Chapter 197: Chapter 182: Compensation from the Golden Auction, Golden City Port Enters First-Level Military Control
With the final strike of the gavel,
the day’s auction officially came to a close!
No one in attendance raised any further objections.
Once the auction was over,
the guests in the main hall who had won their bids
followed the attendants to rooms provided by the Golden Auction to claim their winnings,
while for those in the private boxes, staff from the Golden Auction personally delivered the items to the esteemed guests.
As for the guests in the main hall who hadn’t won anything, they could choose to leave directly.
But even after the auction had ended,
speculation about the occupant of private box number 100 still circulated throughout the venue!
"Who on earth was in private box number 100 this time?"
"Was it some powerhouse making a splash, or..."
Unfortunately, due to the Golden Auction’s rules, no one could find out who was in private box 100 unless the occupant chose to reveal themselves.
Inside private box 72, the elder from the Wang Family had a livid expression. His chest heaved, but ultimately, all he could do was let out a resentful sigh.
’Not only did I fail my objective on this trip, I even managed to offend someone of unknown origins!’
’What rotten luck!’
The Wang Family elder snorted and stormed out in a huff.
On the other hand, Sun Wei, the Patriarch of the Sun Family, felt a surge of relief.
He tasked a staff member from the Golden Auction with sending an invitation, hoping to meet the esteemed guest in private box 100 face-to-face.
But Patriarch Sun Wei had sent it on a whim, figuring it was a long shot and he had nothing to lose.
So when the invitation reached Zhang Yi and was promptly refused, the Sun Family’s Patriarch showed no extreme reaction.
When the auction officially concluded, Hong Tianyi and Sima Yuan sat in private box 100, waiting for the Golden Auction staff to deliver their Divine Domain Cards. Both of them were staring at Zhang Yi in utter shock.
A moment ago, when box 72 had challenged them and demanded a verification of funds,
they had been extremely worried about whether Zhang Yi could produce that much Faith Value.
But who could have guessed that Zhang Yi could not only produce the required Faith Value, but far exceed it!
Earlier, when the Middle Level Auctioneer had arrived with the Crystal Disc to verify their funds,
they had also seen the single word that appeared on the Crystal Disc: "Unlimited."
Just how much wealth did someone have to possess for it to show as "unlimited" in a situation like this?
Even the worldly Sima Yuan and Hong Tianyi were utterly floored by Zhang Yi!
Sima Yuan immediately recalled all the times he had tried to show off in front of Zhang Yi, only for it to backfire every single time.
He hadn’t understood why before, assuming he just wasn’t good enough at it.
But now, he finally understood the reason!
’The king of flexing was right here in front of me.’
’How could I possibly succeed at showing off in front of him?!’
Hong Tianyi, on the other hand, thought,
’As expected of a Powerful Divine Clan...’
’The gap between us is vast. We Middle-level Divine Families are still so far behind!’
After the initial shock, however, the two quickly composed themselves.
Becoming friends with a classmate from such a ridiculously powerful background was a stroke of incredible luck!
Needless to say, a single piece of information from him could be enough to cover their tuition for all four years at a top academy!
Just then, a gentle voice sounded from outside the private box.
"Come in,"
Zhang Yi said.
The curtained entrance was pushed open, and the person in the lead was none other than the top auctioneer herself, Yu Murui, dressed in a black-veiled, fishtail gown.
Two maids followed behind her, each holding a silver tray with both hands.
One maid’s tray was draped in luxurious purple velvet. On it lay Zhang Yi’s three Divine Domain Cards: the Four-star Enhancement Card, and the Five-star Professional Cards for Moon Shadow Hunter and Silver Moon Knight.
The tray in the other maid’s hands held the items won by Sima Yuan—Wind-Chasing Arrow and Centaur Heavy Axe Warrior—and the item won by Hong Tianyi, the Heart of the Flame Dragon!
As soon as she entered, Yu Murui offered a flawless smile and a slight curtsy, then said:
"My sincerest apologies for the unfortunate incident during the auction. I am truly sorry that it disturbed the three of you."
"To express our sincerest apologies, we will be waiving all handling fees for the items won in box 100 today."
"Additionally, as further compensation, we would like to gift each of you three esteemed guests a membership card for the auction house."
"In the future, any purchases you three make at our auction house will be subject to a handling fee of only 1%."
As she spoke, Yu Murui produced three golden membership cards and presented them to Zhang Yi and his two companions.
Outsiders might not know how many guests were in private box 100, but for the auction house staff, retrieving such data was a trivial matter.
As Yu Murui spoke, her gaze was fixed primarily on Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi nodded and accepted the compensation offered by the auction house.
Seeing Zhang Yi accept the compensation, Hong Tianyi and Sima Yuan also accepted their membership cards.
"Esteemed guests, this is the total for the Divine Domain Cards you’ve won. After applying the compensation from the auction house, your total payment due is 47,800,000 Faith Value."
"Here is the agreement. Please look it over."
A maid stepped forward and presented the itemized receipt for the transaction.
"We’ll be paying separately," Zhang Yi said.
Hearing Zhang Yi’s words,
