With the Young Master bidding on the book, most of the guests dared not to compete with him. It would be a foolish thing to try and outbid the person who had the backing of the entire Primordial Sun Dynasty.
"10,100 Liongs." However, some people who had equal standing or secure foundations like the Mayor or the real estate mogul from out of town were ballsy enough to throw their hats in the bidding.
"10,500" the Young Master bid back.
The Mayor was not backing down. He was quite known for collecting memorabilia from the Old Age. "11,000"
"12,000"
"13,500!"
The host spouted bids back and forth as it got higher. The Young Master was steadfast and had an air of confidence—surely because such money was only considered as chump change for him.
The Mayor, however, was starting to sweat as the bid got to the higher end. This was because he already spent a lot of money earlier in the evening, and he was also planning on bidding for more items after the book. It was a tough decision for him.
"20,000 Liongs."
The Young Master bid a high amount of money equivalent to two 10-year cultivation pills. The other competitors finally decided it was enough and placed their numbers down. They would not spend that much money on a book that could not even be read by anyone. It had no real value.
The big jump in the price also indicated the Young Master's desire to finish the bidding. The other guests understood the subtle connotation that he no longer wished to end the bidding.
The Mayor nodded his head as he backed off from the bidding. Even though he had a high enough influence and power to continue on, he had to concede and show some respect for the Young Master. After all, just one word from his father could replace him with another Mayor with just one snap of a finger.
The Young Master's lackeys subtly congratulated him for securing the book. Even though it was only a small feat, they took this opportunity to try and get even closer to him. However, someone else decided to raise their bid number.
"30,000," said Zoran in a nonchalant voice. He didn't care that almost half of the guests looked back at him with unbelieving eyes.
They doubted anyone would even try to outbid the Young Master after this, much less raise the bid that high. It was a clear sign of disrespect with full intention of competing with the Young Master for the book just after he demonstrated his intent in acquiring the book.
Gasps and sighs came out even more as they saw who bid against the Young Master. He was just a young teen from the Garbage District who had no money to even buy a proper suit. How could his bid even be considered?
Everyone looked at the host in protest. However, the host nodded his head and accepted the bid, despite dissent coming from the guest. After all, he knew that the Silver Bleeding Diamond would sell for much higher than that.
Looks of worry and concern flashed towards the Young Master. After the deaths they saw tonight, they were nervous. They didn't want to be affected by his wrath and die an unjustifiable death. They hoped it would only affect the peasant.
However, the Young Master didn't seem to be bothered at all. He calmly raised the bid again without even looking at Zoran, his main competitor.
"40,000."
Even though the Young Master seemed unconcerned, his lackeys beside him were livid. They stared daggers at Zoran. How dare he disrespect the Young Master like this and act unconcerned?!
"50,000." Zoran answered back.
"60,000" the Young Master replied.
"100,000." Zoran bid again.
The whole auditorium became tense. The bidding for this indecipherable book became even more intense than they expected. This wasn't even some treasured jewelry or heavenly weapon. It was just a book.
They started to wonder if the book had some unknown value that only the Young Master and Zoran knew about. It piqued their interest. They wanted to rejoin the bid, but the hostile looks from the Young Master's lackeys put the fear back in their bodies.
Despite the commotion by the guests and the Young Master's lackeys, the two bidders simply looked at the host and competed only with their financials. They didn't even spare one glance at each other.
One lackey, a tall lanky man with a stern look, whispered to the Young Master. "Do not waste your money Young Master. We can simply 'retrieve' the item from the impertinent fool."
Another man, with medium build and looked to be the youngest one out of all of them, added more. "I can take care of him, Young Master." He took out a monocle and stared at Zoran and saw the reality warping around his body. It was minuscule compared to the Young Master.
"Hmph. He's only in the 1st stage. It would be easy to deal with him," the young lackey said.
The Young Master looked at him and asked, "Igor, what is your cultivation?"
Igor, the young man, replied back enthusiastically. "I am in the 3rd stage, Young Master. He is not a problem."
The Young Master nodded and dropped his bidding number. Many guests exclaimed their disbelief as they saw the prestigious Young Master concede the item to a nobody like Zoran.
"Did the Young Master lose?"
"How could he lose?!"
The prestige and honor of the Young Master was steadily dropping with those questions running around. Some guests quickly saw this opportunity to try and curry favor with the future successor of the Primordial Sun Dynasty.
"Are you all blind? The Young Master simply raised the bid on this useless book to catch this fraudulent peasant."
"100,000 Liongs! Do you think this peasant from the Garbage District can even procure 1% of that money?!"
With those words, the general consensus shifted towards the Young Master. They suddenly understood that he simply caught the peasant in a trap. Bidding an amount that you cannot pay was a serious offense. And with the Young Master's influence, it could be upgraded to a crime punishable by death.
"100,000 Liongs sold! The book belongs to the young man in the back!" the host declared.
Igor scowled at Zoran. "Be grateful to the Young Master. He is willing to lend you the book."
Zoran simply ignored his words and focused on the book in the host's hands. The words were still ringing in his head.