Chapter Thirty-Eight: Auction

  After about half an hour, the hall finally gradually quieted down. Kevin on the stage still had a smile on his face and used the hammer in his hand to knock on the stage: "Auction of Ofa Pharmacy, now officially begins!"

  A simple sentence, yet more effective than any spell of intimidation, the large hall fell silent in an instant, and not a sound could be heard again.

  Just as Lin Li was waiting patiently for the auction to begin, Ge Rui'an returned with a sigh...

  "How is it?"

  "Lost a bottle of Orlane's potion." Grian plopped down in his chair, the expression on his face especially pained: "Damn it, this loss is huge..."

  "Just one bottle?" Lin Li rolled his eyes, what's the big deal, thought it was a scramble for eggs...

  "A penny saved is also money!"

  "Five thousand gold coins!" Just as Grian was in pain, someone in the hall had already started bidding.

  The price had just burst out, and Lin Li was startled. He knew that the Ofar medicine was very valuable, and he also knew that these guys could afford it, but he really hadn't expected that the first bottle of Ofar medicine would be bid to such an astonishing price at the first call...

  5,000 gold coins is a concept that translates to completing 100 Lion Scorpion hunting tasks and finding 50 Black Ancient Castles in the Whispering Forest for the Adventurer's Guild, which can be exchanged for a chance to obtain a competitive Ofar medicine.

  Besides, 5,000 gold coins are just a starting price.

  The one who called out this price was a young man, probably in his twenties or thirties, wearing a well-made mage's robe. Grian looked at him several times but couldn't recall his name, guessing he was the leader of some small faction. This guy probably hadn't seen much gold coins before, and after calling out the price of 5,000, he thought he had already won, sitting in the crowd with a smug smile on his face, as if to say that this bottle of Orphic Elixir was destined for him.

  Before he could even sit down, someone else called out a new price.

  "Ten thousand gold coins!"

  The one participating in the competition was a middle-aged man. Grian glanced at him and whispered to Lin Li, "This is Aaron Matis, the leader of the Blood Color Brotherhood, one of the six major underground forces in Galos, mainly controlling the casino business. This guy isn't a simple character, Old Odin has competed with him several times for control of the casino, but never won once. Watch out, that little guy is going to be in trouble..."

  Suddenly, the price doubled, clearly exceeding the young wizard's psychological expectations. As he looked up, his face showed a hint of confusion, but he gritted his teeth and reported a new price: "Twelve thousand gold coins!"

  "15,000 gold coins!" Aaron-Matis didn't hesitate at all, and as soon as the little guy's voice fell, another 15,000 gold coins came out.

  Aaron Matis didn't hesitate to make an offer, and for the small-sized mage, it was a fatal blow. Fifteen thousand gold coins weren't the limit, but the tone of his voice made him feel a sense of despair, as if it wasn't fifteen thousand gold coins, but rather fifteen silver coins.

  "15,000 gold coins for the first time!" The hammer fell on the stage, but it was as if it had fallen into the heart of the little mage.

  "15,000 gold coins for the second time!"

  "Twenty thousand gold coins!" The little mage's forehead was already sweating, this was all his property. He had thought he could get at least two bottles of Olfa medicine back, but unexpectedly not even one bottle was hopeful. Thinking of the pride and complacency when he came, he finally understood how deep the water in this auction house was.

  "Thirty thousand gold coins!"

  Aaron Matis didn't even blink as he sentenced the little mage to death, a hopeless price.

  The hall was eerily quiet, with only the sound of the hammer falling on the stage.

  Everyone's eyes fell on Aaron Matis, and even the heads of several magical families couldn't help but be secretly surprised. The Blood Brothers had always been low-key in their actions, with a reputation far less loud than that of Old Odin and others. It was unexpected that they also had such financial resources and momentum.

  "Thirty thousand gold coins for the third time!" Kevin's hammer fell heavily, announcing the completion of today's first transaction: "Deal! Congratulations to Mr. Aaron-Marcus!"

  "This... is 30,000 gold coins?" Lin Li's eyes widened in shock, this money came too easily.

  "This is just the beginning." Grian was somewhat disdainful of his astonishment: "Although the six major underground forces are operating various lucrative businesses, compared to the wealth accumulated by the eleven magic families over thousands of years, it's still far from enough. Just watch and wait for them to make their move, that's when the real auction will begin!"

  "How did these guys get so rich?"

  "The six major underground forces are not worth mentioning, almost all the lucrative businesses in Gallos are controlled by them. However, compared to the eleven magic families, they are just a group of nouveau riche. You've seen Old Merlin before, do you know how much money he spent on that staff? "As soon as Old Merlin's staff was mentioned, Greian's eyes were filled with envy: 'One million gold coins!'"

  "Damn it!" Lin Li almost bit off his tongue, one million gold coins for a staff? No wonder he could give birth to a son like Cromwell...

  "You'd better not complain about the price, if it weren't for Old Mei Lin's face, this price would be worth doubling and he still might not be able to buy it." Ge Rui An took advantage of the opportunity to quickly give Lin Li a blind scan, so that this kid wouldn't always be so shocked and amazed. He stretched out his fat hand and pointed at the several magicians beside him: "Take another look at these good-for-nothings, who among them has equipment worth less than 100,000 or 800,000? The magician profession is like this, relying on money to smash things out. Of course - you monster are an exception, damn it, I've never seen you buy equipment!"

  "What am I buying equipment for..." Lin Li muttered to himself, thinking that as a proud fifth-grade master, he was still buying other people's equipment. If this got out, where would he put his face?

  "No wonder the Magic Guild is so poor..."

  "Wrong again!" However, Grian shook his head: "The guild is not poor. Just the three rare mineral veins in the Demon Slaying Valley can bring a stable annual income of 3 million gold coins to the guild."

  "So how come they all look pale and thin? Have you been mistreating them? Ah, yes, the name 'Demon Slaying Valley' sounds familiar to me?"