Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Auction Begins
When I heard Mabel Sean’s words, I nearly choked on my water!
Even the security guards by the entrance couldn’t suppress their snickers.
Rowan’s face turned ice-cold. He drew a sharp breath, holding back his rage as he spoke. "I won’t stoop to your level, considering how attractive you are."
He paused briefly before continuing with a grin. "Want to get inside? Here’s a deal—come with me and I’ll bring you in. How about it?"
Mabel acted shocked. "You can actually get in?"
Rowan replied with some pride. "Of course! A measly ten billion net worth means nothing to me!"
"Really now?" Mabel nodded.
She then pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and said, "There’s someone called White at your entrance. I don’t want him allowed inside."
Mabel hung up immediately after speaking.
"You shouldn’t be able to enter anymore." Mabel giggled.
Rowan sneered. "Beautiful, are you messing with me? Or have you been watching too many movies?"
At that moment, the security guard’s phone rang suddenly.
He answered his cell, speaking into it. "Yes, yes, understood. You can count on us!"
After hanging up, the security guard rushed over to Mabel Sean and me, bowing as he spoke. "Sir, madam, our boss said there’s no need to check your assets. Please enter!"
Mabel blinked, glancing at Rowan in the distance. "We’ll see you inside."
Rowan snorted softly and immediately headed toward the entrance.
But as he approached, two bouncers blocked his path.
"What’s this! Get out of my way!" Rowan snapped.
The security guards remained stone-faced. "Apologies, but we have direct orders. You cannot enter."
Rowan’s expression shifted as fury erupted from him. "That’s ridiculous! Move aside right now—I’m telling you I know your boss personally!"
"Our boss gave the order himself." One guard replied icily.
Rowan stood frozen in place.
The auction house owner issued the command personally? What was happening here?
Could what that woman said actually be... real?
...
Mabel Sean and I got our numbers and walked into the auction.
Since I preferred staying under the radar, I picked a seat tucked away in a corner.
"Won’t sitting here put us too far from everything?" I mumbled.
"Location doesn’t matter; it’s all the same anyway." Mabel laughed.
I nodded and went quiet.
Around ten minutes passed before the auction hall filled completely. Every seat held a spectator.
These people were all billionaires whose clothing screamed wealth.
I scanned the room, trying to size up the crowd and see if any Inner Strength Experts were around.
Soon enough, I spotted several Inner Strength Experts—quite a few actually, more than ten for sure!
"Looks like Miss Sean was right." I thought.
These rich folks mostly brought skilled bodyguards for protection.
Right then, the auctioneer stepped onto the stage and the room fell silent quickly.
"Welcome to the South City Auction!" The auctioneer beamed.
"We at South City Auction have carefully selected items for all of you. We’re confident everyone will discover something they want!" The auctioneer announced.
As his words faded, the auction officially started.
South City Auction offered diverse items: jewelry, antiques, limited luxury goods, bonds, and the herbs I’d been thinking about.
The opening item was a limited-edition jewelry piece, supposedly handmade by a foreign artisan, which sold for 880,000 in the end.
The second piece was calligraphy and painting, claimed to be from the Qing Dynasty. The final price hit an impressive 3.5 million!
These proceedings didn’t capture my interest, though I felt anxious anticipation building inside me.
Four items had appeared on stage already, but the herbs still hadn’t shown up.
"Stay calm." Mabel suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Usually, the later something appears at auction, the more valuable it is. Maybe the herbs you’re after are the grand finale." Mabel suggested with a wink.
I nodded, murmuring, "I hope I can find a ’steal’ today..."
The herbs’ age was something I’d have to judge myself. Many premium herbs didn’t look particularly special on the outside.
Just then, the auctioneer brought out an emerald green jade pendant.
The jade’s quality was superb, its green color remarkable. This was clearly exceptional jade!
"This piece comes from one of our consigners. It’s crafted from natural ice-type jade. Starting bid is six million! Each increase must be at least five hundred thousand!" the auctioneer called out.
The moment I saw this jade, I immediately raised my number and shouted, "Six million five hundred thousand!"
This caught Mabel off guard. She turned to me and asked, "Are you into jade?"
I scratched my head and chuckled. "I’ve never gotten you anything really nice before, so I figured I’d bid on this as a gift for you."
"You can’t say no—it’s my way of showing how I feel!" Before Mabel could respond, I quickly added.
A flush spread across Mabel’s typically cool face. She nodded and smiled back. "Alright, I’ll definitely take it!"
Another reason I wanted to bid on the jade was that jade made an excellent material for crafting. I planned to use it to make a Protective Dharma Amulet for Mabel.
Ever since what happened last time, I’d been beating myself up about it. I couldn’t stay by Mabel’s side constantly, so I came up with this idea.
