[Restart Volume] Chapter 241: Raise the Bid!

"Ghost Cry: Blade of Wandering..." Mo Xing muttered. He seemed to recall a description of it in a textbook, but it was written in draconic runes, which he could not decipher.

"Heaven rains millet, ghosts wail at night; longing stretches through the ancient ages~" the man beside him suddenly hummed.

"That is the lore of this blade. It is an ancient artifact that possesses the power of destruction," he added.

"I... I see," Mo Xing sighed.

"Then why is it called the 'Vanishing Blade'? And how did it end up here?" Mo Xing asked. "Logically, an artifact shouldn't be relegated to a place like this. It should be shining in the hands of some grandmaster!"

"You will know soon enough," he smiled. "And don't just chat with me. You've already missed much of the auctioneer's detailed introduction."

"Ah!"

Only then did Mo Xing realize the auctioneer in the center of the stage had finished his long-winded speech.

"The auction shall now officially begin!" The auctioneer paused, seemingly observing the expressions of the guests. "This lot has no starting price. Please, guests, feel free to place your bids."

"One hundred thousand!"

Hardly had the auctioneer's voice faded when a bid came from not far away. Mo Xing looked over. It was that scarred man again; the smugness on his face had not yet faded, now replaced by a fiery, combative passion!

"One hundred and twenty thousand!" another voice called out.

Judging by the tone, it was a woman. Mo Xing glanced over and realized she was also one of the wanted criminals. It seemed this was a battle without gunpowder!

For some reason, this blade was so vital to them. Could it be... that it could draw wealth or ward off misfortune?

"One hundred and fifty thousand!"

"One hundred and seventy thousand!"

"One hundred and eighty thousand!"

"Ahem, may I have a word?"

At this moment, the auctioneer in the center of the stage coughed slightly, drawing all eyes from the blade to himself. He said:

"I believe everyone here understands the importance of this blade... so I hope you will all offer more generous bids."

What the hell? They can solicit bids like this? Is this moral kidnapping? Or financial blackmail?

"Five hundred thousand!"

A booming voice erupted from the crowd, and everyone turned to look in astonishment.

Gulaga Siliuxiang!

It was that bald, chubby man!

Mo Xing was amazed. He hadn't expected this fat man to be so wealthy. When playing cards, he had been so timid, calling Mo Xing "Lord Gambler" at every turn. Yet, when it came to the auction, he struck with merciless force!

"Gulaga, that much money? Are you planning to spend your entire fortune on this weapon?" the scarred man chuckled.

"Hmph, what do you know?" the fat man Gulaga smiled. "I have a whole sky-pirate crew under my command! Borrowing a few thousand from each of them is doable..."

"Five hundred and ten thousand!"

The bid came from the scarred man. He ignored the fat man’s blathering and simply used his bid to suppress his opponent.

"Haha, we pirates aren't pushovers either!" the scarred man shouted. "How about that? Can your sky-pirate crew afford to go any higher?"

"You think I'm afraid of you?" The fat man Gulaga was clearly indignant and roared:

"Five hundred and twenty thousand!"

"Oh? You actually dare to raise it?" The scarred man nodded and was about to press his bidding button...

"One million!"

The moment those words were spoken, they caused astonishment—or more accurately, panic—among everyone. They all turned to look at the young man who had made the bid. He was neither the scarred man nor anyone else, but a man dressed in formal attire wearing a mask.

From Mo Xing’s position, it was the man sitting right next to him! Mo Xing hadn't expected this man to be so bold, doubling the price in a single go.

One million gold coins!

What kind of concept was that?!!!

One had to know that the monthly tuition for an ordinary student at the Saint Sky Royal Academy was ten thousand gold coins, which was already expensive enough for Mo Xing. One million gold coins could have put two students through their entire graduation!

How could a single weapon be priced so high?

"Y-you... hello, sir. Please confirm your bid again." The auctioneer was clearly stunned. He had only asked the guests to raise the price slightly; who knew a one-million-gold-coin bid would suddenly pop out? He thought his ears were failing him!

"One million gold coins!" he repeated.

"It was getting boring watching them argue, so I decided to raise the price to one million gold coins directly," he added.

"Very well." The auctioneer happily raised his gavel. "The gentleman at seat number 100 bids one million gold coins!"

The crowd was in an uproar. It was simply insane. With such a high price, who would dare to follow?

"My friend, what line of work are you in to be so extravagant?" Mo Xing took a deep breath.

"Small business," he replied calmly.

"Small business can earn one million gold coins?" Mo Xing asked in confusion.

"One million, going once!" the auctioneer shouted.

"Well, I used to tell fortunes, and now I've entered the mainstream and opened a shop to sell things." His mask shifted slightly, and his eyes crinkled into slits; he was likely smiling.

"Starting from scratch? That's quite impressive!" Mo Xing exclaimed. "What do you sell in your shop now?"

"One million, going twice. Ladies and gentlemen, seize your final opportunity," the auctioneer continued.

"One million and ten thousand!"

Someone else bid. Everyone turned their eyes to see it was the scarred man—Hen Ren!

"I am the strongest Pirate King of Aslant; I never yield when it comes to things I like!" he huffed.

Mo Xing frowned. The strongest Pirate King of Aslant? How did that title sound so unreal? It didn't feel as imposing as the Pirate King from a certain manga.

"Very well! Guest number 66 bids one million and ten thousand!" The auctioneer struck the gavel again.

"Hey, friend!" The man beside Mo Xing patted his shoulder. "Do me a favor!"

"What favor?" Mo Xing asked.

"Help me drive up the price," he said.

"But I... I didn't bring that much money!" Mo Xing paused, quickly explaining.

In truth, it wasn't that he hadn't brought money; he had absolutely no money at all. In this Utopia Auction, he felt like he had lost his way.

"One million and fifty thousand!" someone shouted.

"It's fine, just push the price a little bit. Someone else will finish it off in the end," he smiled.

"Alright..." Mo Xing hesitated, his trembling hand moving toward the bidding button.

"One million and one hundred thousand!" someone else stepped in first.

Mo Xing’s hand shook again. He hadn't expected to be such a coward when it was his turn to bid... It was completely different from those scenes in novels!

Utterly spineless!

"Snap!"

Mo Xing gritted his teeth, pressed the button, and shouted the price:

"One million and one hundred and twenty thousand!"

The guests turned their gaze toward him. Everyone was curious about this young man, as Mo Xing hadn't participated in any bidding until now.

Of course, many recognized him and began to whisper:

"Isn't that the Lord Gambler?"

"Yes! The Lord Gambler who pulled off that handsome ten-consecutive draw!"

"He's interested in this blade too?!"

"It's truly a battle of heroes!"

"Very well, guest number 99 bids one million one hundred and twenty thousand. Any further bids?" The auctioneer struck the gavel.

"One million two hundred thousand!" someone else shouted.

It was the man next to Mo Xing. He had raised the price to a new level.

"One million two hundred and fifty thousand!" The scarred man stepped in again.

But this time, his confidence wasn't as strong as before; he seemed like a river about to dry up.

"Big boss, it seems he really wants to fight to the end!" Mo Xing whispered to the man beside him.

"It's fine, keep helping me drive up the price," he said with a smile, as if victory were already in his grasp.

"Fine..."

Mo Xing pressed the button again and shouted:

"One million three hundred thousand!"

"One million three hundred thousand! The price of the Ghost Cry: Blade of Wandering has climbed to one million three hundred thousand!" The auctioneer said excitedly. "This has already become the highest-priced lot at this year's Utopia Auction!"

The guests gasped. They had already dropped out of the competition for this blade. Even the fat man Gulaga hadn't continued to bid. The final circle of the auction was left with only the "Lord Gambler," the man in the black mask, and...

"One million three hundred and ten thousand!" the scarred man shouted again.

"One million five hundred thousand!" The man beside Mo Xing didn't hesitate for a second, pressing the button to launch a new round of "offense."

"Oh my god! One million five hundred thousand?"

"This... this is too crazy!"

"Looks like a final blow!"

The guests whispered among themselves. Even the scarred man was shaking, gritting his teeth. Then, as the auctioneer began the countdown, the scarred man shouted a new bid:

"One million five hundred and ten thousand!"

"Keep raising the price..." the man whispered, "he can't hold on much longer."

"Alright..." Mo Xing muttered.

Although he didn't understand why this man was doing this, he complied with his wishes.

"One million five hundred and twenty thousand!" Mo Xing pressed the button.

"V-very well," the auctioneer paused, then raised his voice, "Guest number 99 bids one million five hundred and twenty thousand!"

The whole room fell silent. This young "Lord Gambler" had actually bid one million five hundred and twenty thousand! Could it get any crazier?

"What the hell!" the scarred man suddenly roared. "Are you two in formal wear official shills? Taking turns calling out bids to drive up the price of this blade! How am I supposed to play this game?"

Mo Xing frowned. Hearing the scarred man say that, he felt a bit panicked. Auctions indeed had such shills who strategically raised prices to secure more profit for the organizers.

He was definitely not an official shill—the eyes of the crowd were sharp! As for the man next to him...

"Are you unable to pay?" the man beside Mo Xing immediately countered.

"Hahaha! Hen Ren, so you have days like this too?" The fat man Gulaga, who had been quiet, laughed out loud. "With your pathetic state, how can you compete with Lord Gambler?"

"Exactly! Can't afford to lose, so you slander others?" someone chimed in.

"Hen Ren! Didn't you say this blade was yours for the taking? Why are you backing down?"

"And you bragged about being the strongest Pirate King! Why can't you afford to pay?"

"Are you all mocking me?" the scarred man raged. "Draw your blades! If you have the guts, come out and duel me one-on-one!"

"Everyone, calm down!" The auctioneer, seeing the commotion getting serious, hurriedly tried to maintain order. "The auction is still in progress, please do not—"

"Beep-beep-beep—"

Before the auctioneer could finish, a siren wailed from the speakers overhead, and the guests' expressions changed instantly.

"Oh no! The Imperial City SWAT team is here!"