《The One and Only》C37. An Antique Sword Box
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Compared with the crowded lobby, the private rooms on the first floor were certainly quieter.
The auction block could be seen clearly from the windows of those private rooms once you looked up a little.
However, it was difficult for people in the lobby to see the situation of private rooms clearly.
“Mr. Lin, this is the private room prepared for you. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
The manager ushered Lin Yun into the room, and laughed politely.
“Wait a minute. Can I still send an item here to attend the auction?”
Lin Yun stopped him, and asked gently.
“Of course, you can. But, it depends on the value of your item. Items of low value won’t be accepted. ”
Laughed the manager politely as before. Yet, from his lukewarm expression, it was obvious that he didn’t think Lin Yun could take out any valuable item.
“Ah, I don’t know its value either. It is the horn of the golden bull leader. Would you mind appraising its value for me?”
Lin Yun took out the bull horn and handed it over to him.
On that day, in order to reach his strength peak in a hopeless situation, he killed the leader of the golden bulls with a punch, and barely escaped.
As for the value of the bull horn, he really didn’t know.
“The horn of the golden bull leader?”
With astonishment flashing across his eyes, the manager in black said in a low voice, “Let me see. Oh, it’s really the horn of the golden bull leader! It’s nearly two meters long, whose length can’t be reached by common horns. Besides, it’s obviously much harder and sharper than that of other golden bulls.”
Someone who could be appointed as the manager of auction house must have wide field of vision.
“Mr Lin, how did you hunt and kill the ferocious and dreadful bull since it always lives and travels in groups?”
After the manager in black confirmed the identity of the item Lin Yun presented to him, the surprise in his eyes couldn’t be concealed any more.
Without giving the answer, Lin Yun said calmly, “Its value seems high. Then, would you mind helping me send it for the auction? ”
“Okay! I’ll go for the preparation. Mr. Lin, please feel free to tell me if you need anything.”
The manager immediately discarded his contempt towards Lin Yun and walked out of the room respectfully after seeing his generosity.
Watching on the manager closely, Lin Yun could easily tell the change of his attitude towards him.
However, he didn’t care. Finding that the auction haven't started yet, Lin Yun took out four pieces of inferior spiritual stones, and regulated his breath with his eyes closed. Then, he began to practice Pure Yang Script slowly.
The overbearing Pure Yang Script avariciously absorbed the vigorous Chi contained in spiritual stones. He was going to break through the third level of Pure Yang Script in no time. Four pieces of inferior spiritual stones ran out in an hour, and were put aside casually.
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Lin Yun looked up at the auction block and saw an unexpected graceful and buxom beauty.
“Hello, everyone! I’m the auctioneer, Qiulan. You can also call me Sis Lan. Welcome to our auction, and I will serve you wholeheartedly.”
Her voluptuous body and sweet smile made her look like a burning flame.
After that, she slightly bent over, exposing her eye-catching fair skin on her chest, which warmed up the whole auction house.
“Sis Lan, shall we begin now? We can’t wait any more!”
“Come on! Let’s begin!”
Hearing those seemly implicative words, Qiulan smiled gently, and said in a deep voice, “Take it easy, ladies and gentlemen. Now let me show you the first item of the auction. ”
Crash!
She stretched out her hand and removed the fiery red hanging of the auction block, revealing a blood red elixir.
“A Blood Activating Elixir of the premium quality comparable to that of the elixirs made in Sects, whose value is widely known and praiseworthy. Its starting price is five hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones. The bidding begins now.”
Without exception, the first auction item won’t be the most amazing one, but always the most striking one.
As the warm-up, Blood Activating Elixir was indeed appropriate.
Lin Yun kept an eye on it. “The more Blood Activating Elixirs, the better. It's worth my bidding.”
“Five hundred and fifty pieces of spiritual stones!”
“Six hundred pieces!”
“Seven hundred and fifty pieces!”
“One thousand pieces!”
Soon, the price of the Blood Activating Elixir was doubled.
The scene began to quiet down a little when the price was increased to one thousand pieces of inferior spiritual stones, which was higher than they expected.
Besides, people who could easily take out one thousand pieces of inferior spiritual stones could not be that simple.
“One thousand and two hundred pieces!”
Lin Yun offered the price of one thousand two hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones after a while of thinking.
“Spiritual stones can’t buy Blood Activating Elixirs most of the time. So he might as well seize this opportunity.”
The extra two hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones was the last straw that crushed the camel, which immediately caused many hesitant bidders to give up their bidding.
“One thousand and two hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones for once, twice ...... and sold!”
Looking towards the direction of Lin Yun, Qiulan, laughed zealously, “Congratulations to the bidder in the private room on the first floor. The Blood Activating Elixir is yours, which will be delivered to your room soon.”
“Alas! I have already figured that Blood Activating Elixir isn't something we could afford.”
“Every time the price of Blood Activating Elixirs would be raise to more than twice as much as the starting price along with the bidding process.”
“What a pity! With a Blood Activating Elixir, I will break through the fifth level of martial skills right away. ”
“Just wait. There is going to be an auction for Body Refining Elixir later, which will suffice as well.”
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There were groans all around the lobby. Yet, no sign of surprise was spotted on the faces of those bidders.
They knew that it was impossible for them to get the Blood Activating Elixir only with several hundred pieces of spiritual stones.
Qiulan on the stage thought to herself, “We started out well”.
With their moods uplifted by the Elixir, the warriors’ sentiment was the highest.
A dozen of auction items were then successfully auctioned off at desirable prices in succession.
Among those items, there were weaponry, elixirs, cheats, and even monstrous beasts, which included almost everything warriors were interested in.
Yet, none of those items were attractive for Lin Yun due to his high requirements. In his perspective, none of them were laudable.
“The following item is the horn of the bull leader, which was provisionally added for the auction!”
Crash!
The auctioneer, Qiulan lifted the red cloth from the item. The golden horn underneath dazzled under the rendering of jewel-like lights on the ceiling, and drew the attention of the warriors at once.
“What a sharp bull horn!”
“It is said that the horn of a golden bull can easily break through the defense of monsters of the same rank. It will endow you with overwhelming fighting capacity, with which hardly anyone could be your opponent.”
“Bulls always lives and travels in groups as few as hundreds, as many as thousands. So how did the owner get it?”
The horn was widely discussed among the audience, while in a private room on the first floor, a person immediately turned pale at the sight of the golden horn.
This person was the young lord of the Yuns, who barely escaped from the Hengyun Mountains.
“Damn! Who sent it here?”
With a livid and dreadful face, and killing intention spreading, the young lord of the Yuns commanded, “You two, go for an investigation right away, and find out who provisionally sent it here, and where that person is now!”
All guards aside were puzzled, and wondered why their young lord suddenly became so dreadful.
“Why are you still standing there? Go and investigate, now!”
“Yes, sir!”
Qiulan on the auction block was satisfied with the excitement of the warriors, and she laughed, “We all know it’s hard to get a Magical Weapon. However, a bone sword made from the golden bull horn won’t be much less powerful than one. The starting price of the golden bull horn is two thousand pieces of inferior spiritual stones!”
Many bidders directly gave up their bidding after its starting price was offered.
It was obvious that the golden horn was not for ordinary people, and only the inner disciples of the Four Grand Sects could afford it.
As expected, all of its bidders were the distinguished guests in private rooms, and only those ten guests offered their prices in turn.
Finally, the golden bull horn was auctioned off at three thousand five hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones.
“I guess I’m lucky.”
Lin Yun smiled gently. “Three thousand and five hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones is worthy of my narrow escape from death on that day.”
The next item was interesting since it was carried to the auction block with the joint effort of two brawny men.
The weight of that item made those two brawny men sweaty, and they let out a sigh of relief after it was put on the auction block.
“What’s it? And why is it so heavy?”
“Is it a lump of meteoric iron?”
“A heavy weapon?”
“Armor?”
Yet, none of them was right. Against all expectations, the auction item was a sword box.
What’s more, the box looked decayed with rust on its surface, for which the euphemism is a sword box of classical antiquity, while the bare truth is that it was only a rusty box.
Seeing this, the audiences offstage obviously became disappointed.
With an imperturbable expression, Qiulan said softly, “I’m sorry to say that all of you are wrong. This sword box is a valuable item, which was found on the ancient battlefield outside Skywater Kingdom by a venturer who narrowly escaped. It has a history of at least more than three hundred years. And it’s freezing cold inside ......”
When introducing the sword box, even the silver-tongued auctioneer Qiulan didn’t know how to continue either.
After finishing the introduction to the box, Qiulan offered its starting price--eight hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones!
“Rubbish! Are you out of your mind to set its starting price at eight hundred pieces of inferior spiritual stones? ”
“Who will buy such a piece of rubbish?”
“Except for decoration, what else can a sword box be used for?”
“Replace it with another item, now!”
Hearing the catcalls in the audience, Qiulan immediately felt embarrassed since the starting price of the sword box was set by the treasure appraisers of the auction house.
Though they hadn’t studied it thoroughly, the treasure appraisers all agreed to set its price at eight hundreds pieces of inferior Spirit Stones at least due to its history and origin.
However, the warriors offstage obviously didn’t recognize the sword box.
“Will it be an abortive item?”
The auctioneer, Qiulan became anxious at the thought of this since abortive auction would damage her reputation.
Then, Qiulan began her detailed introduction at once.
“Items found on ancient battlefields will never fail you. If you are lucky enough, you may find a treasure with a history of over one thousand years, or even a magical weapon, which can help you make enough money for the rest of your life. ”
Qiulan zealously introduced the box with a smile on her face. However, the publicity effect wasn’t as good as excepted since there were only very few responders among the audience.
Absorbed in thought, Lin Yun realized that his Flower Burying Sword would require floral scents, which made a sword box necessary.
A Stupendous Sum.
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