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The situation worsened as the host seemed unwilling to let Mengdie touch the necklace at all. Mengdie huffed and glared fiercely at Dika, sitting comfortably in his seat. If not for that flashy but empty magic crystal card, she wouldn't have ended up in this fully exposed and doubted state. If not for that card, she would never have publicly bid one million Sula, making herself completely vulnerable. There were many ways to retrieve the necklace from the shadows, but now she was utterly exposed. What to do next?
"One thousand Sula."
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the hall. Everyone turned to see a young noble raising his paddle, his gaze not on the necklace but fixed intently on the troubled girl on the stage.
Startled, Mengdie looked up at the young nobleman, their eyes meeting...
...
"Two thousand Sula!!!"
Suddenly, another person recognized the necklace's true value. The paddle was raised again, this time by a middle-aged man in his forties, his eyes on Mengdie revealing much.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Count! You're shameless! She could be your daughter! Three thousand!!!" The young nobleman's face reddened with anger as he raised the bid.
"Hmph! Who says! I... I just like the necklace! Three thousand five hundred!!!" The middle-aged man retorted, his gaze sneaking towards Mengdie.
Like a contagion, after these simple bids, everyone understood the "true value" of the necklace. In less than a minute, the previously ignored necklace easily broke the hundred thousand mark.
"Damn it... they're doing this on purpose, aren't they? An already expensive item... and they're raising the price?!"
With each higher bid, Mengdie's heart trembled. Each tremor forced her to glance at the bidder. But she didn't realize that her anxious gaze, when meeting theirs, melted their hearts. And to steal her attention from those smitten men, more and more people joined the bidding, driving the price higher and higher.
"Fifteen thousand!"
"Six... sixteen thousand!"
"Damn, seventeen thousand!"
"Nin... nineteen thousand five!"
"Twenty thousand!"
The price soared. After passing twenty thousand, the bidders dwindled to a few wealthy nobles and lords. To earn a glance from Mengdie and the "stories" that might follow with the necklace, they didn't mind spending more.
Finally, the price broke thirty thousand. This "ordinary" ruby necklace, for reasons everyone but its owner Mengdie knew, became the auction's most prized item, doubling the price of the previous Eye of Marsa. And the price was still rising.
Finally...
"Fifty thousand Sula!"
The bidder was none other than Dika, who had been silent all along. Seeing him raise his paddle, the entire hall fell silent.
Dika slowly stood up, his experienced face breaking into a smile, apologetically looking at Mengdie: "I'm sorry, Miss Mengdie. I was too busy earlier and made a mistake with the magic crystal card. So, please allow me to apologize."
He bowed slowly, showing his remorse.
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