When the Thirteenth Young Master entered, the auction had already been underway for quite some time. Of course, the auction wouldn't wait for him to start; it had its own rules to follow.
However, most items auctioned at the beginning were ordinary, and the truly valuable items were kept for later. The best items were always saved for last.
After quite a few items had gone by, the Thirteenth Young Master finally took action, raising his paddle and making a bid. When he did so, everyone else immediately stopped bidding, allowing him to successfully secure the item.
It wasn't because he bid a high price, but rather because the item wasn't very important, and no one wanted to offend him. At least, they wouldn't fight over something like this.
Sometimes, there are benefits to bankruptcy, allowing you to pick up some cheap items.
The problem is—
"Young Master, why did you buy this? Are you thinking of giving it to the Seventh Princess?" Tiger Girl frowned and asked.
The item being auctioned was a sword, a decorative treasure sword. Although it had some historical value, it was completely useless for martial artists, meaning it had no practical value.
These decorative treasure swords were usually worn by young gentlemen, not noble ladies or noblewomen. Perhaps some noble young ladies who practiced martial arts might carry them, but the Seventh Princess was a mage.
"No, this is for my own entertainment. I can't give my wife such a cheap gift. I'll buy something better later." The Thirteenth Young Master shook his head, with "something better" meaning something more expensive.
After a few more items, the Thirteenth Young Master made a few more whimsical purchases, either strange magical devices or magical scrolls used as fireworks.
There's no need to explain what magical scrolls are, and there's nothing more to add. The only thing worth noting is that magical scrolls are difficult to make on this continent and their materials are expensive, making them luxurious items.
However, the Thirteenth Young Master didn't use these expensive items for their intended purpose, opting instead to use them as fireworks. It was indeed extravagant and a sign of his inclinations towards bankruptcy, although to be honest, the effect of the magic was much more magnificent than that of fireworks.
"Now, we have the last three items of today's auction, and they are the most anticipated highlights of the entire event. First up is the legendary Crown of the Moon Goddess, a crown that the Emperor Sisis once gave to his beloved Empress. It was the collective work of nearly a hundred craftsmen and currently holds the largest sapphire. Bidding starts at fifty thousand gold coins. Who's interested, please make your bid." After the auctioneer's familiar introduction, the bidding began.
"Young Master, this is good. It can be a gift for the Seventh Princess," Tiger Girl suggested. Although she felt it might be a bit too expensive, it seemed like the best choice available.
However, she noticed that the Thirteenth Young Master seemed uninterested in the item, not making any bids whatsoever.
"Is this good? Fine, let's buy it. A hundred thousand..." The Thirteenth Young Master casually stated, indicating to everyone that he had no idea it was one of the most favored items for women, unless reminded by Tiger Girl.
"The Young Master from the Ye family bids a hundred thousand. Does anyone have a higher bid? One hundred thousand for the first time..."
"Eleven thousand!" Since the value of the Moon Goddess Crown was more than a hundred thousand, many people continued to raise the bid unless it exceeded its actual value significantly.
"Twelve thousand." The Thirteenth Young Master immediately raised the bid again, without much thought.
"Fifteen thousand!" Another person called out, but unexpectedly, just as they finished, the Thirteenth Young Master's voice immediately sounded.
"Sixteen thousand."
"Seventeen thousand..."
"Eighteen thousand."
In the end, the Thirteenth Young Master purchased the Crown of the Moon Goddess for the slightly high price of eighteen thousand, considering it better to pay a bit more.
The next item was the second major highlight of the auction, a sword. However, this time it wasn't a decorative item, but rather a masterpiece created by modern weapon masters, a weapon that many swordsmen dreamt of.
As the crowd kept shouting higher bids, the Thirteenth Young Master remained indifferent, not because he was waiting for the last bidder, but simply because he had no interest in the item. The vying and fighting was not suitable for a spendthrift like him, and such a weapon was unnecessary for him.
"Lastly...this is an item that will be auctioned secretly. It's this box. The starting price is a hundred thousand gold coins." The auctioneer seemed a bit unsure when introducing the item.
Private auctions are a type of auction with several categories. Some auctions houses know what's being auctioned, while others, like this one, keep it secret even from the auction house itself. Usually, even if they don't know what it is, there would still be some hint, at least revealing its approximate value.
This time, however, whoever was auctioning this box didn't disclose any information and directly asked for a starting bid of a hundred thousand. After completing the necessary formalities, they didn't give it further attention.
The auction house couldn't find out what was inside, and since the fee was paid, they had to proceed with the auction. Few brave souls would be willing to buy this item. A hundred thousand gold coins. What if the value inside wasn't equivalent to the price?
The auctioneer lost confidence, thinking that this item would likely go unsold.
"A hundred thousand gold coins? What's inside?" someone asked because a box with no description was a hard sell.
"We don't know what's inside. We can only say this: those willing to take the risk can buy it. Perhaps there's something inside worth more than a hundred thousand gold coins. However, we take no responsibility if there isn't." The auctioneer warned the patrons not to take unnecessary risks. However, the most important thing was that they weren't held liable if they made a mistake.
Some people might not understand why such a situation would exist. It's just a rule, although rarely used, because no one would be willing to take such a risk.
The more details available about an item being auctioned, the more bidders it would attract. This form of secret auction was rare, unlike surprise pricing, which was common.
Of course, some people might use secret auctions for various reasons, but usually there would be some information disclosed, and this information couldn't be fabricated. The auction house would verify it during the transaction.
However, this item was too special. Nothing was said about it, and it was simply priced at a hundred thousand gold coins. This wasn't common at this level; usually, such items were national treasures.
People were curious about this situation and adopted a wait-and-see approach...
When everyone, including the auctioneer, thought the item would go unsold, a voice resonated, surprising everyone, yet at the same time, feeling just right.
If it had been someone else, everyone would have been surprised, but coming from this person, it was normal. There was only one person in the room who could purchase this inexplicable box, and that was none other than the Thirteenth Young Master.
"A hundred thousand!"