Chapter 3257 — An Unexpected Complication
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The people who came to this auction were after life-prolonging elixirs and treasures of heaven and earth; a gemstone crystal like this was of little interest to them. Luxuries of that sort were plentiful at any other auction house. They had not come here to study such things.
So when the blue crystal was brought out, it drew little attention. Even those who had been bidding earlier now picked up their teacups, ready to take a sip of water and relax before the next round of bidding.
Wei Zhao, meanwhile, was watching that blue crystal closely!
"Eight million!" A voice rang out, unhurried. The blue crystal's starting price was five million—at auctions like this the reserve was generally low, and the price was driven up by bidding.
Only, few people wanted the blue crystal. In truth, the auction house had put it out merely as a palate cleanser, a chance to relax, with no expectation of fetching a good price.
"Nine million." Another man called out his bid.
But after he bid nine million, the previous bidder did not raise again. Plainly he had not set his heart on it; once someone topped him, he gave up. Perhaps he was even a shill, there to keep the auction from falling flat or going unsold.
"Ten million." Yang Qiqi began bidding, for she too could see that the auctioneer was about to ask for the first call—clearly no one else was paying the thing any mind.
The moment Yang Qiqi's price came out, the man who had bid nine million seemed taken aback. He glanced toward Yang Qiqi's box and promptly, cheerfully gave up. The blue crystal's material was notFaint Light of Old Dreamsin, which sharply diminished its value.
So ten million was, to be sure, not an unworthy price to pay for it—but an item of such quality was of no great use either.
To collectors and engravers, of course, a flaw in a crystal was a fatal wound. To Wei Zhao, it did not matter in the least. He meant to use it for artifact refining; the blue crystal was only an auxiliary material, to be ground into powder, and the impurities inside would not affect its use at all.
After Yang Qiqi's bid, no one else called a price. The auctioneer raised his hammer and asked, "The gentleman in box twenty-seven bids ten million. Is there any higher bid? Ten million, going once..."
Just when Wei Zhao thought the prize was as good as his, a somewhat familiar voice rang out, and Wei Zhao's brows knit at once!
"Twelve million!" The bidder was none other than He Tianzu, the man they had met in the parking garage!
Wei Zhao did not quite understand—what was He Tianzu sticking his nose in for? His sudden bid left Wei Zhao unable to fathom his purpose. By any reasonable account, this auction house belonged to the Overseas Cultivators' Association, and He Tianzu was the young master of that association. What could he possibly lack? There was no need for him to bid at all—he could simply take it home and decline to sell it! (Yunhai Shuku WeChat: yuren22, you are welcome to add!)