The room fell silent. No one was eager to raise their hand immediately. With healing techniques and potions already commonplace at the academy, few were willing to spend a large sum on something of such uncertain value.
Alexander and his friends exchanged glances. When Tomas nodded, they decided this item was a good fit within their budget of just 20,000 credits.
"Two thousand credits," So Alexander raised his hand and called out.
Another student quickly raised the bid to three thousand, but Alexander countered with four thousand. After a moment of hesitation, the student dropped out. Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the hammer, a voice interrupted.
"Five thousand!"
A murmur of surprise swept through the crowd. Alexander frowned and glanced across the room at Lucian, who was smirking at him. It was clear Lucian had no genuine interest in the magic water; he just wanted to provoke Alexander.
There was a murmur of surprise from the crowd, and Alexander frowned and glanced at Lucian who sneered at him on the other side of the room. It was obvious that Lucian had no real interest in the bottle of magic water.
"That bastard!" Elara hissed angrily. "What's he trying to do?"
"Probably just trying to mess with us," Selene said calmly. "Let's not give him the satisfaction."
Tomas also leaned over and whispered, "Alexander, this isn't worth it. He's just trying to mess with us."
Lira, sitting nearby, looked apologetic. "It's okay. It's not your fault. He's always been like this," Elara reassured her.
As the auctioneer called for further bids, Alexander looked at Lira, then raised an eyebrow at his friends. He decided to push forward, Elara and the others smiled meaningfully while seeing Alexander's expression.
"Ten thousand credits," Alexander declared.
Lucian's smile widened. "Eleven thousand credits," he quickly countered.
"Twelve thousand credits," Alexander replied, giving Lucian a disdainful glance as if ignoring his presence.
Seeing Alexander's determined stance, Lucian quickly calculated his remaining funds and what he assumed was Alexander's upper limit. A smug smile flickered in his eyes as he hesitated slightly before calling out, "Fifty thousand credits!"
Hearing the price quoted by Lucian, the venue suddenly went dead quiet. It was obviously a big loss to buy a bottle of magic water with fifty thousand credits.
Alexander was silent for a moment before standing up, pretending to be angry as he glared at Lucian. Then, after a moment, he suddenly smiled, took Lira's hand, kissed it, and said something that made Lucian lose his composure entirely: "Congratulations to Lucian for his big win..."
The other in the group ducked their heads, their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
After Alexander's remark, the entire venue fell silent. A moment later, a wave of amused and mocking glances turned toward Lucian, whose face had turned livid.
"Hahaha! I take back what I said. Lucian, it looks like you're no worse off than your brother. You can afford to pay fifty thousand credits just for a bottle of magic water!" Dorian roared with laughter, clutching his stomach.
Lucian's eyes were full of murderous intent. Looking at the guards of House Terra in the distance, he suppressed his fury and went out of the venue. Once outside, he spoke to his shadowy, "Elara's actions must be accelerated. Get the remaining materials as soon as possible."
Watching Lucian leave, Dorian lost interest in the proceedings and exited as well. As he walked out, he turned to his attendant and said seriously, "Find out everything you can about that man just now. I want all the details."
Back in the auction room, the event continued. The auctioneer brought out a small, unassuming magic book that appeared to be in perfect condition. "This is a magic book, primarily containing spells from House Aqua," the auctioneer announced. "It might be of interest to those looking to expand their library. The starting price is 1,000 credits."
Tomas's eyes lit up. After Alexander's stunt with Lucian, no one dared to bid Alexander just to drive up the price, and they were able to secure the book for 3,000 credits finally.
...
The auction had been an intense affair, and Alexander could feel the weight of his diminishing funds pressing on him. He glanced down at the small amount of credits he had left and sighed. He knew that with what he had, there was no way he could buy anything else at the auction.
"I think I'm done here," Alexander said, standing up and stretching. He turned to Elara, Tomas, and Selene, who were still scanning the auction hall with eager eyes. "There's no point in sticking around. I'm going to head to the market and see if there's anything worthwhile there."
Elara, still caught up in the excitement of the auction, waved him off with a smile. "Go ahead, Alexander. We'll catch up with you later. Maybe you'll find something interesting."
Just as Alexander stood up to leave, Lira also rose from her seat. "I'll come with you," she said, her voice steady.
Alexander raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You're not interested in staying?" he asked, glancing back at the auction where the next round was about to begin.
Lira shook her head, her expression showing a hint of disdain. "No, if it weren't for the pressure from old immortals in my family, I wouldn't have come to this auction in the first place. Let's go."
With that, the two of them left the auction hall and made their way to the market.
....
The market was a lively and bustling place, set up in a large courtyard near the auction hall. It was a stark contrast to the refined atmosphere of the auction. Rows of tents and stalls lined the area, each one displaying a variety of goods that ranged from rare magical artifacts to everyday trinkets, unlike the auction, which focused on high-value items. The market was a mix of fixed shops selling various magic items and mobile vendors offering potions, charms, and other strange wares.
As they walked through the market, Alexander was struck by the sheer variety of items on display. Old spellbooks, enchanted jewelry, strange creatures locked in cages, and rare herbs all vied for his attention. The air was thick with the scent of incense and the hum of conversations as buyers and sellers haggled over prices.
"This place is incredible," Alexander remarked, glancing at a stall selling what looked like preserved dragon scales. "You can find almost anything here."
Lira nodded in agreement, her eyes scanning the stalls with interest. "The market is where you can find hidden treasures if you know where to look. You just have to be careful not to get swindled."