Auction (2)
Seeing that the Auction was about to start, he focused his attention on the stage. There were many people here, and perhaps someone was just being curious.
When the moment arrived, a middle-aged man strolled onto the platform wearing a black robe and a tag bearing the enchanting letter "Eclipse House."
He placed his two hands together and bowed slightly.
"Welcome to the Eclipse Auction House. I hope you will enjoy your stay and find what you are looking for." He first said the standard opening line and continued.
"As many important figures are attending our Auction, let's not waste time."
Suddenly a white light flashed and a golden lotus appeared in his hand. He then placed the lotus on the table in front and said.
"For the first item, we have Glided Lotus of Ascension. I don't think I need to introduce its effect. This lotus can guarantee that a person enters Tier 1 no matter the profession."
"Of course, you need to use it in conjunction with the promotion material."
As soon as he said it, the crowd became agitated. They never thought the first item would be such a precious treasure. However, based on the middle-aged man's focus, he didn't seem to care about the crowd on the lower level.
"Ok, let's start the bidding. The starting price is 500 mana crystals."
"600." The bidding directly started from the upper rooms. After all, no one in the lower level could afford such goods.
Moreover, even if they could afford it, they wouldn't bid as it was obviously prepared for the special guest.
"700."
"800."
...
"1000 mana crystals."
Heizen looked at the bidding that was jumping with 100 mana crystals at a time. It seemed lots of rich people were invited.
He was eager to find out what the special occasion was. There was no news outside.
Finally, the Glided Lotus of Ascension sold for 1500 mana crystals. Given their lukewarm reaction, it didn't seem like a precious item for them.
"Poverty limits my imagination," Heizen remarked.
"Ok, since the first item has been auctioned successfully, let's move on."
After that, the Auction truly started. It turned out, other treasures weren't as precious as the first item. This man just trying to hype the crowd. But this way, Heizen could at least afford something.
As the Auction continued, many treasures that Heizen had never seen before appeared. It truly broadened his horizons.
There were many scrolls, spells, goblets, and other things with weird properties. Most of them were rare artifacts. Moreover, he also saw the body parts of monsters being sold.
Of course, there were no items like dragon horn or hearts like that. But he did see an Amulet made up of Medusa's eye. It could automatically cast a Tier 1 spell, petrification.
There was also the Horn of the Minotaur King which could summon the spirit of the minotaur when fighting. It was a very useful artifact for a warrior.
Items like Snake's gallbladder, swamp-frog venom, etc. were snatched away by the crowd on the lower floor at a high price. This was because they were all promotion material for different profession.
Heizen had also inquired about the promotion material for Mage. Tier 1 Life Core was a perfect substitute that could increase the chances of his promotion.
However, after coming out of the dungeon "Shadowed Altar," he had conflicting thoughts about becoming a mage.
Under the Authority, he couldn't use any spells or even mana. Also, from the way the LIfe Insignia ran away on its own, who could guarantee that the spell he learned wouldn't fail him in the future?
After all, according to the System, he didn't have the required authority. So, he would first carefully research and make a decision. Moreover, he had a hunch that all the recent prompts from the system were related to this.
The Auction and fierce bidding continued. Heizen also finally bought a rare weapon at the price of 1200 mana crystals.
[Name: Astral Blade]
[Type: Rare]
[Condition: New]
[Effect:
1. Phase Strike: Could damage spirit bodies. Has a certain effect of piercing armor.
2. Resonance: Resonate your mana with the blade to increase its damage. Could stack damage up to 5 times. Consumes durability.]
[Special Effect: Astral Burst
Astral Burst: This could be used once a day. When activated, a massive explosion of astral energy will occur. You can do a pointed or area damage.
Warning: Requires a large amount of Mana and Mental energy.]
[Power Limit: Slightly Above Tier 1 ( Warning! Excess power may destroy the blade.)]
Heizen loved this weapon very much. He especially liked the Phase Strike skill. If he encountered an enemy with spirit bodies and couldn't use mana, he could still fight.
After bidding for the weapon, he paid attention to the armor. However, he was disappointed. Although there were armors, they were heavy ones suitable for the melee profession.
He wanted something light. After looking through all the options, he finally bought an amulet in the end for 1500 mana crystals. It was more expensive than the weapon.
[Name: Wardstone Pendant]
[Type: Rare]
[Condition: New]
[Effect:
1. Arcane Shield: A constant invisible mana barrier that can ward off physical and magical damage. Consumes the wearer's mana.]
2. Reactive Pulse: Once heavily impacted, it will deflect the damage outward.]
There were only two effects. However, because it could operate using the wearer's mana, it was so expensive. Heizen was satisfied. With this, he didn't need to search for weapons till Tier 1.
After purchasing those, he bought two common Tier 1 cores with 800 mana crystals. He felt that he must increase his level as soon as possible as he felt insecure.
He handed over the mana crystals to the maid at the back and accepted the cores.
"Now, I am a pauper. I only have around 200 mana crystals left." Heizen smile bitterly. All his wealth was gone in a single auction.
Though he didn't have money left, he still returned to his seat. This was a rare occasion and he wanted to see what was the final item of this auction.
After all, the upper floor was silent after the first bidding. They seemed to be waiting for the final item.
It didn't take long for the Auction to reach the final stage.