Chapitre 22: Auction

A day passed quickly, and a beautiful sunset could be seen in the city as the auction drew closer.

Minos stood along with some of his guards in front of a grand building located in the central part of the Maritime City.

The building was massive, to say the least, with exquisite decoration that would make anyone think that it belonged in the kingdom's capital rather than this desolate region of the Black Plain.

There were a lot of movements in front of the Ocean Market as well, as most of them concentrated at the main entrance of the place. But there was a second entrance a few meters away, where very well-dressed and escorted people passed from time to time.

That was the VIP entrance.

At that moment, Pyke started to speak with a serious look, "Young master, I just found out that there are two ways to enter this auction.

The first is by paying a fee of 1,000 low-grade crystals which allows the entry to the common section of the auction. That part corresponds to this place," Pyke pointed to the long queue while talking to Minos.

"The second option is the VIP section which is generally used by people from large families in the Brown Kingdom or those who intend to do big business in the auction. In it, the identity of those inside the room is kept confidential during the entire auction, and each VIP room has an exclusive exit.

To enter the VIP section, it is necessary to deposit 200 medium-grade crystals that must be spent during the auction. If the person does not spend the deposited amount, then we will not be able to recover our crystals either.

Of course, members of the big families in the kingdom do not have to pay this deposit," Pyke added at the end.

"Hm, I understand. We will pay this deposit, then. It is better not to take any unnecessary risks. If the grade-2 sword is being sold, then I will buy it for sure," Minos nodded with a resolute expression.

Then, Corporal Pyke made the deposit at the Oceanic Market and got the VIP identification. After which, they entered the building through the VIP entrance.

"Sir, can I see your identification?" a young attendant asked with a smile on her face.

After showing the identification to the attendant, she made a low bow before saying "Please follow me, I will take you to your room."

Minos was then accommodated in a large room with sofas, drinks, and snacks.

There was a large glass that overlooked the auction stage through the room which also had a concealment array.

It didn't take long before the common area was filled up and soon it was time for the auction to start.

That was when the luminous arrays were finally extinguished, leaving only those on the stage illuminated.

In a few moments, a middle-aged man well-dressed with a luxurious suit that matched with his full beard and short hair took the stage.

Although Minos and his group did not know, this person was already at level 49, the limit of the Spiritual General stage. But many eyes among the audience who recognized the man's strength were already shaking with excitement.

With such a person as an auctioneer, it could only mean that there was a significant 'item' being auctioned during this time!

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Oceanic Market. I can see that everyone is very eager to start so that I won't waste much time.

Today, we have some high-level items for our region, so prepare your crystals and get ready to bid! Hehehe, as for the number of items up for today's auction, we have only 10."

With a clap, the auctioneer then announced, "I am delighted to announce that the monthly auction of the Oceanic Market is now open!"

Soon after, lights focused on an 'item' that was already on stage and placed in a prepared spot.

It was an aged black parchment.

"To begin, this is a specialized movement technique, classified as Black-grade consisting of 4 phases. This technique is called Floating Steps and can triple the user's speed within a 20-second interval in the initial phase. And this value will increase exponentially in the following phases.

The initial bid for the technique is 5,000 low-grade crystals, with a minimum increase of 100 crystals."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately shouted.

"5,500!"

'Hm, I don't have any movement techniques in this classification to offer my soldiers of the Black Plain Army.' Minos thought reflexively.

He didn't want to distribute his Silver or Golden-grade techniques to people he did not trust or those who had not made significant contributions. That's why he had planned to give Black-grade techniques to those who joined his forces.

Only through their own merit could those soldiers obtain the best techniques. This was his measure to prevent any future enemies from stealing his techniques!

At this point, the bid for the technique had already reached 7,200 when Minos made his move.

"8,000," he announced confidently.

After the bid, there was a brief moment of silence.

Although this was a good technique, paying more than eight thousand would be a lot for a movement technique of this grade.

"The lord in room 3 made a bid of 8,000, does anyone else?" asked the auctioneer.

Finally, the auctioneer sold Floating Steps to Minos. An attendant then went to the stage and took the technique to the VIP room where Minos and the group were seated.

"Moving ahead, we will have a spiritual shield-type armor which can withstand an attack with all the power from someone at level 40. This armor was produced by an experienced blacksmith of the Stone Island who is at the peak of high-level grade-1." The auctioneer pointed to a suit of armor that looked more like a large metallic robe.

"The starting bid for this item is 3,000 low-grade crystals, with a minimum increase of 100!"

"3,200!"

"3,600!"

The bidding continued for a while until the armor was sold for 5,800 crystals. This time, Minos had no intention of making a move since he already had his Indestructible Body, which could defend against an attack from someone at level 39 and would continue to improve in a short time.

Time passed, and two other items were sold.

One was a high-level grade-1 war hammer for 7,000 crystals, and the other was a medium-level grade-1 spiritual gathering array for 11,000 low-grade crystals.

"The next item is a map which, according to our studies, appears to be from a period of over 100,000 years ago. And based on the items represented on the map and the assessment of the most highly skilled expert on the subject in the Cromwell Kingdom, this map refers to a high-level region in the south of the Central Continent.

As many of you may know, today there is only one empire and one kingdom in the southern region of our continent. However, it is considered to be the strongest region, with several experts having reached level 100 in the past. So, this map can lead you to a special place if you dare to take a risk."

The auctioneer took a pause before continuing in a mysterious way.

"Perhaps you may even enter some Spatial Kingdom!"

After saying that, everyone in the hall was silent. Going to such a strong place was a chance for anyone, but as they say, any opportunity that came would also be accompanied by immense dangers.

"Interesting, maybe I will visit the south of the continent after I am chosen by one of the sects of the Flaming Empire," said the young master of the Silva family in his private room.

"Young master, this is very dangerous. Even Spiritual Emperors are common in the south of the continent," Protector Philip warned Darell.

The auctioneer then continued. "Given the possibility that the map might also lead to nothing great, the Ocean Market has valued this item at 5,000 crystals, with a minimum increase of 500 low-grade crystals."

Soon after, offers were made.

"5,500!"

"6,000!"

"6,500!"

"7,000!"

"10,000." Darell made a big move at once.

"10,000, for the gentleman in room 5, does anyone offer more?" The auctioneer asked, looking in the direction of the eight VIP rooms.

"Very well! The map will be sold for 10,000 to the lord of room 5."

Though the auction continued for a while, no 'item' caught the attention of either Minos or the young master of the Silva family. The most expensive was sold at 7,000 crystals and the cheapest at 5,000.

And after the ninth 'item' was finally sold off, a sword was slowly revealed on the stage.

It was approximately a meter long, with a spiral symbol on its hilt and a four-leaf clover-like handguard. The auctioneer continued with his expressionless face as he announced:

"The last 'item' of our auction is something that you all might have heard of from the rumors in the city which were talked about by everyone. And, in fact, these rumors are true, this is a low-level, grade-2 spiritual sword, which was forged by a great blacksmith from the Kingdom of the Waves, and will be auctioned now."