novelraw Chapter 70 : Auction
Chapter 70 : Auction
Chapter 70: Auction
Gao Yuan’s series of maneuvers undoubtedly drove the world’s elite into madness.
Utter madness.
From the moment the auction news was released, global capital flows showed bizarre fluctuations.
Countless hidden accounts were activated, and vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rare resources began converging toward a single direction.
Arms tycoons of the Stellar Ring United States, ancient nobles of the Western City-State Alliance, Middle Eastern oil magnates, and even certain small-nation dictators……
They emptied their coffers without hesitation, all for that single ticket leading to the “New World”.
……
Three days later.
On the high seas, dark clouds pressed down as furious winds and waves raged.
The super-giant cruise ship “Poseidon”, like a steel fortress, lay silently anchored upon the sea.
In the sky, the roar of helicopters rose and fell in succession.
On the surface of the sea, one expensive private yacht after another approached the colossal vessel as if on pilgrimage.
This was a feast belonging to the world’s top apex predators.
As the organizer, the “Ascension Alliance” had raised security to a wartime level.
The decks were filled with heavily armed mercenaries, and even in the dark waters surrounding the cruise ship, two attack submarines of unknown nationality lay in ambush.
Boom——!
A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating this sea of desire.
“Mr. Gao, all invited distinguished guests have boarded.”
Inside the top-floor luxury suite, Zhao Yuan looked at the spectacular scene outside the window, his palms slick with sweat.
Opposite him, Gao Yuan sat on the sofa, gently swirling a glass of crimson red wine in his hand.
The smile in Gao Yuan’s eyes grew deeper and deeper, “What a grand performance.”
……
Inside the banquet hall, everything was resplendent with gold and jade.
Men wearing custom-tailored suits either held aged red wine or casually toyed with thumb-sized diamonds.
Among them were princes who controlled the lifeblood of Middle Eastern oil, helmsmen of reclusive Wall Street families, arms oligarchs of the Northern Steel Empire, and high-ranking officials from various national intelligence agencies in disguise.
On the surface, they conversed with elegance, yet their gazes, like vultures, were fixed upon the center of the hall, greed blazing in their eyes.
At the center auction platform of the banquet hall, that silver 【Game of Gods Invitation】 lay quietly within a bulletproof glass cover, emitting a cold, mysterious glow.
“Honored guests.”
The silver-haired auctioneer, dressed in a tailcoat, lightly tapped the tabletop with the wooden gavel in his hand. The dull yet rhythmic sound instantly suppressed all noise in the hall.
Even someone long accustomed to grand occasions could not help but have a slight tremor in his voice at this moment.
“Honored guests,”
The auctioneer’s voice echoed clearly into every corner of the banquet hall, “welcome to this grand event destined to be recorded in history.”
“Today, we shall jointly witness a great turning point in human destiny, and the opening of a brand-new era!”
“As for the value of this auction item, I believe there is no need for me to use any further words to elaborate.”
Pointing at the invitation, the auctioneer raised his voice slightly, “This is a ticket to the new world, a ladder that crosses the boundary between mortals and gods.”
“The starting price is five billion Stellar Ring currency.”
“Each bid increase shall be no less than one hundred million Stellar Ring currency.”
Five billion Stellar Ring currency exceeded even the annual GDP of some small countries and was enough to arm a medium-sized army.
Yet at this moment, it was merely the base price for entry.
“Five point five billion.”
Before the gavel had even fallen, a Middle Eastern prince made a casual bid.
“Seven billion.”
Immediately after, a representative from an old Western City-State Alliance financial conglomerate quoted coldly, without even lifting his eyelids.
“Seven point five billion!”
An arms leader from the Northern Steel Empire said viciously.
“Eight billion!”
The numbers began skyrocketing at a dizzying, insane speed.
Chu He, as one of the earliest to come into contact with the truth of Hai City and one of the core initiators of the “Ascension Alliance”, yearned for this invitation more than anyone else.
He had personally witnessed that world-destroying power.
After seeing those images, he felt that the wealth empire he had pursued in the first half of his life was nothing more than a huge joke.
If one could not grasp that kind of power, then no matter how much money one possessed, before true “gods”, one was merely a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
For this, he sold off all shares of every company under his name and mortgaged all real estate that could be mortgaged.
He scraped together a full eight billion Stellar Ring currency.
But clearly, his entire net worth could not even withstand two rounds of bidding here.
Fortunately, he had never planned to obtain this invitation through bidding in the first place.
At this thought, Chu He stubbed out his cigar, his gaze turning fierce.
“One hundred billion.”
“One hundred and twenty billion.”
“Two hundred billion.”
“In addition, we offer as a bonus the complete technical blueprints of the latest generation kinetic weapons of the Stellar Ring United States, as well as sovereignty over a private island located at the equator.”
The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar!
Two hundred billion in cash might still be within the comprehension of these top tycoons, but kinetic weapon technical blueprints?
Those were the Stellar Ring United States’ ultimate trump cards! This was something capable of changing the world’s military balance!
This was no longer a matter of money; this was national destiny!
For such a small card, someone had actually put forward stakes capable of triggering a world war!
Someone could not help but whisper in awe, “So this is…… the gap?”
Before a true national machine, wealth was nothing more than a few thin sheets of paper.
“Two hundred billion, first time!”
“Two hundred billion, second time!”
“Two hundred billion…… third time!”
“Sold!”
Pa!
As the gavel fell heavily, this frenzied auction destined for the history books finally came to an end.
Everyone in the hall stared fixedly at the elderly man in the white suit, silver-haired yet vigorous in spirit.
On the old man’s chest was pinned a golden emblem, engraved with a spread-winged eagle and encircling stars.
That was the crest of the most mysterious financial dynasty of the Stellar Ring United States—the Morgan family.
The Morgan family was not only one of the most powerful financial dynasties in the Stellar Ring United States, but also maintained innumerable deep connections with the Stellar Ring United States government.
It seemed that this old man perhaps represented not only the Morgan family, but also some deeper force.
Because of Gao Yuan’s statements, governments of various countries did not dare to personally enter the fray, for fear of offending this Transcendent. As a result, many of those present were agents of their respective governments.
The old man looked at the myriad expressions of envy and jealousy within the hall, his gaze so cold it was terrifying.
He murmured softly, “Gods……”
“We are coming.”
After taking a deep look at the old man, Chu He turned and left the banquet hall.
He had already made his decision in his heart—although the Stellar Ring United States was incomparably powerful, he could not retreat.
One step back meant remaining a mortal; one step forward meant becoming a god.
This temptation was enough to make saints fall, and madmen even madder.
……
And in the luxury suite atop the banquet hall, Gao Yuan, the seller known as the 【Magician】, reclined comfortably against the sofa, idly playing with a champagne glass in his hand.
Watching Chu He’s departing figure, a meaningful smile curled at the corner of his lips, “Wonderful, truly wonderful.”
“Two hundred billion…… and those technologies and islands.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, for desire, humans really will do anything.”
“I’ll just look forward to seeing what kind of surprise you can bring me.”