"Thirty million."
A startlingly high bid opened the proceedings, injecting life into the auction that was nearing its end. This initial high bid ignited hope among those who had been disappointed just moments before, sparking anticipation for the upcoming bidding war.
"Thirty-five million."
"Thirty-seven million."
"Forty million."
With someone daring to make a second bid, all the major powers naturally followed with their offers.
"Wow!"
"Damn!"
"Is this for real?"
As successive high bids were called out, exclamations of surprise echoed around, each bid in increments of millions and made rapidly. The next bid would follow in just a few breaths after the previous, and the flashing numbers on the bid screen made almost everyone outside the VIP room exclaim in shock.
Major powers competed fiercely, quickly driving the price up to fifty-five million. This became the highest bid in the history of the Camilla Auction House. Penelope watched the steadily increasing bid with a smile, her heart filled with joy and excitement.
"The Camilla Auction House will gain more fame on the continent under my charge. After tonight, it will become the premier auction house in the Frost Empire, a true honor."
In just a short time, the bid soared from thirty million to sixty-two million, almost doubling. Yehan had to admit, these major powers were wealthy. Sixty-two million was equivalent to the annual revenue of the Frost Empire and could sustain a large family for ten years of normal operation.
Yehan didn't fully understand the value of a saint-level powerhouse to these major powers. Money can be earned back in a few years, but a saint-level powerhouse cannot be created in a short time. It requires a long time and certain opportunities. Therefore, saint-level magic cores were precious to these powers; with strong power, why worry about money?
"Sixty-five million."
As the bidding continued to soar, some powers gradually withdrew from the competition. Even among the top powers on the continent, not all could mobilize such a large sum of money in a short time.
Now only five powers remained in contention. At this point, they no longer hid their identities.
The bidder of sixty-five million was the Swordsman Guild of the Frost Empire, led by Raditz. The other four were the Church of Light, the Magic Guild, the Dark Church, and the red-haired girl in the VIP area.
The red-haired girl's strong bidding shocked everyone. No one expected her to participate in the bidding for the saint-level magic core, and the price of sixty-two million had come from her.
"Sixty-eight million," the red-haired girl once again shocked everyone with her bid, raising it by three million, showing a stance as formidable as the Swordsman Guild. Amid the exclamations, she was deeply imprinted in everyone's memory. Yehan also finally noticed her as a powerful hidden enemy.
After the red-haired girl's bid, there was a brief pause in the bidding, and everyone turned their attention to the other four powers, wondering how they would compete.
"Seventy million," announced the VIP from the Magic Guild.
"Seventy million and fifty thousand."
The bid from the Dark Church elicited laughter. At this critical moment, they only increased the bid by fifty thousand, signaling that they were running low on funds.
Inside the VIP area of the Swordsman Guild, Raditz looked worriedly at an elder. They, too, faced a serious problem: their funds were running low.
"How much do we have?" the elder asked in a deep, commanding voice.
"We urgently mobilized sixty million from the guild, plus what the elders and we brought. In total, seventy-five million," Raditz replied, looking disappointedly at the bidding screen.
"Sixty million. Are they idiots? At such a gathering of powers, do they really think they can buy a saint-level magic core for sixty million? Are they fools, or do they think all the major powers in the world are fools?" the elder angrily retorted, his tone suggesting a high position within the Swordsman Guild.
"They said that's all they could gather in such a short time. I guess the other powers can't gather much more either."
"The other powers are probably in a similar situation, so I'm not worried. But what really concerns me is that red-haired girl and the silent number thirteen VIP room," the elder said, looking worriedly at the screen. Clearly, the strong moves of the red-haired girl and the inactivity of the number thirteen VIP room posed a great threat to him.
While he somewhat understood the reaction of the red-haired girl, the number thirteen VIP room remained an enigma to the elder. Their strong bid for the magic wand and subsequent withdrawal, coupled with their silence during the intense bidding for the saint-level magic core, puzzled him. The same went for the few silent VIPs from the beginning.
Although there were only a few major powers
and families dominating the continent, the true situation was known to an elder of the Swordsman Guild. After countless years of evolution and development, had the once powerful forces truly disappeared under the ravages of time? The hidden powers were countless.
Seeing these reactions filled the elder with unease about the mission. But what puzzled him was why these powers, usually hidden in the shadows of the continent, would reemerge. He didn't believe that Yehan, with some strange and powerful cultivation techniques, could provoke these powers to reveal themselves.
"Maybe not," the elder thought, slightly shaking his head.
He sighed softly and said no more, while Raditz continued to monitor the auction. The price reached seventy million and fifty thousand, entering the final showdown.
"Seventy-one million," the Church of Light made their bid, but it was less than before, and the bids of the few major powers didn't fluctuate much. Gradually, the price climbed to seventy-four million, and at this point, both the Dark Church and the Magic Guild withdrew from the bidding.
"Seventy-five million," the Swordsman Guild finally made another high bid after a lull, but Raditz knew this was their last chance.
Seventy-five million, an astronomical figure even for major families, was being bid just for a single saint-level magic core. This again demonstrated the preciousness of the saint-level magic core.
Seventy-five million. Penelope looked at the flashing red numbers on the bid screen, her handsome face almost contorted with joy.
Seventy-five million, a price that would rank high in the auction world, far exceeding expectations.
"Since you're all out of money, let us join the fun," a playful voice came from the number thirteen VIP room, surprising everyone at the seventy-five million bid. But this time, it wasn't the previous woman's voice, but a young man's.
Upon hearing this, Raditz's face darkened. The meaning was clear: "You're not qualified to play with me."
The red-haired girl in the VIP area also frowned upon hearing this, obviously feeling uneasy.
"Seventy-five million, is it? Then I bid eighty million," the bid was made casually, as if eighty million was nothing.
"Eighty million, any further bids?" At this point, Penelope didn't need to stir up the crowd. It wasn't necessary. Eighty million had already set a new record for the saint-level magic core, and it was at her Camilla Auction House. The outcome exceeded everyone's expectations, as the major powers were given too short a time to prepare.
PS: The auction is finally coming to an end. The killing will start tomorrow. Please recommend and favorite, thank you all.