Chapter 123: Looking to Snatch a Bargain?
Gu Anran was the kind of naive woman who would unconditionally believe anything you told her.
Even more absurd was that Wen Xu, the eldest young master of the Wen family, was a hopeless romantic who uncritically trusted and defended Gu Anran.
And then there was Wen Yu, a fiercely protective sister. Hearing that her brother had been wronged, she left the Eastern Army’s main base without hesitation and rushed back to the Imperial Capital to stand up for him.
In Qin Xian’s eyes, this was pure foolishness.
As long as Wen Yu remained in the Eastern Army, her brother Wen Xu was virtually untouchable. Any force attempting to harm Wen Xu would have to consider the repercussions from the Eastern Army.
But with Wen Yu returning to the Imperial Capital, the Eastern Army lost its central figure, and her control over the army would weaken dramatically.
If she were to die in the Imperial Capital, the Eastern Army might be furious, but they wouldn’t rebel.
It was laughable—merely an insult and the death of a steward had unsettled Wen Yu to such a degree that she abandoned her stronghold to protect her brother.
“Such touching sibling affection,” Qin Xian remarked mockingly.
He then thought of Zhao Haoran, Li Ling, and the others. Both Qingyang Academy and the Future Guild were formidable forces in their own right.
“Investigate Zhao Haoran and Li Ling as well,” Qin Xian instructed casually.
With that, he refocused on the Celestial Revelation Auction.
The [Tear of Dreams], which had garnered significant attention earlier, was eventually bought by Zhou Zhiqing for 160 million. In truth, the item’s value far exceeded this price.
Besides its life-saving magical shield, its intelligence and spirit bonuses were over 100 points each—far superior to similar items of the same level, which typically only offered bonuses in the tens.
However, once Zhou Zhiqing, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, entered the bidding, everyone else withdrew. Her father, Chairman Zhou, controlled the Imperial Security Committee and was one of the Empire’s top figures.
The Zhou family’s reputation held considerable weight in the Imperial Capital.
Other items soon followed:
– [Arkham’s Spear]: Purple Legendary Weapon, Level 40, Strength +110.
– [Shattered Divine Seal]: Purple Legendary, Level 45, Spirit +105.
– [Blessing Crystal]: Blue Rare, No Level Requirement, Constitution +45.
The Divine Revelation Auction lived up to its prestige, with every item auctioned being at least Purple Legendary or having unique attributes. Each item sparked fierce bidding wars among the powerful factions present.
Here, money was just a number. Bids of hundreds of millions or even billions were placed without a second thought. Some factions even offered guilds, corporations, or mines as collateral.
Qin Xian, though largely uninterested, occasionally made bids. For example, when the [Storm Fruit], which granted an extra 20 attribute points, came up, he purchased it. While 20 points were negligible compared to his current attributes, Qin Xian believed in incremental gains.
Soon, the auctioneer introduced a new item.
– [Light of Eclipse]: Unidentified
The auctioneer hesitated briefly before smiling and explaining, “This [Light of Eclipse] is an unidentified item. However, it has passed Celestial Revelation’s verification and has thus been accepted as an auction item.
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While its details are unknown, there is always the chance it could turn out to be extraordinary. Starting bid: 500,000.”
The room fell silent, a stark contrast to the earlier bidding frenzies.
Unidentified items were a gamble. In the era of universal data transparency, even mundane objects like chopsticks had their attributes clearly displayed:
– [Chopsticks]: Grey Item, Wooden, No Value.
Unidentified items could be appraised using Identification Scrolls, revealing their true nature. While some turned out to be rare treasures, most were worthless junk.
The odds were not in the buyer’s favor. An infamous case involved a high-ranking official who spent 2 billion on an unidentified item named [Gift of the God of Death], convinced its ominous name promised mythical potential.
Upon appraisal, it turned out to be a white-quality item worth a mere 40,000. The incident became a long-standing joke, with people jokingly hoping their unidentified items wouldn’t turn out to be “a gift.”
As a result, interest in unidentified items dwindled over time.
After a long pause, someone finally made an offer.
“500,000.”
“510,000.”
“600,000…”
The few bids came from people willing to take a gamble, treating it like a lottery. When the price reached 1 million, bidding essentially stopped. Even the wealthiest attendees were hesitant to throw money at an uncertain prospect.
“1 million from Guest 75! Any higher bids?”
“1 million going once…”
“1 million going twice…”
—
In a Modest Private Box.
A plain-looking young man watched the auction with barely contained excitement. Unlike everyone else, he knew the true value of the [Light of Eclipse].
Upon awakening his class, he had gained a special skill—a “golden finger”—that allowed him to discern the quality of unidentified items. The [Light of Eclipse], as it turned out, was a Gold Mythical Item!
He could hardly contain his glee. It seemed no one else recognized its value, and for just 1 million, he was about to score an incredible bargain.
But just as the auctioneer was about to call the final bid, Qin Xian’s voice rang out, “2 million.”
The young man’s expression instantly darkened.