https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-571-Auction-Competition-The-Fun-Begins-/13011342/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-573-Auction-Ends-Returning-to-Linzhou-/13011344/
Chapter 572: Auction Rules! Spare Your Life?
Chapter 572: Auction Rules! Spare Your Life?
The entire auction hall fell silent, and even the two auctioneers in charge seemed to be at a loss for words, their gazes constantly shifting towards the No. 44 private box, awaiting Governor Merk's instructions.
Merk had already prepared to let that old man get a huge bargain.
However, he never expected that a reckless young man would suddenly appear and change the course of events in an unexpected way.
He remained calm and turned to his attendant:
"Go and investigate. Who is in that No. 17 private box?"
"Yes, sir."
Merk's silence, however, drew everyone's attention to the No. 22 private box, the one belonging to the governor of the Thousand Islands Kingdom, Beastmaster Harto.
As expected, a voice filled with laughter soon echoed:
"Hehe, it seems there's another friend who needs this Tai Yin Water. In that case, let's have a little competition. Thirty billion Dragon Nation currency!"
The voice was calm, but the bid was twice as high as the starting price.
It was clear that he was determined to win at all costs.
At the same time, he also wanted to scare off the other party with this sudden, extremely high price.
Unfortunately, anyone who knew the value of this Tai Yin Water would not be deterred.
Not to mention the Mermaid Princess, who didn't care about the price at all.
However, this time, instead of rushing to make a bid, she turned to Su Ping with a smile and proposed a unique bet.
Su Ping was taken aback, but before he could respond, the Mermaid Princess spoke out her terms.
Su Ping thought for a moment and said, "Alright. What's the bet?"
"If I win, you must cultivate that external incarnation for me. If I lose, I'll give you a high-level water-type skill cultivation method."
Su Ping shook his head. "You won't be able to cultivate the external incarnation. If I lose, I'll help you cultivate Master Zhu's Bai Chuan method."
"Deal! It's settled!"
After getting a positive response, the Mermaid Princess became excited and continued without hesitation, "Fifty billion."
The atmosphere turned tense once again.
Even with the private boxes providing some isolation, everyone in the auction hall seemed to feel their breath constricting at that moment.
The aura of the Holy Rank seemed to weigh down on everyone's hearts like a towering mountain.
Within a short while, Merk's attendant in Box 44 spoke up:
"Master, the investigation is complete. There's a man and a woman in there, both appearing to be in their twenties or thirties. They're said to be from Penglai Island, one named A Miao and the other named A Ping... As for their cultivation level and strength, we don't know."
The attendant then projected an image of the two individuals captured by the surveillance system.
Merk's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Clearly, he had never heard of these names or the island they were from.
However, he was well-informed about every island in the Thousand Islands Kingdom, and even the entire Eastern region.
So, where did these two come from?
Nevertheless, the appearance of these two individuals was quite timely.
Was this Tai Yin Water going to be sold for a mere one billion?
Old man Harto was treating money like dirt. Although money was somewhat linked to strength in the Thousand Islands Kingdom, this price was unacceptable to Merk.
These two unexpected individuals were just what Merk needed.
So, Merk thought for a moment and said, "No need to pay attention. Let's see if these guys are reckless youngsters or seasoned experts. That old toad, Harto, is not an easy opponent."
Merk's calmness implicitly acknowledged the continuation of the auction.
This was normal, as it was within the rules.
However, only those truly familiar with Harto knew what the actions of Box 17 represented at this moment.
For instance, in Box 55...
The members of the Golden Heart Society, including Dong Muchun, sat in their private box, observing the unique atmosphere outside.
In reality, they had come to this auction with a specific purpose, and apart from the previously promised item, they had nothing else to bid on. Their main reason for visiting the Thousand Islands Kingdom was the upcoming trade conference, where they aimed to promote the products of various companies.
As for the auction, they were merely spectators.
They never expected that after everything had proceeded smoothly, the auction of the Tai Yin Water would create such a tense and heated atmosphere.
However, Yan Dong, sitting beside Dong Muchun, spoke up:
"Tsk tsk, the guest in Box 17 is probably in for some bad luck!"
Dong Muchun looked at him in surprise. "Yan Dong, does Harto have a bad reputation?"
Shen Qiu interjected:
"In the entire Ten Thousand Islands Country, the one I least want to deal with is the Crimson Flame Island in the east. That guy is a bandit, acting without regard for rules and regulations. This time is a perfect example!
The worst part is that this Harto is ruthless and has a strong backing from the Eastern Island Block, where he's an unofficial king. But he's a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. The Eagle Nation's caravans can deal with him, but he doesn't dare to overstep his boundaries.
However, those who compete with him in auctions better have some strength. If someone without abilities gets their hands on the Dark Yin Water, even if it ends up in Harto's hands, they might still be tortured to death by his cruel methods. After all, he's spent a lot of money on this."
Dong Muchun nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of the rules of the Ten Thousand Islands Country.
This place seemed like a paradise for trade, but Harto's interference had somewhat tarnished its reputation.
However, she now had a hundred percent certainty that the connection between the Ten Thousand Islands Country and the Golden Heart Society was deeper than she had imagined.
Just then, another voice echoed across the auction hall.
"I never expected that among those who came, there would be such talented individuals. In that case, I'd like to see who this capable person is. I'll offer seventy billion for the Dark Yin Water!"
Seventy billion!
Even Su Ping was taken aback.
After such a long cultivation career, he had handled numerous Saint Spirit resources.
Was this item really worth so much? Speaking of which, the Ten Thousand Souls Heart and the few Saint Spirit resources in his possession suddenly seemed more valuable.
The last time Ms. Connor came, she exchanged two Saint Spirit resources for a life embryo. If the Ten Thousand Souls Heart needed money, could it be sold here?
As these thoughts ran through his mind, the Jiaojie beside him spoke up with surprising boldness:
"Ninety billion!"
This Water Sovereign clone seemed to have no concept of money, casually throwing out such large numbers.
Harto fell silent, and so did many others in the hall.
While there were others in the hall who could afford this amount, it was undeniable that in the Ten Thousand Islands Country, this sum could buy a small island for one's family to expand their territory.
It was a massive fortune that could establish a family's domain.
Even Saint Spirit resources wouldn't be casually exchanged for such a large sum in the Ten Thousand Islands Country. Harto glared at the cramped Private Box number 17, a stark contrast to his luxurious Private Box.
His eyes flashed with killing intent.
If they were on his Crimson Flame Island, he could guarantee that this ignorant young lady would never see the moon again.
But this was Crystal Island, so he had to hold back. Through gritted teeth, he offered his highest bid:
"One hundred billion!"
Fearing that this amount wasn't enough, the ignorant girl continued bidding. He quickly added:
"I don't know where you're from, but in the Ten Thousand Islands Country, there are rules. If you can't pay, you won't be able to leave Crystal Island unharmed. Even Governor Merk won't allow it."
However, his threat, which implicated both Merk and Crystal Island, seemed to have no effect.
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the Private Box number 17, from which all the unsettling bids had come, responded with a voice that made everyone's hearts skip a beat:
"One hundred and twenty billion!"
Twenty billion more?
Even if it were one hundred and twenty billion pieces of scrap paper, how massive would that pile be?
This time, Harto's expression changed completely.
His mental limit was one hundred billion.
As he had said, the Dark Yin Water was a must-have.
Now, this unexpected bidder had disrupted his plans.
Most importantly, Harto understood that even if the young lady in Private Box 17 didn't have one hundred and twenty billion, Merk wouldn't lose anything.
At worst, he could wait for the next auction, use it himself, or trade it directly to someone else.
But the opportunity to make a profit from this ten billion was gone.
And the Yin Water is so rare, where would one find another if they wanted to?
So, he spoke up directly,
"Sir, may I ask if you have that much money?"
His voice carried a chilling mental pressure, and it was clear that in many people's eyes, this was almost equivalent to flipping a table.
Merk's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but before he could stop Haruto from speaking, the latter continued:
"Brother Merk, if we can confirm that the person in Box 17 is here to cause trouble and can't afford this price, my previous bid still stands, right?"
With these words, Merk fell silent.
One billion for a Yin Water, though still a bit less, was within his acceptable range.
He also agreed to this trade.
But if the person in Box 17 didn't have the money, it was indeed a problem.
Most importantly, he had also seen the capital verification process in the hands of his followers, and the man who conducted the verification only had a little over five hundred million. Wanting to buy this Yin Water, they were far from meeting the price.
So, he didn't speak up at this moment.
And this silence, without a doubt, implied consent to Haruto's actions.
Everyone's hearts sank, but Box 22 suddenly opened.
Indeed, Haruto didn't ask the auction staff to verify; instead, he took the initiative and, under everyone's watchful eyes, swaggered over to the door of Box 17.
He knocked loudly on the box's door.
However, just at that moment, Merk's voice, the host's voice, finally sounded:
"Haruto, I don't want this to turn into a big deal. The Crystal Island won't tolerate the disruption of the free trade market. You should understand that this is the decree of the Thousand Islands Nation and also the command of the Divine Island!"
Haruto smiled, "Of course, I wouldn't dare to go against the Emperor's command. I'm just here to remind some people that if they don't have the money and disrupt the auction, the consequences are serious! After all, the premise of free trade, and the biggest premise, is to have the money!"
However, just then, a cool voice also followed:
"Haruto, this little matter doesn't seem like something you should be doing!"
Haruto's eyebrows furrowed as he looked towards Box 11:
"Naya? Do you want to get involved in this?"
"I'm just reminding you not to break the rules and not to lose face in front of everyone."
"Hmph!"
Haruto didn't pay attention and continued to knock on the box's door.
The next moment, the box's door opened.
Then, without even looking at the person who opened the door, Haruto walked right in.
The entire auction hall fell silent.
The two auctioneers above felt a bit lost for the first time.
Haruto looked at the man and woman in the box, then extended his hand and summoned a light. A giant toad, half a person tall, appeared in the box. Only then did he turn to the couple in front of him:
"You two, show me your account balance. Otherwise, causing trouble in the Thousand Islands Nation won't be as simple as just getting thrown out. Of course, Naya has also pleaded for you, and I can spare your lives if I want to."
Su Ping and Jiaojie exchanged glances.
The former looked at Jiaojie with a bit of helplessness, "Senior, you've won this bet."
Jiaojie chuckled, "On the vast sea, it's the survival of the fittest. Under free trade, it's about having enough strength. I figured this old man would come in because of this."
Su Ping shrugged.
Haruto, who had just entered, blinked, looking at the two chatting. Only then did he react. Damn, these two didn't put him in their hearts at all, and they even bet on whether he would come?
The overwhelming anger that was about to surge up didn't even have a chance to rise and slowly disappeared.
No one was a fool, and Haruto, who had reached this level of strength, was even less so.
What was the reason for the calmness of these two in front of him?
At this moment, he suddenly didn't want to know.
He slowly took a step back, narrowing his eyes, and before he could speak, he saw the woman's figure turn around. Those seemingly ordinary eyes looked at him indifferently:
"Kneel down. Considering you helped me win a bet, kneel and pay the money for the Yin Water, and I might spare your life."
The entire box fell silent at this moment.
(End of Chapter)
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