Chapter 132: Chapter 78: Greedy Mine Cave
Translator: 549690339
The auction for legendary materials was finally happening.
“Next up is a [Giant Dragon Wing Bone]. As per the assessment of our appraiser, the formidable aura of the bone dragon remains intact, with extraordinary traits in high concentration. The quality of the material is classified as legendary. The starting bid starts at one hundred million, with increments of not less than fifty million…”
“Two hundred million!”
“Three hundred million!”
A murmur barely settled, the grand auction house immediately stirred into excitement.
Leonard Churchill had no need for such a material, nor did he have the qualifications to compete for it.
A dragon bone, a fabled material, was a priceless treasure for those in need. The rarity and demand could make the bidding price astronomical.
Leonard had already been satisfied to obtain a Spade 4 at the bargain price of six million.
If anyone had known that the card was a Primordial Template, a price ten times higher wouldn’t have guaranteed its acquisition.
Now, he was just here for the spectacle.
He was curious about the staggering price that a legendary material would fetch.
Six hundred million, seven hundred million, eight hundred million…
The bidding kept escalating.
However, when everyone thought that the bidding would continue to soar, an unexpected twist happened.
Just as everyone was engrossed in the fierce bidding, a woman rushed over to the owner named Lew Williams, bearing a black VIP card and hurriedly whispered something into his ear.
Lew’s face changed, seemingly unable to process what he just heard.
After verifying the card for a moment, he momentarily hesitated, then walked on to the stage to halt the auction.
Everyone was puzzled.
Lew’s forehead was covered with cold sweat, visibly distressed. He took a deep breath and said, “I apologize, everyone. Due to some unusual circumstances, this item will be withdrawn from the auction. To express my apologies, I will provide a compensation of one million credits to everyone present…”
Upon hearing his words, the entire venue fell silent.
No one had expected the organizer to make such an announcement.
Not for sale?
Was this a backdoor deal?
The news came as quite a surprise to Leonard. With hundreds of guests present, the compensation alone would exceed one hundred million.
What could possibly drive a shrewd businessman to make such a move?
Besides, for a businessman, losing trust was worse than losing money.
Obviously, this was not a problem that could be solved by issuing a refund.
Those who had the resources to offer several hundreds of millions certainly didn’t care about a pesky one million.
The news was followed by a momentary silence.
Then…
An uproar broke out in the hall!
The ‘Champion’ Abel, who was looking for an opportunity to stir trouble, immediately yelled: “Hey, what’s the meaning of this? We are here to buy stuff, and now you just say you’re not selling anymore? Are you taking us for fools?”
Not only was Abel angry, but the other influential figures who had remained silent till now could also no longer hide their annoyance.
“That’s right. If you do business, you should have the basic integrity. I attended this event relying on the goodwill of the Black Gold Trade Union. I’m truly disappointed…”
“Young man, your behaviour is indeed unkind. I, Mr. Han, would like to know who holds such influence over you, making you withdraw an item that was already up for sale to cater to their whims!”
II II
This material was invaluable to top curse card masters and no one wanted to pass it up.
And since it was on sale, it was the norm to purchase it for a price.
Withdrawal at this stage was both unreasonable and illogical.
In the Sinless City, if these influential figures were provoked, no one could continue running their business.
Lew Williams hadn’t expected such a situation to occur.
He was well aware that his actions were poor business practice, and his face turned aghast.
If this situation were to blow up, their Great Ivan Shop might have to shut down the very next day.
Despite this, he had no choice but to proceed.
The owner of this black card was none other than the supreme VIP of the Black Gold Trade Union, with only a few available Federation-wide.
This was not about the money, it was about the extremely special status of the cardholder!
Even though he didn’t know who it was, he had to abide by the family rules after seeing the card.
However, these were trade secrets which he couldn’t disclose.
“Honoured guests, please hear me out…”
Lew Williams tried to salvage the situation, but the uproar was just escalating and could no longer be suppressed.
However, during this moment of agitation, an aged voice suddenly spoke up: “Don’t trouble the young one from the Song family. This material is for me.”
The voice was soft, but it seemed to be laced with magic.
The moment the voice was heard, the entire venue was mute.
Then, an old man emerged and took off his cloak.
Leonard watched with great curiosity as a white-bearded old man emerged.
Even though he seemed quite old, his spirit was vibrant.
He seemed like he had just arrived at the auction venue.
As soon as this old man appeared.
The whole place was quiet.
But suddenly, someone recognized him.
The man looked horrified and was trembling as he spoke. He quickly emerged from his private booth and bowed deeply in respect, “Junior member of the Hunter’s Association, Gambi, pays respects to Master Merlin.”
Everyone was flabbergasted by the sight.
Leonard was also surprised. Could this be Gambi, the deputy chairman of the Hunter’s Association?
He was quite an influential figure in Sinless City.
He actually used “junior” as a self-reference?
And he was so moved?
By the way, who’s this “Master Merlin” he is talking about?
Not only him, some of the older faces in the audience also recognized the man, and the huge auction hall fell silent.
The old man seemed to recall something, and casually asked, “Is Red Beard Gambi related to you?”
Gambi replied respectfully and somewhat proudly, “He is indeed my father. I was present when you visited our association twenty years ago..”