The items in this auction were actually a bit like the loot dropped from secret realms, in that the items that would drop from a manual were already determined randomly at the moment players entered the secret realm, which is why they could be seen by the Eye of Time. The same was true for the auction items—they had also been arranged in advance, only they hadn’t been announced yet. The Eye of Time should be able to see them, too!
After Huang Yi activated the Eye of Time, he immediately looked at the auctioneer NPC to see what sort of items had been arranged for the auction.
At that moment, his energy value dropped by 100 points! The consumption was massive, far exceeding the amount used to check the drops of a BOSS in the secret realm! However, the effect was also very apparent, he truly saw those auction items that had been arranged earlier!
Among the runes to be auctioned, there were two high-level Fire Attribute runes and one high-level Invisibility rune. The last top-level rune could only be used by skills above level 100! None of these runes were suitable for Huang Yi.
At this time, the price of the Silence Rune Stone had already been bid up to 200,000, and the increments were getting smaller, appearing to be nearing the final phase of the auction.
"250,000!" At that moment, Huang Yi immediately shouted his bid, increasing the price significantly and displaying a resolute determination to win.
This shout disrupted the almost-concluded atmosphere, instantly making it tense again.
"260,000!" After a long while, another bid finally came through.
"290,000!" Huang Yi called out the maximum price he could bear. He had just spent 10,000 Gold Coins on the Plague Rune and had 290,000 left in his storage ring. If it went over this number, he would have to give up.
Now, the room fell silent, as many professions already had the effect of Silence, there was no need to bid for this rune stone. Other bidders were also considering the rune stones that followed; lacking the Eye of Time, they were not as decisive in bidding as Huang Yi.
In the end, the bidding voice quieted down and ultimately chose to give up, and the rune stone was successfully won by Huang Yi!
With that, Huang Yi completely relaxed. Today, he truly hit the jackpot, obtaining two runes suited for him, and his strength increased noticeably, no less than having learned two additional skills.
...
"Coming up next, the auction of the last rune of the day, which is also the most heavyweight rune of the day." At last, the auctioneer slowly produced the final rune.
This rune shone with a golden light, looking quite extraordinary. It was smaller than the previous rune stones, but the symbols on it were more intricate, exuding a sense of nobility.
"This rune, named the Spread Rune, can expand the range of a skill between levels 100-150 by another 50%. There is no starting bid for this rune; it can only be exchanged for Holy Crystal Stones!"
"I don’t have Holy Crystal Stones, but I am willing to offer 5,000,000!" a rough voice announced.
"I don’t have Holy Crystal Stones either, but I bid 10,000,000!" a woman’s voice rang out.
"I bid 12,000,000!"
Suddenly, a series of unfamiliar voices started to echo from the VIP area. These people had remained silent up until now, and the moment they chose to bid, they bid Gold Coins in the tens of millions, completely instakilling the combined total of all the previous rune auctions! Clearly, the other runes had not caught their eye, and only this rune had drawn their interest.
From this, one could infer that these people were likely NPC warriors who had surpassed level 100! Or they were the kind of people who had yet to reach level 100 but possessed vast wealth. They could buy the skill runes now and keep them, to use after they ascended to level 100 later on.
Both types of people, no matter which one, were extremely powerful, far surpassing the realm of ordinary players.
The group of players below was completely stunned; the price was something they could only dream of for their entire lives. Not to mention owning it, even if they borrowed all the assets of their relatives and friends, they could never reach that number.
"I’m sorry! Mr. Longwen specifically instructed that this rune can only be exchanged for Holy Crystal Stones, and no amount of Gold Coins will be accepted," the auctioneer said apologetically, looking towards the VIP area on the second floor.
"I have Holy Crystal Stones," a lazy voice suddenly rose at that moment, startlingly belonging to the mysterious person next to Huang Yi.
He made a move again!
This time, everyone turned their heads in unison to look at that room. Huang Yi also couldn’t help but take an interest in this person, who had been bidding on the regular runes, the defective runes, and now the Top-level Runes, and even had something like the Holy Crystal Stones.
Holy Crystal Stones are crystals formed by Holy Domain Warriors who consume their own Essence of Life—very rare to come by. Generally, no Holy Domain Warrior would be willing to expend the Essence of Life to form these stones as it would mean reducing their own power.
"Good, then this rune stone is yours!" The auctioneer was taken aback as well, clearly not expecting someone in the crowd to actually possess Holy Crystal Stones, and then promptly declared the fate of the rune.
...
With that, the auction came to an end. People left the venue in twos and threes, but Huang Yi still sat in the private room, watching the people below as he waited for the waiter to deliver the two rune stones he had won.
"Dear member, hello, these are the two runes you just won, please check them!" Soon, a waiter entered the private room and handed two small Treasure Chests to Huang Yi.
Huang Yi took the chests, opened each to look inside, and found a rune lying within each. His gaze finally settled on the Plague Rune!
The effect of this rune was actually very good, even surpassing that of the last Top-level Rune, but because of the Plague defect, it was almost unsold, and he had acquired it into his hands for a mere ten thousand Gold Coins.
Once he overcame this defect, he would have a super wide-range Group Attack Skill that could affect enemies within a 200-meter radius! Such a range was usually only achievable by skills at the Holy Domain Rank!
Next, Huang Yi paid the fee, and then, donning a mask provided by the waiter to cover his face, he pushed open the door of the private room and left.
"Snap!" At that moment, the door next door also opened, and a person wearing a black cloak and a mask walked out.
This was the mysterious person from before!
The person was about one meter eighty tall, dressed in black, slender, and walked with a lazy posture, seemingly indifferent to everything, but still exuded an invisible aura.
Then, the mysterious person also turned his head to glance at Huang Yi, his gaze casual as if he had just woken up.
Their gazes collided in the air without a word, just exchanging a look through their masks.
Afterwards, the two went their separate ways and left the auction venue.