Chapter 98: Auction

Since Ryan’s current cultivation realm was still low, he couldn’t accurately ascertain other people’s cultivation realms using his Mental Awareness.

At best, he could make rough comparisons based on the intensity of the auras he remembered, using them to form a preliminary judgment.

“Hehe. Esteemed guests, you must be joking. How could Elena possibly make fun of you? Withholding the details of an auction item until everyone has arrived to build suspense and anticipation is a perfectly normal business practice.

“Besides, revealing the details of a valuable treasure to too many people could invite unnecessary trouble. I only informed the three of you about this auction. This is a special benefit Elena has arranged exclusively for you. I haven’t invited anyone else!”

At this moment, the seasoned Winters Tower manager showed no trace of panic. She maintained her accommodating smile and spoke eloquently, displaying the poise of someone capable of turning the tide of an argument even when facing multiple opponents.

“If, after the auction item is revealed, anyone finds it uninteresting, you may leave immediately. Elena guarantees that I won’t try to persuade you otherwise. If that happens, it will simply mean that I misjudged the situation. I will take full responsibility and personally bow to apologize to you.”

She truly lived up to her reputation as a Winters Tower manager. With a few well-chosen words, she managed to defuse the tension while leaving the three important guests with no reasonable grounds for further complaints.

Hearing her words, Ryan couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

He hadn’t expected Elena to come to his aid so readily in the middle of the night.

Not only had she gone out of her way to make arrangements for him, but she also had to maintain a pleasant smile and patiently appease these demanding guests.

Seeing that the resentment among the three had finally subsided, Elena secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She then straightened her expression and said,

“Since everyone has no further questions, let’s get down to business and reveal tonight’s auction item.”

As she spoke, she cast Ryan a meaningful glance, signaling him to begin.

Although she had managed to talk her way out of the situation, she knew that dragging everyone out in the middle of the night without revealing the auction item beforehand had indeed been an imposition.

Fortunately, she had managed to calm everyone down. Otherwise, things could have become troublesome.

Receiving Elena’s signal, Ryan immediately understood.

Without saying a word, he removed the beast pouch he had just hung back on his waist and placed it on the table before him.

Then, he lightly touched its surface with his right index finger and injected a trace of Origin Energy into it.

CHII!

A soft white light radiated from the beast pouch, and its central section gradually became translucent.

In the next instant, the figure of a Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard appeared within the pouch’s internal space, its body wreathed in flickering black flames.

Thanks to the beast pouch’s spatial properties, the leopard appeared tiny. At the moment, it seemed rather sleepy, sprawled comfortably within the pouch as though it were dozing off.

With every breath it took, the black flames surrounding its body flickered irregularly, making it look like an adorable little puppy on the verge of falling asleep.

“What… a Black Flame Leopard?! And a Tier 3 one at that?!”

The palace-dressed woman and the richly dressed fat man stared at the beast with wide eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.

The fat man, in particular, immediately sat upright, completely abandoning his previous air of lazy indifference.

The middle-aged man in the bamboo hat appeared less astonished than the other two. Nevertheless, the sudden tightening of his lips and the slight tremor in his previously steady aura betrayed his true feelings.

At that moment, all three felt an almost irresistible urge to rush forward and seize the beast for themselves.

If not for their awareness that Winters Tower was a force they couldn’t afford to offend, they might already have tried to snatch it by force.

What surprised them even more was that the young man dressed in black, who had already been sitting in the VIP room when they arrived, was actually the seller.

They had assumed he was another guest who had come to participate in the auction.

Yet this seemingly unremarkable young man could casually produce a Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard. Clearly, he was no ordinary individual.

“Hehe. That’s right. The sole treasure in this small auction is this Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard!”

As though she could see straight through their thoughts, Elena chuckled softly before continuing in a serious tone.

“Once this opportunity passes, it may never come again! If anyone is still uninterested, you’re welcome to leave now. Elena certainly won’t try to persuade you to stay.”

This was precisely why she had withheld the auction item’s identity until everyone had gathered. The effect was exactly what she had hoped for.

The sudden revelation had left the three guests astonished, dramatically increasing their perception of the treasure’s value and intensifying their desire to obtain it.

Under such circumstances, they would be more likely to bid aggressively and less inclined to quibble over the price.

Without them even realizing it, the final auction price could rise considerably.

“Hehe. Miss Elena, you must be joking. Who wouldn’t be interested in a Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard?”

The richly dressed fat man laughed as he was the first to express his approval.

“It was our fault for being so rash earlier. We nearly misunderstood Miss Elena’s good intentions!”

“Exactly, exactly! We were too hasty. I knew Elena would always look out for us…” the palace-dressed beauty chimed in with an ingratiating smile.

After a brief moment, the middle-aged man in the bamboo hat finally regained his composure and returned to his usual calm demeanor.

However, his gaze remained fixed on the Black Flame Leopard, and he showed no intention of looking away. His intense interest was obvious.

Watching the three guests reverse their attitudes so dramatically, Ryan couldn’t help finding the situation amusing.

He quickly composed himself and continued observing his first-ever auction, an unusual one at that.

“Since no one wishes to leave, this small auction shall officially begin.”

Seeing that none of the guests intended to depart, Elena smiled faintly. Her expression then grew solemn and dignified as she announced,

“One Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard! The starting bid is 600,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones, with each subsequent bid increasing by no less than 10,000. Everyone, please place your bids!”

The sudden change in everyone’s attitude was precisely what Elena had anticipated.

Given the rarity of a Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard, she firmly believed that no Origin Ascendant Realm practitioner who hadn’t yet established a Soul Blood Pact with a Natal Beast could easily resist the temptation.

None of them would willingly leave before the auction even began.

In selecting her guests, Elena hadn’t opted for the usual strategy of attracting as many people as possible. Instead, she had carefully chosen a select few.

According to her understanding, all three guests possessed strength at the Origin Ascendant Realm, and none had yet established a Soul Blood Pact with a Natal Beast.

They were, therefore, the ideal targets for this auction.

After all, many Bloodline Fighters who placed great importance on their combat strength preferred to think long-term.

Rather than hastily choosing a Natal Beast, they would rather leave the position vacant and patiently wait for a more suitable candidate.

For them, quality mattered far more than quantity.

At this moment, Ryan watched the three guests with considerable interest.

He was eager to see just how much his Black Flame Leopard would ultimately sell for.

The starting bid of 600,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones seemed reasonable to him. It was neither too high nor too low, and he had no objections to it.

“I bid 700,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones!”

To everyone’s surprise, the first person to make a bid was the middle-aged man in the bamboo hat.

“Damn it, Silent Lowell! You actually bid first? Has the sun risen in the west?” the richly dressed fat man exclaimed before mocking him mercilessly.

He was genuinely astonished.

Silent Lowell was a well-known ascetic in Ashfall City.

Because of his ascetic lifestyle and habit of speaking very little, people had given him the nickname Silent Lowell. Over time, the name had become so widely used that many people had forgotten his real name entirely.

The fat man had dealt with him several times and had encountered him at numerous auctions.

In his impression, Silent Lowell had never been the first to bid on a treasure. He usually remained silent, only making an offer when something genuinely suited his needs.

Yet this time, he had taken the initiative to bid.

That alone was enough to demonstrate just how highly he valued the Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard.

Of course, the nickname Silent Lowell didn’t mean that he was incapable of speaking. He simply preferred to remain quiet.

Someone had started calling him that years ago, and before long, everyone who knew him had adopted the name.

“I bid 800,000!”

Seeing Silent Lowell make the first move, the palace-dressed beauty was also slightly surprised. However, she quickly followed with her own bid.

The price was climbing far too quickly.

Silent Lowell had barely spoken once, yet the bid had already increased by 100,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones.

She feared that if she hesitated any longer, the rare Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard might end up in someone else’s hands.

Moreover, Silent Lowell appeared determined to obtain the beast, and she dared not underestimate him.

After all, he wasn’t merely a taciturn ascetic. He was also a formidable figure with considerable renown in Ashfall City.

He possessed a High-Grade Spirit-Rank weapon known as the Heaven Blade.

With his mastery of various blade techniques and combat skills, he was virtually unmatched among his peers.

Even more intimidating was the fact that very few people knew the true nature of his Bloodline ability.

Many challengers had fallen beneath his blade before they could even determine what kind of ability he possessed.

Such a mysterious and formidable opponent was certainly not someone she could afford to underestimate.