Chapter 77: Bidding

Chapter 77: Bidding

A row of information appeared before Raven's left eye.

…

[Item: Merlin's Compass

Description: An Archon Wizard named Merlin created a unique compass to hide the twelve Arcane Fragments from his enemies.

Uses: Unknown

Activation condition: Unknown

Potential effect: Upon activation, it will reveal the nearest location of an Arcane Fragment.]

…

'Oh? What are Arcane Fragments?'

[This is a new term for Intellectual artifacts in this world, lad.]

'Intellectual artifacts?' Raven furrowed.

[An artifact that gains consciousness and can think independently is called an intellectual artifact. The intellectual artifacts are separated into three types: Arcane Fragments, Arcane Relics, and Arcane Apex Congitums. The lowest form of intellectual artifact is called Arcane Fragments. They are more like newborn babies and act based on their whims. But even the strength of an Arcane Fragment is far superior to that of a Legendary Artifact. The next one is called 'Arcane Relics.' These artifacts can make decisions independently and even manipulate people at their will. They can even turn a city upside down and cause more destruction than you think. And the final one is Arcane Apex Congitums. These intellectual artifacts are walking disasters and can even decide the fate of a world. They are more like peak existence.]

'Oh? Should I buy the compass?'

[You must.] Zera said firmly in his mind.

Meanwhile, a few people showed some interest and started bidding.

"650 Golds!"

"700 Golds!"

…

The price soared up to 1200 golds and soon stopped.

"1200 Golds going once!"

"1200 Golds going twice!"

Raven instantly raised his hand and shouted.

"1250 Golds!"

A silence followed, and no further bid appeared.

"1250 Golds going once!"

"1250 Golds going twice!"

"1250 Golds going thrice! Sold to number F12!" The Auctioneer said loudly.

Jacob glanced at Raven, his face slightly puzzled. "A compass that doesn't point north, My Lord? Is it worth spending money?"

Raven smiled. "It might be pointing to something far more valuable than north, Mr. Jacob. You'll understand soon enough."

The auction continued—item after item passed by with enthusiastic bidding from the crowd. However, Raven remained patient, focusing solely on the items that piqued his interest. The following few objects came and went—a set of enchanted Rune armor, a rare gemstone, a strange amulet, a crown, etc. But none piqued his interest.

There was also a break time after ten items, giving the guests some relaxation.

It was nearing noon when the lights dimmed again, and the Auctioneer returned to the stage excitedly.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Now comes one of the anticipated items of the day," the Auctioneer said, his voice dropping to a near whisper to build suspense. "A creature of the northern mountain… the corpse of an Ice Wyrm!"

The assistants wheeled in a large, frost-covered container. When they pulled back the curtain, the partially frozen corpse of the Ice Wyrm came into view—its glistening scales shimmering in the light, its jaws wide and frozen in a snarl.

"One of its kind," the Auctioneer continued, "Seven Elite Rank Walkers and two Radiant Knights trapped this Rank-1 Magical beast in the northern mountain and killed it after two days of struggle. It is a perfect specimen for necromancers and rune mages. Its blood and meat also have magical properties that could strengthen one's body and soul. The starting bid is 2,000 gold coins."

"2,100 golds!"

"2,500 golds!"

The price climbed swiftly, but Raven waited, watching the other bidders closely. He saw a group of alchemists murmuring in the corner and a nobleman dressed in crimson velvet gesturing to his attendant. It wasn't just an ordinary magical beast but a descendant of a Dragon; everyone in the room knew its value.

When the bid reached 5,000 gold coins, Raven finally raised his hand.

"5,300 golds!" His voice cut through the crowd, drawing several gazes in his direction.

A pause followed. The alchemists exchanged nervous glances, and the nobleman frowned deeply but raised his hand.

"5,600 golds!" the nobleman shouted.

Raven frowned for a second and continued.

"5,800 golds!"

"6,000 golds!"

"6,500 golds," Raven said after some hesitation.

The nobleman also hesitated, clearly weighing his options. It was indeed a rare magical beast but wasn't worth enough to spend more than 6,000 gold coins in his eyes. Finally, he shook his head and leaned back, unwilling to go further.

"6,500 golds going once! Twice! Sold!" The Auctioneer's gavel came down with a satisfying thud.

"To seat F12! Congratulations once again, Sir!"

The corner of Raven's lips rose as he nodded.

The auction continued, but Raven didn't dare to spend more.

Equipment, magical beast materials, corpses, and even potions were auctioned. But he was short of money.

'I can't spend all my money recklessly.'

"The next auction item is called Basic level 'Night Vision Potion,' a rare concoction brewed by an unknown alchemist. This item should be auctioned in the special item section at the end, but the seller came to us pretty late. So I had to put this in the normal batch." The Auctioneer paused for a second as he saw the disinterested look on nobles and walkers and soon added.

"I know what you guys are thinking. After all, you can buy a normal Night Vision potion in the alchemy shop for 50 to 70 gold coins. But we put this potion for auctioning mainly because of its permanent effect."

Indeed, Night Potion wasn't rare in the World of Walkers. They were all sold in the market in bulk and were also one of the life-saving potions for all the mercenaries. But there was one defect. The effect of this potion would only last around 12 hours.

On the other hand, the potion Raven put up for auction could allow a person to gain the 'Night Vision' skill permanently!

"A Skill potion?" An exclaim came from the crowd.

As the words ended, murmurs erupted from every corner of the auction room. 

"The starting bid is 5000 gold coins." The Auctioneer seized the momentum and started the bid.

"5,100 gold coins!" A merchant in the front row quickly raised his hand.

"5,500!" A woman in elegant blue robes followed suit.

Raven, seated comfortably, watched the frenzy unfold with an amused expression.

"7,000 gold coins!" shouted another bidder, a thin man with sunken eyes, standing in the back.

The bidding war raged on, reaching 10,000 gold coins in minutes. Eventually, the price hit 12,500, and the crowd began to settle, satisfied that this was as high as it would go.

Or so everyone thought.

"13,000 Gold coins!" A young man's shout came from one of the seven VIP rooms.

"14,000 Gold Coins!" This time, an old lady's voice resounded through the auction hall. It was another VIP customer!

"Please go easy on this youngster, Countess Isadora! 15,000 Gold coins!" The young man said while bidding.

"Humph! A Wizard shouldn't be stinky when it comes to money. 16.500 Gold coins!" The old lady said with a snort and provoked further.

"Did you not get your pocket money from Hawkspire, Mr. Pablo?"

A silence appeared. Soon, the young man raised his bid again.

"19,000 gold coins!"

"Hoho, this old lady will give up on this potion then."

The tension in the auction hall settled as the old lady, Countess Isadora, gracefully withdrew from the bidding war. The crowd whispered in hushed tones, curious about the young man who had just spent an extraordinary amount on a mere potion.

"19,000 gold coins for a basic night vision potion?" Jacob muttered, still stunned by the amount. "The permanent effect does justify it, but that's a steep price."

'I should refrain from selling skill potions. I never thought a skill potion would reach this much amount.' 

Raven nodded lightly. "People will always pay more for rare items, Mr. Jacob. Especially wizards—they value anything that can offer long-term benefits."

He leaned back in his seat, eyes glinting. "But what's more interesting is that young man. Whoever he is, he has deep pockets."

The auction continued with a steady rhythm, showcasing more rare items.

Raven checked every item and only brought a spatial ring with around ten cubic meters of space for 2500 gold coins.

Soon, the auction slowly neared its end.

"Before going into the special items, I present you with an 'Unknown Key' from the Agith Ruins. The explorers even battled countless worm-parasitized zombies in a strange dark cave and found this key in an ancient building. Even with our best appraiser, we found no information about it other than a strange invisible power coming from it. But we suspect this key might be as important as the phantom compass. The starting price is 3,000 gold coins." As the Auctioneer spoke, he subconsciously turned his gaze towards Raven.

Meanwhile, Raven touched the monocle and looked at the key.

[Item name: Key of the Dark Dungeon.

Use: Can summon the Dark Dungeon's entrance once and let it stay in the world for three months.]

[Oh? Dark Dungeon, huh? Buy it.] Zera didn't even hesitate as she looked at the information and said.

On the other hand, no one showed interest in the key at all. The Wizards and Walkers knew spending money on such a random artifact would only result in loss, so they didn't bid for it.

Still, some walkers tried to bid, but Raven managed to get it for the price of 4100 gold coins.

"Let's move on to the special items," the Auctioneer said as the attendants carried a curtain covering a large cage with the help of wheelers.

Soon, the Auctioneer pulled the curtain and showed what was hidden inside.

It was a one-meter-long creepy black worm with countless vertical eyes all over its body. Just by looking at those eyes, Raven felt a sharp headache. The same goes for all the guests in the hall.

[That's the main body of a Mind Worm! Its mind-controlling spell is second only to the Fallen Overlord's spell.] Zera said in his head.

"This is a peak Rank-1 Magical Beast worm the explorers confronted in the ruins. It is a new species not recorded in historical books and seems to be from a powerful bloodline. And its specialty is not some attack spells, but its mind-controlling one! The starting price is 5,000 gold coins!" It was the highest starting price for a Rank-1 Magical Beast!

Although the Auctioneer didn't give any detailed explanation, most Wizards had already considered buying it for research purposes.

When the Auctioneer ended his speech, a voice came from one of the VIP rooms.

"7,000 gold coins!"

"7,500!" Raven didn't even hesitate as he also joined the bidding.

The auction hall buzzed with excitement at the sudden bid from Raven.

"9,000 gold coins!" came a deep, raspy voice from another VIP room.

Raven tapped the armrest of his chair thoughtfully, his mind processing.

'Zera, is it worth spending money?' He asked, even though he was the one who started bidding.

[The mind worm's progenitor is a powerful Mind God named Ringer. So, you don't need to think of this worm as a weak bloodline.]

'Oh?' Raven decided to go all out.

"12,000 gold coins," He said calmly, his eyes never leaving the cage.

A hush fell over the crowd. The other bidders hesitated, knowing that competing further would be futile or dangerously costly.

"12,000 gold coins going once!" the Auctioneer called out.

Behind him, Jacob shifted uncomfortably. "My Lord, are you sure this is worth it?"

Raven's gaze remained fixed on the creature. "Yes."

"12,000 gold coins going twice!"

No further bids came. The other VIP bidders had either hit their limit or didn't wish to fight for some unknown bloodline.

"12,000 gold coins going thrice!" The Auctioneer's gavel came down with a sharp thud.

"Sold!"