novelraw Chapter 153 : Chapter 153
Chapter 153 : Chapter 153
Volume 2
Chapter 77 : Exalted Status
“Number Eighty-Eight!”
The moment that voice rang out, the entire auction hall fell silent once more.
Although he had only made a single move before, buying that utterly useless gemstone, the swagger and dominance he had displayed in his very first appearance had already left a deep impression on far too many people.
So when he bid again, the audience could not help but speculate that he was about to name another astonishing price.
Even the fairy lady’s beautiful eyes shone with excitement, and she secretly wondered whether handing out flyers had truly managed to reel in a big fish after all.
And so, she too began to look forward to it…
“Number Eighty-Eight bids…”
That voice was unhurried, his tone filled with the calm ease and casual indifference of someone standing high above others.
But when his words finally fell, it was as if thunder itself burst forth with them!
“Ten million… and one thousand!”
“Number Eighty-Eight bids ten million and… eh? And one thousand?”
The fairy lady, who had been prepared to use Number Eighty-Eight’s magnificent bid to whip the atmosphere back into a frenzy, suddenly froze.
She even began to suspect that after presiding over the auction for so long, she had grown too tired and started hallucinating.
Had that Number Eighty-Eight just announced, in an incredibly imposing tone, a price so petty it invited contempt?
“One thousand?”
“I think it really was one thousand.”
“That Number Eighty-Eight only added one thousand?”
“Unbelievable. Is this some kind of market stall clearance sale today?”
Once the audience recovered, they realized that the Number Eighty-Eight they had been anticipating for so long had only timidly added one thousand.
At once, jeers erupted all across the hall.
Inside Booth Number One, Lorenzo was laughing so hard he could barely straighten his back.
“One thousand? Hahahaha, he only added one thousand?”
“Damn it, I thought he was going to be something special, but he is just another bumpkin who has never seen the world!”
“No wonder he spent so much money on a broken stone that does not do a damned thing!”
“Hurry, bid again. Add another million directly and humiliate him properly!”
“Number One bids eleven million!!”
“Whoa!”
As soon as the new bid from Booth Number One appeared, the entire auction hall broke into shocked cries.
That was what real grandeur looked like.
This was true dominance!
Adding a million at a time was not something a weakling who only added a thousand could possibly compare to!
But before the crowd had even recovered from that shock, Number Eighty-Eight calmly named a new price again:
“Eleven million… and one thousand.”
“Again?”
Lorenzo sneered disdainfully and ordered his subordinate,
“Raise it. Keep adding a million each time. I want to see how long that bumpkin can endure this humiliation.”
“Twelve million!”
“Twelve million… and one thousand.”
“Thirteen million!”
“Thirteen million… and one thousand.”
“…”
“Twenty million!”
“Twenty million… and one thousand.”
“…”
“Fuck!”
As the auction price continued to climb, everyone finally began to realize that something was wrong.
Why was it that as the numbers kept rising, Number Eighty-Eight’s voice remained just as calm as ever, while Number One was the one growing increasingly furious?
Who exactly was humiliating whom here?
“Number Eighty-Eight is deliberately driving up the price!”
Someone finally came to their senses.
Inside the private booth, Lorenzo—who was by no means stupid—also realized what was happening.
In a burst of rage, he smashed the tea table before him with a single slap and roared at the fairy lady,
“Your auction house is just going to ignore this kind of malicious price-raising?”
“Please calm your anger, honored guest. Guest Number Eighty-Eight has not violated any of the rules.”
The fairy lady explained respectfully.
Although deliberately raising the price while adding only one thousand at a time was indeed shameless, no auction house would be foolish enough to forbid deliberate price-raising.
And since she had not set a minimum increment before the auction began, then let alone one thousand—even adding a single coin would still have been within the rules.
“And what if he really does win it, but has no money to pay?” Lorenzo said with a cold laugh.
If he truly had that much money, how could he possibly play such a game?
He was obviously just some nouveau riche country bumpkin without much money, deliberately trying to disgust him!
Did he really think that spending a million on a worthless stone made him somebody important?
“This…”
The fairy lady hesitated. Indeed, what an auction feared most was exactly this kind of deadbeat, someone who deliberately raised the price and then, if he accidentally won the item, had no money to pay.
Ordinary legitimate auction houses would verify qualifications beforehand, so this would never become a problem.
But this was the black market, after all…
“Please wait a moment, honored guests. The auction will be paused for three minutes.”
After a moment’s thought, the fairy lady still chose to pause the auction and cast a meaningful glance toward the stage below.
Before long, Muen’s door was knocked upon.
“Come in.”
“Honored guest.”
The attendant stepped into the room and said respectfully,
“Please present proof that you possess sufficient assets to participate in the auction.”
“Oh? Is this not supposed to be a Secret Auction? What is this now? You are going to investigate your guests’ privacy?”
Muen did not even lift his eyelids.
He merely swirled the red wine in his hand with casual ease.
“My deepest apologies, but this auction involves a very large amount of money, so we must carry out the necessary risk controls.”
The attendant bowed deeply.
“You will not need to reveal your identity. You need only prove that you possess sufficient wealth.”
“Wealth? The cash I have on me seems to be only one million.”
“Then I can only ask the honored guest to leave for the time being.” A cold glint flashed through the attendant’s eyes. One million, and he still wanted to act like a lord? Did he really think I was some harmless fool—
“Then is this enough?”
With two fingers, Muen casually flicked a crystal card toward him.
The attendant caught it steadily.
But the moment he saw what that crystal card looked like, his hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
It was a black crystal card engraved with a golden tulip.
It looked understated, yet its understated elegance carried an extravagance that could not be concealed.
As an attendant who had received professional training, he recognized its origin at a glance.
This was…
A black crystal card issued by the Imperial Bank!
This card was reserved for the highest stratum in the entire Empire.
Through the Imperial Bank’s anonymous accounts, it could be used for nearly unlimited overdrafts!
And up to now, the Imperial Bank had issued only one hundred of these cards!
In other words, anyone who possessed such a card absolutely stood among that tiny group at the very peak of the entire Empire—one of those people who could make the whole Empire tremble with a single stomp of the foot.
Moreover, the black crystal card had the strictest confidentiality measures.
Tracing its owner was nearly impossible.
Let alone this auction house—even the boss behind them…
So with this card in hand, let alone mere ancient dragon heart’s blood worth a few tens of millions, he could easily buy this entire auction house outright!
At that point, not to mention making him eat humble pie—even making him eat—
“Do I now have the qualifications?” Muen asked lightly. Every word struck the attendant’s heart like a heavy hammer.
“Yes, of course you do!”
In an instant, the attendant’s back was soaked with cold sweat.
The composure drilled into him through long years of training had already flown ten thousand miles away.
Trembling all over, he held the black crystal card out to Muen with both hands and forced out a professional smile.
“We have disturbed you, honored guests. As compensation, every item you purchase here will be offered at a twenty percent discount.”
A twenty percent discount was no small concession in a place like an auction house.
For example, if Muen were to buy some rare treasure for one hundred million, he would need to pay only eighty million instead—an entire twenty million less.
That was already the greatest concession the attendant could offer within the limits of his authority.
“Oh, quite sincere of you.”
Muen took back the crystal card.
“But I do not particularly care about that. I only want the auction to resume as quickly as possible.”
“The auction will resume immediately, immediately!”
The attendant wiped at his sweat as he prepared to scramble out of the room as fast as possible.
He had to leave at once and pass along the fact that a supreme lord was seated here.
Otherwise, if anyone showed him the slightest neglect, they would be utterly finished.
“Oh, right.”
But just then, Muen suddenly turned his head.
He raised one finger before the lips hidden beneath his mask, the corners of his mouth lifting into a gentle smile.
“I do not want a fourth person to know about this.”
Muen tapped himself, then the attendant, and finally pointed behind the attendant.
“So, keep it a secret. Understood?”