Chapter 99: Chapter 99: The Colton Family of South City
The Younger Lord of the Colton Family spun around and fixed me with an icy stare.
Right then, I was staring back at him too.
Our gazes locked, and I felt my eyebrows draw together.
"This kid really knows his game," I muttered under my breath.
It looked like today wouldn’t offer any easy wins.
Without hesitating, I thrust my hand up and shouted, "Two billion."
The moment those words left my mouth, gasps echoed throughout the room!
"Two billion for some wild herb?"
"Has this guy lost his mind? Where do all these well-dressed young guys come from? Never seen any of them before."
Sure, these people had money, but two billion wasn’t pocket change for anyone.
Plus, wealthy folks stayed sharp about their spending - they only dropped cash on things that mattered.
"Two billion and five hundred million." The Younger Lord of the Colton Family in the front row lifted his bidding paddle.
The crowd went even wilder!
Another price jump?
"Three billion," I said with a cold edge.
I had to have this Polygonum multiflorum Thunb.
The Younger Lord of the Colton Family up front looked pretty ticked off. He twisted around to glance my way, then yelled, "Five billion!"
That sent shockwaves through the entire room!
Even I felt my expression sour!
Throwing around five billion like it was nothing - that was pretty hard to wrap your head around!
I only had twenty billion total, and it was borrowed money. Dropping five billion on a single piece of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb seemed like a bad move.
I found myself stuck in thought for a moment.
"Six billion!" Mabel Sean called out.
That caught me off guard, and I quickly turned to Mabel Sean, shaking my head. "Miss Sean, I can’t let you throw away this kind of money - it’s way too much!"
Mabel Sean winked and grinned. "Don’t sweat it - doesn’t really matter whose cash we’re using."
I didn’t know how to respond. Even with the Sean family’s wealth, I felt like I didn’t deserve it.
"Eight billion!" The Younger Lord of the Colton Family bellowed from his front-row seat!
Mabel Sean let out a soft snort. "Ten billion!"
"Whoa..."
Every single person in the venue had their eyes glued to these two!
A piece of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb hitting ten billion was probably shattering South City Auction records!
Mabel Sean glanced at my face, a smile crossing her features.
"I’ll be leaving soon - consider this my final gift to you," Mabel Sean mused silently.
When the bidding hit ten billion, the Younger Lord of the Colton Family up front finally went quiet.
"About time he backed down," I thought with a frown.
Just when I figured I had it in the bag, an elderly servant beside the Younger Lord of the Colton Family got to his feet.
He turned around, looked in my direction, and clasped his hands together. "Friend, this is the Younger Lord of the Colton Family of South City, Bernard Colton. If you’re willing to hand over this Polygonum multiflorum Thunb to us, our South City Colton Family will be in your debt."
"South City Colton Family?"
"So they’re from the South City Colton Family - no wonder they’re throwing money around like that!"
"The Colton Family is a genuine top-tier family in South City, and they’ve got tons of people backing them!"
"Exactly, not like your regular rich folks - the Colton Family is the most secretive family in South City."
Listening to everyone’s chatter, Bernard Colton couldn’t help but smirk a little.
Clearly, Bernard Colton was pretty pleased with how everyone was reacting.
His elderly servant also looked around with obvious pride.
"South City Colton Family..." Mabel Sean whispered like she was deep in thought.
I looked toward the old servant, gave a polite bow, and said, "Sir, this Polygonum multiflorum Thunb matters to me too, so... I’m afraid I can’t help you."
When he heard that, Bernard Colton’s face went dark.
The old servant scowled. "Young man, you might not understand what the Colton Family represents in South City. I’d suggest you do some homework."
"Besides... Our Colton Family’s reputation is worth more than this Polygonum multiflorum Thunb," the old servant added with obvious pride.
After hearing that, I still shook my head. "Sorry, I’m not too concerned about reputation, so let’s just compete fairly."
When I said that, Bernard Colton’s expression finally turned ice-cold.
He slowly rose to his feet, turned his head to look at me, and said in a chilling tone, "Kid, you better think about what happens when you talk and act like that. Making an enemy of the Colton Family in South City isn’t smart."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Colton - I’ll keep that in mind," I replied without being submissive or arrogant.
After that, I sat back down and paid Bernard Colton no more attention.
Bernard Colton balled up his fists, took a long breath, and said with a threatening undertone, "Kid, I hope you can walk out of here with that Polygonum multiflorum Thunb in one piece."
I didn’t say anything else, but worry was definitely creeping into my thoughts.
Even though I’d never heard of the Colton Family before, I could tell from the old servant next to Bernard Colton that the Colton Family packed some serious power.
Even one of their followers was a master I couldn’t read - that was proof enough of the Colton Family’s strength.
"Don’t worry," Mabel Sean said reassuringly.
I let out a sigh, looked at Mabel Sean, and asked, "Have you heard about this Colton Family before?"
Mabel Sean nodded. "Yeah, they’ve got quite a name in the South City area - lots of followers and definitely not people to mess with."
"Young man, you should just give this Polygonum multiflorum Thunb to Bernard Colton, or else... things could get really ugly," a middle-aged man sitting near me warned.
"That’s right, even if you win the bid, you might not make it out with the goods. Better to go along and earn yourself a favor," another person chimed in with advice.
I nodded and replied politely, "I appreciate you both looking out for me, but this Polygonum multiflorum Thunb is crucial to me, so... I still want to give it a shot."
