Chapter 98: The Auction—Buying the Japanese "Divine Toilet

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: The Auction—Buying the Japanese "Divine Toilet

Rian Sinclair listened to the current bids, which had already reached eight million US Dollars. It was evident just how much influence Da Vinci held in their hearts.

She wasn’t particularly interested in the painting herself, so she simply sat in her private box, eating desserts and listening to the rising numbers. People in the main hall were shouting until their necks turned red; many refused to give up.

Rian Sinclair watched the crowd’s frantic bidding. Enticed by the host’s bright smile and persuasive words on stage, the surrounding attendees stubbornly continued to raise their offers.

Finally, after a man sitting in the middle of the first row bid 21.5 million, most of the others halted their urge to raise their paddles, though a few still tried. Then, the man in the middle called out 23 million, directly repelling anyone else who wanted to compete. With three strikes of the gavel, the host finalized the sale, and the item was won by the man.

A smattering of sighs echoed through the hall, but ultimately, the steep price had stopped them in their tracks.

With the item successfully sold, the tablet in Rian Sinclair’s hands refreshed once more, displaying the next lot. Looking at the new auction item on the screen, her interest was instantly piqued.

Quentin Sinclair had been observing her expression from the side. Seeing this, he asked, "Are you interested in this, Miss?"

The item currently up for auction was...

The divine toilet of Eirenwald.

Wait, no, The Shrine. Specifically, a one-third ownership stake of its land.

Rian Sinclair looked at the plot of land on her tablet. The listed starting price was one million US Dollars, with each minimum increment set at 500,000 US Dollars. She really wondered what drove Eirenwald to put this up for auction.

Upon hearing the announcement of this item, the crowd in the main hall burst into laughter. After all, this was essentially slapping an entire nation in the face. An Eirenwaldian man sitting in the second row instantly had his face turn pitch black with rage.

At first, he had thought he was sent to this auction for the very first item. He never expected the eighth lot to be the land rights to The Shrine. No matter how he thought about it, the man couldn’t fathom why the fools higher up would actually put this up for auction.

As an Eirenwaldian, this act was tantamount to a direct slap in the face!

The higher-ups kissing up to Meridia’s most powerful local arms dealers wasn’t a one-off occurrence—there was indeed a historical precedent for it. It really was a case of a leopard being unable to change its spots.

The man roared at the subordinate beside him, "Bastards! We must win this! Otherwise, we will lose all face!"

Then, the host’s voice rang out. "This lot is provided by Mr. Dafan. The starting bid is five million US Dollars, with increments no less than 500,000."

As the host’s gavel struck the podium, the auction began. Immediately after, the Eirenwaldian man’s voice rang out to place a bid. A few others offered symbolic bids to bump up the price, but they all eventually dropped out. After all, they had absolutely no interest in this divine toilet of Eirenwald.

Soon, the price reached 20 million US Dollars, and no one else joined the fray. Just as the Eirenwaldian man thought the item was securely his, he heard the host announce another bid.

"Private Box 2 bids 30 million US Dollars."

Rian Sinclair’s bid instantly sparked the curiosity of everyone else in the room. The Eirenwaldian man in the main hall glared hatefully at the private box on the second floor, while the rest of the crowd settled in with a spectator’s attitude, eager for a show.

If the other party successfully won the bid, it would mean trampling all of Eirenwald underfoot. The attendees began speculating about the true identity of the person sitting in Private Box 2.

For a moment, the Eirenwaldian man hesitated over whether to raise his bid, keeping in mind that there was still another auction item coming up later. His country hadn’t sent him here to secure these land rights. He was a businessman. Although he was Eirenwaldian, when his own interests were on the line, he would choose to give up.

If he fought her tooth and nail right here, it would be very difficult to get the item he actually wanted later on. But if he gave up so easily, how could he ever hold his head high in this circle again?

It wasn’t until the host called out for the second time that the subordinate beside the man finally spoke up, raising the bid to 31 million.

Having clearly seen the man’s expression, Rian Sinclair casually tapped on her tablet to increase her offer. The host beamed. "The VIP in Private Box 2 bids 40 million. Is there any higher bid?"

The man shot a dark, ruthless glare at the second floor and signaled the person bidding for him. "41 million."

Rian Sinclair carelessly raised the bid again. When it came to throwing money around, she wouldn’t lose to anyone.

Quentin Sinclair leaned in and said, "Please feel free to bid as you wish, Miss. Our business operations in Meridia have recently earned hundreds of millions of US Dollars in pure after-tax profit."

Hearing Quentin’s words, Rian Sinclair hadn’t expected it to be so profitable. It had only been a few days since they expanded their overseas operations, and this was already after taxes.

After all, there were four universally recognized death-seeking behaviors on Blue Star: evading taxes in Meridia, banning drugs in Moxgo, trafficking drugs in Veridia, and staging terrorist attacks in Ursia.

Rian Sinclair was only hesitating over how much to raise the bid by. After all, the system had long informed her that she wouldn’t need to spend her own money at this auction.

She then continued to punch numbers into her tablet. After glancing at the message on his screen, the host’s smile froze for a moment before he immediately adjusted his expression.

"Mr. Number 14, Private Box 2 bids 50 million. Furthermore, the VIP in Private Box 2 would like to ask you: ’Could you give me a little pressure?’"

As soon as the host finished speaking, a roar of laughter erupted throughout the hall. After all, they all understood the mockery.

The Eirenwaldian man’s face turned ashen. He gave a hand signal to his bidder. "51 million."

Seeing this, Rian Sinclair shook her head. Adding it bit by bit was truly no fun at all. Her finger tapped lightly on the tablet, and the host’s voice rang out once more. "Private Box 2 bids 60 million US Dollars."

The rest of the crowd in the hall simply watched the competition between the two, none of them joining in. After all, owning The Shrine was of little use to them, but it would be a waste not to watch a free show.

The Eirenwaldian man’s face was livid. Anyone with eyes could sense his fury at this moment, but he had no choice but to continue bidding 61 million.

Sitting in her private box, Rian Sinclair hadn’t heard a counter-bid for a long time and assumed the other party had given up. Upon hearing it again, her fingertips twitched slightly.

"Private Box 2 bids 70 million. Sir, would you like to raise your bid?"

Following the host’s inquiry, the entire hall fell dead silent. Everyone was waiting for the Eirenwaldian man’s next bid. However, even after the host struck his gavel three times, the man did not make an offer. In the end, the land rights to the divine toilet of Eirenwald were won by Rian Sinclair for 70 million US Dollars.

The documents were quickly brought up, and Rian Sinclair swiped her black card.

Venus was somewhat puzzled, not knowing what purpose her master had in buying this. Quentin Sinclair, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed. As far as he was concerned, the Miss had her own reasons for whatever she chose to buy.

Soon after, the auction lots on the tablet refreshed once again.

Looking at the introduction on the tablet, Rian Sinclair saw that it was an island featuring a mountain range that contained a diamond mine.

Right after, the host’s voice rang out. "Now, our auction is drawing to a close. The final lot is an island located 40 kilometers off the coast of Kalychi.

"The results provided by our experts indicate that the interior mountain range is rich in diamond mines, with a diamond content of 65 percent. The starting bid is 100 million US Dollars, and each increment must be no less than 10 million US Dollars."

What followed was a frenzy of bidding.

Rian Sinclair examined the size of the island. It had already been surveyed; the island wasn’t very large, and the mountain range wasn’t very high. If it truly was a diamond mine, she could make some money off it.

If the diamonds were rare, the price would double. Calculating the overall value... if fully excavated, the total sum would perhaps not exceed 50 billion US Dollars. But if they were extremely rare diamonds, it could more than double again.

By now, the price had reached 500 million US Dollars, and some of the bidders sitting in the back rows had already dropped out of the competition. Now, it was solely a contest among those seated in the front rows.