Upon entering the auction house, Oscar headed straight to the yellow VIP area and casually found a seat.
He hadn't come to auction his sausages this time that responsibility fell to Flender. Oscar was just here to see if he could snag any treasures worth acquiring.
The auction had already begun. Oscar sat there nonchalantly, watching the auctioneer present item after item.
There were some unique weapons, soul tools, herbs, and pills but none that caught Oscar's eye.
Bored, he sat for over an hour, watching people compete over various items. It made him think of the days when his sausages had skyrocketed in price. Maybe they had been overhyped after all.
Finally, the fifth and final item of this round arrived. Oscar had nearly lost interest entirely but the auctioneer's next words made him sit up straight. First came disbelief, then a surge of excitement. This item he had to win it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this sixteenth item took immense effort to acquire. While it may be of little use to women, as a fellow man, I guarantee this with this item, even an 80-year-old can stand proud again! can last for hours on end, will make your partners obsessed with you!"
The auctioneer gave a long-winded pitch before finally unveiling the red silk covering the item revealing a dark golden lump the size of a fist.
It wasn't quite spherical. Its surface was rough and uneven, like a fist-sized ball of mud only its lustrous dark-gold color set it apart.
But make no mistake this was no ordinary item.
Although even the auctioneer didn't understand its true value nor did anyone present the effects he described were indeed accurate and remarkably potent.
Because this was the very item Oscar had been dreaming of for two years: whale glue.
Despite its small size, Oscar instantly recognized it. There was no doubt. It was real.
Among the hundred-plus VIPs present, at least four-fifths were men. Who knew how many were in need of such an item?
Though bidding would expose their "inadequacies," some were clearly desperate enough to consider it.
Oscar's eyes gleamed. Though this was his first time seeing real whale glue, he was intimately familiar with its properties and worth. He had to get it.
"Gentlemen, this best friend of men starts at 100 gold soul coins. Each raise must be at least 5 gold coins."
The auctioneer clearly knew how to manipulate the crowd. Calling the whale glue a "man's best friend" was meant to provoke a reaction from those with... unmet needs.
Sure enough, a man in a black robe at the front instantly raised the bid to 150 gold soul coins, trying to scare off competition with a bold starting price.
And he was effective. At 150 coins, the next bidder would have to offer at least 155. For most, that was far from trivial gold soul coins weren't cabbage. Many began weighing cost vs. need.
Still, for VIPs holding purple or even black-level cards, 100 coins wasn't much. So, a purple VIP casually offered 200 coins.
A bidding war began.
Back and forth, the price climbed 300, 500, 700 until it hit 800 gold coins. At that point, one bidder gave up, feeling it wasn't worth the cost.
After all, as the auctioneer had said, this whale glue was only about 700 years old. Its enhancement effects, while real, were limited.
But Oscar wasn't surprised. These people could recognize its age but not its true value.
To him, even 700-year-old whale glue would significantly boost his physical capabilities.
"VIP No. 45 offers 800 gold soul coins, going once... going twice..."
Right then, Oscar finally made his move. He raised his paddle.
"1,000 gold soul coins," came a smooth male voice in his thirties.
This wasn't caution just prudence. For someone with precise control over soul power, changing one's voice was trivial.
Since he was concealing his identity, Oscar figured he might as well alter his voice too.
The auctioneer was visibly thrilled 800 coins had already been a huge profit, but now it jumped to 1,000. His commission would grow even more.
The previous bidder hesitated then gave up. He didn't believe the glue was worth that much.
Just like that, Oscar won the item effortlessly. Others might think he overpaid, but to Oscar, it was a steal.
He ignored what others thought and stayed to observe the next four items. None were of interest.
Once the auction ended, Oscar happily claimed his 700-year-old whale glue.
No one held a grudge after all, it was a fair auction. Those "rob and run" stories after auctions were rare. If that were the norm, there'd be no point in holding auctions at all just wait outside and mug the winner.
Oscar didn't use the glue immediately. With so many people around, it was too risky. After verifying it was intact, he stored it in his soul tool and left.
His meeting time with Ma Hongjun was approaching. They had agreed to rendezvous after one hour.
Outside the auction hall, Oscar looked around but didn't see Ma Hongjun.
Just as he was wondering where that brat had gone, Ma Hongjun stumbled out from a nearby alley bruised, battered, face swollen.
Oscar's heart skipped a beat. He got beaten up?
Oscar rushed over. Ma Hongjun immediately broke into tears:
"Big bro Oscar, I ran into a thug! That bastard stole my money and beat me up!"
Oscar sighed in relief if he could cry like that, the situation wasn't too dangerous. Probably just a punk taking advantage.
"You're a soul master! How'd you let someone bully you?" Oscar asked.
At that, Ma Hongjun cried harder and recounted what had just happened.
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