Flames of Ambition

31: The Auction

Chapter 31: The Auction

"Stop talking about those two bitches, You’er. They made their own choices. They are now commoners, and no one will help them," he said confidently. He was certain no one would support them now that they had lost their backing, which was the Prime Minister.

But he forgot that the reason he had a connection to ZUG Restaurant was solely because of Zexel. And now that Zexel was no longer with them, he couldn’t use that connection anymore, even if he still held a VIP card.

Now that everyone was looking forward to the auction, the shopkeeper did not dare make them wait. He already appeared on stage.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, nobles, commoners, officials, and royalties, let us begin our auction with the Third Grade Pill called Meridian Width. It can help a cultivator widen their meridians so that their cultivation process improves by 10%. These pills were lost 10,000 years ago, but now, they reappear here,” the shopkeeper said with a wide smile, proud to see so many people gathered.

For years since they had established the auction house, it was the first time the venue was filled to capacity—there were no available seats left.

“Our bidding will start at 100,000 silver coins,” the shopkeeper declared.

“120,000!”

“140,000!”

“155,000!”

“200,000!”

“500,000!”

Everyone was astonished. They hadn’t expected someone to bid 500,000 silver coins so quickly. But after analyzing the situation, they realized the pill had long been extinct, so its rarity was sky-high. Still, nobody expected another bid.

“1,000,000 silver!” a voice from Room 15 called out.

“1,000,000 once… 1,000,000 twice… Congratulations to Room Number 15. You've won the Meridian Width Pill!” the shopkeeper announced with a bright smile. He hadn’t expected the bidding to reach one million silver coins.

The auction continued until they reached the final item: the Full Armor Thunder Attribute. The shopkeeper explained its abilities as someone tested the armor onstage. After the demonstration, he made an announcement.

“The owner has said that this armor will not start with a minimum bid, but the currency used must be in Big Gold Coins. I repeat, Big Gold Coins will be used for bidding on this armor,” the shopkeeper repeated the rules four times.

However, in the room where the Crown Prince and his party were seated, they were too busy talking and comforting Fan Qingyou during one of her tantrums. None of them heard the rules. Only Su Wei An noticed that the item being auctioned was the armor.

“Crown Prince, they’re auctioning the armor now. You need to place your bid!” Su Wei An alerted him.

That was when they finally turned their attention to the stage.

“10,000!”

“15,000!”

“17,000!”

The Crown Prince frowned. Even the others with him were confused about why the bidding started at such a low amount.

“That’s too low. This Prince will surely win this armor,” Feng Guan Xi said, tapping the bell gently and raising his hand.

“1,000,000!” Feng Guan Xi called out.

The whole hall fell silent. But after a few seconds, whispers and gossip spread like wildfire.

Zexel and Fan Yaoli both curved their lips into small smiles, while Feng Zhengying and Feng Ming Li chuckled. They knew the two had planned something.

“1,100,000,” Zexel added.

The crowd downstairs wasn’t surprised. The people on the third floor were known as the wealthiest in the entire Da Country.

Feng Guan Xi grew gloomy but remained determined to win the armor.

“2,000,000,” he said.

“3,400,000,” Feng Zhengying added with a smirk. He knew that if the Crown Prince had heard that the currency required was Big Gold Coins, he would’ve stopped bidding. But since he didn’t, they would keep pushing.

Feng Guan Xi gritted his teeth and raised the bid again.

“3,600,000,” he called out.

The four upstairs exchanged nods.

“Crown Prince, are you sure you want this armor? Then we will give way to you,” Feng Ming Li said.

That made Feng Guan Xi smile proudly and nod.

“The Imperial Family is truly wealthy.”

“You’re right. I didn’t know the Crown Prince could bid that high. If I were him, I would’ve stepped back.”

“Stop gossiping! They might hear us.”

The Crown Prince was unaware of the gossip. He was just too pleased to hear others praising him. The Prime Minister and the rest congratulated him as the auction came to an end.

By then, the four had changed into new clothes and headed to the auction house’s office.

As usual, Feng Zhengying was in a wheelchair, and Feng Ming Li was pushing him.

When they arrived inside, the shopkeeper greeted them with a wide smile.

He handed over the contract and deed for the auction house, making Fan Yaoli its official owner.

“May I know your name, Shopkeeper?” Fan Yaoli asked.

“This servant is called Lan Leng Han,” the shopkeeper replied politely.

“Alright. You’ll remain in charge here. I’ll send the next batch of items in three days,” she said.

The auction house also functioned as an item shop. Fan Yaoli stocked it with First Grade Armaments and Pills, as well as herbs, accessories, and other items she didn’t plan to use.

The four waited a bit as those who had won items started arriving at the office—including the Crown Prince and the Fan family.

“Li Jie-jie? Hua Mei-mei? You’re here!” Fan Qingyou suddenly ran toward them, pretending to be overjoyed. But just before she reached them, she suddenly tripped and fell to the ground.

Both Fan Yaoli and Zexel stared coldly at her. They already knew she was planning to create a scene.

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