Chapter 53 Sloth

The bidding escalated rapidly as the dwarven leader shouted out an offer of 4 million Origold, causing the auction screen to immediately update. But the previous bidder fought back with a counteroffer of 4.5 million, keeping the bid alive. Undeterred, the dwarf raised the stakes once again with a carefree bid of 6 million Origold.

The human mage, clearly angered by the dwarf's bidding tactics, pointed his finger and shouted, "You! Goldgrip! Do you want to obstruct me every time?"

The dwarf, unfazed, retorted, "What's wrong, Dupont? If you have the money, let it do the talking. Your mouth can stay quiet." The tension between the two leaders of the bidding factions was palpable.

As more races and factions joined the bidding war, the price continued to rise and eventually slowed down at 10 million Origold. Daniel was stupefied and didn't know what to say as he watched the scene unfold.

"These people are crazy… They threw their money around as if it was just scrap," he uttered in shock.

Ragnar saw the scene and let out a small laugh. "Heh heh, kid, these people are all shrewd. I assure you, they are not crazy, and they're all sane. That's why they continue to bid. This is how valuable your artifacts are," he explained.

"15 Million Origold, and a chance to become my husband," said the elf queen seductively, giggling at the antics between the dwarf and the human mage clan known only for making wine.

When the offer from the elf queen appeared, many people grew silent. Some wanted to continue, but they didn't dare to be reckless anymore when they saw the price.

"Thoth…" Michela uttered in disdain, looking at the elf queen who was about to win the first round of the bidding war.

Daniel couldn't help but overhear Michaela's uncharacteristic outburst, and his cheeks flushed as he tried to avoid her gaze. He pretended to be deaf and focused on the bidding war, hoping to distract himself from the awkwardness of the situation.

Ragnar, on the other hand, was thoroughly amused by the whole thing. He leaned in to whisper in Daniel's ear, "Looks like someone's a little jealous." Daniel glared at him but remained silent, not wanting to give Michaela any reason to be even more upset.

Daniel couldn't help but glance at Michaela's angelic beauty, which remained expressionless despite her outburst.

"Michaela," he called to her.

"Yes, my lord? How may I assist you?" she responded.

"Where did you learn that word? 'Thoth,'" Daniel asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Oh, it's from the internet, my lord," Michaela replied matter-of-factly.

Daniel's brows twitch awkwardly. He had never considered that his archangels' access to the internet would cause her to imitate some undesirable habit and word from it, and the thought of them browsing the web was both amusing and concerning.

He pondered for a moment before making a mental note to revisit the idea of restricting internet access for Michaela and his subordinates.

"And the winner of the Astral Atelier three-star custom order card is none other than Queen Sylpharia Silverleaf, with a bid of 15 million Origold!" Entariel exclaimed in her upbeat tone, attempting to reinvigorate the crowd after the Elven queen had outbid all other participants, snuffing out their enthusiasm.

With the surprise highlight of the auction over, bidding for the item came to an end, and the auction moved on to the next item: the underwater orichalcum mine.

Entariel, a professional auctioneer, knew that the underwater mine for sale was no longer a desirable item for the guests and bidders.

With five Atlantean weapon artifacts and two Astral Atelier three-star custom orders yet to be auctioned, she sensed the audience's dwindling interest. However, she remained upbeat and tried to enliven the venue.

"Next up!" Entariel announced with enthusiasm. "We have the largest underwater orichalcum mine in Southeast Asia. The starting bid is 15 Million Origold!" She paused, awaiting the bidders' response.

There was a momentary hush, and the bidders exchanged looks, silently weighing their options. It was unprecedented for the auction house, and the high starting price of the mine had dampened the bidders' enthusiasm.

Although everyone in the audience was wealthy, their wealth was not unlimited, and they had anticipated a fierce bidding war for the highlight section. They were reluctant to spend too much.

"Anyone interested? Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most significant mine in the history of Southeast Asia!" Entariel urged, but the guests and bidders remained silent.

After a few moments of silence, it became apparent that no one was willing to start the bidding for the underwater Orichalcum mine. Despite the starting price being a little high, the potential for future development of the mine was enormous and could easily outweigh the initial cost.

However, since investing in the mine required time and additional resources, most of the guests were reluctant to bid, especially since they were anticipating a fierce bidding war for the Atlantean artifacts in the highlight section.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence. It came from an influential mage who owned a mining company.

"I bid 12 million Origold," said the mage.

Entariel and the other guests were stunned. The mage's bid was lower than the starting price! It was a shock to everyone.

"This is unacceptable, Mr. Schmidt!" an angry shout came from the Tessia Kingdom royal family VIP room.

Victor appeared on the balcony with Klause guarding him to the side.

"That was the largest Orichalcum mine in southeast Asia that you were bidding on! Its future prospects should be more than enough for you to bid higher than the starting price!" he exclaimed.

Schmidt calmly adjusted his tie and addressed the angry shout from the Tessia Kingdom royal family VIP room. "My apologies, your majesty. While it is true that the underwater Orichalcum mine may have the potential for future development, without sufficient information on the mineral quality, size, and investment needed to mine it at an acceptable cost, it is difficult to determine its true value. My bid of 12 million Origold reflects this uncertainty."

Victor, knowing the power and influence of mages from Europe, was afraid to offend any mage from there, let alone Schmidt who came from a well-known and influential family.

He bit his teeth in anger but was unable to do anything to confront Schmidt.

Klause, as a protector, advisor, and strategist, let out a sigh of disappointment. It seemed like Magitek had beaten them to the punch, and they needed the money to hire a Grand Master Rank Enforcer from the Hightower. With this setback, it would be impossible for them to meet their objective.

"[Ugh, this Magitek is much harder to deal with than Wrath. This guy is terrifying.]" Klause rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

If Klause had known that Daniel didn't plan to obstruct them in the first place, but was just trying to mess with them, he might have had a full-blown migraine instead of just a headache.

"Your Majesty, I suggest we cut our losses and keep the mine for now. We've already lost the upper hand," Klause advised his master.

pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ Victor glared at Klause, reluctant to be the one to give up first. However, since the other party came from an influential mage family in Europe, he reluctantly let it go.

"You, Elf Woman!" Victor barked at Entariel, too angry and rude to bother with any formalities.

Startled, Entariel turned towards Victor and responded, "Yes?"

"I hereby withdraw my mine from the auction list," declared Victor. He then glanced at Schmidt, hoping to see a regretful reaction from him, but Schmidt simply brushed it off and returned to his seat without any change in expression, angering Victor even further.

Entariel quickly complied, nodding at the auction house staff who stood by the side of the stage.

The main screen in the auction hall shifted from the underwater mine to the highlighted section of the event.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the most highly anticipated section of the auction! We will begin with one of the order cards first, and..."

"17 million for the order card!" an influential mage shouted out their bid without waiting for Entariel to finish her announcement.

"18 million!" another chimed in. The heated auction began as everyone who had reserved from the first round went all out to bid for the artifact.

Entariel smiled wryly as she watched the bidding war unfold. Usually, the bidders waited patiently for her to finish before shouting out their bids, but not this time. Her confidence in her charm and ability to control the masses had taken a hit.

The bidding continued relentlessly, the price on the screen rising higher and higher until it hit the 25 million mark. At that point, the bids began to slow down, but one persistent bidder kept increasing their offer by 0.1 or 0.2 million each time.

Finally, the first order card was won by Hargrim Goldgrip with a staggering 31.15 million Origold. Then, the bidding for the second card began.

"40 Million Origold… for… the second card…" A small voice of a woman came through the speaker within the hall and the number of the bid on the VIP room that wrote The 7 Deadly Sins Witch changed to 40 million Origold.

A petite woman with long ginger hair raised her hand. She was sitting on a large and extremely comfortable-looking wheelchair, which was clearly designed for her to doze off whenever she pleased. Entariel couldn't help but wonder if the bid was a joke or not, given that the woman bidding seemed more interested in sleeping than in acquiring an artifact.

"Miss Sloth bids 40 million Origold," Entariel announced with a wry smile, wondering if there were any non-eccentric people among the Seven Deadly Sins Witch.