Chapter 246: Treasure Map Changes Hands

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Treasure Map Changes Hands

A crisp bell chime echoed through the auction house. At the sound, the originally boisterous venue fell silent.

Countless gazes turned toward the crystal auction stage.

"Everyone, I will be your host for today’s auction. Let’s dispense with the pleasantries and not waste any time."

The middle-aged man on the stage smiled as he looked out at the sea of heads in the crowd. His gaze subtly swept over the factions seated in the front row.

As a professional auction host, he knew exactly what the crowd wanted—and what they didn’t. He therefore skipped the pointless opening remarks and got straight to the point.

His gaze then fell on the tattered map under a transparent cover in front of him, a hint of resignation on his face.

"Everyone, this map..."

But before the host could finish, the crowd erupted in a unified chorus of boos.

"What is this? You’ve brought this useless map out for auction four times already! No one wants to buy it. Just take it away!"

"That’s right! The map might look ancient, but it’s only one-fourth of a complete map. Even if it leads to some treasure, no one could ever find it with just this piece."

"Hmph, we’re not fools. If you could really find the Secret Collection with it, who would be dumb enough to put the map up for auction?!"

A few people, obviously frequent attendees of the auction, stood up and began to complain loudly.

Hearing the disdainful jeers, the host could only manage a wry smile.

Their own research had confirmed that the animal-hide map was indeed worthless. The markings were not only blurry, but the depicted area was so small that it was impossible to identify.

The thing was, when the Celestial Cloud Auction House first acquired this treasure map, their Appraiser had given it a high valuation based on its age. They had spent a considerable sum on it, so even if no one would buy it, they were forced to bring it out for auction again and again.

After all, what if some fool with more money than sense decided to buy it?

But seeing the crowd’s reaction, the host abandoned that hope.

What he failed to see, however, was a figure seated in the crowd. From beneath the shadow of a cloak, a pair of bright eyes watched the fragmented map, shimmering with excitement.

At that moment, the host’s voice rang out, "This map’s original price was two hundred thousand Spirit Stones. We’re now auctioning it at a loss for one hundred thousand. Is anyone interested in buying it to try their luck?"

The venue fell silent. Some people looked at the host on stage as if he were an idiot.

’Who would spend a hundred thousand Spirit Stones on a useless, tattered map? No matter how rich you are, you can’t be that stupid, can you?’

As expected, a long moment passed without a single bid.

The host sighed. Just as he was about to declare the item unsold, a voice made his eyes light up.

"One hundred thousand."

A calm voice broke the silence. Countless gazes snapped in the direction of the sound, landing on a figure in a black-robed cloak.

’That guy must be an idiot, spending so many Spirit Stones on a piece of junk.’

This was what everyone was thinking.

But hidden beneath the black-robed cloak, a faint smile played on Yi Xiaoyao’s lips. For him, a mere hundred thousand Spirit Stones was the key to finding a Secret Collection that great factions had vied for centuries ago.

It was an incredible bargain.

At that moment, a pale-faced young man in the front row glanced over at Yi Xiaoyao with an air of indifference.

His seat in the front row was proof enough of his extremely high status.

In the next moment, the pale youth’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Young Alliance Leader, what’s wrong?" asked a middle-aged man beside him.

"Ever since I arrived at the auction house, I’ve felt a bit... off. I’m just now realizing that uncomfortable feeling seems to be coming from that guy," the pale youth said.

The middle-aged man chuckled. "Heh, Young Alliance Leader, you must be mistaken. While the Cold Blood Yin Bone Technique you practice in your cultivation is naturally wary of extreme Flame Power, how could a Flame of that caliber possibly appear here?"

"Hmph. Regardless, I find him intensely irritating."

The pale youth snorted. In the next moment, he called out, "I’ll take that map. Two hundred thousand!"

His bid sent a new wave of discussion through the crowd.

"Isn’t that Han Yuan, the Young Alliance Leader of the Cold Blood Alliance? He’s actually interested in this thing?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s joyful expression vanished in an instant. His gaze snapped toward the pale youth, Han Yuan, who was now competing with him for the map.

At the same time, he overheard the surrounding chatter.

The Cold Blood Alliance. Its Alliance Leader was ranked eighteenth on the Chaos Alliance List, making it a major power.

"Two hundred and ten thousand."

After a moment’s silence, Yi Xiaoyao placed another bid.

But then...

"Four hundred thousand!" Han Yuan shot Yi Xiaoyao a cold glare, a sneer on his face. "Competing with me? How laughable!"

This sudden, inexplicable bidding war left everyone in the audience completely baffled.

No one could figure out why the Young Alliance Leader had suddenly gone mad, getting into a pissing contest with a stranger over a worthless item.

The auction host, however, was beaming. Grinning from ear to ear, he asked, "Young Alliance Leader Han Yuan bids four hundred thousand! Do I have any other bids?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s expression turned cold. Every time he made a bid, Han Yuan would nearly double the price. It was infuriating.

’No, I can’t keep competing with him,’ Yi Xiaoyao thought. ’If I do, others might realize something is up. Besides, Han Yuan seems determined to fight me for this. If I keep bidding, other factions might join in, and with my resources, I can’t possibly outbid all these powerful organizations.’

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes flickered. Although he was desperate to get his hands on the fragmented map, he forced himself to remain calm.

He didn’t place another bid. Instead, he stared intently at Han Yuan.

’Of course, Yi Xiaoyao wasn’t about to let the Secret Treasure Map slip through his fingers. Since Han Yuan wanted to steal it, then he would simply wait until after the auction and steal it back.’

As for Han Yuan, he was competing with Yi Xiaoyao not only because of an instinctive dislike for the man, but also because he suspected Yi Xiaoyao was buying the map because it held some great value.

But when he saw Yi Xiaoyao stop bidding, his brow furrowed. ’Was I wrong? Was this guy just bidding on the map for fun?’

At this thought, Han Yuan’s expression soured. The surrounding gazes, which now seemed to be looking at him as if he were an idiot, made his face twitch. After a cold snort, his expression became terrifyingly dark.

’It seems I just spent four hundred thousand Spirit Stones on a piece of waste paper. How incredibly stupid.’

And so, the fragmented map naturally fell into Han Yuan’s hands.

Han Yuan thought his casual bid would land him a truly valuable treasure map.

What he failed to consider was that even if he did manage to snatch the map, he would never be able to find the Secret Collection with such a small fragment. It was, in fact, no different from a piece of waste paper.

Furthermore, in doing so, Han Yuan had also just signed his own death warrant.

Because when it came to this tattered map, Yi Xiaoyao was determined to have it. No matter where Han Yuan ran, he would be ruthlessly hunted and robbed by Yi Xiaoyao, by any means necessary.

...