Minako kept bidding higher than Murai as if she wouldn't concede defeat no matter what. She even just kept silent when Murai spoke to taunt her.
"What are we going to do, Murai? We might offend the Taira Clan because of that girl. You still want to compete with her for that violet spirit stone?" Austin became a little worried. After all, their rival wasn't just a nobody, but rather one of the giants in this country.
"Tch, I'll put one more bid, and we'll be done for this. I was wondering, does that girl have unlimited cash injections or something?" Murai clicked his tongue, slightly irritated. After that, he typed his bid once again into the tablet.
"Murai-sama, one hundred and ninety-five million! Oh, I'm now wondering who will end up bringing this 'Top-tier High Quality' home." Kannon rubbed his hands and announced.
"Hum-mm~" Minako just hummed and didn't want to lose to that. Money was the last thing she was worried about.
"Peace Lover, two hundred million! Whoo, the peace-loving princess doesn't seem willing to give in to anyone." Kannon smiled and waited a few seconds.
Unfortunately, no other bids came after the last one. Therefore, Kannon decided to withdraw the final result. "Alright, I'll start the countdown. Two hundred million yen, one, two, three. Congratulations to Peace Lover for bringing home this violet spirit stone, or better known as the Top-tier High-Quality Spirit Stone."
"Ufufu, thank you." Minako immediately took care of the payment while chuckling lightly. A few seconds later, a luxurious purple jewelry box was delivered to her.
She opened the box to check. A violet crystal with a slightly purplish glow seemed to sparkle and dazzle her eyes. The rich, powerful energy could be felt with just a touch of a finger.
"Hum~" Minako closed the jewelry box and put it on her lap. She looked back at the stage.
"We've come to the end of the auction with only one last item. This is a high-level artifact that's specifically meant for cultivating young seedlings. This artifact has passed the Esper Association's test to increase the user's overall abilities. One thing, in particular, this artifact can evolve to keep up with the user's strength. The stronger the user, the more powerful this artifact will be." Kannon went to stand beside the trolley.
"Very well, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you all. Sword of Domination, a weapon with special abilities for the victor!" Kannon pulled the trolley cover. He pressed a button, then the artifact floated against gravity.
It was like a longsword in the ancient kingdom with golden dragon ornaments on the hilt and scabbard. The black-gold sword instantly gained everyone's interest, without exception.
"Before we start with the auction, allow me to demonstrate this artifact once. As I said, this Sword of Domination can adapt according to the user's strength and evolve together. I'm currently at stage 4. Let's see what kind of ability this sword is." Kannon pulled the sword from the scabbard.
*Shiiiiiing* *Shh*
Kannon only swung it once on the stage to an empty air target. It was like an invisible wind blade, the stage floor was split open and the curtain torn apart without the sword needing to touch anything but air. The sharpness of the sword gave an impact of two and a half meters.
"Oops, as you can see, the sharpness of this sword cannot be underestimated. Moreover, it is only one of the abilities of this sword. Due to its immense power, this weapon will be under the supervision of the government no matter who wields it." Kannon sheathed the sword again and let it float on the trolley.
Then, he continued his speech. "Full responsibility rests with the wielder of this sword. Only the chosen one can wield this sword. Auction prices start at twenty million in multiples of one million. Please place your bid."
Silence enveloped the hall for a moment. The audience began to think twice about placing their bids because the government would monitor that powerful weapon.
Even so, some people started placing their bids to join in the fun.
Yuna clenched her fists because she was in a dilemma. On the one hand, she also wanted that sword, but on the other hand, she knew the consequences of having that sword.
As if understanding the conflicting thoughts in Yuna's mind, Mike put his hand on Yuna's fist. "The last item will only bring us more harm than good. We'd better skip this one."
Yuna felt a source of warmth suddenly touch her hand. She reflexively released her fist and grasped that warm hand back.
"Hm? Your hand suddenly becomes cold, Yuna? Are you feeling nervous?" Mike was a little surprised to notice the temperature of Yuna's hand.
"Eh?" Yuna glanced at her hand. She held Mike's hand tightly. For that reason, she instantly felt embarrassed.
The strong urge to immediately let go of the warm hand immediately entered her mind. However, she felt a bit reluctant for some reason.
"It's okay. I will keep your hand warm." Mike grabbed Yuna's dainty hand and smiled kindly. "If you want it, can you give me your other hand?"
Yuna became increasingly embarrassed to look at Mike's face or the people around her. She just looked down and used her other hand to pull the hand that was intertwined with Mike's under the table.
Meanwhile, Mike gave a little warmth to Yuna's hand for a few seconds, then he retracted his hand.
"Alright, we'll skip that sword. We can buy more supplies at the resource shop later." Yuna nodded and spoke in a mosquito-like voice.
"???" Mike failed to hear what Yuna just said. Even so, he didn't ask Yuna to repeat her words.
After fifteen minutes had passed, the bidding war reached its end with one winner announced by Kannon. Payment is made, and the sword is handed over to the highest bidder.
"Haha, this is a great sword." Austin looked at the sword on the table with a big smile. Then, he covered his mouth and whispered. "It's not in vain for the six of us to join forces to compete at such a high price. We'll be using this sword in turns to be fair, right?"
"It doesn't matter on my side. Every activity of this sword will be monitored, but there are flaws. We will share responsibility for this four hundred million sword." Murai shrugged his shoulders. Then, his other four friends also expressed their agreement.
"But, can I use this Sword of Domination during my battle against Mighty-man?" Austine put the sword on the table and asked with seriousness on his face.
"Use it if it's necessary. You've staked your Lotus Pearl after all. You only have two choices, win or regret it for your life, eh." Murai closed one eye to Austin.
"Then, for these three days, I will guard this sword until that battle is over. What do you think?" Austin took the sword and embraced it.
To respond to that request, no one gave any objections or objections. So, Austin was the one who would hold the Sword of Domination for the next three days.
On the other hand, Yuna was getting more and more nervous. Her hands went cold without her noticing it.
"Mike..." Yuna put her hand on Mike's arm.
"An artifact, weapon, or item is simply a tool. I'll be fine as long as I prepare myself perfectly. The auction is over. Let's go home." Mike patted Yuna's hand in reassurance.