Elder Long, having drunk too much, had already fallen asleep, snoring loudly.
With the nagging man before him now quiet, Long Xuan was finally able to focus his attention on the auction.
Only then did he realize that the auction had unknowingly entered its final phase. The last item was about to be auctioned.
And without a doubt, the final item was the "Living Wood." Long Xuan immediately perked up, concentrating entirely on the Living Wood, which had just been placed on the auction stage.
As soon as the Living Wood appeared, as expected, the entire room was thrown into chaos. Everyone gazed at it with greedy eyes, their faces flushed, and their breathing quickened.
Many Gu Kings stood up from their seats, staring intensely at the Living Wood as if they had just laid eyes on a peerless beauty, eager to possess it.
Although the Living Wood wasn’t tall, it was human-shaped, with hollow eye sockets and a mouth on its trunk, giving it an eerie appearance.
The moment it appeared, it captured everyone's attention. None of the Gu Kings could tear their eyes away, as if their souls had been seized by the Living Wood.
"Haha, the Qian Chamber of Commerce is truly trustworthy. You’ve held onto this Living Wood for so long without so much as a single piece of bark falling off," City Lord Yan Pomilitary exclaimed in admiration after carefully inspecting the Living Wood and finding no signs of damage.
He asked himself if he would have been able to guard the Living Wood without attempting to pry a piece of bark off. If necessary, he could always find a scapegoat. In this world, excuses were always easy to come by, and he had plenty of reasons at hand to deflect blame.
The merchants of the Qian Chamber of Commerce were incredibly shrewd, and surely they could have come up with a reasonable explanation. Yet, they hadn’t done so, and for that, he couldn’t help but admire their integrity.
Standing on the auction platform, Qian Jinjin, the merchant representing the guild, laughed and said, "The Qian Chamber of Commerce has always valued trust. Trust is the foundation of a commerce guild's survival. How could the Qian Chamber of Commerce forget its roots?"
"Though the Living Wood is valuable, it doesn’t outweigh our reputation. Nothing is worth trading for the Qian Clan's Chamber of Commerce integrity."
As soon as he said this, all the Gu Kings in the room nodded with approval. Even Long Xuan, far away in the Long Clan mansion, showed a look of admiration. Don’t ask how he heard this conversation—his clone had long mastered lip-reading, making this explanation entirely reasonable.
As the saying goes, mastering multiple skills never burdens a person. Long Xuan's repertoire of obscure knowledge far exceeded lip-reading; he could even pick locks now.
"The hour grows late, so I won’t waste time. As for the uses and value of the Living Wood, I believe everyone here already knows."
"The starting price for the Living Wood is 10 billion spirit stones! Let the bidding begin!"
Qian Jinyin’s crisp voice suddenly rang out, and the entire audience gasped.
The starting price alone was 10 billion spirit stones! Although many had mentally prepared themselves, they were still startled by this astronomical sum.
What kind of concept was 10 billion spirit stones? Even if most powers in the Western Territories sold off all their assets, they couldn’t come up with that amount. It was an outrageous figure.
But there were still quite a few powers that could produce 10 billion spirit stones. The Qian Chamber of Commerce had given three months to prepare, and many of the top ten clans of Blackstone City could pool together 10 billion.
However, this didn’t include the Long Clan of the Western Territories. They had been fixated on researching the Dragon Blood Battle Gu. Developing a Peak-grade Gu recipe was an exorbitant endeavor, a bottomless pit. Even if they threw 10 billion into it, it might not be enough.
It was already a blessing that they weren’t in debt. Where would they come up with 10 billion?
All the Gu Kings of the Long Clan present wore bitter expressions. They knew they had no chance of competing for the Living Wood and could only sit there, watching longingly.
They were short on funds and had barely participated in bidding for the other treasures at the auction. They had come mainly to watch the excitement and see if there was any chaos that might present them with an opportunity.
Even the Yao Clan appeared to have withdrawn from the competition. The wealthiest group in Blackstone City now seemed to be the Dan Clan. After all, they were in the pill business, one of the most profitable trades.
Without delay, the head of the Dan Clan called out, "The Dan Clan bids 11 billion!"
Everyone immediately turned their eyes to the head of the Dan Clan, secretly clicking their tongues in amazement.
Seeing a national force enter the competition for the Living Wood, everyone's eyes flickered.
In the Western Lands, power was organized around clans, and there were no nations.
National civilizations could only be found closer to the center of the Gu Realm. Just east of the Western Lands lay the Moon Lands, home to national civilizations like the Great Yin Dynasty.
Clearly, the three months of promotion had been enough to attract even national-level powers.
No nation lacked funds. With the Great Yin Dynasty involved in the bidding, the final price of the Living Wood might skyrocket.
In Box Three, a middle-aged, portly man exuding the peak aura of a Gu King stood up. He glanced toward Box One, his brow furrowing, a grave expression on his face.
He hadn’t expected a nation to make a move. For a nation, taking out a few hundred billion was no issue at all. It seemed that if the Cai Clan wanted to secure the Living Wood, they would need to bleed heavily.
After a brief silence, Cai Xuan directly raised the bid: "The Cai Clan Chamber of Commerce bids 40 billion spirit stones!"
He knew that for a nation, bidding 40 billion wasn’t difficult, so he didn’t bother with gradual increases. He simply called out the chamber’s limit. If the Great Yin Dynasty could outbid this price, then the Cai Clan would abandon their claim to the Living Wood.
At the mention of this price, the crowd was once again shocked. 40 billion was a truly terrifying figure. It was a number so extravagant that no one dared to imagine it.
At that moment, everyone realized the terrifying financial power of a large merchant guild.
And if someone could easily produce such a sum, how many Gu Kings could they cultivate? No one dared to contemplate.
In Box One, five people were seated. One of them was an old man dressed in luxurious silver robes, his face exuding a sense of authority, while he released the terrifying aura of a peak Gu King.
Luo Yu glanced sideways toward Box Three, his expression filled with disdain as he spoke: "40 billion spirit stones should be your limit, correct?"
"In that case, I won't raise the bid much higher. I bid 40.1 billion spirit stones."
In Box Three, Cai Xuan chuckled. "Heh, 40 billion is far from the Cai Clan Chamber of Commerce’s limit. The depth of our resources exceeds a trillion."
"However, raising the price further would be unwise. When purchasing an item, you must not only consider its value but also the risks involved."
"Even if the Cai Clan successfully won the Living Wood today, it’s not a certainty that we could take it away. Offering 40 billion involves great risks, and there’s a chance that those 40 billion would be wasted."
"Considering the risks involved with the Living Wood, the Cai Clan has chosen to stop bidding."
"Though you’ve added one billion more to secure the Living Wood today, I’m curious to see whether you can actually take it with you."
"With so many Gu Kings gathered here, what are the chances you’ll be attacked as soon as you leave the city?"
"The distance between Black Stone City and the capital of the Great Yin Dynasty is far too great. There are countless potential mishaps along such a long journey."
"I predict that you won’t be able to take the Living Wood back safely to the Great Yin Dynasty capital." Cai Xuan sneered coldly.
"Heh! Whether I can safely take the Living Wood back or not is no concern of yours."
"If I dared to make the bid, I’m fully confident that I can bring the Living Wood back."
Luo Yu cast a glance in Cai Xuan's direction, a confident smile playing on his lips.
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