Chapter 73: The Auction Begins |
“Lady Veriya, how could I possibly miss such an important gathering?”
Kyle’s voice leisurely echoed from within the metal armor.
This immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
Controlling Alvaro’s body, he performed an elegant ancient apology salute of the pureblood vampires.
“My sincerest apologies. I’ve encountered some inconveniences recently and can only meet you all in this manner. I hope you can forgive me.”
Kyle quite enjoyed being among this group of “people.” It felt far more comfortable than dealing with hypocritical human nobles.
“No matter. We are here only for trade. As long as someone ensures the fairness of the transactions, that is enough.”
A voice—well, a voice coming from a coffin formed of countless white bones floating midair—spoke in a chilling, hoarse tone.
“Thank you for your understanding, Lord Eris.”
Despite her terrifying appearance, she was actually the most easygoing and reclusive one here—and also the strongest.
After all, in her past life, she had been a renowned heroine.
In his palm, a stack of carefully prepared evaluation reports appeared. He handed them one by one into their respective “hands.”
These reports had cost him considerable effort. Fortunately, he had prepared them before falling unconscious, so he wasn’t scrambling now.
The reason he could gather these terrifying beings here was precisely due to his meticulous analytical ability regarding all kinds of resources. It earned their trust in the fairness of his transactions, which in turn made them willing to put their treasures up for auction.
At this moment, each of them held their respective reports, carefully examining every detail.
From this information, they could not only clearly understand the current value of their resources, but also identify strengths and weaknesses—allowing them to further improve and make their resources more competitive in the future.
In a sense, Kyle was essentially a top-tier resource appraisal master working for them—for free.
***
Eris stared at the evaluation of her Bone Beads, reading it again and again, her mind in turmoil.
Item Name: Bone Beads
Origin: Unknown (Confidential) – Hidden Death Canyon
Quantity: 365
Soul Capacity: 1.3 standard units (equivalent to 13 adult human souls)
Death Energy Purity: 89% (contains 11% impurity energy; see Appendix 3)
······
Value Assessment: Strength increased by 12% compared to last session; overall value decreased by 27.9%.
At the end of the detailed report, the conclusion was clear—although the beads were stronger than before, their value had shrunk by nearly one-third!
This batch of beads was the most valuable resource produced under her command. She had invested immense effort trying to increase their strength, thinking their value would naturally rise—yet because she couldn’t perceive deeper subtle changes, their value had instead declined…
Kyle’s cold data felt like a silent slap, making even her coffin tremble.
Creaking, grating sounds echoed continuously from Eris’s coffin.
Inside the VIP hall, the various “demons and monsters” displayed mixed reactions—some pleased, others troubled.
A being resembling a withered ancient tree stood quietly. From the cracks in its bark-like skin, translucent insects constantly flew out, greedily feeding on the emotional fluctuations drifting through the air.
Hidden within Alvaro’s metallic body, Isos felt a pang of heartache.
These pure emotional fluctuations from Transcendent beings would have been a rare delicacy for him—yet now he could only watch helplessly as they were devoured, forced to remain still.
“Kyle, lad!”
A humanoid figure formed from black-purple water elements spoke with dissatisfaction.
“The value fluctuation of my Black Abyss Nether Dew is way too big, isn’t it? Last time, one bottle could be exchanged for three Abyss Fire Seeds. Why has it dropped so much this time?”
“Lord Qued, there’s nothing I can do about that. Although your Black Abyss Nether Dew is precious, very few people can both use it and afford it. And without special storage containers, it quickly loses its effect. If you want to liquidate it quickly, you have to adjust the price according to market demand.”
“Besides, this is just an estimate. During the actual auction, the price might still rise significantly.”
Kyle patiently answered each guest.
This, too, was intentional. Some seemingly unimportant questions were deliberately left in place—to create more opportunities for interaction and deepen these powerful beings’ trust and reliance on him.
“Of course, if you can develop a container capable of preserving Black Abyss Nether Dew long-term, I would personally place a standing order with you. After all, it’s a valuable resource for repairing soul bodies—always good to have on hand!”
Hearing this, Qued grew even more depressed.
He had already spent thousands of years researching it, yet still couldn’t preserve its effect—not even extend its duration.
He had come to realize—he simply wasn’t cut out for it.
And letting others research it? Pure fantasy. Who would spend enormous sums to buy life-saving resources only to use them as experimental consumables?
Most people who bought Black Abyss Nether Dew used it immediately upon purchase!
Moreover, once it left its origin—the Black Abyss Realm—it only remained effective for three days. Who could possibly solve the preservation problem within that time?
As for researching it within the Black Abyss?
Heh. Ordinary beings would dissolve into liquid within half a breath. Even a Legendary wouldn’t last half a day!
“Forget it, forget it. I might as well focus on developing new resources.”
Qued waved his liquefied arm irritably and returned to examining other trade items and auction lots, searching for something he needed.
In contrast, Veriya was extremely satisfied with her evaluation results.
The selling prices of several of her specialty products had generally increased by around ten percent, and their trading volume had also risen significantly.
Her transactions with Coral Thorn City now accounted for more than a third of her total income, causing a charming smile to curve her lips.
***
Time passed steadily, and soon it was time for the auction.
Kyle guided the special VIPs through a hidden passage toward their exclusive top-floor private boxes.
Meanwhile, in another luxurious corridor leading to the top-level boxes, O’Brien and Dean followed an attendant from the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce.
The injuries on O’Brien’s head had already fully healed. Such superficial wounds could be resolved with a single holy light—or even by his physique alone within less than half a day.
Unlike the refined elegance of the mid-level boxes, the corridor here was lined with dynamic magical oil paintings, depicting major events in Coral Thorn City over the past century.
Scenes from grand auctions of past eras, championship battles in the underground dark colosseum, and every expansion and transformation of the city—all conveying the weight of its decades of change.
“Master Ryan, this is your private box.”
The attendant pushed open a wooden door carved with gear patterns. The scene inside made Dean involuntarily draw in a breath.
The interior was simple yet bright. At the center stood a silver table and sofas crafted from moonlight wood. The table displayed unknown fresh fruits and fragrant fruit wine.
Facing the sofa was an entire wall of massive one-way magical glass, offering a clear view of the brilliantly lit auction stage below—while preventing anyone outside from seeing in.
In the corner stood a smooth crystal screen, clearly displaying the full list of auction items, along with detailed value analysis and market predictions provided by the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce.
After explaining all the facilities and how to use them, the attendant respectfully bowed and left.
This level of comfort and convenience, far beyond the current era, left Dean standing stiffly in place, curiously observing every exquisite furnishing but not daring to touch anything, afraid he might accidentally damage something.
Everything here was beyond anything he had ever imagined—and clearly extremely valuable.
O’Brien, however, paid little attention to such things. His gaze landed on the small crystal screen on the table. His fingers slid rapidly across it as he browsed item after item.
Soon, he found the top-tier light-attribute equipment set he had personally forged.
The screen displayed detailed information on each component—materials, attributes, and value—so thorough that even he, the creator, was secretly astonished.
Ding—dong—