"Silence!" The Wine Master's voice boomed.
His authority as the Cosmagus was enough to silence the crowd.
Metatron rose to his feet. "Your Majesty, the Cosmagus, this auction is based on fairness and impartiality.
Since no one is hiding their identity, would it be possible for Bidder Number Three to reveal his face? "
The Wine Master's response was indifferent. "Whether or not to hide their identity is up to the individual."
An Liu had already placed her hand on the third vital crystal. Compared to the first two, this one was significantly larger. It was fifteen centimeters in diameter, and contained at least as much vital energy as the first two combined.
"Vital Crystal Number Three. The starting bid is two battleships. Let the bidding begin.
Please place your bid. "
"Five battleships!" Mysterious Number Three was unfazed by the Archangel Monarch's questioning.
Five battleships again?
Finally, someone couldn't sit still.
The price was one thing, but whether or not it could be purchased was another.
This Vital Crystal No.3 contained an enormous amount of Life Energy. According to research, the more Life Energy a Vital Crystal contained, the purer its energy would be.
In other words, after being filtered by the Tear of Neptune, there would be more life force left over.
"Five battleships, and one patrol boat!" Metatron shouted, waving his number five card in the air.
"Ten battleships!" Mysterious Number Three's icy voice boomed through the crowd, doubling the bid.
Once more, the audience fell silent.
Metatron's eyes were like knives as he stared at Bidder Number Three's back.
His gaze was so sharp it felt as though it could pierce through the man's body.
From the first to the third, the bids had reached twenty battleships. This wasn't a small sum.
If this was a pirate clan, it would be enough to form a large one.
Someone who could pull out resources of this scale couldn't be ordinary.
If it was just a bidder, it would be easier to deal with. But what if it was a fake?
What could they do?
"Vital crystal number three, ten battleships. Any higher bids?" The Wine Master's voice was quick, and it was clear the countdown was about to begin.
The auction house was in an uproar.
What was the meaning of these bids?
Although there were still many vital crystals on the table, the price was far beyond what many expected.
That was a battleship, a battleship that required a combination of all kinds of resources and advanced technology to build.
Before the auction began, the Eastern Alliance had already stipulated the grade and specifications of the warships that were to be offered. It was impossible to get away with it.
You could only receive the Life Crystal after paying.
"Ten battleships, once, twice, thrice.
Sold! "The Wine Master paid no heed to the uproar, and proceeded to complete the auction.
The fourth Life Crystal was delivered.
This one was about the same size as the first one.
"Life Crystal No.4, starting price of one battleship. Please bid."
"Five battleships!" Bidder No.3 offered again without hesitation.
"Be careful that you might not be able to use it even if you have the life to auction it."
A sinister voice suddenly rang out, but the voice came from all directions. It was obvious that some special means had been used.
The Wine Master pretended not to notice, and focused on his duties as an auctioneer. "Vital crystal number four, five battleships. Any higher bids?"
"Five battleships and one patrol ship." Finally, someone couldn't help but bid.
"Six battleships!" Bidder No.3 called out again.
"Six battleships and one patrol ship." It was the Archangel Monarch's turn.
Bidder No.3 hesitated for a moment, then didn't raise his paddle.
"Six battleships and one patrol ship. Any higher bids?" The Wine Master asked twice, then slammed his gavel down.
Finally, a vital crystal fell into the hands of someone other than Bidder No.3.
The fifth Life Crystal was pushed onto the stage. As soon as it appeared, many in the audience sat up straighter.
It wasn't much larger than the previous four, but it was a deep purple. It seemed to contain a viscous amount of vital energy.
It wasn't on the same level as the previous four.
As soon as it appeared, it attracted everyone's attention.
"Vital Crystal No.5, starting price of five battleships.
Let the bidding begin.
Please bid! "The Wine Master's demeanor was the same as before, calm as still water.
"Five battleships!" Before Bidder No.3 could make his move, someone else called out.
"Six battleships!" Someone else called out.
A vital crystal like this had never been seen before in human history, at least not on the surface.
It wasn't something that could be measured in terms of value. For it to contain so much vital energy, one could only imagine its research value.
The exuvium process was built on the basis of vital energy, but the level of the process affected its effectiveness.
The stronger an Arcanist was, the more life energy he would need to upgrade his life's hierarchy.
Many of the bidders present were powerful metahumans, so this kind of high-grade Life Crystal was naturally very attractive to them.
A small smile spread across Lan Jue's face. The show was about to begin.
"One battleship." Bidder No.3 called out again.
This was the first time a battleship had been called.
Although he had also called for ten battleships, which were equivalent to the main battleships, the momentum he was showing now was obviously different. He seemed to be determined to win.
During the appraisal day yesterday, everyone had discovered that there were a total of five high-level Vital Crystals, and this Vital Crystal No.5 was one of them. Although it wasn't the best, it was still very attractive.
"One battleship, and one battleship!" There was no pause this time, and it was the Terminator, the representative of the Major League.
As soon as the Terminator called out, the audience was silent.
The second of the ten Paragons was a powerful deterrent.
"One battleship, and three battleships." Unfortunately, Bidder No.3 wasn't intimidated.
The Terminator's eyes narrowed. "One battleship, and five battleships!" He was determined to get his hands on this vital crystal.
However, it wasn't long before the mysterious Bidder No.3 called out a shocking price. "Two battleships!" Two battleships!
This was the equivalent of twenty battleships, all for one vital crystal.
Both Metatron and Lucifer were silent.
It was clear to them that the East wouldn't put anyone in the front row for no reason. What was the front row?
It was the same position as the Northern Alliance and Western Alliance.
This was not a seat that anyone could sit on.
From the beginning of the auction until now, neither the Northern Alliance or Western Alliance had made a bid.
The Terminator was silent, and didn't make another bid. This price was far beyond what he was willing to pay.
The Major League was rich, but their resources weren't as deep as Skyfire Avenue's. What's more, they weren't bidding on money, they were bidding on battleships.
Just as everyone thought the vital crystal was about to fall to Bidder No.3, the Northern Alliance's representative in the front row, a man in his sixties, spoke up. "Two battleships, and two battleships." He held number one in his hand.
"Two battleships, and two battleships!" Bidder No.3's response was immediate.
"Two battleships, and two battleships!" Bidder No.1 called out again.
This time Bidder No.3 hesitated. After a moment of silence, he leaned back in his chair and said nothing.
"Vital Crystal No.5. Two battleships, and two battleships. Is there a higher bid?
Going once, going twice, going thrice. Sold! "
The Northern Alliance's representative nodded to the Wine Master, a pleased expression on his face.
He was an experienced Adept, at the peak of ninth level. He'd been invited by the Northern Alliance.
The atmosphere of the auction grew more and more heated. Bidder No.3 continued to make bids, and won several more of the more common vital crystals.
As it turned out, his initial offer of five battleships for one piece was gradually becoming less and less ridiculous.
As the number of competitors increased, so did the price.
There were more than eighty bidders, and only a little over a hundred vital crystals. Normally, each person would get one.
But when Bidder No.3 won more than ten crystals, people began to panic.
They didn't know when another auction like this would happen again. If they didn't make a bid soon, they'd go home empty-handed.
Vital crystals were in high demand. Even the most powerful families didn't have them. Who wouldn't want one?
Just like when the auction was first proposed, the allure of life extension was unparalleled.
The Western Alliance, on the other hand, watched from the sidelines. The Northern Alliance, on the other hand, made a few bids.
The Northern Alliance was the wealthiest. They had the largest fleet of battleships in existence.
"Vital Crystal No.48. The starting bid is one battleship. Every bid must be at least one battleship.
Let the bidding begin! "Finally, another high-grade vital crystal appeared.
Judging from the energy wolf's strength, it was about the same as the No.5 Life Crystal, but it was 50% larger.
"Two battleships!" The Western Alliance made their first bid.
The Western Alliance had managed to get their hands on some of the more common vital crystals, but they didn't have any of these high-grade ones.
The Northern Alliance won the first one, but they were determined to get the second one.
The West could see it too. If this continued, the price would only get higher and higher. They had to get their hands on a vital crystal first. It was of utmost importance to them.
Many readers are asking where they can read the short story I wrote for Harper's Bazaar. I'll post it on our WeChat tomorrow. I'll also include the photos taken by the famous actor Hu Ge for the story.
It's called a movie.
So, readers who haven't joined our WeChat yet, please join us now.
The method to join our Tang Sect's WeChat platform is very simple. You just have to search for the Tang Family's Third Young Master. You have to be the first one with a verified account.
Come on.
If you join us today, you'll be able to read our touching short story tomorrow.
I'll also post some interesting things on our WeChat platform in the future. I hope you'll like them.