"Five thousand..."
"Eight thousand..."
"Nine thousand..."
White Plague made no demands on the steam locomotive's profits. After all, it held no technical intrigue—it was a mundane invention, not an extraordinary one. The alchemists had no interest in it. The real experts in this auction weren't interested in creating it, but rather in the potential profits it could bring.
Take the word "steam" alone. Give it a few months, and technological alchemists would have an entire market of steam-powered devices.
Alchemists and mages were essentially scientists in their own right. Their focus lay on the magical, the extraordinary, and the transformative.
As Bai Yi had mentioned earlier, what was being sold here wasn't just a product; it was an opportunity. The more market share the wealthy businessmen could grab now, the more money they'd make down the line. And Bai Yi simply needed the quick cash.
"One thousand, plus one thousand—ha! I'm looking down on you all! Just shut up, one hundred thousand!"
A corpulent man, adorned with rings and jewels that weighed down his fingers, raised the price with a mocking grin.
The families of the congressmen sitting upstairs remained silent. They recognized the value of the steam locomotive but knew that it wasn't worth fighting over. Others could develop their own, and there was no copyright in the Federation to stop them.
"Even if they wanted their own steam locomotive," Bai Yi mused, "they could build one themselves. The Federation is open like that."
"One hundred thousand each time. Any higher?" Bai Yi's smile didn't falter as he continued. "I've calculated it: it will take at least three months before other alchemists can produce a steam locomotive. Those three months will be your window to dominate the market. The more you invest now, the more money you'll make."
"One hundred thousand twice."
"One hundred and fifty thousand!"
A metallic mechanical sound interrupted the bidding, its source coming from a corner of the room. The bidder raised the price by 50,000 gold coins.
The fat man seethed, "Go ask around. I own the largest iron ore resources in the entire Federation. If you buy this, you still have to come to me to get the ore! No more than 200,000!"
Bai Yi wasn't bothered by the threat. With a cool smile, he responded, "Two hundred thousand per time. Fine by me."
"Five hundred thousand! Fatty, if you don't have the money, get out. Stop talking so much." The figure cloaked in black robes added, the mechanical voice thick with sarcasm.
A low murmur rippled through the room. Three months' worth of market share, worth five hundred thousand gold coins, was a hefty sum. Not everyone had the kind of cash flow required to make such an investment.
However, not everyone knew the true value of what was being offered.
The fat man hesitated. Though he had extensive iron ore reserves, they were less lucrative than he'd hoped. Still, the connection between iron ore and the steam locomotive was too compelling to pass up. He had already been smelting ore in preparation, but this auction price had exceeded his expectations.
After a brief pause, he finally conceded, "Five hundred and ten thousand. Anything higher and I'll walk."
The mechanical voice chimed in, "Really? Alright, 580,000. Boss Luo, you'd better keep your word. This one's mine."
Boss Luo, visibly vexed, hesitated for a moment. Meanwhile, Bai Yi wasted no time. "580,000 for the first time. 580,000 for the second time..."
Boom!
A soft thud came from outside the hall, distracting the bidders. Everyone paused, glancing towards the doors.
Bai Yi wasn't concerned. He knew the Night Rose would never give up on the flesh and blood of the ancient god, and the Will family had been preparing their own bid. Any noise was bound to happen, but it wouldn't affect the auction.
Still, Bai Yi's eyes flicked toward Sabo briefly. Everything was under control. "580,000 for the third time—sold!"
As a worker bee flew out to collect the Dawn Badge from the winning bidder, Bai Yi continued without missing a beat.
"The next item up for bidding is a set of gold-level wizard equipment, consisting of a necklace, staff, and robe."
Bai Yi raised his hand, and the big screen displayed their details. "These are relics from the priests of the Scarlet Cult. The staff enhances casting speed by 20% and boosts the adaptability of blood magic by 20%. Additionally, it holds a gold-level spell called 'Blood Drain.'"
"The starting price is 50,000 gold coins. Each bid must exceed 10,000."
As Bai Yi finished his introduction, the response was tepid. The wealthy businessmen had come for technology, not for magical trinkets. Unless an item was legendary or divine, it didn't spark much interest from those with power and influence.
After a long silence, Bai Yi kept his smile in place. He had hoped to sell the set for 60,000 gold coins at most, but now he might need to adjust his expectations.
"Don't waste my time, Bai Yi. I'll give you 100,000. You can play with this stuff, but I suggest you focus on your technology. Put the rest in your store."
Diane's voice rang from the sixth floor as she casually dropped a Dawn Badge down onto the auction floor.
Bai Yi's expression didn't flicker. A worker bee swooped in, plucked the badge from the ground, and flew it back to the auction stage. Diane had paid 100,000 gold coins with barely a thought.
That was one hundred thousand gold coins... just like that. Bai Yi was taken aback by her lavishness, but he couldn't deny the advantage of such deep pockets.
"Since no one else is interested," Bai Yi said smoothly, "let's move on to the next item." He retrieved the three gold-level items and scratched them off his list, silently making a note of Diane's generous bid.
"The next item is a formula for the Soul Growth Potion. This formula was found in a relic and has the potential to permanently enhance the soul. However, it's a magic potion that only a mage can create. Starting price..."
Before Bai Yi could finish, Diane, who had just seated herself, stood up and interrupted.
"Five hundred thousand!"
Bai Yi's jaw nearly dropped. "Five hundred thousand for a formula?" he thought. It was madness. The room went silent for a moment. The other bidders exchanged glances, shocked by her boldness.
Diane's gold-level warrior leaned in to whisper, "Miss, this formula isn't worth that much."
"Shut up," Diane snapped. "I'll take it out of my pocket money next month. The auction's too slow. I'll speed things up."
"Five hundred thousand, once. Five hundred thousand, twice... Sold!"
Bai Yi's expression remained neutral, but internally, he was impressed by her utter lack of hesitation.
The auction proceeded at a quicker pace after that. Diane had taken control, and Bai Yi found himself riding the wave of her impulsive, yet successful, bidding.
As he continued the auction, his smile never left his face—though, deep down, he couldn't help but admire her extravagant approach to life.
"The next item is a helicopter, an aircraft similar to a steam train, requiring no extraordinary materials to manufacture. Each helicopter has a five-ton load capacity."
"The starting price is still one gold coin."