Chapter 1228: Dark Gold Magic Dragon Armor
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Grand Duke Vidi soon arrived at the front of the auction hall. He fixed his clothes and appearance a little before striding onto the auction stage. As Grand Duke Vidi appeared, the noise in the auction hall ceased immediately as all eyes were on the auction stage.
“Dear honored guests, a very warm welcome from the Gilded Kingdom that you have traveled across many miles to come to…” Grand Duke Vidi had hosted many auctions before, including several large-scale ones like this one. Hence, he was very familiar with opening speeches, and it could be said that they simply rolled off his tongue.
After the opening speech, the auction hosted by Grand Duke Vidi officially began. Immediately afterwards, the first several auction items were brought to the stage. However, everyone knew that even at such a large auction, the auction items used for the “warm-up” definitely wouldn’t be impressive. Hence, it was relatively quiet in the auction hall.
At this moment, Prince Monterey had already returned to King Bradlor’s private room, and told him about the content of the conversation he had with Grand Duke Vidi.
After hearing Monterey’s account, Bradlor smiled bitterly with a helpless expression. Shaking his head, he said, “I knew it, Vidi is too stubborn to be convinced. In this case, the item that President Felic brought should be put up for bidding at the start of the auction, right?”
Previously, Bradlor had also heard from Saint Edmund and the others that the Tower of Dusk seemed to be better known for their capabilities in pharmaceutics and potions. Hence, when he asked the Foreign Affairs Minister to look for Lin Li, he instructed him to request for Lin Li to put two potions up for auction. However, he didn’t expect Lin Li to be so unrelenting, or rather insensible, to have decided to put a scroll up for auction. If the scroll had been created by a famous master, he would have had nothing to say, but it had turned out to be Lin Li’s creation.
Bradlor did not believe that Lin Li, an incredibly young Sanctuary powerhouse, would actually have time to study inscriptions. Even if he occasionally dabbled in it, there would definitely still be a significant difference in his skills compared to true Inscribers who specialized solely in their field. Thus, he a.s.sumed that the value of the scroll had to be very low.
In his opinion, Lin Li’s scroll would probably be only considered a mediocre item that was to be used to buy some time at the auction. Hence, Bradlor asked Prince Monterey to go look for Grand Duke Vidi in hopes of leveraging on his power to make Lin Li’s scroll the final item of the auction.
Since Grand Duke Vidi had rejected Monterey, he reckoned that Lin Li’s scroll would probably be one of the few items that were used for the “warm-up”! With that thought in mind, Bradlor said to Monterey, “There’s nothing we can do now. Pay attention to the situation at the auction. Once you see Felic’s scroll, bid for it with a decent price.”
If it was a bid for the final auction item, Bradlor would be willing to offer a remarkable amount of gold coins to purchase the scroll that seemed to be of little use to him without making others suspect anything or find that something was amiss. However, he would be seen as a fool if he paid such a large amount of gold coins for a lousy item. Bradlor was just trying to carry out Saint Edmund’s instructions and build a good relations.h.i.+p with Lin Li, but that didn’t mean that he was willing to be a fool in the eyes of the people.
“Your Majesty, there is one more thing that I think we should exploit.” Prince Monterey knew that if Lin Li’s magic scroll was displayed at the beginning, they definitely couldn’t offer an exaggerated price for it, so they would have to think from other perspectives.
Bradlor looked down, turned around, and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“When waiting for the auction to begin today, I accompanied President Felic around the exhibition hall to appreciate the art pieces, and I discovered that he seemed to have a huge interest in a particular painting.” Although Prince Monterey did not understand why Lin Li would be interested in such a painting, he thought that it would be a good point that they could make use of.
“Is that so? A painting? I didn’t expect Felic to have such a hobby. Well then, we can save ourselves some effort. Which painting does he have his eye on?” Hearing this news, Bradlor smiled faintly. Although the artworks displayed in the exhibition hall were all fine and exquisite masterpieces that had an immeasurable value, giving Lin Li the painting would be much easier than spending a large amount of money on a useless piece of garbage in his opinion.
Prince Monterey thought back for a while before saying to Bradlor, “Your Majesty, the painting that President Felic likes is one of the gifts that the Octopus Clan gave us back then which is said to be the masterpiece of Heldanos, a famous figure of the Octopus Clan.”
Upon hearing his answer, Bradlor frowned slightly because that painting was a diplomatic gift from the Octopus Clan, and its value was secondary to its symbolic significance. If it was a painting created in the Gilded Kingdom, he wouldn’t be put in a tough spot. However, it was a diplomatic gift, so he would have to consider the diplomatic implications and how the Octopus Clan would react if he gave it to Lin Li.
“Is there something special about that painting?” As soon as Bradlor asked that question, he vetoed his conjecture because if there really had been something special about it, the Octopus Clan probably wouldn’t have sent it to them as a diplomatic gift.
Prince Monterey naturally shared similar sentiments, and he shook his head with some bewilderment in his eyes. He answered, “There shouldn’t be anything special about it. It might be because Heldanos is quite famous in the Octopus Clan, so I reckon that it should be fine as long as I communicate with the Octopus Clan about it.”
“Yes, but we can’t give it to Felic just like that. Hasn’t he already seen that painting previously? Put it up for auction, then. Tell Vidi to add one more slot for another auction item. He shouldn’t be so stubborn and turn down such a simple request.” Bradlor’s plans were quite well-thought. He would be stooping too low if he gave it straight to Lin Li as a gift, but if he put it up for auction, Lin Li should be able to guess his intentions. Thus, he would be able to withhold his dignity while achieving his goal of showing some goodwill to Lin Li, which could be considered the best of both worlds.
Monterey had the same intentions, but before putting up Heldanos’ painting for auction, he would still have to communicate with the Octopus Clan and inform them about it. Otherwise, the Octopus Clan might be offended if they put up the diplomatic gift, which was a symbol of their friends.h.i.+p, up for auction.
Communication was Monterey’s forte, or rather the forte of most politicians. Sugarcoating things was what politicians were best at doing. They could turn the bad things into good, and make disasters sound like a reflection of the nation’s spirit. They could come up with a thousand explanations for their act of gifting someone’s gift to another person, and even make them feel that it was for the sake of mutual friends.h.i.+p.
Lin Li, who was seated in the luxurious private room, had no idea that his interest in the painting had caused the two big shots of the Gilded Kingdom to be so overwrought and busy. He and Connoris were enjoying some wine while watching the auction.
In fact, Lin Li had a relatively clear idea of what he wanted to buy at the auction this time. As long as it didn’t exceed certain standards, he would definitely buy it regardless of the price he had to pay. Of course, there were still some uncertainties because there hadn’t been any information about the last few mystery finale items of the auction, so he reckoned that there might be some that would appeal to him. However, the items that were displayed at first didn’t arouse his interest.
One of the first three items to be displayed was a fine and luxurious sword that a certain big shot had used before, and which was decorated with many gemstones. Its aesthetic and decorative value was far beyond its practicality. Next, there was a Dragon’s Eye gemstone that was the size of a fist, and would definitely allow the user to possess the attack power of a dragon if it was embedded in a magical weapon. Lastly, there was a magical accessory of the High Elves that contained Legendary-level defensive power.
If those three items were displayed at ordinary auctions, they would definitely be given good positions, and might even cause a considerable bidding climax. However, they were considered mediocre here, and although they didn’t end up being unsold, it only took two to three bids for each of them to be auctioned off.
“Now that a few items have been auctioned off, I believe those of you who have seen the auction items on display are getting a little impatient. I believe that the item that’s up next will definitely make this trip worth your while.” The host of the auction, Grand Duke Vidi, waved his hand, and instructed his subordinates to bring over the main auction items when he realized that the guests were already starting to get into the mood.
The auction item was covered with a red cloth, and it seemed to be taller than the average human. It was carried over to the display platform on the stage by two men. Due to the fact that most of the previous auction items had been displayed without any concealment, there hadn’t been much suspense. Grand Duke Vidi walked over, and reached his hand out to clutch the red cloth, after which he gave it an abrupt tug to lift it.
A set of dark golden armor was revealed, and it exuded a luxurious, majestic vibe under the spotlight of the auction venue. The base of the armor was dark golden, and sanguine patterns could be seen vaguely, making the armor seem even more mysterious.
It was a set of full-body armor that included a helmet and boots. All the parts were hung and put together to form the shape of a human body. There was a faceplate on the helmet and a visor that was made of crystal, as well as a sanguine gemstone on the forehead of the armor. Under the light, it was emitting rays of red light.
The armor also consisted of pieces that covered the shoulders and chest. The pauldrons were each shaped like a menacing beast with intimidating white fangs, while the breastplate was covered in complicated mageweaths. The light of the mana flowed along the mana circuits, emitting an alluring brilliance. Further down, there was a soft armor made of dragon hide covering the abdomen. It provided enough defense and protection without affecting the flexibility and agility of the wearer.
The skirt of the armor consisted of layers of palm-sized scale-like armor pieces that were stacked together, each flickering with the light of the mageweaths. The armor further below covered the legs and feet completely, and only the parts at the joints were made of the hide of wyrms.
The armor was rotating slowly on the high display platform on the stage, giving the audience a 360-degree-view of the armor. At the same time, there was also a large magic projection at the back that displayed every single detail of the armor with precision. Not to mention the distinct features of the armor, even some small scratches were fully displayed in the projection.
Grand Duke Vidi waited for a moment to give the crowd some time to observe the armor. He then introduced, “This armor is called Dark Gold Magic Dragon Armor, and was left behind by the Ocean Dynasty from ancient times. Legend has it that it was the exclusive armor of the Ocean Divine General, Bacarolet. The basic material used in the armor is the Ocean Purgatory adamantine from a huge vortex in the center of the Endless Ocean, as well as the skin of an Abyssal Demon Dragon at the peak of the Legendary-realm. The mageweath on the armor is a Domain Barrier that only a Sanctuary powerhouse can cast. It also contains a great mageweath that will increase the user’s strength by 100 times. There are also instantaneous lightning mageweaths that will increase one’s speed and so on.”
In ancient times, the various Sea Clans were unified and belonged to a single dynasty that was ruled by the Seahorse Clan. It could be seen from the characteristics of the current Sea Clans just how powerful they would be when united. The Giant Shark Knights were close combat a.s.sailants that would attack at the front, while the Siren Clan’s archers would be in charge of long-range attacking, the Thunder Eel Clan’s Thunder Mages would be responsible for casting spells, and the Jellyfish Clan’s pharmacists would concoct potions for recovery and healing.
However, thousands of years ago, the Seahorse Clan suddenly lost their power for some reason, and a huge power struggle broke out among the clans as they vied to be the next ruler, thus resulting in the great Ocean War. Now, some of the sea clans had become the seven overlords of the ocean, and those that had no special abilities were either lingering around and struggling to survive, or have all been driven to extinction. No one could unify them and recreate the glory of the Ocean Dynasty.
During the reign of the Ocean Dynasty, the Ocean Divine General Bacarolet was the commander of the Giant Shark Knights, and he was said to have peak Sanctuary-level power. He had allegedly performed brilliantly in all the wars with the High Elves. However, before the fall of the Ocean Dynasty, the Ocean Divine General died under the full-swing attack of the High Elves’ Sky Castle during a war with the High Elves.
The Dark Gold Magic Dragon Armor was actually just a spare set of armor belonging to Bacarolet. The armor that he had used during the battle was actually a stronger one called the Sea G.o.d Armor, which had been turned into dust together with his body by the attack of the Sky Castle.
For the current Sea Clans, that history was a distant past, so Bacarolet was now like a mythical figure to them, and didn’t bring them a huge shock. Their true concern was still the power of the Dark Gold Magic Dragon Armor. If it was just a useless piece of junk, it wouldn’t be worth their money even if it had been worn by a deity.