Paraj's Big Auction (8)

Shui asked Alia if she knew anything about the pill's recipe, but she said that the gods were more interested in killing the fallen than finding uses for their bodies, so such information wasn't widespread. Shui had studied alchemy, but it was nowhere near to the same level as inscriptions or arrays, so it was unlikely that he would be able to figure out the recipe, but he decided to check out Silver City, or what was left of it, before going to Ashen Star City. As for Emily, she had grown numb to the enormous amount of money being spent so she just enjoyed the show.

The bids soared past 1000 high quality spirit gems, which was the minimum price of a relic, with no signs of stopping. Most likely, the final bid would surpass the actual value of the pill because this was its first appearance on the market, and the only clue to obtaining more. Although these giants of the cultivation world had no problem procuring the hearts of the chimera lord's shadows, without the recipe or the alchemist who made the pill, they wouldn't be able to get any more.

As the price continued to soar, one of the VIPs with a room number in the 20s was finally unable to keep up. This young man pressed a button that allowed sound to escape from his room and spoke sincerely to the other bidders.

"Good friends, please do me a favour by allowing me to take this item and my Starose clan will not forget your benevolence. You see, my grandmother only has a few more weeks to live. When I was little boy, my parents were killed by a rival clan, and so I only had her to rely on while growing up. She was tough while raising me, but it was thanks to her that I could achieve my current status. Please, allow me this chance to be a filial grandson."

If his story was true, then Emily had a bit of sympathy for him, but she knew that the other bidders wouldn't.

"Are you done?" asked a VIP in room number 14.

"Uh, yes I-"

That same VIP then made his next bid, completely ignoring the young man. It was a slap to the face so obvious that you could almost hear it, but the young man could only keep bidding until the price surpassed his liquid assets. Once the price rose above four thousand, no one except the VIPs with room numbers below 20 were bidding, but the war remained fierce. They raised the bid with uniform additions of one hundred for each bid, but they didn't follow any specific order.

Everyone thought that the winner would be among the low number group of VIPs, but suddenly, a dark horse appeared.

"Six thousand."

Of the forty VIPs at the auction, it was the VIP in room number 30 who raised the bid by over a thousand high quality spirit gems, instantly grabbing the attention of the audience. The low number VIPs were also surprised, but they continued bidding as usual, thinking that the VIP of room 30 was just bluffing. However, they did it again.

"Seven thousand."

When they witnessed that number appear above the room, the low number VIPs narrowed their eyes. Their bids were above what was capable for most low-rank major-level forces, and even someone from a high-rank major-level force would have to have a certain level of status to be trusted with this much money, so they couldn't help but be curious of who they were facing off against. Even so, speaking with anything besides money was a sign of weakness here, so they discretely investigated his background while continuing the bidding. They thought that the VIP of room 30 would soon stop with their flamboyant bidding and fall in line, but at the very least that didn't happen before some of them had to drop out.

"Eight thousand."

"Nine thousand."

"Ten thousand."

When the bid reached eleven thousand high quality spirit gems, they had to accept that they might not be able to afford the item. By this time, only four other VIPs were still capable of keeping up with the bidding, but the VIP of room 14 who had shut down the young man earlier, thought that it was time to start considering other methods of procuring the pill.

"Oi, number 30. Are you sure you want to keep going?"

"..."

The occupant of room 30 stayed silent as the countdown continued, giving no face to this VIP. Swearing to remember this disrespect, the VIP stopped bidding. The other VIPs tried to last longer by offering up relics and cultivation resources to substitute for spirit gems, but their actions were futile in the end. Despite their struggling, the pill was ultimately won by the VIP of room 30 with a final bid of fourteen thousand high quality spirit gems.

However, rather than proof that they possessed the most money, this showed that the other VIPs had either decided to completely give up, or were determined to take more violent measures. Whether they liked their attitude or not, no one believed that the VIP of room 30 would be able to leave with the pill without suffering any damage. The other VIPs had probably already sent people to investigate their identity, so the ambush was imminent.

"What do you think is the chance that they'll escape with their life and the pill?"

"I can't predict it."

Both Alex and Shui were surprised by Alicia's response to Shui's question. Neither had grasped the full extent of her ability, but they couldn't imagine what sort of calamity she would be unable to analyze. Alicia read their shock and so she tried to explain.

"It's complicated. I had a hunch that this gathering of influential figures would be the start of a major incident, but even now that I know what that incident is, there are too many powerful and unpredictable people involved for me to accurately deduce the outcome."

Shui and Alex nodded their heads in acceptance along with Emily who wasn't aware of Alicia's special ability.

"Sounds like this will be trouble."

Alia responded to Shui's private comment with exasperation.

"That was obvious from the start. Just hope that you won't have to get involved."

While Shui was worried about how far the other VIPs would go to steal the pill, Alicia called his name.

"Shui."

He turned to face her without any expectations, but the expression she wore hinted on something serious.

"You won't be involved, right?"

"...Of course."

Alex and Emily were left befuddled by their exchange, but Shui and Alicia understood each other. He knew that she was giving him a genuine warning, and she knew that he accepted that warning but wouldn't abide by it.

"Hmph, fine. Do what you want. See if I care."

Shui found an adorable appeal in her feigned indifference, but he didn't back down. The ball had already been set in motion.