Chapter 33
Ch.33 I’m Never Short on Money
After the auctioneer Leli announced the opening bid, the scene did not become as heated as expected.
The audience seemed still lost in contemplation of this newly introduced modern auction mechanism.
“These guys… obviously all schemers, none of them willing to raise their bids first—they’re all waiting below to observe for a while.”
After a brief moment of thought, Luo Nan understood why everyone remained silent.
It wasn’t that they were slow to react, but rather…
Whoever raised their hand first would be at a disadvantage!
In essence, since Hulos introduced this auction method, the entire auction hall’s atmosphere had transformed—what was originally a contest of wealth had now turned into a battlefield of life and death.
“In a situation where it’s uncertain whether more items will appear later, whoever reveals their demand first will be targeted by everyone else.”
“From the current situation, the first bidder will immediately be perceived by others as the one with the strongest desire for this item.”
“And those who don’t need the item as urgently have a high probability of bidding against him, driving the price up to an unaffordable level, so that when the same item appears again later, they can eliminate one competitor.”
“Even if the final buyer isn’t the first person to bid.”
Luo Nan analyzed the logic behind Hulos Exchange’s adoption of this method and couldn’t help but admire them internally.
“By using this approach, they turn every attendee into both perpetrator and victim simultaneously. But since there are many perpetrators and only one victim per round, driven by human selfishness, they ultimately still choose to engage in malicious bidding.”
“If my prediction is correct, the first bidder is about to appear…”
“One Faras… sixty Surs.”
Just as Luo Nan anticipated, after a brief silence, the first bidder appeared.
The first bidder added merely ten Surs.
Keep in mind, the black market price for ‘Frost Wight Wool’ is three Faras per 100 grams. Although not as valuable as the first item—the Tree Core—it is still a widely useful supernatural material, so there is no shortage of buyers.
“One Faras eighty Surs.”
“One Faras ninety Surs.”
“Two Faras thirty Surs!”
“…”
The first bidder acted like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples spreading outward. After him, second and third bidders rapidly competed, and soon the price surged to two Faras eighty Surs.
“It’s approaching market price… the real show has just begun.”
Luo Nan wasn’t particularly skilled at these intricate psychological games, but fortunately, he didn’t need to care about any of it.
Why? He didn’t have much of anything—but he had plenty of money.
When you can casually pull out hundreds or even thousands of Faras without blinking an eye, all these calculations and mental struggles become nothing but ridiculous clown performances.
“But if I play along like this, I fall right into the merchants’ trap—they’d love nothing more than seeing everyone viciously bid against each other so they can fill their coffers to overflowing.”
“Clearly, the recent closure of the market has affected them greatly. Even resorting to this slightly controversial auction method, they’re determined to squeeze every last Faras and Surs from everyone’s pockets.”
“Three Faras eighty Surs!”
At this point, the price had already reached nearly four Faras—an amount far exceeding the normal fluctuation range of the market. But unlike the first item, which stopped at a reasonable point, the price continued climbing.
“Four Faras twenty Surs!”
The current bidder may be motivated by malicious competition and self-interest, or perhaps by anxiety over whether such materials will appear again.
When the price climbed to six Faras, the bidding finally ceased.
“Six Faras once,” Auctioneer Leli began calling.
“Six Faras twice!”
Still no further bids.
“Six Faras thrice! Sold!”
Ultimately, the 100 grams of ‘Frost Wight Wool’ was sold at a price double the black market rate.
This price was only thirty Surs lower than the official market price for the same category of materials after international tariffs had been paid.
Afterward, numerous other bulk commodities were divided into smaller portions and placed on the auction table, triggering a series of calculated battles among the attendees.
Their final sale prices all far exceeded black market rates—even compared to tax-inclusive official prices, they were barely any cheaper.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the next item is scales derived from the tear drops of the Deep Sea Mermaid—‘scales from the corner of a mermaid’s eye’.”
“Legend has it that the Deep Sea Merfolk once…”
Auctioneer Leli knew this item, though precious, had limited utility. To liven the atmosphere, he recounted at length a story—whether genuine or fabricated by the exchange—about the history of the mermaid race.
But Luo Nan could tell everyone present was pragmatic. Beautiful legends might fool little girls and children, but to these people, a discount of one copper Tais was far more practical.
Carefully, the auctioneer lifted a sealed crystal vial, inside which floated a single silvery scale shimmering with faint iridescence, its edges curved like teardrops, suspended in some preservative fluid.
“How come there’s only one scale? Based on previous patterns, it’s probably being sold in batches.”
“To craft that artifact, I need two scales. I wonder how many more will appear later…” Luo Nan mused internally. “Oh well, I’ll buy them all anyway—this stuff isn’t worth much.”
Here it comes!
Anya, who had been completely passive throughout and nearly fallen asleep, instantly woke up upon seeing the sealed crystal vial.
To advance to Second Tier through this method, she had been waiting at peak First Tier for far too long.
All she needed was one scale—a single scale as a medium—and she could complete her advancement!
“This useless material shouldn’t attract any competition, right?”
The girl sat upright, her beautiful golden eyes scanning the entire hall.
As expected, the crowd showed little interest in the auctioneer’s flashy yet empty vial; they had already resumed discussing other matters with those beside them.
“‘Scales from the corner of a mermaid’s eye’—one piece, market price two Gold Faras,” said Auctioneer Leli, undeterred by his earlier storytelling failing to stir excitement, and calmly continuing to describe the basic details of the item:
“Opening bid: one Gold Faras.”
“Now, bidding begins.”
When Leli announced the start of bidding, unlike previous items where collective silence always followed, this time someone immediately offered the first bid.
However, the price offered was far from ideal.
“One Faras one Surs!”
A gender-neutral voice came from one corner of the temporary auction hall. Everyone turned to look, trying to glimpse who dared bid so absurdly—incrementing by just one Surs!
But Anya wasn’t intimidated by the stares. She straightened her back, temporarily ignoring the pressure of her tightly bound burdens on her breathing, her expression calm and unflinching.
After all, her face was wrapped in cloth—no one recognized her!
More importantly, nowhere did it say bidding increments couldn’t be as small as one Surs! Honestly, she’d even considered incrementing by one Tais each time.
“Two Faras.”
What?!
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