Chapter 368: The Auction Begins

Everyone thought this auction would follow the same free-for-all format as the last one, where you just left a price for whatever item you wanted.

While this method might run those trying to bid on multiple items ragged, causing them to end up like a bear trying to carry too many ears of corn, the upside was that it gave more people a chance.

This time, however, was different.

All the invited guests were teleported into lavishly decorated private rooms.

On the tables in the rooms were various fruits and desserts, giving off an enticing aroma.

Also on the table was a red button and a screen for entering bids.

This time, the items would be auctioned off one by one. Considering that everyone present was a person of status, shouting out prices in public would be rather undignified and would also reveal their identities. Thus, Perry Yates had thoughtfully prepared these arrangements for them.

At the same time, the top of the screen displayed their current assets, which had been converted from the items they brought with them.

Of course, if they felt this wasn’t enough, they could continue to convert their real-world assets into assets usable on the Penglai Immortal Ship.

Perry Yates hadn’t interfered in this matter, leaving it entirely to the Penglai Immortal Ship.

It was unknown how the Penglai Immortal Ship managed it, but it had thoroughly investigated all of the guests’ real-world assets and liquid assets, and even marked down their values.

These assets included, but were not limited to, movable and immovable property, bank deposits, furniture, pets, and even descendants.

That’s right, even descendants could be converted into value. However, this option was removed at Perry Yates’s insistence.

As for why, it was because that door couldn’t be opened. Once it was, Cerulea would likely regress into a slave society.

Of course, besides these, one’s own lifespan, health, and fortune could also be exchanged for assets.

But Perry Yates added a restriction to this rule: you could only exchange your own. You couldn’t exchange anyone else’s, not even voluntarily.

Once everyone had understood the procedures and rules for this auction, the bidding began.

The first item up for auction was an exceptionally robust physical body.

It had wheat-colored skin, well-distributed muscles, and a defined eight-pack. Its physique wasn’t exaggerated; everything was just right.

The special features of this body were its superhuman endurance and the fact that it would never feel fatigue.

The starting bid was 0.1 Penglai Star Coins.

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly paltry sum of 0.1 Penglai Star Coins. Converted into real-world wealth, it was an astronomical figure.

Perry Yates had set it up this way because she felt that if real-world assets were converted equally to Penglai Star Coins, the numbers would sound unreal. It was much better to keep them smaller, just like this.

The moment the first item appeared, the numbers below began to jump continuously.

0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4...

Although this body was considered the most unremarkable of all the auction items, there was no shortage of bidders.

These people had a good strategy. The later items were bound to be fiercely contested, so to avoid going home empty-handed, they might as well take advantage of others holding back their strength and try to snag a bargain.

Of course, there was also a group who were self-aware from the start. Knowing they couldn’t compete with the others, they planned to bid on items that others might not be interested in.

It was a nice thought, but they failed to consider one thing: how could any item appearing at this auction be ordinary? How could there possibly be something that no one was interested in?

For instance, Seth Larkin, who was attending as a representative, didn’t care about any of that. He wanted every single item in this auction, and right now, he was the highest bidder.

Although his bid would quickly be surpassed, the very next second, he would enter an even higher price.

The bidding time for each item was five minutes. Within these five minutes, the highest bidder would win the item.

Perry Yates sat in the highest private box, a larger screen before her.

The other bidders could only see the prices, not who was bidding. But Perry Yates was different; she could see every price entered by every person.

’It seems Seth Larkin is determined to win these auction items.’

Every time a higher bid appeared, he would immediately enter an even higher one, a domineering display that screamed, ’This thing is mine.’

It was a shame no one else knew the bids were from him. All they saw was that the competition was already this fierce for the very first item, which prompted even those who weren’t particularly interested in the body to jump into the fray.

As the countdown neared its end, Perry Yates sat in her private box, anticipating the final winner. It was like opening a blind box.

At the moment, the most likely winner seemed to be Seth Larkin, though the other representatives from various countries were hot on his heels.

After all, when you’re not spending your own money, you don’t have a single worry.

As the countdown finally hit zero, the ultimate winner was revealed.

However, to Perry Yates’s surprise, the winner was neither Seth Larkin nor any of the other frequent bidders. Instead, it was someone who hadn’t placed a single bid before.

This person had won the first auction in the final second, with a margin of 0.3 Penglai Star Coins.

Perry Yates looked toward that private box. Inside was a gaunt young man with a sickly appearance, but his eyes now burned with fanaticism.

According to the information from the Penglai Immortal Ship, the man’s name was Wendell Locke. He was the heir to a multi-generational fortune, but by his generation, tragedy had struck. His parents died in an accident early on, and though he was an only son, he had been frail and sickly since childhood. Recently, he had even developed multiple organ failure and was told by doctors he only had a few months to live.

Watching his relatives circle his family’s fortune like vicious wolves, Wendell Locke had been on the verge of donating it all.

But just then, he received the invitation.

The Penglai Immortal Ship’s data showed that Wendell Locke had converted almost his entire net worth into Penglai Star Coins, leaving only the house his parents had lived in and some savings. Then, at the last moment, he went all-in.

Fortunately, he succeeded.

The body had now been delivered to Wendell Locke’s private box.

Without any delay, Wendell Locke chose to begin the fusion immediately, lest any unforeseen complications arise.

The fusion process went very smoothly.

Wendell Locke looked at his hands. The feeling of weakness was gone. ’But why hasn’t my body changed at all?’