Chapter 1099: Bidding
The auction that was hosted by that elder gradually reached the climax. The items were subsequently auctioned off in an intense bidding process after being displayed. Among the items that were being auctioned, there were magical accessories, magical metals, art pieces, and even female slaves of various races.
The most popular item was several Magical Crystal Cannons that were created by a few dwarves. It was an absolute naval weapon that would be useful in battles on sea. The first climax of the auction was triggered by the few Magical Crystal Cannons that caused a huge uproar in the auction hall the moment they were displayed. The people in the auction hall were all yelling and calling their bids, flushed with excitement.
However, the commotion could not arouse Lin Li’s interest. Although those auction items were indeed very precious and rare, they were only so in the opinion of the general public, while Lin Li had spent all his collection on the modification of the Sky Castle, so he was still indifferent towards the auction items.
In particular, the few Magical Crystal Cannons that the people vied over seemed to be better than the Magical Crystal Cannons built by the Dwarf Kingdom thousands of years later. In fact, they were even comparable to the cannons of the alchemical battles.h.i.+ps of the Gilded Kingdom. However, after seeing the incredible arms of The Star, Lin Li wasn’t too interested in those Magical Crystal Cannons.
Besides, during this auction, Lin Li was probably not the only person with those thoughts. At least more than 10 items had been displayed in the auction, but the people in the private rooms on the second floor had yet to call their bids—probably because they weren’t enticed by those items, either. After all, those who could sit in the private rooms on the second floor were definitely the figures that were at the top of the hierarchy of the island. Maybe a big shot of the Sea Clan was among them.
While Lin Li was feeling bored, the old man who was hosting the auction put another new item on display for the auction. It was a potion that emitted the aura of life.
“This is a potion called Life Commendation created by Master Karlotery. The most precious ingredient is a drop of the sap of the Tree of Eternity that has been added to the potion to make it dozens of times more effective. Even an ordinary person who drinks this Life Commendation potion will have a lifespan of at least 1,000 years.” The elder held the potion up high for display, allowing it to glisten brilliantly under the light. Everyone immediately looked at it.
Of course, what really attracted them were the effects of the potion which the elder pointed out. An ordinary Life Commendation potion would at most extend one’s life by a few decades, which was basically unattractive to powerhouses who were above level-15. However, Life Commendation was simply incredible because it would allow one to have a lifespan of thousands of years.
In particular, some people might only be one step away from advancing to the Legendary-realm, which would allow one’s lifespan to be extended by thousands of years. If they couldn’t reach the Legendary-realm despite being so close, it would truly be a huge regret in life. If one could have their lifespan extended by thousands of years, even the most foolish person would have the chance to enter the Legendary-realm. Hence, they would not feel the regret of being only one step away from the Legendary-realm.
Besides, even Legendary powerhouses wouldn’t mind having a longer life. If they suddenly had the chance to live for more than 1,000 years, it might not be impossible to step into the Sanctuary-realm realm. The extension of thousands of years of life also meant countless more possibilities that would drive one crazy.
Most importantly, the Life Commendation potion contained a drop of the sap of the Tree of Eternity, making its effects lie beyond the extension of one’s lifespan. The High Elves were strong because they often bathed in the power of the Tree of Eternity, so much so that their bodies were alloyed with the Tree of Eternity’s aura. Hence, if someone could absorb a drop of the sap of the Tree of Eternity, the effects would probably be better than what the High Elves achieved.
Hence, after the old man announced the starting bid of the Life Commendation, the people in the auction hall broke into a hysteria, and began raising the number boards in their hands to place their bids. In the blink of an eye, the price of Life Commendation was increased by dozens of times.
However, as the price was increased, more people began to withdraw from the bidding. After all, some wouldn’t be willing to lose their entire fortune for the sake of getting a lifespan extension of thousands of years. Besides the increase in life expectancy could not be verified easily, unless they returned to the auction house again thousands of years later to let everyone else know that their lifespan had been extended. Otherwise, who could guarantee the effectiveness of the potion in increasing one’s lifespan by thousands of years?
Moreover, no one can guarantee that they would always be safe and sound. After all, they were living at sea, and G.o.d knew if they would be involved in any trouble that they could not deal with. The Life Commendation would allow one’s lifespan to be increased by thousands of years, but it didn’t state that anyone would enjoy the same effects. The potion would be rendered useless if the user was beheaded.
However, there were some people who didn’t care about those issues at all. For those who were affluent, they wouldn’t hesitate to pay a large number of gold coins for Life Commendation even if there were barely any effects. Besides, Brian Auction House obviously had a good reputation on Cage Island. Even if they put up a gla.s.s of plain water for auction, and claimed that it was a divine medicine, people would likely spend a bomb on it.
Finally, when the bidding in the hall gradually died down a little, the big shots in the private rooms on the second floor partic.i.p.ated in the bidding of Life Commendation. What really interested Lin Li was not the bids that the big shots placed, but the whispering about those powerful figures that was going on in the hall.
In particular, not far from where Lin Li was sitting, a foreign tyc.o.o.n who had probably just arrived was the only one who was raising the number board high in his hand even when almost no one else in the hall was bidding. However, just as he was about to raise it again, the person next to him, who probably was the one who brought him to the auction, held him back anxiously.
“You have a death wish. Do you still want to make a living on this island in the future? The big shots up there are going to start placing their bids soon, don’t get involved,” that person said softly with nervousness after holding the tyc.o.o.n back.
“Why? Isn’t this an auction? Am I not allowed to buy things?” the tyc.o.o.n asked in bewilderment, slowing down his movements.
“Can’t you see that no one else is placing a bid? It’s not too bad if you offend the other big shots, but there’s a big shot of the Sea Clan among them. He hates it when others vie with him. He may not do anything to other big shots, but I’m afraid it’d be effortless for him to deal with you, a foreigner,” that person warned the tyc.o.o.n nervously.
“A big shot from the Sea Clan?” The tyc.o.o.n was not entirely clueless. Since he had come to Cage Island, he definitely knew how terrifying the power of the Sea Clan was. Hence, after listening to his companion’s warning, he immediately cringed in fright, not daring to raise the number board in his hand again.
Big shot of the Sea Clan? Hearing the conversation between those two, Lin Li immediately had his interest piqued. Information about the Sea Clan was exactly what he wanted. Who else but a big shot of the Sea Clan would know more about it?
At the thought of this, Lin Li looked at the number board in his hand, and raised it up when the old man on the stage called for the second time. His action was particularly abrupt, and even the old man on the stage couldn’t help but freeze in shock for a moment.
When the old man was being stunned on the stage, the others also realized that there was someone among themselves who dared to partic.i.p.ate in the bidding. They began whispering, and those sitting near Lin Li also tried to sit as far away from him as possible for fear of being mistaken for his companions.
After being shocked for a few moments, the old man on the stage finally snapped back to his senses, announced the new bidding price, and asked if anyone wanted to offer a higher price.
That change obviously made the big shot of the Sea Clan rather annoyed, but he was obviously bent on obtaining the Life Commendation. Hence, a cold voice sounded from the private room. “One level-20 magical crystal.”
In this era, the forging of gold coins was inconsistent; hence, magical crystals were the real currency. Each level-20 magical crystal was of the early Legendary-realm. However, it meant that the Legendary magical crystal could no longer be simply measured in gold coins. Although a level-20 magical crystal was almost equivalent to 10,000,000 gold coins, 10,000,000 gold coins might not be enough for a level-20 magical crystal.
The people in the hall didn’t seem too shocked about the bid placed by the big shot of the Sea Clan, because they knew that the Sea Clan probably had an abundance of magical crystals. Even if they had peak Legendary magical crystals, it wouldn’t be surprising, let alone a level-20 one. However, the people could tell that there was some displeasure in the tone of that big shot’s voice. Clearly, Lin Li would be taught a hard lesson if he continued trying to vie with him for it.
However, Lin Li didn’t seem to feel anything as he raised the number board in his hand again after hearing the voice of that big shot of the Sea Clan. “Five level-20 magical crystals.”
The people of the Sea Clan had many magical crystals, but so did Lin Li, and he could afford to take out Sanctuary-level magical crystals, let alone Legendary ones. Besides, Lin Li’s goal this time was not really the Life Commendation, but to lure the big shot of the Sea Clan. Hence, he would naturally go all out.
There was nothing strange about the fact that the big shot of the Sea Clan had offered a Legendary magical crystal, but Lin Li’s offer of five Legendary magical crystals made the people get into a huge uproar. They had come to this sea city mainly to trade for the specialties of the Endless Ocean with the Sea Clan, and magical crystals were also an important part of the trade. In other words, many of the people present were actually there to buy magical crystals which they could sell for several times the purchase price on the mainland.
The other big shots sitting in the private rooms on the second floor also decided not to bid after hearing Lin Li’s offer. Although they could offer more Legendary magical crystals with their strength, that would obviously be too uneconomical. An extension of thousands of years of lifespan was not worth it.
Even the member of the Sea Clan in the private room was surprised by Lin Li’s offer of five Legendary magical crystals. However, five Legendary magical crystals was not enough to hold him back, and just as the old man on the stage began to announce the first call, he immediately raised his bid to 10 Legendary magical crystals. The price was doubled in the blink of an eye. Clearly, the big shot of the Sea Clan was already exasperated.
Even for the Sea Clan, 10 Legendary magical crystals was quite a huge fortune, so the Life Commendation was obviously very important for the big shot of the Sea Clan.
The tyc.o.o.n who had placed a bid previously glanced at Lin Li cautiously, lowered his voice, and asked the person who had just warned him, “Do you know where that young man is from? He actually dares to compete with the big shot of the Sea Clan.”
“Heh, I don’t know anything about his background, I only know that he probably won’t live to see another day, and his family won’t get to set foot in this place again,” the person said gloatingly.
“Mr. Taru, can you tell me what the ident.i.ty of that big shot of the Sea Clan is? He has such great authority!” The tyc.o.o.n couldn’t help but be a little surprised. It wasn’t considered shocking that the big shot would kill to vent his anger, but what made him surprised was the fact that he could command the authority to ban a certain force from entering the market. Didn’t that make him the owner of the market?
“That’s Lord Onor of the Sea Clan, he is in charge of all the business of the Sea Clan in this city. So, do you think he has the ability to chase a force out of the city? Besides, that kid is a fresh face who can’t even tell that it’s Lord Onor’s voice. He has obviously just arrived like you. I don’t think any force will stand up for him,” the man named Taru said smugly as if he had such a great power too.
Although the tyc.o.o.n and Taru were speaking softly, Lin Li heard everything. Only then did Lin Li know that the so-called big shot of the Sea Clan only had a status that was similar to a procurement manager. He might be a respectable figure to those people, but he probably had an insignificant status in the Sea Clan.
However, at present, Onor was the only member of the Sea Clan Lin Li could find there. If he wanted to find those with a higher status, he would probably have to go beyond that small sea city. Hence, after Onor placed his bid of ten Legendary magical crystals, Lin Li was no longer in the mood to waste his time there as he raised the board, and said, “20 Legendary magical crystals.”