Chapter 152: Undercurrents
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Undercurrents
After the consecutive appearances of military repeating crossbows and magic armor—contraband items that could easily get one's head chopped off—the atmosphere of the auction had successfully reached its fever pitch.
Many who had walked away empty-handed from previous bids now stared at Miss Fairy on the stage with bloodshot eyes. Like insatiable beasts, they seemed determined to reclaim their dominance in the next round of bidding.
Seeing this, the smile at the corners of Miss Fairy’s lips grew even more seductive and enchanting. She lightly clapped her hands, and a new round of items was brought out.
However, the one delivering the goods this time was no longer a scantily clad, voluptuous girl, but a burly man clad in pitch-black heavy armor.
The burly man held a cylindrical metal container covered in mysterious, arcane runes, as if they were sealing something within.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next up is one of the grand finales of this auction—"
Miss Fairy’s jade-like hand brushed lightly over the metal container. The arcane runes glowed faintly, followed by the sound of grinding gears.
The metal container slowly opened, first revealing a pitch-black slit.
In an instant, everyone present felt a terrifying sense of oppression, as if a massive, hideous monster had broken free from the metal container and was roaring at them all.
"This is..."
In his private room, Muen was also pressured by that suffocating aura. His entire body involuntarily pressed back against the sofa, and fine beads of cold sweat quickly broke out on his forehead.
Through the window, he felt as if that monster was looking down on him like he was a mere ant.
But in a moment of sudden realization, there was no monster at all. There was only that unremarkable metal container slowly opening to reveal a piece of man-made, translucent crystal.
Inside the crystal, a red liquid swirled like amber shimmering in the sunlight. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
"I believe that with your vast knowledge, you can all recognize what this is at a single glance, so I won't dwell on the details."
Seeing the stunned looks on the audience's faces, Miss Fairy smiled slightly.
When the boss had first brought this out, hadn't she been just as shocked as they were?
"—Ancient Dragon Heart Blood. Ten drops. The starting bid is one million. Let the auction begin!"
As Miss Fairy’s voice fell, the entire auction hall went silent for a heartbeat.
It was like the moment before a storm breaks.
And then, the thunder rolled as expected!
"One million one hundred thousand!"
"One point two million!"
"One point three!"
"Two million!"
The frantic, desperate bids were nearly enough to blow the roof off the auction hall. The price skyrocketed as if someone had cast explosion magic on its backside!
"There really is Ancient Dragon Heart Blood?"
Looking at the red liquid swirling in the crystal, Muen’s eyes sparkled with intensity.
Who said I have bad luck?
Hasn't my good luck finally arrived?
However, Muen was in no hurry to bid. He knew very well that those shouting prices now were likely caught up in the atmosphere and blinded by the sheer rarity of the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood.
Those with the actual strength to compete for it were likely still watching coldly from the sidelines.
No rush.
Muen swirled his glass, sipping the expensive, high-end red wine as he quietly waited for the storm to pass.
Only when the storm ended would those qualified to reach the other shore reveal themselves.
*
"An... Ancient Dragon Heart Blood?"
Looking at the magnificent liquid in the crystal, Ariel nearly spat out the cheap coffee she had gotten for free.
What was going on?
Ancient what? Dragon what? Heart what? Blood what?
Had she heard correctly? Was this something that should even appear at an auction of this level?
One moment they were playing with mundane contraband, and the next, the scene shifted to such a high-end treasure. Wasn't the change in tone a bit too fast?
"Buy it! You must buy it!"
Her Master’s voice rang out excitedly in her ear. "Ariel, if you buy this, not only can you perfectly advance to a Third-Tier Martial Artist, but your physical body will also be immensely strengthened!"
"I get the logic, but..."
Ariel’s lips twitched. Hearing the price instantly surge to three million, her face filled with despair.
"But where am I supposed to get that much money?"
"..."
Master was silent for a moment. "How about we sell your Heavenly Fire Greatsword?"
"...Piss off."
*
"Ancient Dragon Heart Blood?"
In a seat in the corner of the hall, a figure whose shapely figure couldn't be hidden even by a voluminous black robe toyed with the No. 50 paddle, muttering to herself in confusion.
"Oh my, this feels a bit strange."
"If they had an auction item of this caliber, why didn't they release the news early to bait the big fish?"
"At the very least, if the truly wealthy and powerful big shots knew there was something like Ancient Dragon Heart Blood here, they wouldn't be able to sit still."
Her gaze swept over the surroundings. Under deliberate provocation, the heated storm had come quickly and was fading just as fast. Once the price hit around three million, the number of bidders dropped by more than half.
After all, the social strata here was clear; there weren't many truly wealthy people among this crowd!
"Does the mastermind behind this auction honestly expect a 'golden turtle' to suddenly pop up from this group of poor losers who can't even afford gemstones?"
"Or does this auction itself have another purpose?"
*
"What is the meaning of this!"
In another hidden private room, a fierce-looking man roared in anger at a waiter.
"Didn't your boss agree to hand the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood over to our Red Fire Gang? Why is he putting it up for auction? This is a breach of contract! A blatant breach of contract!"
"The boss says he has not breached the contract."
Even with the man spitting in his face, the waiter remained polite as he explained:
"The Ancient Dragon Heart Blood belongs to you; the boss has no objection to that. However, considering it is Ancient Dragon Heart Blood, trading through normal channels would make it too easy to leave a trail. These are sensitive times, and the authorities are investigating strictly. Therefore, the boss could only use this method to deliver the goods into your hands."
"So, the so-called 'delivery' is putting the item out there and making us bid for it ourselves?"
Lorenzo laughed out of sheer anger.
"If all we had to do was attend this auction, then what was the point of me paying such a high price and giving your boss so many benefits beforehand?!"
"Everything has a purpose, naturally."
The waiter remained impassive, as if wearing a cold mask.
"Before this auction began, we did not disclose any information regarding the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood. Therefore, everyone assumed this was just an ordinary black market auction. The items being auctioned were, in all likelihood, just contraband that is difficult to circulate on the open market, as per usual.
"Consequently, not a single person came here for the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood, and naturally, no one prepared specifically for it.
"Except... for you, who brought the money specifically to buy the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood."