[—Oh, there he is again—the distinguished guest from room number #2, with 15 million CB!]
Beep!—
The person from room number #1 immediately placed a bid shortly after.
[—Number #1 with 16 million CB!]
'I think I know who this person from room number 1 is,' I thought to myself because based on their apparent desperation, they seem to be the same person who, in the novel, owned the Black onyx stone.
[—16 million CB Once! 16 million CB Twice!...]
Beep!—
[— Number #2 with 17 million CB!]
"Hey, Ares! Are you certain you want this item regardless of the cost?" Silvia inquired abruptly.
"...Yeah, I don't care if I end up broke again; I really want that magic stone," I replied firmly.
"...."
"...If that's what you want,...then don't worry about the money anymore and place as much as you need to get your hands on that stone," Silvia said, a huge grin on her face.
After hearing her, I simply smiled back at her, knowing that if I ran out of money, I would have no choice but to borrow it from her.
Even though I wished to avoid that outcome.
...
[—Number #1 with 20 million CB!]
Beep!—
I paused for a moment before placing another bid.
[—Number #2 with 21 million CB!]
And as soon as I placed my bid, the entire auction house fell silent, because the person in room number 1 abruptly stopped bidding and did not bid any further even after a few seconds.
"...Is this the end at last?" I murmured in a low voice.
[—Number #2 with 21 million CB! Is there anyone who wants to go higher?] After noticing the sudden halt in bids, the auctioneer inquired.
[—21 million Once! 21 million Twice! 21 million Thrice! The Onyx magic stone has been SOLD to our noble guest in room number #2!]
Clap!— Clap!— Clap!—
Phew!—
I breathed a sigh of relief as I finally managed to obtain the magical stone without having to borrow money from Silvia.
...
[—In light of this excitement, let's move on to the next item!] The auctioneer exclaimed.
And the auction continued as usual, but since I had already purchased what I required, I had no interest in any additional items, nor did I have enough money to take part in the second half.
..
And a short while later, an employee of the auction house walked into the room while holding a silver tray.
She smiled and handed the item over, saying,
"Congratulations on getting the item, Sir!
"Thank you," I said with a smile before grabbing the box containing the onyx stone.
The employee bowed a little before leaving the room as I took the item.
"...Is that stone really that valuable?" Irethiel enquired while wearing a skeptical look.
"Even though it cost me a ton of money, it is worth the expense," I retorted.
***
Before The Start Of The Fierce Bid War ~
In the VVIP Room number #1.
A woman with long red-purple hair and deep orchid-purple eyes sat on the sofa by herself, having sneaked out of her residence just to attend this auction after hearing that the item she had been waiting to purchase for a long time was finally being auctioned off today.
Her eyes were fixed on the Auction platform, where the items were being displayed, with a determined expression.
And after a brief wait, the item for which she had come to this auction was eventually shown.
Despite having no prior experience with auctioneering, she enthusiastically entered the bidding and persevered.
But she found it difficult to get the thing she wanted because everyone was vying for it.
And the price skyrocketed quickly from 1 million to 2.5 million, 4 million, 5 million, 5.5 million…
[─Room Number #1 with 5.6 million CB! Does anyone want to go higher?!]
Fortunately, most of them gave up when the price reached the estimated value of 5 million. She had a sudden surge of satisfaction and optimism that her expenses would be lower than she had anticipated.
[─Number #2 with 5.7 million CB!]
However, an unexpected rival appeared to contest her.
[—Number #1 with 5.8 million CB!]
She quietly bid with a cupped hand, not intending to back down, but her opponent did the same.
[—Number #2 bids yet again with 5.9 million CB!]
At that point, the bidding war was centered solely on them, with everyone else fleeing the mayhem.
Whenever she raised the price, the person in room number #2 immediately retaliated.
As their contest dragged on, the auction house was filled to the brim with excitement.
The hall reverberated with cheers and yells like the audience in gladiator games.
[—Number #2 with 17 million CB!]
That amount didn't seem to bother the person in the next room.
But her hands, on the other hand, were beginning to shake, as her funds were rapidly depleting.
However, she despised losing.
[—Number #1 with 18 million CB!]
She frantically raised the price by another million.
But the person next door easily deflected her aggression without waiting even a second.
Beep!—
[—Number #2 with 19 million CB!]
The hall fell silent for a moment as the item's price had risen to the point where it was now worth the same as a mansion, giving her the desire to surrender.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
Beep!—
[—Number #1 with 20 million CB!]
"Huuu…hoo."
Her thoughts were disorganized as she waited in anguish.
Her shoulders heaved incessantly, and she was still out of breath.
Even though she had only been waiting for a few seconds, it seemed like an eternity to her.
Beep!—
[—Number #2 with 21 million CB!]
"Ahhhhh—"
As soon as she heard the auctioneer, she became agitated and screamed, which was very uncharacteristic of her.
She hung her head low, closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth while her hands continued to shake and her lips twitched.
She didn't want to concede defeat, but there was nothing she could do because she was out of money to fight on.
And after knowing that fact, she could feel a dreadful sense of helplessness in her very bones.
As the only item she had ever wished for was being taken away right in front of her eyes.
!?
[—If there are any last-minute bidders, I'll reiterate its current price three times! 21 million CB ONCE! 21 million CB TWICE! ...AND 21 million CB THRICE! The Onyx magic stone has been SOLD to our noble guest in room number #2.] The Auctioneer announced.
***