Chapter 260 Wimbledon <TOC> Chapter 262 Bidding Internal Conflict
Translator: SumTLMan
After a long while, Angel learned some basic information about Wimbledon from Ananda.
At first, Angel thought Wimbledon was poorly treated at home, just as most aristocratic families had some dirty affairs. Wimbledon may have been an object of malice in the duke’s family, so he fled his family mansion and at last became a thief.
However, his original thoughts were wrong. The Wimbledon family from Ananda’s mouth was harmonious, friendly and definitely a clean family among the aristocrats. Although Wimbledon is not their only child. Both his brother and his relationship haven’t reached the point of turning against one another. Whitby also happens to be very loved by his brother.
Only one thing about what Ananda said was a bit vague. Since the age of seven, Duke Tabish has forbidden Wimbledon from going out, which has seemed like a very strict ban on his **. But the strange thing is that Tabish never prevented anyone from visiting Wimbledon.
Wimbledon isn’t allowed to go out, but the Duke agreed to let outsiders come in and see Wimbledon. If his family wanted to keep his ** inside, then they can do so. Why keep his ** in half the time? Oddly, Wimbledon’s house allows him access to the outside world without allowing him to be in the outside world.
“Even though Wimbledon has been prevented from leaving his home for the past 10 years, there is suspicion of some kind of inside story as to why. But every time I go and see Wimbledon, I found nothing. Duke Tabish is also very kind to me. The duke will meet all my demands except allowing Wimbledon to leave from the house. Which is a far better treatment than what I receive from my own father.” Ananda paused, still with a worried expression on her face:
“Because of this, although Wimbledon is now nearing the age of eighteen, he has not come into contact with the outside world for very long. Some mental and intellectual aspects are similar to those of seven or eight-year-old children. In fact, he is not only a child in appearance but also his inner self, so please Lord forgive him!”
After listening to Ananda’s story, Angel did not say whether he had “forgiven or not forgiven” but rather became a little curious about this strange family structure.
Suddenly, David pointed to the clock on the wall and warned: “Angel, it’s half an hour until eight o’clock. The auction is about to begin.”
Seeing this, Angel said to Ananda: “Take care of Wimbledon for a while. As for dealing with these other issues, wait until we come back and we’ll discuss them.”
After saying this, he left the hall with Promi and David.
On the way from the hall to the auction house, David asked with bewilderment: “If you leave them at home, will that smelly brat try and escape again?”
Angel replied: “Just let him run away. This is a small matter. There’s no need to take it to heart.”
“If I had known that, I would have beaten him up first. Otherwise, if he runs away, where can I find him to beat him?!” David still lingers on the theft of his purse.
“It too strange that this person from Shadow Demon City likes stealing purses so much. Ananda, who is able to meet with people from the Duke’s mansion, should also be from a family with a similar background. How can she do such underhanded things which cannot be placed on top of the table?” Angel shook his head as he laughed.
The attraction of Twilight auction can be seen from all the mortals coming and going on the streets.
Not only were the streets overcrowded, but there are also wizards rushing to the auction site from the air.
Everyone was heading in one direction. This grand occasion gives Angel a feeling of being a pawn which was about to set foot on the battlefield. Each step seems to pave the way for an epic in the future.
Not long after they had left, their group finally reached the destination after a short walk—Twilight Auction House.
This building looks like a square iron tower full of metal scrap. Several long aerial staircases are extending to the top of the square iron tower from the surrounding buildings. The grey moon flags fly in intervals on the aerial staircases, which seems to add a sense of vastness to the whole building.
The iron square tower is very high and wide, with chimneys on each floor and smoke emitting to the outside.
There are no decorations on the surface. The iron sheet metal looks mottled with brick-red rust marks. Occasionally there are holes, and traces of repaired iron metal sheets with different colours can also be seen. Overall, it looks a little messy, but there is a sense of orderly beauty from this ruined look.
Each side of the iron tower is tens of meters wide, and there are gates on every side. So although many people are arriving, they don’t seem to be overcrowded.
At this moment… Angel suddenly remembered one thing and said: “Master Promi, doesn’t Twilight Auction need an invitation?”
When Angel was very young, he accompanied Old Pat to Watford for an auction. He seems to recall needing an invitation before entering. However, this was an early childhood memory and Angel didn’t remember it until he saw the auction house.
Promi laughed and said: “You haven’t asked me before this, so I had thought David already told you.”
“For Twilight Auction House, aside from the usual rules, this is an auction held twice a year and divided into Out-House and In-House areas. The Out-House area is located in the lobby on the first floor, and one can see the image of the In-House area through the central screen. Anyone can enter the Out-House area and bid in the public bidding area. But each person can only bid up to three times and each bid requires a handling fee of 5 magic crystals.” Promi explained.
“In the In-House area, you can bid at any time and there is no limit on the number of times.” Promi said.
Such an auction model is novel. The number of Out-House bids is limited, so each bid needs to be very high. High enough for people in the In-House area to dare not follow suit. Otherwise, it will be difficult to win the desired auction item. Although there are restrictions on the Out-House auction bids. At the same time, the Out-House auction can avoid the risk of being directly threatened by a wizard, which is also a kind of check and balance.
“Do you need an invitation for the In-House area?” Angel asked.
“Invitations are for private exchanges. With so many people in the auction, how is it possible for everyone to receive an invitation?” Promi continued: “There are actually two kinds of qualifications to enter the In-House area. One is being a VIP of Twilight Auction, and the other is to spend money to buy a ticket.”
“So are we going to buy tickets now? How much is the ticket fee?” Angel frowned. He didn’t want to bid for treasured materials, so he shouldn’t be competing with wizards. Therefore, the In-House area is definitely a more cost-effective approach. The Out-House group has to pay magic crystals for every auction bid they make, which he was a little reluctant to do.
Promi smiles and shakes his head as he winked.
When David saw this, he immediately went forward to praise Promi as he said: “Angel, you don’t have to worry! We don’t have to buy tickets at all. Master Promi is a Silver Card VIP holder for Twilight Auction!”
“Silver Card VIP?” When Angel heard this, he remembered Gloria’s Barbie’s Restaurant was graded in the same way. Is it customary for restaurants and auction houses to use gold, silver and copper to divide classes now?
“The so-called Silver Card VIP cannot only allow a person to bring five people into the In-House area but also have their own exclusive Silver Card VIP area. So no matter when you go, your group doesn’t have to worry about not having a seat! Wanting to get a Silver VIP Card is not a simple matter. It at least requires a one-time winning bid of more than 5000 magic crystal. Twilight Auction will also assess your personal ability. After the audit team reviews you, only then will you be issued a card! Generally speaking, I believe only Master Promi among wizard apprentices has a Silver Card VIP.” David said.
David’s explanation makes Promi laugh more joyously. At such times, if he personally explains the preciousness of a Silver Card VIP, the value would be diminished! Therefore, only by bringing a younger brother who understands and can read the mood can he quietly play the role of being unloved and understating the value of what he has.
“Oh, I see.” Angel’s face had a shocked expression, but there was no fluctuation in his heart.
At this time, there were less than 20 minutes before the auction officially began. The hall was basically overcrowded. Promi looked at all the people in the hall who were flustered and crowded, and with high-spirited steps, Promi took Angel and David through the In-House passage.
Angel had thought the Silver Card VIP area was probably a private room. But in fact, the Silver Card VIP area is actually the second floor of the In-House area. One can clearly see the auction floor from a high position, and the seats are more scattered, so it’s not very crowded.
After the three were seated, Angel unbuttoned his coat to make room for Toby.
It wasn’t until then that Angel had the time to look at the entire auction hall from the In-House area.
The In-House area isn’t as big as Angel imagined, and there aren’t as many people sitting in the In-House area. The venue is estimated to be a little smaller than an ordinary concert hall, and only a few hundred people are sitting on the first floor.
However, Angel notes that most of these hundreds of people are wizard apprentices, but a dozen among them are giving off extremely powerful fluctuations. These formal wizards are about the same level as Flora.
In addition to the ordinary seats on the first and second-floor Silver Card VIP area. There are also third floor Gold Card VIP private rooms, which are completely enclosed private rooms and could not be observed by Angel. But he guesses that all Gold Card VIP guests should be at least in the formal wizard realm.
Angel’s curious expression also attracted the attention of many people, including formal wizards. However, when seeing Angel was a young and green teenager, they withdrew their eyes.
At this time, Promi began introducing Twilight Auction to Angel as he said: “The usual Twilight Auction has meetings and division halls for materials, potions, weapons, etc… There are also zones which allow people to go to the corresponding areas according to what they are seeking. However, only the annual auction is comprehensive, regardless of the venue.”
Promi also talked about his experience as a Silver Card VIP. After about five minutes, there was a loud horn sound as lights in the In-House area were all dimmed.
“Here we go. If you want to bid later, just infuse magic power into the communicator beside the seat.” Because the lights of the auction house were dim, Promi’s voice became a little mute.
“I indulge in the trials of time and pursue the eternal truth. But this path is long and arduous. Watching the skies from the bottom of a well and left uncovered by dust, only the long Twilight accompanies my heart.” A middle-aged woman shrouded in the bright light slowly appeared from the illusion.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m the auctioneer of Twilight Auction. I’ve forgotten my name. But you can all call me ‘Twilight.’” As the middle-aged woman spoke, the glow around her slowly dissipated. Revealing her true face, a plain face.
“I don’t need to say much. After examination, 173 items have been admitted today. Including some mysterious items. From now on, it’s auction time.” Although Twilight’s voice had no cadence, it was simply flat and straightforward, but still has a strange power that could stimulate people’s emotions.
“The first item is a set of 19 bottles of Lustrous Velvet Potion from Winter Snow Pharmacy Shop. Starting at the price of zero, each price increase shall not be less than 30 magic crystals.” Twilight explained.
Chapter 260 Wimbledon <TOC> Chapter 262 Bidding Internal Conflict