by Zhuang Bifan
"The gemstones that embellish the ring are high-quality Sparks Blue Stones that have been meticulously polished to perfection by Mr Joanne. The spiritual power of the gems has been maximized as well. It can be considered to be the jewelry piece of every mage's dreams." The auctioneer took the ring out of the wooden box and held it high above his head, allowing it to sparkle as light was reflected off its shiny surface.
For a mage, the most important thing was magic and spiritual power. Spiritual power directly determined the development potential of the mage and the level of advancement that he could attain. Even a normal Evil Eye magical crystal was considered invaluable, let alone the crystal of the Evil Eye Tyrant.
The Sparks Blue Stone also had spiritual-power-elevating properties. However, the difference was that the magical crystal would genuinely increase the mage's spiritual power, while the Sparks Blue Stone would only strengthen the foundation of the mage. In other words, when one had equipped the Evil Eye magical crystal for a long time, the spiritual power of the mage would be improved and remain at a high level after it was unequipped. However, the mage would immediately return to his original state once he was away from the Sparks Blue Stone. His spiritual power would also decrease back to the original level.
Of course, the Sparks Blue Stone was undoubtedly the best choice for mages in the absence of the Evil Eye magical crystal. Even a slight increase in strength would increase the power of mental strength and, subsequently, the power of magic. Hence, the auctioneer was not exaggerating at all.
''The auction for Mr. Joanne's masterpiece, the Sparks Blue Stone ring, will begin with a minimum bid of 200,000 gold coins!" The auctioneer placed the ring on a magic hologram projection device, which projected an enlarged image of the ring in midair. He then rotated it slowly to allow everyone to catch a clear glimpse of the beautiful and alluring Sparks Blue Stone.
Immediately after the auctioneer announced the start of the auction, the audience began bidding immediately. The bids increased from 200,000 gold coins to 300,000 gold coins, and then to 400,000 gold coins. When the bid exceeded 500,000 gold coins, the speed of the increment in bids began to slow down. After all, 500,000 gold coins was not a small sum.
"650,000!"
In one of the VIP rooms on the second floor, someone placed a higher bid, which caused a huge uproar amongst the audience in the hall. However, there was nothing they could do, since all of the VIP guests were filthy rich; hence, no one dared to vie with them at all.
"The person who called that bid is a representative sent by the Dark Blade, the level-18 Archmage Tedya. It's said that their original heir, Stephen, had disappeared in the Blackstone Mountains, and Tedya is the one who has the greatest potential of becoming the next successor." The Malfa Family dared not disclose the incident that took place in the Blackstone Mountains; hence, even the well-connected William had no idea what'd happened.
Since the VIP rooms' open sides were facing the stage, Lin Li could easily see Tedya, the potential next successor of the Dark Blade, whose room was located at the side. There were four or five people in that room. Tedya looked to be in his thirties, and he looked malnourished, with his eyes sunken deep in his sockets. His mustache was rather neatly trimmed, however.
"A necromancer?" Lin Li could sense his Undead aura which was similar to that of Ujfalusi.
"Yes, it is said that the Dark Blade has the support of the Darkness Shrine. Hence, it's not strange that there are a few necromancers among them."
After all, they were in the Breezy Plains. William frowned slightly at the mention of the necromancers.
"700,000!" another person from the other VIP rooms yelled.
William pouted his lips and shook his head. "This is Prince Hilary from the Ledin Kingdom. Most of the people from the Ledin Kingdom believe in the doctrine of light. Well, they wouldn't get into a fight here…"
Lin Li looked over to see a middle-aged man who had a goatee, clad in luxurious and expensive clothes, sitting inside the room. He was holding a glass of red wine in his hands, while an alchemy puppet massaged his shoulders. When he noticed Lin Li staring at him, he raised his glass deliberately and put on a noble smile.
Lin Li thought to himself, What a lame person. Isn't he afraid that the alchemy puppet might crush his shoulders?
The alchemy puppet was way inferior to the Alchemy Colossuses that Lin Li had acquired in the Dragon Mountains. The alchemy puppet was at most level-10 in strength; besides, alchemy puppets were usually byproducts of alchemists' work which did not serve much of a purpose.
"750,000!" Tedya yelled.
The highest price that an accessory made with the Evil Eye's magical crystal had ever been sold at was 800,000 gold coins. Although it was said that the Evil Eye was priceless, that did not mean that its value could increase too drastically.
"780,000!" Hilary exclaimed without hesitation.
Silence filled the air in Tedya's room. It was not an issue of affordability, for 800,000 was peanuts to the Dark Blade. However, they still wanted to spend their money on something that was worth it. One would certainly be ripped off if they were too generous.
"780,000! Is there a higher bid? 780,000 once…" The auctioneer raised the gravel high in the air and continued to try and stir the audience. "This is Sparks Blue Stone, the masterpiece of the senior jeweler, Mr. Joanne! Is there a higher bid? This ring can help increase magical attributes greatly, and the current bid is 780,000 gold coins! 780,000 twice…"
"850,000!" Tedya yelled, no longer able to hold himself back. He even placed a bid that was 50,000 gold coins higher than the record price the Evil Eye magical crystal was sold for.
"Forget it, I'm not a mage anyway. You may have it," said Prince Hilary.
"Thanks a lot, then," Tedya replied, sounding a little angry. 850,000 gold coins was actually insignificant to the Dark Blade. However, he felt like he had been ridiculed because Hilary had deliberately made him place an absurdly high bid.
After asking for the third time, the auctioneer slammed his gravel down forcefully to close the auction for the ring. The Sparks Blue Stone ring was then sold to Tedya from the Dark Blade at 850,000 gold coins.
Upon hearing the gasps of shock, Tedya could not bring himself to be happy at all, for the guests' reaction simply meant that he had been ripped off.
Although the auction was of a large scale, the items that would be put up for sale were not exorbitantly priced like Twilight Dragon Armor and Sparks Blue Stone. The nearly 2,000 people below the stage were not just there to watch the auction, and William didn't want them to go home empty-handed, either. Hence, he arranged for a few other items that were of poorer quality to be put up for auction.
Although the average auction price for the items was about 800,000 gold coins, the process made everyone riled up.
"The items that will be showcased next are not included in the catalog, because they were added to the auction rather recently. The items come from a place that you often hear about, and in fact, most of you have probably visited it before…" The auctioneer paused for a moment before removing the red cloth, and saying, "They are magical potions from the Tower of Dusk!" The auctioneer removed the red cloth to reveal the potions which had been stacked like a pyramid.
As the auctioneer said, the guests were indeed no strangers to the Tower of Dusk. Those who wanted to recruit senior pharmacists had all scrambled to the Tower of Dusk, while those who had not been there before had long heard of it. Hence, it was a well-known fact that there were senior pharmacists in the Tower of Dusk, and no one doubted it at all.
Every row of the pyramid was of a different color, and the potions were obviously arranged from the lowest to highest grade. There were 16 crystal potion bottles in the first row, all of which contained some light green liquid. Since they were similar, they wouldn't be sold individually. The auctioneer grabbed one of the bottles and placed it in the middle of the stage.
"This is made by the pharmacists of the Tower of Dusk. It's an inte
rmediate-level potion named the Blood of Nature." The auctioneer held up the potion in his hand, and said to the audience, "The effect of this potion is to quickly heal any damage caused by magic, and at the same time restore the body that had been weakened by the injuries. It's definitely a necessity for adventurers. Having a bottle of this healing potion is akin to having an extra life. The auction of the first bottle begins at a minimum bid of 20,000 gold coins."
20,000 gold coins was considered expensive for a healing potion. However, the people at the auction were no fools, and had immediately caught the main point after listening to the auctioneer's introduction.
There was a huge difference between normal damage and damage caused by magic. Magic damage would leave some brutal magic elements in the wounded body which couldn't be removed by generic healing potions, thus making it difficult for the injury to heal quickly.
The next effect of restoring the body's strength was even more attractive. Usually, the injured would have to rest for a long time after being treated with a regular Recovery Potion. Well, at least damage caused by excessive blood loss could not be healed that quickly. However, the Blood of Nature could restore the body, which was akin to giving the injured some of their fighting ability back during combat.
Hence, the potion was definitely worth 20,000 gold coins since it could heal magic damage and restore one's health. Some people might think that the price of 20,000 gold coins was too expensive for a potion that could only be used once. However, it was akin to buying another life with money. Was 20,000 gold coins for an extra life still expensive? A shorter healing time was at least a better chance for one to escape, regardless of whether it could restore combat power or not.
Everyone understood that. Hence, as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, someone placed a bid of 30,000 gold coins, which was peanuts to them. The price surged quickly, and the potion was finally sold at a price of 100,000 gold coins.
The following bottles were sold in packs of two or three bottles. At last, they were sold together in a pack of six for a price of 700,000 gold coins, which made William feel rather emotional. Out of all the potions, Blood of Nature was of the lowest grade, and they were just the products of the pharmacists' practice sessions to Lin Li…
Chapter 541 - Vitality Potion
William and the bidders, including those who had failed to win, were all shocked by the price. They had also seen the other potions that were of superior grade on display and waiting to be auctioned. The Tower of Dusk was definitely going to make huge earnings just from this auction. Those who were jealous of the Tower of Dusk for having a group of senior pharmacists previously were now even more envious and jealous because of the auction.
"The next item that is going to be up for auction is the Vitality Potion, which can help Warriors break through to level-15. Just like the previous item, the quantity sold in each round will increase gradually. The auction for the first bottle begins now with a minimum bid of 50,000 gold coins." The auctioneer grabbed a bottle from the second stack, which was now the bottommost stack.
In the land of Anril, Warriors were the most common profession, and it was much easier for one to become a Warrior than a Mage. As long as one was able-bodied and did not suffer from any mental disabilities, they would be able to learn combat skills and develop Combat Energy to become an impressive Warrior who could wield a sword. However, the journey to becoming a Warrior was not always smooth sailing, and talent was also an important factor.
When the forces of the Breezy Plains gathered together at the Tower of Dusk, everyone was thinking of recruiting the senior pharmacists of the Tower of Dusk, and hence continuously sent gifts after gifts. However, the outcome was, to their dismay, just that one of them only managed to receive a potion which would increase his strength after presenting the gift.
Hence, Ona, who led the Crimson Mercenary corps, managed to obtain two potions which he shared with his son. The two of them then broke through to level-15 after being stuck there. The sudden addition of two level-15 Warriors in a mercenary regiment which started off with only a few hundred mercenaries was akin to multiplying the strength of the regiment twice. It could be said that Ona was the only one who had gained anything from the pharmacists of the Tower of Dusk.
The potion that was being auctioned now was also one that would result in a breakthrough to level-15. Six Vitality Potions would mean that there was going to be six level-15 Warriors who could reach level-19. In fact, the advancement requisites for Warriors were not as strict as those for mages. The potion was not necessary for one to become a Sword Sage, either. Although Warriors could not compare to Mages who were of the same level as them, it was still an incredible power that could not be disregarded.
The Blood of Nature was used for prevention purposes; hence, its effects would not be seen immediately, and they wouldn't show at all in some people. The effects of the Vitality Potion were very substantial, however. Every bottle contained a single dose of potion that would significantly increase one's power and abilities. Hence, a huge commotion broke out amongst the audience as soon as the auction began, and they began vying with one another for the six bottles available.
Within a short period of time, the six potions were sold at a high price, with the average price being 200,000 gold coins per bottle. However, it was definitely not expensive for a potion that would transform an ordinary Warrior into a level-15 one.
"Congratulations, President Felic. These two potions are very popular amongst everyone here," said William, who could not help but begin to feel a little jealous. However, he thought to himself, Luck really is such an important thing. Hard work can never beat luck at times.
"You're being too polite, Mr. William. These are just potions that they've concocted during their practice sessions. It's not a big deal at all," Lin Li said modestly.
Wilkinson and the rest were also discussing the outcome of the auction while shaking their heads and sighing. Had they known earlier that the potions could be sold for such hefty prices, they wouldn't have poured away the various amounts of potions concocted during their practice sessions for the sake of saving on the bottles.
William almost vomited blood as he thought to himself, Could you guys please show some sincerity? Those potions are worth tens of millions of gold coins. Stop acting so loft and provoking others! Damn it, how could you say that? These two types of potions are worth more than two million gold coins! Yet, they were just concocted during your practice sessions, and you even poured away plenty of them. Why don't I gift you with some bottles!?
William was so agitated that he almost spat blood out.
Meanwhile, the auctioneer had already begun auctioning the next item. There was a huge uproar.
The sky-high prices gave everyone a huge shock, and they were all green with envy, all wishing that they could go to the Tower of Dusk and kidnap the pharmacists. While some were feeling jealous, some were wondering if they should put in more effort to recruit the pharmacists. Others were also wondering if they had not worked hard enough. Actually, Ona was a good example. He only spent a small amount of money on gifts, yet he received two potions which cost more than 200,000 gold coins in return.
"The next potion up for auction is the most magical one that I've ever seen throughout the years I was an auctioneer. It's also from the Tower of Dusk, and was concocted by the respectable senior pharmacist, Wilkinson." The auctioneer grabbed the last potion that was on display.
Silence filled the air while everyone fixed their eyes on the small potion bottle for fear that they might miss a single word of the auctioneer. What were the effects of this potion? What about it was so magical that even the head auctioneer of the Time Consignment Store couldn't help but be in awe? They'd never once heard about it before, let alone seen it.
The auctioneer scanned the audience in satisfaction. Although he remained composed on the surface, the excitement that he felt deep down was intense beyond words. The sky-high prices made him look forward to the aucti
oning of the next potion. If it weren't because of William's words, he wouldn't have believed that such potions existed in this world.
"This potion is called Origin, because its purpose is to lead you to find the origin of magical power!" the auctioneer exclaimed, trying to suppress the excitement in his heart. He carefully held the potion with both hands, and stared at the curious guests before continuing, "Once a mage takes this potion, he will soon slip into a mystical trance that will last for about a month. It will seem like a dream, in which the mage will possess five magical powers that will stay fresh in the mage's memory even after he wakes up. The auction for Origin Potion begins with a minimum bid of 550,000 gold coins!"
However, no one dared to make a single sound after the auctioneer announced the start of the auction.
The auctioneer's introduction gave everyone a great shock. The thought of the sky-high prices of the items that had been sold off previously made them find it all to be rather surreal. They felt like they were dreaming, and plenty of people found the effects to be rather unbelievable and ridiculous. Learning about magic during a dream? How absurd!
The auctioneer was stunned by the lack of reaction. There had been countless auctions held by the Time Consignment Store, and there was bound to be a huge commotion during every auction, all thanks to William's good judgment and taste. There had never been silence before.
Just as the silence was getting peculiar, someone yelled, "600,000!"
The person who placed the bid was none other than Sienna. He had previously bought the Twilight Dragon Armor, which was rather useful to him—unlike this potion. However, he knew how formidable Lin Li, the owner of the Tower of Dusk, was. Even if no one placed a higher bid and Sienna ended up purchasing the potion, 600,000 gold coins would be worth it if he could forge closer ties with the young President Felic.