"What happens if one wins the bid but can't pay?" Sonia asked, turning to Elinor, her voice edged with genuine concern seeing the auction come to a halt with Ace doubling the previous bid. If this dumbass got himself in trouble, she did not want to be held liable just for being in the same room as him.
Elinor smirked, but her eyes remained disturbingly deadpan. The look alone sent a chill down Sonia's spine. Instinctively, she lunged forward, reaching to snatch the crystal from Ace's grasp, but he slapped her hand away.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped, his expression a mix of irritation and amusement.
"That's what I should be asking you!" Sonia shot back, her voice rising hysterically, "Do you even have that kind of money? Haven't I suffered enough because of you? My god, what sin did I commit to be stuck dealing with an asshole like him? I will kill you the first chance I get!"
Thankfully, the curse array around the VIP box kept their shouting contained, preventing the outburst from disrupting the auction.
Sonia wasn't overreacting. 152 million dollars wasn't just an insane amount—it was around the Everhart Guild's entire quarterly income. To make that much, the guild would have to work nonstop for three months, grinding at full capacity. And here was Ace, dropping that much on a single curse tool.
It would have been one thing if he actually had that kind of money. But she knew he didn't. How could a country hick have that kind of money?
Sky-tier curse masters weren't easy to kill, even when ambushed and outnumbered. Every single one of them had contingency plans—survival strategies honed through years of experience. After all, those who reached the Sky tier were the best of the best sorted out by law of the jungle.
The only reason the gang had managed to take down almost half a dozen today was because of the perfect combination of Ace's rail rifle with Janice's Leprechaun Scope. As for the first kill—well, that guy had it coming for underestimating Ace just because of his tier.
Matthews had seriously lucked out. She had just secured two Sky-tier innate curse tools in a single day. Ace was proving to be the biggest pain in her ass—but also her most ridiculous, inexplicable lucky star. And she damn well knew it. That was why, back in the front lobby, Matthews swallowed her anger despite the humiliation he had put her through. She couldn't afford to let her pride get in the way. Instead, she rushed off to draw up the employment contract before Ace had the chance to change his mind.
Despite her rambling, Ace was able to gather that Sonia was just worried about getting stuck with the bill for him. Shaking his head, he cut her off to put an end to the noise, "That's not how this works, you dimwit. Stop distracting me—"
Ace suddenly paused, his gaze flicking to the auction hall screen as a new bid flashed.
He blinked baffled by the bid. He thought it had to be someone with OCD and was bad at math—rounding his 152 million bid to 160 million. What a weirdo.
Without wasting another second, he placed his palm on the crystal orb and input his new bid, "320 million dollars."
The entire VIP box went dead silent. So, did the auction hall outside. The auctioneer, ever the professional, recovered quickly. Her voice rang out, cutting through the tension, "Do I hear any more bids on this magnificent innate curse tool? Come on, ladies and gentlemen, this is a rare opportunity! Ratri's Edge is truly one of a kind."
The atmosphere grew thick with anticipation. The auctioneer's gavel hovered in the air, the entire hall holding its breath as the countdown began, "Going once… going twice…"
Inside the VIP box, all eyes were on Ace. But he didn't so much as flinch. His gaze stayed locked on the display case, the dark blade of Ratri's Edge gleaming under the lights. His expression was calm—determined.
"Sold! To the honorable guest in VIP Box No. 012 for 320 million dollars!" The sharp crack of the gavel sealed the deal.
"Congratulations, Your Grace! You have acquired a truly exceptional innate curse tool," the auctioneer announced, her tone bright and celebratory. She gestured toward the VIP boxes, though the array shielding them ensured no one could see or spy on their occupants.
Ace felt way more satisfaction from watching Sonia's panic-stricken expression than from actually winning the bid for Ratri's Edge. Turning to Elinor, he asked casually, "Where do I pay? I'll be using cryptocurrency."
"In the orb," Elinor replied quickly, then hesitated before correcting herself. "Please choose the payment option in the orb. It will generate a wallet ID for you to complete the transaction, senior."
Ace raised a brow at the sudden shift in her tone. She sounded weirdly respectful now. After all, anyone who could make Matthews and Delores act their best and drop $320,000,000 without batting an eye was clearly not someone to take lightly.
In their collective shock, everyone missed the way Elinor had just addressed him as senior. Ace dismissed it himself, assuming he must have misheard or that it was just a slip of the tongue.
Shrugging it off, he pulled up the status screen and forwarded the wallet ID to Dame Wasp. She had already gathered twice the necessary amount by draining multiple fraudulent online gambling sites across the globe. She had been keeping tabs on them for weeks, frustrated that she could only take a few hundred dollars at a time. But today she got to relieve her frustration and showcase the true extent of her cybernetic prowess to her master and juniors.
Ace had only been so bold because he would soon officially be part of the C.I.B. Also, Dame Wasp's activities were untraceable thanks to her cybernetics and futuristic knowledge. And most importantly, where were those criminals going to complain that they got robbed blind? The cops, fat chance.
Still, he made a point not to touch the ones operating within the country. No matter how powerful his backing or prepared he was, making enemies on his home turf was just asking for trouble.
"Transaction successful!"
"Your item will be delivered to you shortly."
The orb's mechanical but feminine voice echoed through the room.
Sonia, Lola, and Janice just stared with their jaws practically on the floor. Despite watching the entire thing unfold right in front of them, they still couldn't wrap their heads around it.
Ace, unfazed by their shock, stretched like he hadn't just dropped a massive fortune, then turned to Elinor, demanding, "Eli, take me to the dining hall. I'm starving."
Then, he glanced at the others, completely ignoring the comical expressions around him, he invited them to join him, "You guys coming? My treat. Let's pig out tonight, yeah?"