, a rich fragrance spread throughout the hall.
Even from dozens of yards away, Theo could feel the dense mana contained within it.
’’This,’’ the auctioneer announced proudly, ’’is a Golden Flame Fruit, a natural treasure capable of greatly increasing the odds of awakening a mutated fire affinity, known as the Golden Flame.’’
Murmurs immediately spread through the hall.
Treasures that could help direct an affinity awakening were incredibly rare.
And while many preferred letting nature choose their affinities, countless famous families wished for their heirs to awaken certain elements to inherit their spells.
Theo remembered his awakening ceremony.
’David drank something similar,’ he thought. ’Except that one was far less potent compared to this.’
He paused for a moment. ’I wonder how much this one will go for.’
The auctioneer smiled knowingly before raising a small crystal hammer.
’’The starting bid is ten million dollars.’’
Before Theo could even process the price, paddles shot into the air all around him.
’’Twenty... thirty... fifty...’’ the woman rattled off, pointing her finger at each bid.
After only a few seconds, the price had hit a staggering one hundred million dollars!
’’Sold!’’ the auctioneer finally yelled, slamming her hammer down. ’’To the gentleman with sign fifty-two.’’
A few sighs echoed through the audience along with some congratulations.
But it quickly went silent as the next item had already started rising out of the ground.
The next few items passed in rapid succession, each selling for absurd prices and attracting fierce competition from the audience.
Theo quietly watched everything unfold.
At first, he had expected people to hesitate before raising their paddles.
Instead, it looked as though tens of millions of dollars meant almost nothing to those present.
’No wonder this place exists,’ he thought, nodding slowly.
Just then, the auctioneer’s smile widened slightly.
’’Our next item is a little... special.’’
The chatter in the hall immediately quieted.
Rising out of the ground was a crystal vial filled with silver liquid.
’’Ladies and gentlemen,’’ she announced, ’’this is a vial of Mythril Essence.’’
Even Iris’s and Jim’s expressions became noticeably more serious.
Theo turned to them and caught the change immediately.
’’What’s Mythril Essence?’’ he whispered.
Jim didn’t take his eyes off the stage.
’’One of the finest materials in the world for forging weapons,’’ he replied quietly. ’’Also the only thing capable of creating weapons above the S-rank grade.’’
Theo slowly nodded, understanding right away.
The auctioneer smiled as she looked around the room.
’’The starting bid... one hundred million dollars.’’
Several VIP rooms lit up without even allowing her to finish her sentence.
Anonymous bids appeared above the stage one after another.
Only a few seconds later... the price had hit three hundred million dollars!
Theo sucked in a cold breath, staring at the outrageous sum.
’They’re this desperate?’ he thought.
The price increased slightly more, slowly settling around four hundred million.
Finally, the auctioneer slammed her crystal hammer down.
’’Sold!’’ she yelled happily. ’’It shall be brought to the respective VIP room soon.’’
Many people stood up and walked out, despite the auction not even having finished yet.
Even so, the auctioneer continued with a happy face.
Treasure after treasure went by, most selling between twenty and fifty million dollars.
Theo had long grown numb to the insane prices.
Then, another pedestal slowly rose from beneath the stage.
Unlike the previous treasures, this one drew confused looks from all around the hall.
Resting on the red cushion was nothing more than a stone the size of a fist, swirling with gray mana.
The auctioneer smiled apologetically.
’’Ladies and gentlemen, our appraisers have spent nearly six months studying this object.’’
She paused for dramatic effect.
’’Unfortunately... we still have not been able to determine what it is.’’
Soft laughter rang out through the room.
Even so, many people sat up in their chairs, a single thought going through their minds.
If it was something even Horizon Auction House couldn’t identify, it was bound to be valuable.
Even Theo frowned slightly.
’Isn’t this gambling then?’ he thought.
’’The starting bid for this object will be five million dollars,’’ the auctioneer continued. ’’This purchase will therefore be entirely at your own risk.’’
Just as Theo was about to lose interest, a sharp voice echoed through his mind.
’’Contractor,’’ Feng said. ’’You have to buy that!’’
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