Chapter 168: You Want to Play? Let's Play Big!
To Wu Tian, this map fragment was a priceless treasure. But to the rest of the auction house, it was nothing more than a worthless scrap of old fabric.
Despite the auctioneer's passionate sales pitch, the crowd remained completely unmoved.
Some of the more hot tempered individuals even started cursing impatiently.
This wasn't the first time the old auctioneer had faced such overwhelming rejection, but orders were orders he had no choice but to follow through.
With a bitter smile, he finally swallowed his frustration and announced:
"According to our pricing, the starting bid for this ancient cloth fragment is 100,000 gold coins. Now, the auction begins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into absolute silence.
If a pin dropped, it would probably sound louder than his voice just now.
The old man stood frozen on stage, his forehead twitching as a mental crow cawed in the background 'Caw! Caw! Caw!'
He could feel the sheer mockery radiating from the audience.
Who in their right mind would drop 100,000 gold coins on an ancient rag?
Are they insane?
Even the richest fools wouldn't throw money away like this!
The auctioneer let out a deep sigh.
Just as he was about to declare yet another failed auction, a voice suddenly rang out
"110,000 gold coins!"
The calm voice instantly shattered the silence.
All eyes swiveled toward the private room where Wu Tian was seated.
"Holy sh ! After all these years, a fool finally showed up?"
"Is this guy brain dead? Dropping 110,000 on a freaking rag?!"
Not only were the ordinary spectators dumbfounded, but even some elite factions including Fan Ling from Blood Sect and Elder Qing from Heavenly Serpent Mansion turned their attention toward Wu Tian's room.
Fan Ling squinted at the tattered cloth on the auction stage.
The old auctioneer, however, almost leaped in joy.
"Hahahaha! After all these years, I've finally met a fool no, a noble patron! I can finally retire in peace!"
"Esteemed guest, after the auction, I will personally reward you with 50,000 gold coins as a thank you gift!"
"Now, do we have any other bids?"
The crowd froze.
Wait, what?
Fifty thousand… gold coins?
This guy bid 110,000, but the auction house was gonna refund 50,000 as a "bonus"?
That meant he was getting paid just to take the map away!
What kind of genius business move was this?!
The auctioneer raised his hammer, eager to slam it down and end his career on a high note.
But then
"Wait. Stop."
A cold voice interrupted.
The crowd turned toward the second fool none other than Fan Ling, Young Master of Blood Sect.
The old auctioneer frowned. "Young Master Fan Ling, what seems to be the problem?"
Fan Ling smirked. "Nothing much. I just… suddenly found this scrap of cloth interesting. 130,000."
Wu Tian narrowed his eyes, locking onto Fan Ling.
Oh? You wanna play?
Fine. Let's play.
But be warned the price of this game is your life.
If we're playing, we're playing big.
Some things are only fun when they escalate.
"150,000."
"200,000."
"500,000."
Wu Tian instantly raised the bid.
The crowd gasped.
"Five hundred thousand?!"
At this point, everyone was staring at Wu Tian's room.
Was this guy insane?
No…
No, wait
He must have figured out the map's secret!
That's it!
Everyone's expressions shifted.
Even Fan Ling smirked, as if confirming his suspicions.
He whispered a few words to one of his men, who quickly slipped away from the auction hall.
Wu Tian noticed this but simply smirked in disdain.
It wasn't just Blood Sect other factions had also begun sending people out.
Meanwhile, the auctioneer's grin stretched from ear to ear.
His mission was complete.
"500,000, going once… twice… SOLD!"
"..."
The audience was stunned.
"MMPH…"
WTF?!
Was this auctioneer in a rush to retire or what?
The moment the bidding ended, he slammed the hammer down faster than anyone could react.
Meanwhile, the auction continued, offering various treasures, including several sixth tier pills.
Naturally, Wu Tian ignored all of them.
To him, they were all garbage.
His real game had already begun.
After the auction ended, Wu Tian headed to the transaction area.
Led by a maid, he met with a manager named Hu.
"Sir, here is your purchase."
Manager Hu handed Wu Tian a storage ring.
Wu Tian glanced inside, confirmed the map fragment, and smiled in satisfaction.
Without a word, he turned to leave.
"Sir "
Hu hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but swallowed his words.
"Did you find out anything?"
A towering, bear like man appeared before Manager Hu.
Hu immediately bowed in respect.
"Master, that young man isn't from Black Corner Region. He looks like some rich young master out for 'adventure.' He probably doesn't know anything."
The middle aged man frowned.
"Those guys are getting impatient. Gather everyone. The moment he leaves the auction house capture him."
"Yes, sir!"
Hu nodded and swiftly departed.
Outside the auction house, Wu Tian smirked.
As expected of Black Corner Region.
Even the auction houses were filled with backstabbers.
But that was fine by him he loved this kind of dirty game.
Instead of leaving, Wu Tian sat down on a chair near the auction entrance.
In full view of the waiting assassins, he casually pulled out a variety of snacks from his storage ring.
Fruits. Nuts. Crackers. Even some crunchy melon seeds.
Then, with his legs crossed, he began snacking leisurely, wearing an expression of pure enjoyment.
The auction maids stared at him, wide eyed.
The assassins lurking outside were utterly dumbfounded.
Bro… wtf are you doing?
Why aren't you leaving?
Meanwhile, other auction attendees exiting the venue also froze in shock.
Both Fan Ling and Elder Qing were among them.
They had already guessed that Eight Gates was planning to ambush this young man.
They had even considered following him to see how things played out.
But now
HE WAS JUST SITTING THERE EATING SNACKS?!
What kind of insane strategy was this?!
What was he playing at?!
(End of Chapter)
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