Chapter 196: Chapter 104: Three’s Company
The head of the staff was carved into the shape of a raven, its eye sockets inlaid with two black gemstones that emitted a faint wave of energy.
"This Magic Staff is named ’Raven’s Whisper’!" The host’s voice suddenly rose. "Its main component is the primary bone from a Tier Seven Raven King, and it was jointly forged by a master Alchemist and a master enchanter."
"It grants its wielder an additional 10 points of Spiritual Power."
A wave of gasps and exclamations immediately swept through the audience below.
Ten points of Spiritual Power was a massive boost for any low- to mid-tier magic user.
"But that’s not all," the host continued. "The ’Void Obsidian’ inlaid in the raven’s eyes grants this Magic Staff an extremely rare and practical spell: ’Short-Range Phase Teleport’."
"When activated, this spell can instantly teleport the wielder to any location within their line of sight, up to one hundred yards away, ignoring most low-tier spatial interference and physical obstacles."
"Of course, such a powerful ability has its limits. It must be recharged after each use. But in a critical moment, this is a second life!"
The room immediately erupted into a commotion.
A look of intense interest appeared in Amadis’s purple eyes, and she couldn’t help but lean forward slightly.
"The starting bid for ’Raven’s Whisper’ is... Ten Thousand Gold Coins! Each increment must be at least five hundred Gold Coins!" the host announced loudly.
This price silenced more than ninety percent of the people in the hall below.
For many, Ten Thousand Gold Coins was an astronomical sum.
After a brief silence, a man in a black robe in the corner of the hall raised his hand. "Ten thousand."
It was as if a switch had been flipped. Bids began to ring out one after another.
"Ten thousand five hundred!"
"Eleven thousand!"
"Eleven thousand, five hundred."
Just then, a steady, middle-aged man’s voice emerged from a private box opposite—one that had been silent until now—drowning out the clamor from below.
"Twelve thousand."
The black-robed man below, the one who had made the first bid, seemed to grow frantic. He shrieked, "Twelve thousand five hundred!"
The box opposite fell silent for a moment.
Then, the door to the box opened. An attendant stepped out and whispered something to the host on stage.
The host nodded and looked toward the black-robed man. His tone was polite but firm. "Sir, according to the auction house’s rules, when a VIP guest in a private box is bidding, they have the right to request an asset verification of any bidder in the main hall to ensure their bid is valid. We ask for your cooperation."
Muttering and cursing, the black-robed man stood up and walked to the front of the stage. From his Space Ring, he pulled out various money pouches, jewels, and a few decent-looking Magic Items, which were then quickly valued by the auction house’s Appraiser.
In the end, all of it cobbled together was valued at approximately twelve thousand five hundred Gold Coins—just barely enough to cover his bid.
Before he could say another word, the calm male voice from the opposite box rang out again. "Thirteen thousand Gold Coins."
The black-robed man sputtered in fury, "Why don’t you verify his assets?!"
The host shook his head. "He is a VIP guest. A verification can only be requested for a VIP guest when two VIPs are bidding against each other."
The black-robed man was clearly dissatisfied but helpless. He could only dejectedly gather his belongings and sit back down, still muttering curses under his breath.
Just when everyone thought this Top Grade Magic Staff was about to go to the VIP guest...
Inside his box, Lynch pressed the bidding device.
He waited for the sound-transmitting Array on the device to light up, then spoke calmly and deliberately.
The next moment, his voice, made slightly deeper by the sound-transmitting Array, echoed throughout the auction hall.
"Fifteen thousand."
The bid jumped by a full two thousand Gold Coins.
The hall below instantly erupted, and even the voice from the opposite box paused for a moment.
A moment later, the voice from the other box spoke again, its tone unreadable. "Seventeen thousand."
Lynch frowned slightly.
’Seventeen thousand... That’s already close to the limit of my available cash.’
’Over the past six months, I’ve gradually sold off the ore I had stashed away. Combined with my previous savings, I’ve managed to save up a fair bit of money. Right now, I have about eighteen thousand Gold Coins in total.’
’I thought that would be more than enough, but I didn’t expect them to be so aggressive with their bidding.’
’Do I have to put up some of my equipment for valuation?’
’But that would easily reveal my hand... and my class characteristics...’
As Lynch hesitated, lost in thought...
Amadis suddenly leaned closer and whispered a reminder, "Don’t get your equipment appraised. You’ll give yourself away. Here, I have..."
As she spoke, she pulled a thick stack of gold certificates from her Space Ring and pushed them in front of Lynch. "Here are bearer bonds worth Ten Thousand Gold Coins. You can use these for now."
Almost simultaneously, Avril, on his other side, silently pulled a stack of gold certificates from her own Space Ring and placed them gently on the small table. "Lynch, I have ten thousand here as well."
Two stacks of gold certificates, another twenty thousand Gold Coins in total.
The two women’s gazes met again, the rivalry between them palpable.
Lynch was speechless, a wave of emotion washing over him.
’I worked my fingers to the bone, mining and fighting bandits, just to scrape together what little I have. And yet, these two...’
’One’s family controls the bustling Moon Sail Port, with territory all over the province.’
’And the other one literally has a gold mine on her own private land.’
’It’s infuriating to even compare.’
But this wasn’t the time for sighs. Lynch quickly composed himself.
’I can always earn more money, but the properties of this ’Raven’s Whisper’ Magic Staff... they’re just too perfect for me.’
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