Director Wang rubbed his hands together, his palms making a dry, sandpaper sound in the quiet of the hall. "Come take a look at today's grand finale, dried blood mushrooms. Ever heard of them?"
It was the usual trick, a tactic familiar to seasoned buyers in the capital's high-end circles. These dried blood mushrooms had been hidden at the very bottom of the digital listings before, their icons small and unremarkable, so most people didn't even notice them during their initial browsing. Those who did spot them were old hands, the veterans of a dozen different markets, and they kept quiet to avoid drawing competition. This meant a lot of careless buyers missed out on the opportunity entirely. Otherwise, given the undeniable quality of the specimens, these would have long been at the top of the most popular list.
So as soon as Director Wang announced that they were the grand finale, everyone in the room instantly understood the game being played.
"Wait, dried blood mushrooms? Aren't blood mushrooms supposed to be impossible to dry without losing their essence?" A man in the second row leaned forward, squinting at the stage.
"I have heard of them. If I had known there would be blood mushrooms today, I would have brought my own supplies to sell to raise the capital. That sneaky bastard."
"Just telling us now, huh? Hmph."
"They are trying to make us borrow money from the exchange, but blood mushrooms haven't shown up in over a year, right? With Lord Long here, they will probably all go to him."
"Why worry? Lord Long is rich, but don't forget some big players from above showed up today too. This should be fun. Let's see how these two titans fight over it."
Some of the attendees were there just to watch the show, their eyes bright with anticipation, while others were sharpening their competitive edge and checking their credit balances. Only Jing Shu was busy tallying her gains from the day. Just by trading her honey and some of her farmed blood mushrooms, she had secured a bunch of items that had been missing from her warehouse for a long time.
Buying things really made her happy, and the weight of the new supplies gave her a deep sense of security.
Director Wang cleared his throat and personally brought out ten boxes from behind the curtain. He first skimmed his hand over the dark sandalwood cases, inhaling the spicy, rich scent of the wood as if he were in a trance. Then he carefully opened the lids, revealing the dried blood mushrooms nestled against red silk and secured with shimmering golden thread.
The camera zoomed in close, and a subtle, moving soundtrack began to play through the hall's speakers, the low cello notes instantly setting a solemn mood. The atmosphere hit a new level of sophistication.
Even Jing Shu thought, "Wow, this feels like appraising a billion-dollar antique in a world that has forgotten what antiques are."
After the screen captured every angle of the dried blood mushrooms, highlighting the deep, obsidian-like sheen of the caps, Director Wang began his explanation.
"These blood mushrooms are unlike any you have seen before. They have been specially processed through a proprietary method. Our professional inspection confirms their nutritional value and unique properties are well preserved. Compare these reports with past blood mushroom data, and you will see. They are almost twice as potent as ordinary blood mushrooms."
On the massive screen, two detailed inspection reports appeared side by side. Key traits like mineral content and active enzymes were highlighted in glowing green for easy comparison against the historical averages.
Most importantly, these specially treated dried blood mushrooms can be stored for years without losing their properties. They are extremely rare.
Now the audience started to react more tangibly, some visibly tempted as they whispered to their companions.
"You can also see the size is much larger than regular blood mushrooms. After discussion, we have decided to auction these ten batches by weight. Quantity is limited, and the opportunity is rare. And just for this auction, I have used my director's authority to give everyone triple the usual spending limit on their credit lines. So there are no worries if you are short on funds today."
"Seriously?"
"I knew he would pull this trick to drive the bidding up."
"Damn, looks like I'm selling a kidney this time just to keep up."
The audience members shouted curses and shook their heads, but they all applied for the limit increase on their devices anyway. Money was devalued in this era, but everyone had real goods in hand to back the debt. Complaining was just part of the performance; it only cost a little pride when it came time to convert their physical assets into trade currency.
With the items displayed under the spotlights, Director Wang gave everyone a minute or two to prepare their funds and check their accounts. Then he announced, "Alright, the grand finale starts now. The countdown is two minutes. This time, we will start bidding by weight. Each dried blood mushroom is clearly labeled with its mass."
The mushrooms varied in size, so weight-based bidding made everything fair for the buyers.
Jing Shu lounged on the soft leather sofa, a small thrill stirring inside her chest. If this method worked so well, she could swap her excess funds for scarce, useful supplies in the future without any hassle.
Her past life had been a constant, grueling struggle for food, so now her space was stocked and abundant with more than she could eat.
Other items were slowly running low, but seeing this market, she knew that wouldn't be a problem for long.
The room featured warm lighting and bold music, possessing all the class of a five-star hotel. Yet the crowd went silent, the only sound being the constant, frantic tapping of fingers on glass screens.
Director Wang remained calm on the platform, occasionally stroking the boxes and tossing out lines to keep the heat up. "A blood-replenishing miracle that prolongs life. It is especially good to keep on hand for medical emergencies. Which ancient noble didn't have some ginseng in their stores?"
It was an instant tease to their egos. Any well-off household kept insurance goods, after all.
The numbers on the display plummeted toward zero as the bids skyrocketed.
If the auction didn't have rules limiting the maximum price jumps and a set two-minute limit, some of the big players probably would have thrown in millions right off the bat to scare everyone else away.
The auction house represented the capital's market, so inflation and outrageous, uncontrolled prices were restricted by the system. Even so, the ten dried blood mushrooms sold at the highest allowed price within seconds of the final minute.
Oddly, Director Wang disappeared briefly midway through the final bidding and returned with a strange, pinched expression. Outsiders assumed he had just gone to the restroom, but experienced buyers knew something else had happened. Some items were beyond the reach of price alone, settled through phone calls and favors.
Jing Shu didn't care about the politics of the hall.
Director Wang's assistant, Xiao Zhang, brought her two sets of the 648 deluxe package as a gift.
Tank looked on with a disappointed expression. At this grand finale, he couldn't afford anything on the list.
He was probably just a porter here today.
Tang Tuoguan said without expression, his eyes still on his screen, "Your items were preemptively bought."
"Hmm? Jing Shu frowned, then realized what he meant. It was normal. In a place like the capital, not being preemptively bought would have been stranger.
The world wasn't unfair; it's just how the rules operated at this level.
"This is my big data number. Are you interested in collaboration? Tang Tuoguan showed his phone, the QR code glowing.
"Leave it to me, and I will handle the management mode for your future trades."
Jing Shu spotted the successful orders on his phone. He had snatched two of her dried blood mushrooms! Seconds ago, her electronic board had suddenly gained seven million trade coins. That was an astronomical sale for a single session.
"That's better than preemptive buying. You are impressive. Let's give it a try."
Tang Tuoguan, expressionless as always, turned out to be kind of interesting in his own way.
"I was just helping Lord Long grab them. This person has a lot of stuff. If there's a chance in the future, I can help make connections."