Chapter 108: A Message Worth Three Hundred Million

Chapter 108: A Message Worth Three Hundred Million

"The final item for tonight's auction is the Team Contract, with a starting bid of one billion, and each subsequent bid must be no less than 10 million. The auction begins now."

The auctioneer finished introducing the various data of the Team Contract and officially started the auction.

With a starting bid of one billion, many who were interested in the contract but lacked the financial means had to give up immediately.

This starting price also meant that those with exceptional abilities who were invited based on their strength had little chance of participating in the bidding.

Currently, it was the fourth month since the Abyssal Descent, and even with extraordinary talents, it was impossible for any Energic Warrior to amass a significant fortune within this timeframe.

Thus, those who could participate in the auction were still the deep-rooted families and conglomerates.

As the bidding began, the frequency of bids was incredibly high, especially from the private rooms on the second floor.

In these twelve private rooms, more than half had not participated in the bidding for previous items, but now they were all actively placing bids.

The situation was clear—these financially powerful forces all had their eyes set on the Team Contract.

After an intense round of bidding, there were a total of twelve bids across the entire venue, and the price rose to 2.5 billion.

At this moment, Private Room 3 on the second floor placed a bid of 3 billion, causing a brief pause in the rapid bidding.

However, it didn't take long for another bidder to raise the price to 3.1 billion.

From then on, both sides began to compete, raising the price six times in a row until it reached 4 billion.

This price was already four times the starting bid, causing many in the audience to gasp in surprise.

Before coming to the auction, many had expected the Team Contract to fetch a high price, but no one anticipated the competition to be this fierce.

Moreover, the bidding war showed no signs of slowing down.

Lin Zeyu watched the price climb higher and higher, his leg shaking nervously. "This is getting out of hand. If this continues, who knows how high the price will go."

He Ping Yu contemplated for a moment and said, "Let's make a high bid. We'll increase it bit by bit; otherwise, it'll be hard to stop the momentum."

Lin Zeyu pressed the bidding button in the private room and spoke into the microphone, "Five billion!"

The auctioneer, excited by the bid, exclaimed, "Five billion from the VIP in Private Room 7 on the second floor! Do we have any higher bids?

"Team Contract, five billion, first time.

"Team Contract, five billion, second time..."

The auctioneer was about to reach for the gavel.

Just then, another bid came from Private Room 3, raising the price to 5.5 billion.

The price increased by 50 million in an instant.

Lin Zeyu slapped his forehead in frustration, "So close!"

He Ping Yu, with his years of business experience, observed the situation and said, "It seems like it might go up to ten billion."

"No, that's beyond our budget," Lin Zeyu frowned.

He turned to Lu Heng and asked, "Is there anything we can do?"

Lu Heng spread his hands and replied, "What can we do in an auction?"

"I guess not," Lin Zeyu sighed.

Moreover, they weren't the only ones bidding; there were two or three other parties driving up the price, clearly unwilling to give up.

After a few more bids, the price reached 6 billion.

This amount caused most of the audience to withdraw from the bidding, but the remaining few who continued the competition were the ones who would ultimately determine the final price.

Furthermore, if the contract was meant to protect someone, it was a matter of life and death.

For the protection of a conglomerate's heir, 6 billion was not a significant amount.

While there might not be a way to stop others from bidding in an auction, nothing was absolute.

Suddenly, Lu Heng thought of something, "If we must find a solution, it's not entirely impossible."

"What solution?" Everyone in the private room turned to look at Lu Heng.

"It's common knowledge that the danger level in the Abyssal Battlefield is proportional to the power of the Energic Warriors," Lu Heng explained, referring to the recruitment rules of the Abyssal Battlefield.

"Yes, that's common knowledge; everyone is aware of it," Lin Zeyu nodded.

"Can this rule affect the contract's price?" He Ping Yu asked.

"If a team is recruited, the overall power evaluation will be adjusted based on the team contract, and the danger level will be determined by the highest-ranked Energic Warrior in the team," Lu Heng analyzed. "This means that if one's own strength is too weak, seeking protection from a more powerful Energic Warrior may result in becoming cannon fodder and a quicker death."

This was one of the hidden rules of the Team Contract, not reflected in the data but very real.

Energic Warriors with team contracts would receive a power rating adjustment when recruited, and the entire team's evaluation would be based on the strongest member.

This implied that even if the person to be protected had a low rank, they could still be teleported into a high-level abyssal battlefield, with the consequences being imaginable.

Lin Zeyu understood immediately, "Yes, I'll spread this information right now."

As the recruitment rules of the Abyssal Battlefield spread within their circle, the bidding factions received the message.

This caused those who had intended to use the Team Contract for protection to hesitate.

If the person to be protected is of a higher rank, it's manageable. But if they're of a lower rank, finding four powerful high-rank Energics for protection would be like sending them into the battlefield as cannon fodder.

After this message spread, the bidding for the Team Contract finally slowed down.

Lin Zeyu made one last bid, "650 million."

The auctioneer called out the price three times, and with no further bids, the gavel fell.

Although the price was halted by a single message, 650 million was not a small sum, and it shocked the guests present.

Consequently, after the deal was sealed, a commotion erupted in the venue.

The auctioneer was also excited, as he had just auctioned an item for 650 million, the highest price he had ever achieved in his life.

However, the people present didn't know that, in the previous life, the price of this Team Contract had soared into the tens of millions.

At that time, Energics were less familiar with the recruitment rules of the Abyssal Battlefield and hadn't considered the impact of team contracts on these rules.

Lu Heng had released this rule in advance, directly causing the price of the contract to drop by a third compared to the previous life.

The auction ended.

Lin Zeyu and He Pingyu went backstage to sign the contract, finalizing the payment method for the auction price.

650 million couldn't be paid on the spot; they would have to return to arrange the funds.

Therefore, it was impossible to take the Team Contract immediately.

...

Half an hour later, at the top floor of the Century Building, Kenji Kino summoned his assistant and asked, "Have you found out where that message about the Abyssal Battlefield recruitment rules came from?"

Paul Li bowed and replied, "It seems the message originated from the Lin family."

"The Lin family," Kenji repeated, narrowing his eyes.

There was nothing unusual about the message coming from the Lin family, but Lin Zeyu was the one who eventually secured the Team Contract.

Connecting the two events made the situation seem suspicious.

"Could the message be fake?" Kenji suggested this possibility.

Paul lowered his head and said, "Our people have also studied it, and the message is likely genuine. It aligns well with the previously summarized rules of the Abyssal Battlefield."

Kenji hummed, "The message might be real, but the Lin family buying the contract is also true."

Paul bowed his head even lower, "The price of 650 million is already too high, and the Lin family hasn't profited much from this."

Kenji set aside this matter and asked, "Have you found a way to enter Tempering Castle and meet the requirements?"

Paul carefully chose his words, "According to the information we have, only three people have entered Tempering Castle through the arch of Century Bridge: Lu Heng, Su Muyu, and Lin Zeyu. Moreover, I speculate that the other two were brought in by Lu Heng, so the only person with the privilege to enter Tempering Castle might be Lu Heng."

After a moment of contemplation, Kenji asked, "Didn't you say you found others who have saved Tempering Castle? Can't they enter?"

"We're still working on it, but there's hope," Paul replied.

"As long as we can enter Tempering Castle, bring He Shangyong in. He's a Tempering Master, and if we can temper weapons inside the castle, we won't be at the mercy of the Lin family," Kenji instructed.

"Yes! I'll arrange it immediately!"

During this time, the Springtop Group had been trying to break into the tempering business.

Although they had promoted He Shangyong as a 'Tempering Master,' a Tempering Master who could only temper weapons in the Abyssal World had no practical value.

The Springtop Group had been trying to win over Lu Heng, but they weren't putting all their eggs in one basket.

While attempting to curry favor with Lu Heng, the Springtop Group was also searching for a way to enter Tempering Castle.

...

Tempering Castle.

Gulu had been pondering Lu Heng's words for several days: 'Make Tempering Castle a livelier place.'

He thought it was a good idea, and since Hu Biao had helped free Tempering Castle from the Abyss, even with a lower contribution, he shouldn't be left out in the cold for too long.

So, on this evening, Tempering Castle officially opened its doors to Hu Biao.

As the gates opened, Hu Biao, overwhelmed with emotion, strode into the castle. Then, he saw Gulu holding a basin of something at the entrance.

"Welcome, my friend. Please enjoy the dish I've prepared."

Hu Biao looked down at the basin in Gulu's hands, his eyes widening in surprise.

The basin contained a crispy, deep-fried delicacy—cockroaches!

"You want me to eat this?" Hu Biao pointed at the basin, his cheeks twitching.

"Yes," Gulu nodded.

Hu Biao wasn't sure if refusing would get him kicked out, and after finally getting in, eating a few bugs wouldn't kill him.

He reluctantly reached out, picked up a deep-fried cockroach, and with difficulty, put it in his mouth. He couldn't chew, so he swallowed it with tears welling up in his eyes.

Gulu, seeing Hu Biao enjoying the food, immediately showed a delighted expression and said, "Have more! This basin isn't enough; there's more in the kitchen."

Hu Biao froze in his tracks.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end