Auctions were scenes seen frequently enough in storylines. Their raison d'etre was mainly entertaining the pretenders and bargain-seekers, as well as providing occasions for face-slapping, girl-wooing, buddy-making, etc.
Back then, a roomful of sons of the rich gathered together at the foot of Phoenix Mountain for the exchange, which was already an auction in embryonic form. However, the environment then was not favorable enough, nor did they have the adequate permission to move it towards that direction, so it was kept rather low-profile.
With what was happening these days, the underground non-governmental forces were so intrigued by the implicit signals the authorities let out that plenty of cannon fodder was jumping out of their hiding places and making it clear that they were stirring things up.
