Chapter 143: Chapter 142: The Bid of the Old Nobles
The bidder holding up the number plate was number 4, the plate bordered with gold, indicating that the opponent, like Gro, was among those in the private boxes. Even if their status wasn’t as distinguished as Gro’s, it was close enough, belonging to one of the few powerful Old Nobles in Cuijin City. Even the King would have to think twice before making a move against them.
Although the Old Nobles hadn’t participated in last night’s scramble for the Examination Exemption Certificate, that didn’t mean they weren’t interested—far from it. They were indeed interested. However, they were observing the situation and would only strike when the time was right, delivering a fatal blow.
Sly, ruthless, experienced—they were like snakes, which was the typical conduct of Old Nobles.
Thus, a bid of 2500 Gold Coins instantly extinguished Gro’s delightful illusions, making Gro blink, along with most of the audience; and during this moment of shock, the whole situation had changed.
A new round of bidding, the real bidding, had officially begun.
Waves surged in the ocean, one after another, pushing to the crest.
...
“Number 3, 3000 Gold Coins.”
“Number 8, 3500 Gold Coins.”
“Number 6, 4500 Gold Coins.”
…
Within several private boxes, the bids rapidly increased by 500 Gold Coins at least, and by as much as 1000 Gold Coins at times, with dramatic increments. In no time, the price of the Examination Exemption Certificate had soared to 7000 Gold Coins, seven times the starting bid and 3.5 times the price called by Gro.
Gro was no longer stunned; after regaining his composure, his expression turned exceedingly grim. The situation had changed so quickly and drastically, far beyond his anticipation. Initially, he had ambitiously planned to secure all three Examination Exemption Certificates, but in just a blink of an eye, securing even one had become difficult; this…
“Snap!” with a harsh slap on the table inside the private box, Gro couldn’t help but vent his emotions. “Damn it, how could they…”
But Gro only got halfway through his sentence, when suddenly, with a “gulp,” he swallowed the rest of his words. Then, his lips reluctantly curled into an exaggerated smile, his hands slightly lifted, portraying an innocent look, akin to a pitiful bunny caught by a hunter.
“Gulp, misunderstanding… all misunderstandings…” Gro struggled to prove his innocence.
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Pandora, woken by the noise, glanced displeasedly at Gro, turned over, and curled back up on the seat to resume her sleep.
“Whew…” Gro exhaled deeply, then looked somewhat resentfully at Richard, his gaze asking, “Why did you bring her here?”
“She wanted to come herself.”
“I…”
Gro was so furious he truly wanted to smash the table, but he truly dared not.
He could throw a punch at the table, but then Pandora’s punch might come flying toward him. Whether his punch could break the table was questionable, but Pandora’s could definitely beat him half to death. Well, just half to death, since they were acquainted; she couldn’t very well beat him mercilessly to his demise, could she?
Gro thought anxiously, feeling quite stiff all over. The person sleeping next to him wasn’t some cute little girl, but entirely a ferocious ancient beast.
Glancing at Gro’s expression, Richard shook his head and quietly asked, “What do you plan to do now that the bidding for the Examination Exemption Certificate has reached 7000 Gold Coins? Do you still plan to raise the bid?”
Gro, prompted by Richard’s comment, snapped back to reality, his expression turning slightly grave as he contemplated seriously.
He had come to this auction bringing all his savings, nearly 8000 Gold Coins; indeed, he might try raising the bid. But… it might not be successful. Even if successful, he still felt at a loss.
Nearly 8000 Gold Coins, all for one Examination Exemption Certificate?
Although, according to rumors, possessing the Examination Exemption Certificate and boarding the Wizard’s grand ship came with various special privileges, it still wasn’t worth 8000 Gold Coins.
Gro hesitated for a moment, then said to Richard, “I… think I’ll just wait and see. I feel the current price is a bit inflated, not quite reasonable. It could be that the Old Nobles are deliberately driving up the price. If that’s the case, the second Examination Exemption Certificate might be cheaper, and I won’t be the fool.”
At this moment, Gro was still somewhat puzzled by the sudden bidding by the Old Nobles in the private boxes, couldn’t help but fantasize: perhaps the Old Nobles were just confused momentarily, and by the time the second Examination Exemption Certificate was auctioned, they might calm down, allowing him to secure it at a much lower price.
Richard listened to Gro’s words and didn’t say much more, having somewhat guessed Gro’s thoughts. However, in Richard’s view, Gro’s idea was likely mistaken. A price of nearly 8000 Gold Coins for an Examination Exemption Certificate was indeed expensive. But this time, the circumstances were different from before.
The current Cuijin City was not the Cuijin City of the past.
Previously, no apprentices had died in the White Stone Tower. Previously, several families in Cuijin City had not suffered mysterious and devastating attacks.
The Old Nobles, stimulated by the recent events, obviously realized that they were like sheep to the slaughter for any capable Wizard, easy to be vanquished.
For this reason, the Old Nobles were willing to pay a substantial price to find a way to cultivate a Wizard from their own family.
Richard pondered this as the bidding in the auction hall continued.
Finally, the first Examination Exemption Certificate was acquired by the owner of paddle number six, for 8500 Gold Coins—an extraordinarily inflated price.
Then came the auction for the second Examination Exemption Certificate.
Normally, as the highlight of the auction, Examination Exemption Certificates should not be auctioned together to generate higher revenue.
Other strategies included: auctioning an intriguing but not too expensive item at the start to set the mood, taking a brief recess before the grand finale to build anticipation, and interspersing less popular items between high-value ones to prevent failed sales.
However, this was the Medieval era, where more primitive, traditional auction practices were still in effect without many sophisticated variations.
In fact, for the nobles present, this was exactly what they preferred—quickly presenting all three Examination Exemption Certificates was what mattered. If the auction kept offering a bunch of “junk,” they would tear the auction apart.
Simply put, auctions in this world remained quite straightforward, mostly considering the customers rather than solely focusing on profits.
“Tap, tap, tap…”
Footsteps sounded as a young attendant walked up to the stage, carrying the second Examination Exemption Certificate.
Then, the auctioneer spoke.
Having given the introduction before, the auctioneer was very straightforward this time, “The second Examination Exemption Certificate will follow the same procedure as the first, starting now!”
As the auctioneer finished speaking, Gro glanced around the hall and once again raised his paddle first.
“Paddle number one, 1050 Gold Coins.”
The auctioneer promptly announced, followed by silence throughout the hall, much like a replay of the first Examination Exemption Certificate auction.
However, Richard in his private box knew well that this silence was only because everyone was watching to see if the Old Nobles in the other boxes would bid.
If the Old Nobles bid, then there would be no point in competing, as the high prices of several thousand Gold Coins were truly beyond the means of many.
Gold Coins didn’t grow on trees—a Middle-class Noble’s estate, after a year of hard work, might only earn a few thousand Silver Coins, equating to just over a hundred Gold Coins. Some Old Nobles and deeply rooted families annually earned no more than a thousand Gold Coins up or down, and several thousand Gold Coins would indeed be a significant strain. Gro wouldn’t have nearly eight thousand Gold Coins in savings had he not lived quite frugally over the decades, even as a Prince.
In short, Gold Coins were expensive, and everyone was poor. If the Old Nobles gritted their teeth and made a bid, the rest could only choose to give up.
So, would the Old Nobles make a bid?
As the silence endured, a somewhat aged voice rang out.
“Number nine, 5000 Gold Coins.”
The answer was clear: the Old Nobles had bid, setting the price to an entirely different competitive level.
The nerve-racking bidding began once again.