Chapter 197: Chapter 104: Traveling with Two Beauties
A 10-point bonus to Spiritual Power would let him command more of his Undead Corps, and Short-Range Phase Teleport was a god-tier, life-saving skill for critical moments.
If he missed this opportunity, who knew when he’d find another one.
He hesitated no longer. Pressing the bidding device again, he spoke directly into the sound-transmitting Array and announced a new price: "Twenty thousand Gold Coins."
The moment this price was announced, the grand hall below fell utterly silent.
Even the private box opposite his fell into an even longer silence.
For a "Top Grade" Magic Staff primarily aimed at low to mid-tier Mages, twenty thousand Gold Coins was already an extremely steep price.
Just as the auctioneer was about to start the countdown, a voice finally came from the opposite box again: "Twenty-one thousand Gold Coins."
"Twenty-two thousand Gold Coins." Lynch countered without hesitation.
"Verify his funds," the person in the opposite box demanded.
When an attendant entered the box, Lynch simply presented gold notes for twenty-two thousand to show his financial strength. At the same time, he also demanded that his opponent’s funds be verified.
Lynch’s funds were verified quickly.
His opponent’s verification, however, seemed to run into a small snag. He was a bit short on cash, but he produced a piece of equipment for an Appraiser to evaluate.
It was a ring that emanated potent fluctuations of the Fire Element. The Appraiser gave it a valuation of around sixty-five hundred Gold Coins. Added to his remaining gold notes, he barely managed to scrape together a line of credit for twenty-three thousand Gold Coins.
The box opposite his bid again: "Twenty-three thousand Gold Coins."
Lynch, of course, was not about to be courteous. He bid immediately: "Twenty-three thousand five hundred Gold Coins."
After a brief pause, he added into the sound-transmitting Array, his voice perfectly calm, "Place one more bid, and I’ll let you have the Magic Staff."
The statement was a psychological gambit, testing whether his opponent would dare to call his bluff.
After a moment of silence from the opposite box, the steady male voice chuckled softly. His tone held no trace of regret, but rather a hint of appreciation. "Never mind. The staff is fine, but it’s considerably overpriced at this point. You have courage, young man. Congratulations."
"Sold!" The auctioneer on the stage brought down his gavel, sealing the deal. "The [Raven’s Whisper] Magic Staff goes to the distinguished guest in private box number three for twenty-three thousand five hundred Gold Coins!"
The dust settled.
Lynch inwardly sighed in relief, but it was immediately followed by a sharp pang of regret at having spent such a colossal sum.
However, another small snag occurred during the payment process.
Amadis and Avril both scrambled to lend Lynch the money, as if doing so would bring them one step closer to him.
Resigned, Lynch had no choice but to put up his own thirteen thousand five hundred Gold Coins, then borrow five thousand from each of the two women to cover the full twenty-three thousand five hundred and complete the payment.
A Maid soon entered the box, respectfully presenting the tray holding [Raven’s Whisper].
Lynch inspected it carefully. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he store it away with satisfaction.
All told, he had increased his Spiritual Power by a full 23 points with just three pieces of equipment, temporarily alleviating the strain his many High-Tier Undead Units were putting on his Commanding Power.
Just then, the door to the opposite box opened.
A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with a refined, scholarly air stepped out, dressed in a blue Magic Robe.
His gaze swept toward Lynch’s box. He even gave a slight nod and a gentle smile before leaving the auction house early, accompanied by two attendants.
The moment this man appeared, what little noise remained in the grand hall below instantly vanished.
Everyone instinctively shrank back, their breathing growing shallow. Their gazes, filled with awe, followed him until he was gone.
Only after the man had left did Amadis let out a soft breath. "I can’t believe it was him... Archmage Edmund Frost, the ’Frost Master’! He’s the Chief Magic Consultant for the North Wind Legion. They say his power has already reached the peak of Tier Seven—even the Legion Commander treats him with the utmost respect. Why would he be interested in a Magic Staff meant for Low-Tier Mages?"
She added thoughtfully, "At his level of power, this Magic Staff would provide a negligible boost... I suspect he wasn’t buying it for himself."
Hearing this, Lynch felt a chill run down his spine.
’A peak Tier Seven Archmage, a Legion’s chief consultant... Why would a figure of his stature attend an auction clearly aimed at low to mid-tier participants?’
’He was most likely buying it for a disciple or a descendant of his.’
’Still, the item is in my hands now. There’s no point in dwelling on it.’
The auction was still going on. The last two main-event items seemed even more valuable and would likely spark another fierce bidding war, but this no longer had anything to do with Lynch. After getting the two women’s agreement, he led them directly out of the box through a secret passage at the back.
That’s right. Lynch took the secret passage.
And he did so stealthily.
He possessed neither Andre’s brand of pure yet foolish "I’m a noble, and I’m proud of it" confidence, nor the Frost Master’s absolute power that allowed him to simply ignore any and all threats.
In a place like the black market, caution and secrecy were always the top priorities.
The secret passage’s exit opened into an inconspicuous fissure in the cliff face behind the old castle. Outside, there was only the dark of night and jagged rocks.
After emerging, the three of them immediately found a secluded corner, where they quickly shed their gray cloaks and masks and changed back into their original clothes.
Amadis put her magic accessories back on, and the pristine aura of Avril’s Priest robe returned.
They even abandoned the three warhorses they had left near the old castle, deciding it was best to leave them there as a diversion.
And the three of them did not take the path they had used to arrive. Instead, under the cover of night, they quickly made their way into the remote, forested wilderness.
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