Chapter 106: The Priceless Auction and the Team Contract

Chapter 106: The Priceless Auction and the Team Contract

Century Plaza, Yueyun Fashion's Coastal Branch.

This was Lin Zeyu's high-end fashion brand, specializing in suits, formal wear, and wedding gowns.

As Lin Zeyu led the two into Yueyun's flagship store, a salesperson promptly approached them.

"Help them pick out formal wear for a regular evening event, nothing too formal," Lin Zeyu instructed, not mentioning the auction and simply referring to it as a regular event.

"Certainly," the female salesperson immediately led Su Muyu inside to select a gown.

Lu Heng, on the other hand, was more casual, "Just find me a comfortable suit to wear."

The suits here were tailored to perfection, and the in-house designer only needed to measure Lu Heng's shoulder width with her fingers to determine the required suit size.

Soon, Lu Heng had quickly tried on a peaked lapel suit and, without changing into another, headed back to the seating area to wait.

Lin Zeyu, already bored, picked up a fashion magazine from the seating area and began flipping through it. The magazine featured photos of supermodels from various fashion weeks.

Girls trying on clothes, however, was a much more time-consuming affair, starting with wearing the inner lining, which itself was a lengthy process.

Moreover, Su Muyu had no experience, so she had to ask the salesperson for help with everything.

Especially with many evening gowns, the straps of the innerwear should not be visible on the shoulders, requiring an invisible bra.

The salesperson selected a beautiful evening gown for Su Muyu to try on.

After waiting for over ten minutes, Su Muyu finally emerged from the fitting room.

Lu Heng's eyes widened as he looked up; it was indeed gorgeous, but the neckline was too low.

As Su Muyu stepped out, she already had her hand covering her chest, feeling quite uncomfortable.

Lin Zeyu put down the magazine and looked up to check the effect.

Lu Heng picked up the magazine and slapped it on Lin Zeyu's face, saying, "Focus on your magazine."

"Ouch!" Lin Zeyu flopped onto the sofa and started feigning injury, "You owe me for my handsome face."

Lu Heng walked over and said, "Why don't you change into something else?"

Su Muyu pursed her lips and asked, "Is it not pretty?"

"It's beautiful, but don't you feel awkward wearing it?" Lu Heng wasn't sure how to explain.

"I do feel awkward. I'll change into something else," Su Muyu said and headed back to the fitting room.

Lu Heng reminded the salesperson, "Find something that looks more lively, and not too low-cut."

The salesperson nodded in understanding and turned to select a suitable dress.

Lu Heng returned to the seating area and waited for another ten minutes.

Su Muyu emerged from the fitting room, this time wearing a dress with sheer sleeves and a naturally elegant skirt.

Paired with leather shoes and lace-patterned socks, she exuded grace with a touch of liveliness.

"That's it, let's go," Lu Heng decided on this outfit, as they had already spent half an hour trying on a few, and the auction would be over if they continued.

The salesperson chuckled, "Aren't you going to ask for the girl's opinion?"

Su Muyu twirled, holding the skirt's hem, and asked, "How do I look?"

"You look great, let's go with this," Lu Heng urged.

"So dismissive," Su Muyu pouted and muttered something, but she was happy, her face beaming with joy.

After all, as a girl, wearing beautiful clothes always brought happiness.

As the trio exited Century Plaza, they headed straight to the venue of the Ultimate Auction.

The auction venue was grand and impressive.

At 7 PM, the trio entered the venue with their invitation letters, having passed through security.

The Ultimate Auction was not just an auction but also a social gathering for the elite.

Many attendees came not only to bid but also to network with top-tier Energics. The auction itself was secondary.

Lu Heng, holding Su Muyu's hand, entered the venue and saw numerous elite individuals mingling in small groups, holding wine glasses.

Lin Zeyu occasionally greeted acquaintances with a wave.

Lu Heng recognized a few familiar faces among the crowd.

After all, the Energics participating in this auction were all top-tier talents of their generation, many of whom were famous in the future.

However, Lu Heng's current identity did not overlap with these individuals, so he did not plan to initiate conversations. Instead, he stood in a corner of the venue, speaking quietly with Su Muyu.

At that moment, several men in suits approached, and among them was a slightly shorter middle-aged man who walked up to Lu Heng and greeted him in broken Chinese, "Hello, Mr. Lu Heng."

Lu Heng did not recognize this man, and his expression showed confusion.

The secretary beside him quickly introduced, "Mr. Lu Heng, this is Mr. Kenji Kino."

Kenji Kino continued, "I wasn't able to invite you for a drink the other day. I wonder if I'd have the honor tonight?"

Upon hearing the name Kenji Kino, Lu Heng understood the situation.

Kenji Kino was the Asia-Pacific Regional President of the Springtop Group, the secret backer of the Wolf Pack.

The well-known Tempering Master He Shangyong was promoted by the Springtop Group, but this Tempering Master was more famous than skilled.

So, not long ago, the Springtop Group approached Lu Heng and offered a contract with a guaranteed annual payment of one billion.

Before Lu Heng could respond, Lin Zeyu quickly left the woman he had just flirted with and hurried over to block Kenji Kino, saying, "I'm so sorry, but Lu Heng has already signed a contract with me and cannot fulfill Mr. Kino's wishes."

"That's a real shame. However, the doors of the Springtop Group will always be open to Mr. Lu Heng. Not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but worldwide, as long as Mr. Lu Heng is willing, he can become the most renowned Tempering Master." Even knowing that Lu Heng had signed a contract, Kenji Kino continued to extend the offer.

After all, contracts can be broken, and the Springtop Group didn't mind paying the penalty, even if it was an astronomical amount.

With Lin Zeyu here, continuing the conversation wouldn't lead anywhere.

Kenji Kino raised his glass, smiled, and then turned to leave.

...

At 7:30 in the evening, the Ultimate Auction officially began, and the elite representatives of various factions took their seats one after another.

In addition to the seats in the main hall, there were twelve private rooms on the second-floor terrace.

One of these rooms belonged to the Lin family.

Lu Heng and his two companions went up to the second-floor terrace and entered the private room.

On the wall of the private room, there was a display screen showing real-time close-up images of the auction items.

Additionally, standing on the terrace of the private room, one could also see the auction items on the auctioneer's stage.

In fact, even without seeing the items, it wouldn't affect the bidding.

The item information had already been printed in a colorful catalog, and each guest at the auction had a copy.

Especially for items like skill crystal cores, their effects were directly presented in data form, so there was no worry of counterfeits as with antiques.

The items up for auction had been carefully selected, not only for their high levels but also for their superior performance in actual use.

As the auction officially began, the first item was presented.

The auctioneer started the introduction: "Let's take a look at the first item of the evening, a skill crystal core, on page seven of your catalog, named Fluid Metal, with a skill level of B-rank. It's a very powerful ability..."

Su Muyu flipped to page seven of the catalog, which displayed the data information for the Fluid Metal skill crystal core.

"The data shows that the effect is indeed very powerful."

Lin Zeyu also picked up a catalog to examine, and after a while, he turned to ask, "Lu Heng, what do you think of this skill?"

"It's not bad; it lives up to the B-rank level," Lu Heng replied, giving an honest evaluation.

Skills obtained through crystal cores are displayed with their skill levels on the data interface.

However, even within the same level, skills can vary in strength.

Moreover, some skills have extremely powerful practical effects, even surpassing their level.

Similarly, there are also skills that are B-rank but perform poorly in actual use.

This Fluid Metal skill, to put it simply, transforms source energy into a metal catalyst that can cause various metals to melt and flow like mercury at room temperature.

When the source energy is retracted, the metal loses its fluid properties and returns to a solid state.

Therefore, this skill can be used in many unique ways in practice.

Of course, if one were to point out a drawback of this skill, it would be that it lacks offensive power.

Yes, it is a skill that inherently lacks offensive capabilities.

Whether someone will bid on it depends on whether they can discern its true use.

Lin Zeyu pondered and asked, "What price do you think this skill will reach?"

"It's hard to say," Lu Heng replied. "Skills without offensive power may not be in high demand, but this skill's effect is very practical. If someone can understand its true potential, they might be willing to pay a high price."

Skills like Fluid Metal, which have strong practical effects but no offensive power, have the most volatile prices.

This is different from skills that do have offensive capabilities.

Skills with offensive power usually have more stable prices.

You can estimate the price range just by looking at the attack power value.

Moreover, skills with offensive power tend to attract more competition.

Lin Zeyu asked again, "What price do you think is needed to secure it? It wouldn't be a loss to spend money on it if the price isn't too high."

He could also tell that the skill's effect was powerful, but he wasn't sure what price would be a good deal, so he asked.

Lu Heng didn't answer his question but turned to look at him and asked, "Do you have ample funds at the moment?"

"Um... I think so," Lin Zeyu replied, his tone not entirely confident.

For this auction, he had indeed prepared a sum of money, but whether it would be enough was hard to say.

"If you want that team contract at the end, I suggest you save your money," Lu Heng advised. "That item will likely be fiercely contested by many major factions."

Lin Zeyu was also aware that the team contract would attract a lot of competition, but he had no idea how intense the bidding would be.

Lin Zeyu had no idea, but Lu Heng did. In his previous life, he had witnessed numerous powerful factions fighting over a Team Contract, a rare and valuable item.

The auction for the Fluid Metal Crystal Core officially began with a starting bid of 10 million. Bidders started placing their offers, and the price quickly rose.

At this stage, B-rank crystal cores typically sold for around 20 million, but starting bids were usually set lower.

After several rounds of bidding, the price of this crystal core soared from 10 million to 30 million.

30 million was already higher than the average price for a B-rank crystal core.

Of course, the price of skill crystal cores varied based on their effects, and there was no standard pricing.

Lin Zeyu wanted to participate in the auction and see if he could get a good deal. He asked, "Can I bid 30 million?"

"30 million is a fair price, but there's not much room for it to go higher," Lu Heng replied.

Lin Zeyu considered for a moment and decided to test the waters. He placed a bid, raising the price to 35 million.

Another bidder quickly countered, pushing the price up to 40 million.

This price was considered reasonable for this crystal core. If there was a Psychic with a need for metal-based abilities, they might continue bidding, but without a specific demand, the price was unlikely to go much higher.

Lu Heng thought the price would settle at 40 million, but to his surprise, another bidder raised it to 45 million.

In the end, the Fluid Metal Crystal Core was sold for 45 million.

The high price of the first item indicated the rarity and value of the items at this Ultimate Auction. The participating families and factions were indeed wealthy and influential.

The auction continued, and items were sold one after another. The lowest-priced item went for 20 million, while the highest reached a staggering 80 million.

The item that sold for 80 million piqued Lu Heng's interest.

It was a Mental Resistance Ring, capable of enhancing the wearer's resistance to mental attacks and pollution.

Surprisingly, despite not increasing attack power, this item found a discerning buyer, and the price quickly soared to 80 million.

As the auction progressed, the final item, the Team Contract, was introduced. The auctioneer briefly explained its origins and said, "You can find the details of this Team Contract on page 17 of the information booklet. The large screen will also display its data and the evaluations of powerful Psychic Warriors."

The information booklets had been delivered to the invited guests during the auction's preparation.

Many of the powerful factions attending the auction that night were specifically targeting the Team Contract.

Lu Heng flipped to page 17 of the booklet and confirmed that the data matched his memories.

This item had appeared in his previous life around the same time, and its final selling price was astonishing.

The Team Contract held immense significance as it could influence the summoning rules of the Abyssal Battlefield.

Normally, summoning to the Abyssal Battlefield was random, making it challenging to influence the process.

Once the countdown for a summoning ended, Psychics were inevitably transported into the battlefield.

In his past life, numerous research institutions had studied the summoning rules of the Abyssal Battlefield and attempted various methods to prevent the teleportation, but all efforts were in vain.

Only a few items obtained from the Abyss could affect the summoning process, and the Team Contract was one of them.

Lin Zeyu had been studying the effects of this item over the past few days.

According to the data, it was a contract that could bind five Psychics together. When a summoning to the Abyssal Battlefield occurred, all five would be teleported simultaneously.

What did this mean for powerful families and factions? When Lin Zeyu was summoned for the first time, the Lin family used their connections to search nationwide for Psychics with the same countdown timer. They invested heavily in training these Psychics to accompany Lin Zeyu into the Abyssal Battlefield.

This strategy allowed Lin Zeyu to safely pass through his first Abyssal Battlefield trial.

While this method could protect specific individuals, it became increasingly challenging as the danger level of the Abyssal Battlefield rose, and powerful Psychics formed their own organizations.

The Team Contract, however, provided a permanent solution to this problem.

For world-class families and factions, the Team Contract's value lay in its ability to ensure the safety of important individuals by having four Psychics protect them.

Heirs of prominent families, successors of influential figures, and leaders of major financial groups all required such a contract to guarantee their safety once summoned.

It was evident that the final selling price of this item would be extraordinary.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end