Chapter 722 The Furious David <TOC> Chapter 724 Intense Bidding War
Translator: SumTLMan
“Jailall? How could he be interested in such a mediocre music box?” Shalom pushed the girl sitting on him away, his gaze fixed on the auction below.
A seed of doubt sprouted in Shalom’s heart. With Jailall’s level of alchemy expertise, there had to be more to his sudden interest in a music box.
“Could it be that he’s mistaken about this music box?” Shalom stared intently at the elegant black and gold box on the stage, feeling a vague sense of unease.
As Shalom examined the music box, the bidding outside had already skyrocketed to 750 magic crystals.
David, trembling, raised his sign and called out a price, “750 magic crystals.”
Apprentices nearby cast complex glances at him, filled with envy, confusion, mockery, and more importantly, admiration. Although they didn’t know who the guest in VIP room 7 was, there was no doubt that anyone able to enter the VIP room was either wealthy or noble, and most likely a formal wizard.
David daring to bid against a formal wizard, how could others not admire him?
However, amidst the admiration, some whispered advice, “Kid, I have one of these illusion music boxes too. Don’t bid anymore, I’ll sell it to you for 300 magic crystals, alright?”
“Don’t listen to him, the most expensive illusion music box outside is only worth 200 magic crystals. There’s no need to bid anymore. Save your money and buy one outside.”
David heard the advice of those around him, and he found their words somewhat unreasonable. That was a work by Angel, incomparable to the shoddy counterfeit products on the streets.
However, some of their words were also true.
At this point, David was trembling with fear. He didn’t know why the guest in the opposite VIP room wanted to bid against him, but he didn’t want to auction off Angel’s work here any longer. He felt that the Ancient Auction House’s behavior was an insult to Angel, so he mustered up the courage to raise the price once more.
When the price reached 800 magic crystals, the surrounding voices grew even more astonished.
What could possibly justify such a price for a small illusion music box? This price at the monthly auction could rank it among the mid-level auction items!
The buyers present discussed and speculated about the guest in VIP room 7.
Standing on the stage, Silon’s expression was somewhat perplexed, but deep down, he felt a slight, imperceptible joy. Before auctioning this item, he doubted his own appraisal, but now that the price had been set, it proved that his appraisal skills were still intact, and it was Shalom, the family head, who was mistaken.
Thinking about this, Silon also felt worried. Shalom, the family head, must be paying close attention to this, and a music box he believed to be worth 50 magic crystals had now increased in value so many times over, wouldn’t that be a slap in the face?
Perhaps, Shalom’s face had already darkened. Silon shook his head secretly, relieved that Jailall was the one bidding, and even if Shalom was angry, it wouldn’t affect the well-known alchemist.
However, thinking of Jailall, Silon was puzzled: why did Jailall want to bid on this music box? Could it be that his sole purpose for attending this auction was for this music box?
Jailall, who was puzzled by Silon, was secretly pondering at this moment.
Although there was a shielding mechanism on the stage, with Jailall’s experience, he could roughly estimate all the materials of the music box just by observing the traits, performance, and color with his naked eyes. Surprisingly, these materials were not only made of a single entry-level material.
This implied that there was a high likelihood that this was an entry-level alchemical creation.
Jailall came to this auction for a tattered atlas, but seeing an entry-level music box and spending a few hundred magic crystals to buy it didn’t seem like a loss.
Moreover, he didn’t sense any aura of alchemical blending, so it was probably another alchemical spell. Whether it was a small alchemical faction or enchanting, he hadn’t dabbled much in either, so he could study it by purchasing this music box.
However, when the apprentice outside raised the price to 900 magic crystals, Jailall became somewhat hesitant.
He wasn’t short on money, but he didn’t want to waste it either. It was just a research item, so there was no need to spend so much money on it. However… the fact that an apprentice dared to bid against him left him feeling somewhat indignant.
“910 magic crystals.” Jailall said this offer, and David wanted to increase the price immediately, but before he could speak, Jailall’s voice came again: “This is my final offer. If you want to raise the price, well, then this item is yours.”
With a faint laugh filled with authority, Jailall’s voice spread throughout the auction hall.
David, who had originally planned to bid again, hesitated. Clearly, the person in the VIP room was annoyed, and if he continued bidding, he would likely offend the other party.
But not bidding left him feeling uneasy.
As David hesitated, Silon began counting down. Although he was pleased with the price of the music box, he wanted to quickly move on to the next auction item. Otherwise, with each bid, the head of the Shalom family would be slapped in the face, and accumulating anger could potentially drag Silon’s name into it.
In the end, David decided to give up the bidding. From Jailall’s words, he had already sensed that the other party was definitely a formal wizard. Faced with Jailall’s authority, he admitted defeat.
However, when David stopped bidding, someone in the VIP room interrupted Silon’s countdown.
“Speaking of which, I am also very curious about this music box. The apprentice who was bidding earlier, can you tell me why you were bidding?” The speaker was Liana, who had always felt that there was something odd about the music box, but gradually let go of her doubts under the persuasion of her witch friend Tong.
But Jailall’s sudden bid made her doubts resurface.
Liana didn’t have the standing to question Jailall, so she simply asked the apprentice who had just participated in the auction.
David, who was asked by the wizard, hesitated, not knowing whether to tell the truth.
But before David could speak, a sudden commotion arose from an unknown source: “It seems like I saw that this music box was actually sent to auction by him himself.”
Upon hearing this voice, a heated discussion immediately erupted among the crowd below.
This thrust David directly into the spotlight, to the point where even Jailall angrily questioned: “So it was you who submitted the item for auction, and now you’re maliciously bidding it up? Do you know the consequences of offending me?”
Under the condemning gazes of the crowd and Jailall’s interrogation, David’s legs began to tremble, and his face turned pale.
David felt that in his entire life, the moment closest to death was probably right now. Even when Hagrid took him into the abyss to seek the bloodline of the Iron Armor Demon Hedgehog, he wasn’t as terrified as he was now.
Silently observing David’s plight, Silon sighed inwardly.
He knew very well that the sudden appearance of the voice that led the rhythm and then gradually disappeared was definitely orchestrated by the head of the Shalom family.
Silon sighed secretly. Revealing the identity of the consigner was actually a violation of the auction house’s rules. Fortunately, it wasn’t openly disclosed, and Shalom had used others to push David into the line of fire. At least on the surface, the authority of the Ancient Auction House was maintained.
However, many people could see through the trickery, including Jailall, who was definitely aware of it. But since the matter was beneficial to him, he had no need to point it out, and instead took advantage of the situation to scold David.
For a moment, David felt as if his heart was about to stop.
He opened his mouth, his mind racing, trying to find a way to break the deadlock.
As the pressure mounted, David suddenly shouted, “Yes, it was indeed my item for auction, but I wasn’t maliciously bidding. I just wanted to buy back my item.”
Upon hearing David’s words, the crowd was taken aback.
“Your actions are pointless. Holding your own auction only adds trouble for the auction house!” someone said.
“Everyone saw that from the beginning to the end, I kept increasing the bid, even in the face of the honorable wizard, I didn’t back down. Because I truly regret submitting the item and now I really want to buy it back.” David simply told the truth, “I know that bidding on my own item is against the rules and will cause trouble for the auction house, but since others are bidding, I can’t just let it go, can I?”
If he were to lie, he would likely be caught immediately. But he was telling the truth, and there were many among the audience who could detect the truth from falsehood. With a simple test, they could tell that David was being honest.
“If you truly want to buy it back, then it’s understandable. After all, you even dared to confront a formal wizard, which shows your sincerity,” a calm and gentle voice spoke, the same voice that had come from Liana’s VIP room earlier, but this time it was the voice of Witch Tong.
As a newly promoted wizard, Witch Tong’s thinking hadn’t completely escaped the realm of apprenticeship. Therefore, she understood some of David’s actions, though his methods were indeed inappropriate. Not only would he offend the bidders, but he would also cause trouble for the auction house.
Witch Tong was right, your determination to get it back seemed sincere. However, I am quite curious why you don’t want to sell it now? Could it be that you have a grudge with Lord Jailall?” The speaker, also a wizard, was clearly someone who loved to stir up trouble, aiming their verbal cannon at Jailall.
David hurriedly waved his hands: “No, that’s not the case. I don’t know Lord Jailall, it’s because I don’t want to…”
—I don’t want to let Angel’s work be trampled upon by the Ancient Auction House.
David didn’t say this aloud because he saw the cold glint that flashed in the eyes of the friendly-looking Silon, who stood on the stage when he spoke…
David swallowed his reason and hesitated for a while.
Silon’s icy expression gradually softened, fortunately, this fellow wasn’t too foolish.
But without David stating the reason, there were always those who loved to stir up trouble and wanted to dig out the truth.
“What’s the reason then? If it’s not a grudge with Lord Jailall, could it be that… there’s some sort of disagreement with the Ancient Auction House?”
At this moment, Silon coldly interrupted the conversation: “Why should we continue to argue, wasting everyone’s time? The consignor violated our rules, and the consignor has already signed the contract, brought the item to the stage, and there’s no room for regret. So, we will follow through with the process.”
“Your own bid is invalid, and we’ll take Lord Jailall’s first bid of 200 magic crystals as the standard. If no one else bids, the item belongs to Lord Jailall.”
Silon made a decisive conclusion with a domineering attitude.
After all, in the Wizarding World where there are no legal regulations, the auction house’s own rules are the most significant. According to the Ancient Auction House’s rules, once the item is on stage, the consignor has no room for regret; otherwise, it would embarrass the auction house.
If you bid discreetly and win it back, paying the difference and taxes, they might turn a blind eye. But since David’s identity as the consignor has been exposed, they have no choice but to follow the rules.
Silon wanted to forcefully move past the issue, and the others didn’t want to waste any more time, urging for the auction to proceed.
Silon called out, “200 magic crystals for the second time, 200 magic crystals for the third…”
A sense of unwillingness flashed in David’s eyes, and he suddenly said, “This music box is an alchemical illusion crafted by Angel!”
Silon’s words paused, and he looked at David with doubt, not knowing what David was trying to argue. Was he begging for mercy?
But before Silon could react, the screen in front of him suddenly surged with numerous prices, and many apprentices almost simultaneously raised their bidding cards, shouting prices from 300 magic crystals to 800 magic crystals.
At the same time, a voice from the VIP room declared, “2000 magic crystals! I want it!”
Chapter 722 The Furious David <TOC> Chapter 724 Intense Bidding War