Chapter 723 Great Ups and Downs <TOC> Chapter 725 A Sudden Change of Wind
Next page password is bold portion: Dr+qOnahO9u
Translator: SumTLMan
This sudden surge in bidding not only left Silon astonished, but also left question marks above the heads of everyone present.
After a while, urged by the guests in the VIP rooms, Silon regained his composure and announced, “Box number 5 has bid 2000 magic crystals, is there anyone who would like to raise the bid?”
Silon swallowed his saliva, watching the prices on the screen while pondering what exactly had happened. Why were so many people suddenly bidding?
Silon thought back to David’s words, which were clearly filled with resentment and anger. He had said that this music box was crafted by an alchemist named Angel.
“Is this truly an alchemy illusion crafted by Angel?” Liana’s voice questioned from box number 11 as Silon contemplated.
David was also surprised at this point. He didn’t expect that just by mentioning Angel’s name, someone would bid 2000 magic crystals… Had he known that Angel’s reputation among wizards was so widespread, he would have mentioned the name earlier!
Feeling amazed, David answered Liana’s inquiry, “Yes, I come from the Savage Grottoes and I’m an employee of the underground market’s Promi Alchemy Shop. This alchemy illusion is undoubtedly Angel’s work.”
David’s response also made Silon hear the name of the alchemist: Angel.
Silon pondered for a while, wondering if Angel was a famous alchemist master. It seemed like he didn’t have any impression of this name?
On the other hand, in the partition on the third floor…
Shalom, with a face as dark as a pot, also asked in a muffled voice, “Who is this Angel? Is he famous?”
All the staff present shook their heads. None of them were from the alchemy circle, and they knew nothing about Angel.
“Then go find out for me! I’d like to know who this alchemist is and what makes them so remarkable!” Shalom roared angrily.
At the same time, Shalom took out a pure white music box from his ring space.
This music box was what he had previously mentioned to Silon, the one he had bought for over 100 magic crystals. Comparing this music box with the black and gold patterned one on the stage, they both seemed to follow a conventional design, but the one on the stage was obviously more exquisite and more harmoniously crafted.
“Could they really be two different music boxes?”
The new bidding ceiling brutally slapped Shalom’s face, and a disquieting suspicion suddenly arose in his heart.
He hoped it wasn’t true.
As Silon remained puzzled by Angel’s name, the uninformed buyers below were also wondering why the price suddenly skyrocketed and what secrets this auction item held.
Some even asked Silon to take out the music box directly for everyone to see.
At this moment, Silon was considering whether to open the music box once more to see if there was any crucial information that had been overlooked, as it had suddenly become the subject of intense bidding by so many people.
However, at this moment, another inquiry came from the VIP rooms. This time, it was not from Liana, but from VIP room number 13.
“Silon, there’s no need to open the music box. Instead, can you display it from multiple angles, such as showing us the side or the bottom?”
This voice had an eerie quality, as if a chilling wind were swirling around the auction hall when it spoke, instilling a sense of cold dread.
Silon looked toward the source of the voice. He didn’t recognize the speaker, but he knew who was seated in VIP room number 13—Duncan, the “Whispering Shadow.”
A wizard who walked the line between life and death, his power was unfathomable. Yet, like Dulmatin of the “Microcosmic World,” he was a recluse, spending most of his time researching in the Savage Grottoes and rarely venturing out.
Silon had previously wondered what had brought Duncan to the auction, and now that he had spoken, he couldn’t help but think: had Duncan come for this music box?
If Duncan had indeed come for the music box, then what about the others, such as Dulmatin? Had they also come for it?
Although the possibility seemed absurd to Silon, the unexpected appearance of this group made the bizarre outcome not entirely impossible.
Silon nodded, “Of course.”
He lifted the music box with his mental power, slowly moving it under the direct light to provide a 360-degree view for the audience.
When the bottom of the music box was revealed, Silon didn’t notice anything unusual, but Duncan suddenly said, “That’s enough. I’ll bid 3,000 magic crystals.”
Duncan’s bid once again stirred heated discussions among the attendees.
Why had Duncan suddenly placed a bid? What had he seen after Silon had showcased the music box from all angles that prompted him to bid?
Everyone immediately focused their attention on the music box.
They hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but as they took a closer look this time, a wizard in one of the second-floor private rooms exclaimed, “Why do I feel that there is a faint energy fluctuation on one side of the bottom of the music box?”
As the audience’s discussion continued, Silon also turned his gaze to the bottom.
Since the music box was made in one piece, it naturally had energy fluctuations. Silon hadn’t noticed the subtle fluctuations on the bottom when he first saw the item, but now that someone had pointed it out, he could clearly see that there was something unusual about the fluctuations.
Silon tried to sense the hidden energy fluctuations with his mental power, and as soon as his mental power touched it, a pattern slowly emerged on the bottom of the music box.
Everyone saw it.
It was a golden formation, depicting a lion’s heart entwined with thorns.
“It looks like a emblem, doesn’t it? Could it be the personal mark of the crafter?” someone voiced their doubt regarding the matter.
There were many apprentice wizards from the Savage Grottoes present, and one of them immediately provided a confident answer.
“Indeed, it’s a personal mark. An alchemist with a personal mark must be quite skilled, right? No wonder someone is willing to pay such a high price.”
The appearance of the personal mark provided a reasonable explanation for Duncan’s bid.
However, the emblem was merely what everyone saw on the surface. There were deeper aspects that caught the attention of some wizards in the room… a magic rune!
The reason this pattern was obscure and usually invisible was due to the presence of a peculiar magic rune on it!
Regardless of the personal mark, the fact that a magic rune was used to conceal it indicated that the crafter was far from ordinary.
“3,500 magic crystals, Lord Duncan, you follow the Path of Death, so this music box would be of little use to you, right? Why not just let me have it?” As people were discussing the personal mark, someone else placed a bid. This person was Madeline, who was seated in the box next to Duncan’s.
She was also the sole survivor of the Silian family.
Duncan’s voice rang out again, as if a chilling wind was blowing from the depths of hell, “Even the Path of Death can be too quiet. Having music to accompany me would make it less lonely. 4,000 magic crystals.”
Madeline knew that no matter what she said, Duncan wouldn’t back down willingly, so she decided to outbid him with a higher price.
In the following minutes, the bidding became a personal contest between Madeline and Duncan. One would raise the price, and the other would counter.
Within a short time, the music box’s price was raised to 6,600 magic crystals. This price was nearly on par with Silon’s estimated value for the finale items at the auction.
And this was only the third item to be auctioned.
It was the very same item that the head of the Shalom family had instructed to start at a reserve price of 50 magic crystals.
At this moment, all Silon could think was: The head of the Shalom family, you really have a poor eye for value this time…
When the price exceeded 6,000 magic crystals, the bidding between the two slowed down. Madeline’s total wealth was limited to around 10,000 magic crystals, inherited from the Silian family. On the other hand, Duncan seldom left his residence and had limited opportunities to earn magic crystals, so his supply was also limited.
So, when Madeline bid 6,600 magic crystals, Duncan began to falter.
As Duncan hesitated whether to raise his bid, Dulmatin suddenly placed a bid, “7,000 magic crystals.”
The sudden increase of 400 magic crystals clearly showed that Dulmatin was more confident than Madeline and Duncan. Consequently, Duncan backed down, while Madeline decided to watch and see if there was anyone else willing to compete with Dulmatin.
Soon, Madeline reached a conclusion: there were others, and not just one person, bidding against Dulmatin.
“Liana of the Rose Crown” and “Manji” Chilledin almost simultaneously placed their bids, and each time they raised the price by 500 magic crystals. Seeing this, Madeline sighed and gave up as well.
In the formation, three people were bidding against each other, completely disregarding the camaraderie within their organization.
The fierce bidding caused Silon to fall silent once again. This kind of impatient deadlock atmosphere usually only appeared at the finale of an auction.
However, its presence now implied that there was something fishy about this music box. At the same time, Silon realized why these wizards from the Savage Grottoes had appeared here – most likely, they had come for this music box, right?
With this thought, Silon’s gaze turned to the VIP room number one, where Sumesh was sitting. Would he also join in the bidding?
As the price continued to rise, reaching a staggering 9,000 magic crystals and only one step away from 10,000.
Shalom, who should have been happy, couldn’t bring himself to feel that way.
Even if the transaction reached 10,000 magic crystals, their auction house would only receive a few hundred magic crystals as commission. Shalom didn’t care about such a small amount. On the contrary, with each increasing bid, his face seemed to swell even more.
The surrounding staff members all lowered their voices, not daring to speak, fearing they would be implicated by Shalom.
Shalom spoke coldly, “Have you not figured out Angel’s identity yet?”
“We’re still asking around, but there’s no definitive answer.”
“Go ask the alchemists! Since he has a personal mark, he must be from the alchemy circle. What’s the use of asking others?” After yelling, Shalom slowly calmed down, watching the heated discussion below, a cold light suddenly flashing in his eyes.
Two minutes later, the price exceeded 10,000, but now only Liana and Chilledin remained in the bidding, no longer including Dulmatin.
Now with an even higher bid, Chilledin coldly said, “Liana, you have a good relationship with Flora. If you want to obtain the alchemy illusion, there are many other ways, why must you compete with me?”
Chilledin’s words were not wrong, but Liana didn’t think so. Last time, she used some underhanded means to get Flora to help her buy Angel’s Demon Eater Flower King Saliva scent at an almost “dirt” cost.
She earned a fortune herself, but when she thought back to the price she offered Angel for the raw materials at that time, she felt a little guilty. However, Angel hadn’t risen in the alchemy world back then, so she simply ignored it. Who would have thought that in just three years, Angel would rise to prominence so strongly?
Judging others by herself, Liana didn’t think Angel would easily forgive her actions back then. That’s why she decided to obtain the alchemy illusion through bidding now, instead of directly approaching Angel.
The two continued bidding, but at this time, the rhythm among the wizard apprentices below had shifted directions.
Chapter 723 Great Ups and Downs <TOC> Chapter 725 A Sudden Change of Wind