"Yes, finally witnessing it today," Penelope sighed. He then continued, "This is all thanks to the sacred-tier magic core you brought, which has created this bustling scene."
"Hehe, I too have my purposes. We're just helping each other," Ye Han was indifferent to Penelope's praise.
"Today, representatives of all the major forces in Myatt City have come, all for the bidding of the sacred-tier magic core. The scene will definitely be very intense."
Time passed slowly in the conversation between the two, and half an hour quickly elapsed. Penelope smiled at Ye Han and then walked towards the auction stage with his entourage.
The auction officially began. The moment Penelope emerged from behind the stage, the noisy auction house fell silent, all eyes on Penelope.
Penelope, under everyone's gaze, stepped onto the stage. He would host tonight's auction, particularly the auction of the sacred-tier magic core.
Looking at the packed auction house, Penelope felt a surge of glory, already enjoying high esteem as the owner of the Camilla Auction House in Myatt City. He was somewhat overwhelmed by the effect and atmosphere brought about by the auction of the sacred-tier magic core. The number of sacred-tier powerhouses who came tonight alone was more than thirty.
This is human nature: craving more glory, money, and power, never satisfied.
Penelope cleared his throat and gave some standard opening remarks and boring thank-yous. Then, under the hopeful gaze of the audience, he commenced the auction.
As the highlight, the sacred-tier magic core was scheduled for the last auction, while the continent's ninth-ranked weapon was placed in the middle to attract attention to other items.
With Penelope's cue, a staff member walked onto the stage with a tray covered with a red cloth and gently placed it on the auction table in front of Penelope.
"To thank everyone for coming to the Camilla Auction House tonight, the first item is a small opening gift," Penelope said, quickly unveiling the red cloth, revealing a burst of blue light.
The first item's appearance stirred some noise in the quiet crowd.
"Hehe, I'm sure everyone knows what this is. Yes, it's an eighth-tier water magic core," announced Penelope. The crowd in the VIP and general areas got excited. Only those in the VIP rooms remained quiet, nearly motionless.
They knew they had no hope for the sacred-tier magic core, but everything auctioned tonight was of high quality and not too expensive.
"Alright, let's start the bidding for the first item. The starting price is 100,000 gold coins, with each bid increasing by at least 1,000."
"110,000"
"130,000"
"150,000"
Watching the constantly flashing prices on the bidding screen, Ye Han was amazed at the extravagance of the bidders. An eighth-tier magic core, typically worth at most a few hundred thousand, was bid up to 250,000 gold coins in this setting.
250,000 gold coins could support thousands of commoners for several years. Yet these nobles, just to flaunt their wealth, were willing to pay such a high price for a core that was usually worth far less.
Ye Han, indifferent to worldly possessions, didn't participate in the bidding. He knew that personal strength was what mattered most. Time slipped away with each item's auction, and Ye Han was continuously astounded by the wealth of the bidders.
Apart from a few individuals in the VIP area and those in the VIP rooms, everyone participated in the bidding, keeping the atmosphere intensely competitive. The first phase of the auction concluded, and people sat quietly in their seats, awaiting the second phase, where more valuable items would be auctioned.
After about fifteen minutes, Penelope re-emerged from behind the stage with a smile, followed by a staff member pushing a black box. The audience knew the first major item of the night was about to be auctioned.
"The previous bidding was intense. Many of you must have acquired items to your satisfaction. To thank you for your participation, we now offer a real treat," Penelope said, glancing at the staff member.
The staff member stepped forward, placing the black box on the auction table and gently opening it. A burst of red light brightened the dim auction house.
"Now, we start the auction of the continent's ninth-ranked magic wand, Fire Essence. I believe everyone knows its significance for mages, so I won't waste words. The starting price is one million gold coins, with each bid increasing by at least 5,000."
"1.1 million," someone from the VIP area immediately shouted their price as soon as Penelope finished speaking, raising the price by 100,000.
"1.3 million"
"1.5 million"
The price soared, not in increments of a thousand, but by tens of thousands or more.
"2.7 million," a woman's voice suddenly shouted, raising the previous bid by half a million.
The crowd fell silent, searching for the woman who had bid 2.7 million.
Ye Han immediately spotted the bidder, a beautiful red-haired woman, sitting calmly and indifferent to the surrounding attention.
"2.7 million to buy the continent's ninth-ranked weapon is a joke," a discordant voice from VIP Room No. 7 broke the silence.
"I bid 3.5 million." This staggering price made everyone gasp. 3.5 million was enough for a second-rate family to operate for a decade. Penelope's smile widened at the surprise of the audience.
With one high bid, another followed. "I bid 4.5 million," came another shocking bid from VIP Room No. 11. The VIP room bidders, representing major powers, bid in millions, unlike those in the general area.
The red-haired woman, hearing these bids, showed a flicker of emotion but quickly recovered. She bid an even more astonishing price: "I bid 6 million," raising the price by 1.5 million to 6 million.
Penelope was thrilled with the rising prices, especially since this was just the first major item. He dared not think further about the upcoming sacred-tier magic core auction.
The high bids deterred those without strong backing from continuing to bid on the magic wand.
The price eventually reached 11.5 million, a bid from VIP Room No. 11. The red-haired woman calmly raised the bid again: "13 million." Her bid angered the bidders in Rooms No. 7 and No. 11.
"Hmph, anyone can bid, but you need the money to back it up. I suggest checking if she can afford it," said the bidder from Room No. 11 angrily.
Penelope was in a difficult position, as auction houses don't have the right to check a client's finances. The red-haired woman, not wanting to cause trouble for the auction, handed a well-wrapped item to a staff member and whispered something to him.
The staff member handed the item to Penelope, who opened it slightly, then quickly closed it and returned it to the woman, confirming her eligibility to bid.
This event piqued everyone's curiosity about the woman's identity, including those in the VIP rooms.
After this brief pause, the auction continued.