Chapter 396: Complication
Samantha, Silas, and Kris could only stare silently as Grace proceeded to do exactly as she had promised. Actually, even the cultivators on the stands and the auctioneer were dumbfounded as her voice kept resounding from the private room.
At first, the other cultivators kept bidding, but a trend soon became evident. No matter the item, Grace kept naming prices more than double the market price, eventually putting an end to challenges altogether.
However, even after no one spoke anymore, Grace’s bids remained extremely generous. No one was challenging her, so she could theoretically acquire the goods at the auctioneer’s initial offer, but she purposely raised the prices to levels that couldn’t be worth it.
Liam did the math while that confusing trend kept unfolding. Grace was overpaying for everything, but the alchemical products that would come from those ingredients would still earn them a profit.
Due to how careful and affectionate toward money Grace was, Liam knew that was all part of her plan, so he spent his time during that surprising development figuring out her intentions.
’It’s a power play,’ Liam understood, ’And a declaration to everyone else in the area.’
Spending so much would show the three families how serious the couple was about investing in the area. It would also announce that they had money to waste, enough for Mairis’ top activity to appear trivial in their eyes.
Then, splurging acted as a hook for anyone witnessing the scene and all those who would learn about it. It was a way to expand what Grace had started beyond Mairis, attracting more business opportunities.
That even had a second-order effect. Everyone was bound to keep an eye on Liam and Grace now. Their reputation would skyrocket, forcing Mairis’ trio to work overtime to be on their good side.
After all, if a stronger force learned about such an incredible new player, Mairis’ trio might lose access to that business opportunity entirely. Grace’s strategy basically created competition that Mairis had to fight to win.
That wasn’t inconspicuous at all and carried the problem of attracting unwelcome attention, but Liam understood why Grace was doing it. They owned a lot, probably too much for Mairis to afford, so they needed more options.
Moreover, as unique as the border was, Liam and Grace were still on the run, so they might not get the chance to engage in lengthy business. Their goals were also absurdly high, meaning they would have to stick to the strategy they had found themselves agreeing upon long ago.
Grace and Liam would earn as much as they could from the area, using it until it couldn’t provide benefits anymore, before moving to the next. No established system in the world could satiate the two of them, so they would go for risky plays with great pay-offs before disappearing.
Of course, Liam realized the main aspect behind that strategy, the one that made it possible in the first place, compared to what Grace had been forced to use in the past.
Grace was no pushover, but Liam was properly strong, stronger than the average rooting expert, and with promises to reach levels no one else could match.
That was the foundation of everything. Strength always was. Through that, Grace and Liam could play bigger hands and obtain greater rewards. She could implement such strategies because he was there, and her genius told him something else.
’I’m her only limit,’ Liam realized. ’For her to flourish, I need to get even better, both as a cultivator and an alchemist.’
Liam’s fingers itched as those thoughts invaded his mind. He couldn’t wait to sit behind a cauldron and go wild, but a problem arose in what seemed to be a done deal.
"One thousand spirit stones," A voice resounded among the stands that had remained silent ever since everyone understood that Grace had been serious about her claim.
The silence immediately returned, but it was tense now, with looks converging on the voice’s source, Grace’s included. The one who had spoken belonged to a pair, both young men in the rooting stage, dressed in dark-blue robes and wearing calm but slightly expressionless faces.
Liam couldn’t help but focus on the young men. His perception had long since highlighted them. They were the only cultivators in the crowd below who reeked of danger, and their expressions further confirmed that point. They reminded him of Joel when he got serious.
"Two thousand," Grace eventually increased the bid. The auction had reached the rank 2 ingredients, so prices had skyrocketed.
The young man who had spoken earlier stood up. He had short brown hair and was tall and lean. He turned toward the private room to show an empty smile, but still cupped his fist politely.
"Fellow Daoists, we have a mission to complete," The man announced. "Please, give us face. Once we fulfill our list, we won’t get in your way anymore."
Liam realized another point about the auction there. Bidding against someone could be akin to disrespecting them. Flaunting wealth had basically declared that Grace came from a powerful force that others shouldn’t risk opposing, but that couldn’t apply to everyone.
Grace and Liam had merely dipped their toes in the border’s political environment, but that place had true powerhouses. There were Guilds engaged in regional conflicts, Sects, and the Church.
Each of those powers was relatively uncontested, and for good reason. They wielded true strength, the same strength Grace and Liam were pretending to speak for.
That meant that Grace’s facade wouldn’t necessarily work against representatives of such forces. Even if it did, the latter didn’t have to shrink back in fear. They could stand their ground, knowing that their status was in no way inferior.
The young men’s unfazed expressions seemed to place them in that category. Even worse, they had been the first to ask a favor, meaning rejecting them would be akin to insulting them.
And the truth was, Liam and Grace shouldn’t make such powerful enemies, especially not before unloading their surplus wealth. Their eyes met, a hint of a question in hers, to which Liam responded with a nod.
No matter what Grace decided, Liam would support her.
"I thank the Daoist for being upfront," Grace said through the jade, "But we also have orders. Perhaps we could settle this privately."
The young man lowered his arms, his empty smile vanishing, his calm expression gaining some sharpness as he asked a question. "And if we refuse?"
"This is an auction," Grace declared. "The deepest pockets will win."
The tension in the area deepened, and the same went for Mairis’ trio inside the private room. The latter had long since understood what was happening, but they couldn’t intervene. Taking sides when such powerful forces were involved would turn them into targets.
Besides, things would have been different in a private environment, but everything was happening in public. Mairis’ trio couldn’t mediate even if they wanted to.
The young man half-turned to glance at his sitting companion, who threw a long look at the private room before standing up. The two exchanged no words as they left the underground hall under everyone’s curious gazes.
Liam also followed that departure, and his superhuman senses captured a truth in the men’s stances.
’This isn’t over,’ Liam understood, a hiss rising from the back of his mind.
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