"2 million middle-grade spirit stones!"
Someone bid double the amount of the previous bid. Everyone turned their head to see who the bidder was. To their surprise, the bidder was extremely young. It was Ori Oregano, the youngest alchemy prodigy of the Medicine Valley!
Sitting beside him was the Sect Master of the Medicine Valley, The Valley King of Healer, Alar Thorne. A peak stage Nascent Soul expert.
"It looks like the Medicine Valley really went all out for this legendary art," Selene whispered.
Leyvi nodded. 2 million middle-grade spirit stones. This was a gargantuan amount of wealth. For comparison, his family's entire spirit stones only sum up to just over 2 million low-grade spirit stones. A middle-grade spirit stone was equivalent to 100 low-grade spirit stones. This means that the bid just now was a whopping 200 million low-grade spirit stones. A hundred times more!
It took Anda around a year to obtain that much wealth with her monopoly in Bara City, so for her to get 200 million low-grade spirit stones, it would need her roughly 100 years.
It was a method that could raise the grade of alchemy products after all, and the effect of each grade had a massive gap between each other. By going all out now, the Medicine Valley would have a head start in advancing their sect.
"2 million middle-grade spirit stones ONE!"
"2 million middle-grade spirit stones TWO!"
"2 million middle-grade spirit stones THREE!"
"The 'Heavenly Touch Alchemy Method version 0.1' goes to our young alchemy prodigy Ori Oregano!" The gorgeous auctioneer announced with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Ori looked over in Leyvi and Selene's direction and gave a smug expression, his chest puffed out in pride. Selene, on the other hand, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Leyvi pretended like he didn't see Ori's smug face and picked his nose with his pinky finger to annoy him. Leyvi's goofy action made Selene giggle.
"It's not like he won the bid with his own money, what is there to be arrogant about?" Leyvi said in a low voice.
"Well, he is a young alchemy prodigy after all, the Medicine Valley was probably trying to make him more popular and well-known, that's why they let him bid." Selene analyzed.
"Oh...Miss Selene, you are very smart, I didn't think of that." Leyvi praised.
Selene smiled widely from the praise.
Meanwhile, as the auction continued, an ordinary-looking cauldron appeared on the stage. It didn't sparkle with the allure of a high-grade artifact or radiate the intense spiritual energy of a legendary treasure.
It was simply a cauldron made of a dark metal, its surface etched with ancient runes that seemed almost too faint to make out. It was placed unceremoniously next to the podium, looking almost out of place amidst the grandeur of the hall.
The auctioneer announced the item in a tone that suggested it was not particularly noteworthy. "Next, we have a simple yet antique cauldron from the ancient civilization. While it may not boast the same legendary status as the 'Heavenly Touch Alchemy Method', it carries with it a rich history and the potential for a dedicated alchemist to unlock its secrets. The starting bid is at 50,000 low-grade spirit stones."
The crowd's excitement waned noticeably. From a single glance, they could see that there was nothing special about this cauldron. It was just made from a durable material with no integrated array.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
Most cauldrons that alchemists use nowadays have some kind of array equipped to improve the concocting process. This ancient cauldron has none of that, making it suitable only for beginner alchemists. As for the secrets that the auctioneer said? It was just bullshit to increase the price.
But Leyvi had a different thought. This cauldron was exactly what he was looking for. It was something that didn't spark greed in others, something that he could actually bid for without facing fierce competition.
As for special effects? Anda didn't need them. As long as it was durable and could be used for a long time, that would be more than enough. His eyes never left the cauldron as he whispered to Selene, "I want that. Can you help me bid for it?"
Selene looked at him, puzzled. "Why would you want that?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Because nobody wants it. When I get back I can brag to them I win a bid competing with many super rich people." Leyvi chuckled.
"Hehe, that's why? Okay, I'll get it for you," Selene giggled, amused by the reason.
"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. I don't have enough spirit stones but I can repay you in another form." Leyvi whispered, oblivious that Selene had misunderstood his words.
What? Is he paying back with his body? Oh no, what should I do? I'm not ready yet! I need to learn how to do it from my mother first! Is he actually not joking about being my gigolo? Weird thoughts went through Selene's mind as she blushed heavily.
"Selene? Please help me bid. Hello~" Leyvi waved his hand in front of her face.
What is wrong with this girl suddenly? Her face is red. Is she embarrassed that she had to bid for that cauldron? Well, that cauldron was really nothing special after all, except for its high historical value, nobody here seems to care about it.
"Is there any bid?" The gorgeous auctioneer asked. Although it wasn't the first time for an item to receive zero bid, it would still be very awkward when it happened and she didn't want it to happen when it was her turn as the auctioneer. It would put a dent in her record.
Dammit! Who included this trash cauldron in the auction list? Who cares about historical value? All of them were among the most wealthy and powerful people in the South Region, they probably have plenty of historical relics lying around in their backyard.
Suddenly a sweet voice sounded,
"50000 low-grade spirit stones!"
The gorgeous auctioneer was instantly happy when someone bid for the cauldron. She quickly turned her head and saw the cute Selene raising her hand. In her eyes, Selene looked like the purest and sweetest angel, saving her record from being tainted.
Without wasting any time, she declared, "50000 low-grade spirit stones ONE, 50000 low-grade spirit stones TWO, 50000 low-grade spirit stones THREE! Congratulations to Young Lady Selene Goldstone for obtaining the Ancient Cauldron!"
On the other side, Ori Oregano was caught off guard. When Selene bid for the cauldron, he wanted to mess with her by increasing the bid, but he didn't expect the auctioneer to end the bid quickly, disrupting his plan. He was so angry.
Leyvi was extremely satisfied. He got the cauldron easily. He could tell that the auctioneer was anxious and quickly ended the bid so she could get out of the awkward situation faster, which benefited him greatly.
That stupid Ori kid missed his chance to mess with me. Hahaha! What a lucky day! Leyvi rejoiced in his heart.
"Miss Selene, thank you very much for helping. You are my lucky charm today. I'll pay back after the auction ends somewhere private." Leyvi said with a smile and whispered closely the latter part.
Although he didn't have enough spirit stones, he had plenty of the natural liquid Qi he could give her and its value was even higher than middle-grade spirit stones. To keep this a secret, he must give it to her privately or it would bring trouble.
Selene froze when she heard Leyvi. Her face became redder than a tomato. After the auction? Oh my god! I'm not ready yet! What should I do? Selene felt her body tingling as if expecting it to happen. She recalled that day when Fisherwomen flashed her areola to Leyvi, do I need to do that too?
"Miss Selene? Hello~~" Leyvi waved his hand in front of her red face again. "What happened to her? She got petrified and her body twitched again." Leyvi murmured.
The auction continued and valuable items were brought out one after another. What confused Leyvi was none of these items were more valuable than the 'Heavenly Touch Alchemy Method' that was brought as the second lot.
Leyvi leaned again, "Miss Selene, why does the item value seem random? Isn't it usually arranged according to their estimated price? According to what I've seen so far, that legendary art should have been the last item."
Selene who had returned from her fantasy replied shyly, "Ahh...because it was more profitable this way. If you put the most valuable item at the end, most of them would hold back, making the earlier bids less profitable. If they don't know which one is the best item, it would make them more likely to go all out with the bid."
Leyvi had a realization. His fist made contact with his palm. "Hmm, you are right, that's pretty smart. Since the legendary art came out early, they probably thought they had missed the best item, and now they could just bid on whatever without reserve."
Since they had arranged it like this, it was obviously more profitable for them.