Auction 8

Britney beamed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "And now, the moment we've all been waiting for! The dark horse of today's auction!"

With a graceful turn, she watched as a female attendant carefully wheeled a glass case onto the stage, positioning it directly in front of her.

Christopher shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Is that?!" he exclaimed, his voice a mixture of shock and disbelief. Chloe, James, and Adrian exchanged bewildered glances.

Alex's breath hitched. "Is that even possible?" His eyes were wide with stunned recognition.

Britney approached the case, her movements deliberate. She picked up the accompanying parchment, her fingers trembling slightly as she unfolded it.

'Huh?' A wave of surprise washed over her as she scanned the cryptic words. 'Information unknown, what is known is that this object is filled with a frightening amount of life force, which can upgrade anyone at the legendary level to the supreme level!'

She stole a glance at the pulsating blue orb within the case. 'Is that even possible?' Her eyes darted back to the parchment:

'With the investigation, we discovered that this power will amplify if the tamer has a connection with water... Not only that, it can also turn a normal human into a Tamer... Note: a powerful tamer... starting bid; One billion.'

Taking a deep breath, Britney finally lifted her gaze, meeting the sea of expectant faces. Alex's and Christopher's intense stares caught her attention.

'It seems they recognized it,' she mused, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. Raising her voice, she announced:

"Wow! Ladies and gentlemen, a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presents itself! This mesmerizing blue orb before us is an artifact brimming with raw life force. Our esteemed experts believe it possesses the incredible ability to transform an ordinary human into a Tamer!"

A ripple of excited murmurs spread through the hall.

"Wow... Is that even possible?" someone whispered in awe.

"This small orb is truly valuable," another voice added.

"Look! Christopher is standing! He's definitely going to bid on it."

"Yes! This must be far more potent than the late Supreme Tamer's ring!"

The hall buzzed with speculation.

"Not only that!" Britney's voice cut through the rising excitement. "For any Tamer currently at the legendary level, this orb promises an instantaneous ascension to the Supreme Level!"

Gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the room.

"Oh my god!"

"Wow... A true treasure indeed!"

"Yes! Absolutely incredible!"

The hall erupted into an uproar, every attendee perched on the edge of their seat.

Advika, her gaze fixed on the animated crowd, rose and walked to Christopher's side. "What is that orb?" she murmured, her voice barely audible above the din.

Christopher turned, a knowing smile gracing his lips. "That, my dear, is a first fragment of the Water God." He lowered his voice. "These people have no idea of its true value. No matter the cost, I will have it. With this," his smile widened, "I will be able to locate the remaining two fragments and finally ascend to become the Water God. And that, Advika, will significantly accelerate your training." He whispered back.

Understanding dawned in Advika's eyes. Though the orb appeared to be nothing more than a luminous stone, its significance was clearly immense. She nodded slowly and returned to her seat.

"What did you find out?" Katherine asked the moment Advika sat down.

"Christopher said that orb will be highly beneficial to his training," Advika replied.

"Alright everyone!" Britney announced, her voice ringing with excitement. "The starting bid is one billion dollars!"

"Two billion!" a voice boomed from the crowd.

"Five billion!" another bidder quickly countered.

"So cheap!" a third exclaimed. "Ten billion!"

'I must have this!' Boris thought fiercely. "Twenty billion!" he yelled.

"Fifty billion!" Ethan declared with a confident smile, turning to Boris. "Every man for himself now," he added.

"Indeed," Kelvin nodded firmly. "Seventy billion!"

"....?!"

'I thought he didn't have the funds for that?' Vincent frowned, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He quickly raised his voice. "One hundred billion!"

"All these old men," Chaya muttered, shaking her head with amusement. "One hundred and fifty billion!" she announced with a playful smile.

"One hundred and fifty billion?!" A collective gasp swept through the hall.

"Two hundred billion!"

"AHHHH!!"

Every head swiveled towards Murphy, faces etched with shock and disbelief.

"Lady... Why don't you let me have this?" Chaya asked, her brow furrowed. "Or are you deliberately targeting me?"

"Targeting you? Why would I target a kid?" Murphy finally reached up and removed the wide-brimmed hat that had obscured her face.

".....?!!"

"Oh my god! It's Madam Murphy?!"

"So that's why she's so wealthy?!"

"The Boss of every single black market in the five countries! Her influence is terrifying!"

"Yes! It's her!"

"Aunty Murphy?!"

Chaya sprang to her feet in astonishment, rushing towards Murphy and stopping just in front of her. Her eyes were wide with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

"Aunty Murphy?! I had no idea it was you!" Chaya exclaimed, a bright smile spreading across her face.

"Don't worry about it, kid... It was a bit of fun," Murphy replied, her own smile warm and genuine. "How is my younger brother doing?"

"Dad is well... He'll be arriving in Cordelia in three days," Chaya said happily, then added hesitantly, "Aunty, you can have the orb."

Chaya looked down at her feet, a touch of shyness in her demeanor. "Could I... could I sit with you?" she asked softly.

'Wow... Wasn't she just acting all high and mighty some moments ago? Why is she now acting like a child?' someone thought.

"Now, how could I refuse my niece? Come here, child." Murphy shifted to the side and patted the empty seat beside her.

Chaya's face lit up, and she quickly settled down next to her aunt.

"By the way, Auntie... I came to Cordelia because—"

"—Because you wanted to see him, didn't you?" Murphy finished, a knowing glint in her eyes.

"Uh? How did you know? Never mind, when and where can I see him?" Chaya asked eagerly.