"What's going on? Did Charles really give up?" Zane stared out the glass window, his mind racing with speculation. He had no idea what the exact situation was.
But that didn't stop him from feeling pleased, as long as Charles didn't win the item he wanted, it was good news for him!
On the other side, in Charles's booth,
Celestine looked at Charles with confusion. She too was curious why he wasn't continuing to raise the bid. The price for the mid-level auxiliary cultivation miracle drug was only thirteen gold coins, and she had enough money to bid again.
Out of trust for Charles, Celestine didn't ask any questions.
Missing out on the mid-level auxiliary cultivation miracle drug wasn't a big deal, there would be other opportunities in the future.
"It's okay, Charles. I'll go to the alchemist guild later and ask around. They should have other miracle drugs that can help with cultivation." Celestine reassured him.
Charles looked at Celestine's concerned expression and couldn't help but smile in amusement. He said, "What do you mean it's okay? We've already won the bid for this miracle drug."
"Ah? Didn't someone from another booth win it?" Celestine quickly asked.
Charles explained, "That was from the booth where Camilla is. I asked her to help bid on it, otherwise, Zane and the others would have raised the price later."
"Oh, I see! That means we only spent thirteen gold coins!" Celestine's expression lit up with surprise.
Not only did they get the mid-level auxiliary cultivation miracle drug, but they also saved two gold coins!
"Once the auction is over, we'll find Camilla and give her the gold coins." Charles said.
Celestine nodded, but soon she realized something was off. By having Camilla help out, didn't that put them in a position of owing her a small favor?
What if this led to Camilla getting closer to Charles in the future because of it? What would happen then?
Celestine kept imagining various scenarios, and her worries began to grow.
Charles, however, didn't notice Celestine's unease. To make it easier for the upcoming bid on Feather Gold, Charles continuously called out prices during the auction of other items.
He only raised the bids slightly, adding a few dozen silver coins each time.
This left Zane feeling quite confused.
He had no idea what Charles was aiming for and was concerned that if he raised the price, Charles might suddenly back out. What would he do then?
Thus, Zane refrained from bidding against Charles.
Soon, it was time for the auction of Feather Gold, and Charles secured it for just seventeen gold coins.
Although it was merely a purple-quality metal, it was quite heavy, weighing a full ten kilograms!
That should be enough for Little Gold to last a while.
After the auction of Feather Gold, the atmosphere in the room noticeably lost its earlier excitement. The subsequent items for auction were mostly ordinary and not very expensive.
As time passed, the auction approached its end.
Charles thought for a moment, he knew the list of items that would be auctioned next, and there was nothing worth bidding on.
Plus, he had already helped Celestine acquire what she needed. Charles decided it was time to leave the auction and return to the academy to focus on his training.
Just as he opened the door to the booth, he saw several figures coming down the stairs.
The person at the front was unfamiliar to him, but he recognized the figure beside that person—it was Avery, who had previously taken him into the royal treasury.
Avery, the prince of Genosha!
At that moment, Avery stood beside the man, appearing exceptionally respectful and cautious.
In all of Genosha, there was only one person who could command such deference from Prince Avery, and that was the Emperor of Genosha, Miles!
Not only that,
Behind Miles, there were quite a few people following him. Charles recognized a few, including the dean Jamie, General Mason, the head of the Taylor family, Benson, and the head of the Robinson family, Lance.
These people were part of the upper echelon of Genosha. Why had they all come today?
Charles quickly scanned the group and, taking advantage of their distraction, quietly closed the door of the private box again.
"What's going on? Aren't we supposed to be leaving?" Celestine asked curiously.
Charles replied, "Let's wait a moment. I just saw a few people coming over, so there must be something else happening."
The auction was nearing its conclusion, and the emperor of Genosha, along with the heads of the prominent families, had all come. What could this be about?
Was there something he didn't know?
Thinking this, Charles didn't rush to leave. After opening the door of the box just a crack, he sat back down and patiently waited.
Sure enough, until the auction ended and the people on the first floor left, there was no sound in the corridor outside the box.
Just then, a sudden knock echoed on the door of the box.
Charles stood up, opened the door, and saw an unexpected figure.
"What's this? Am I not welcome?" Jamie asked with a smile.
"Dean? Did you just notice me?" Charles responded quickly, realizing it must have been the door opening that alerted Jamie.
Jamie nodded with a smile, stepping into the box and glancing at Celestine.
Upon hearing Charles's words, Celestine stood up to greet the dean, saying, "Hello, Dean Chen, I am..."
"You must be Celestine. I know who you are, there's no need to be so formal. Just relax." Jamie waved his hand.
He turned to Charles and asked, "Didn't you want to leave just now? Why did you stay?"
Charles scratched his head, sat down next to Celestine, and gently patted her back to help her relax.
He said, "I'm just a bit curious, Dean. Is there something special being auctioned off later?"
Jamie's smile deepened as he praised, "You're quite clever, kid. There is indeed something very important coming up, but you don't need to look, you're not qualified yet."
"What is it? Is it something I can know?" Charles asked.
He understood well that there were many matters beyond the reach of a Level Four Beast Master. Not only that, but there were also many pieces of information and truths that were only accessible to those at a certain level of power.
He had initially thought Jamie would remain tight-lipped, but to his surprise, Jamie explained, "Do you know how many countries there are in the Abyssal Depths?"
Charles thought for a moment. He was about to say seven but then remembered that there was another country, Yarutania, which had been destroyed.
It was said to have been wiped out in a single night by a high-level Beast Master with a Divine Beast.
"Is it related to Yarutania?" Charles inquired.
Jamie looked at Charles a moment longer before saying, "How did you guess so quickly? That's right, what's going on auction is the qualification to enter the hidden treasure of Yarutania."
Hidden treasure? Qualification?
Charles's curiosity was piqued, and he awaited Jamie's explanation.
It turned out that things were not as the legends had suggested. Before its destruction, Yarutania had transferred all its treasured weapons, equipment, and miracle drugs to a dangerous and mysterious place known as the hidden treasure.
The royal family of Yarutania hadn't all perished, a few bloodlines had survived. These individuals could rely on their heritage to gain access to the hidden treasure.
The entire wealth of a nation naturally attracted countless Beast Masters eager to claim it for themselves.
However, the place where the hidden treasure was located was extremely perilous, and each time it was opened, it was for a limited period. Therefore, a certain selection process was necessary. Only powerful Beast Masters who qualified would be allowed to enter.
"So that's how it is. I can't help but feel that the hidden treasure is something the descendants of Yarutania would use to restore their country." Charles voiced his thoughts.
Jamie replied with a hint of exasperation, "That was indeed the case at first. However, no one expected that the descendants of Yarutania would grow weaker with each generation. In the end, they had no choice but to leak the existence of the hidden treasure."
"A portion of the proceeds from the Seven Kingdoms Merchant Association auction will go to the descendants of Yarutania. They no longer wish to restore their country, they just want to become wealthy." Read exclusive chapters at m v l e m p y r
Charles understood now. No wonder Danel had said earlier, before entering the private box, that all the boxes on the second floor were occupied.
It seemed these people had all come for the hidden treasure. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Dean, will the qualifications be auctioned separately or together?" Charles continued to ask.
Jamie replied, "There are three qualifications being auctioned separately, while the remaining fifteen qualifications will be sold as a package."
In an instant, Charles envisioned the scene that would unfold. After the separate auction of the qualifications, those who didn't obtain one would certainly band together to bid on the packaged ones.
Even the person who secured all fifteen qualifications might raise the price on some of them to make a hefty profit!
"Stop thinking about it. Each qualification will likely go for three to four hundred gold coins." Jamie said casually.
Charles nodded. He currently had just over a hundred gold coins, and the starting price would probably be around two hundred!
After all, this was about a nation's treasure, and even the Emperor of Genosha, Miles, had personally come. The bidding would surely be intense beyond imagination.
"Since that's the case, Dean, I'll take my leave now. I have some matters to attend to." Charles said, not intending to stay any longer.
The hidden treasure of Yarutania was not something he could participate in.
"Are you heading back to the academy? Coincidentally, the teacher responsible for your courses is at the academy. Later..." Jamie hadn't finished speaking when
Charles shook his head and said, "I don't want to go back just yet. I'd like to go out for a bit."
Jamie fell silent, recalling the question Charles had asked in his office. He had a good idea of what Charles intended to do.
"Come back to the academy early. I'll talk to that teacher, and we'll start your makeup classes tomorrow." Jamie said.
Charles replied softly, "Thank you, Dean."
Then, he took Celestine and left the Seven Kingdoms Merchant Association, heading towards Cross Street.