Lotus Lian instantly quoted a price of ten million low-grade Immortal Stones, stunning everyone in the auction hall. Although the number was huge, it wasn't enough to truly shock the crowd.
What truly shocked people was that this bid came from the owner of Second-class VIP Room 16—the same room that snatched up the first auction item. That owner had suddenly multiplied the price several times, then gradually increased it bit by bit, making everyone think they must be running out of Immortal Stones.
But now, to directly offer ten million Immortal Stones showed that the other side still had plenty to spend. Everyone was guessing that the owner of Room 16 was just as determined to win the Waterglass Crystal—clearly, another fierce bidding war was about to erupt.
After this bid, even a few guests in the first-class VIP rooms were a bit surprised. Normally, price increases follow a steady progression, but the owner of Room 16 acted like some nouveau riche, just jacking up the price all at once. This was bad news for anyone hoping to buy—the risk was, if he dropped out, others who still wanted the item would have to pay even more Immortal Stones.
Something that could've been bought for eight or nine million might end up selling for eleven or even twelve million in the end. People hated bidders like this the most—they were guaranteed to rack up serious hatred points.
Right now, the middle-aged man in the VIP room wore a faintly angry expression. "Luna, looks like someone else is dead set on getting this Waterglass Crystal too. Raising the price like this only benefits the auction house. Is this guy brain-damaged or what?"
"Father, no matter how high the other side bids, I still hope to get the Waterglass Crystal—unless the price reaches something truly unbearable. But I trust they're not an idiot and know when to stop. Otherwise, after the auction ends, the hatred they stir up could swallow them whole," the young woman said.
Of course, anyone could tell that the speakers were Xander Xuan of Solarion Palace and his daughter Luna (Yvonne Xuan). If they knew Evan Lin was the one bidding for the Waterglass Crystal, they definitely wouldn't be competing—but right now, neither side knew who the other was.
Inside the VIP rooms, divine sense couldn't be used to check on others. This was to prevent cheating—and also gave some protection to the bidders, since only after the auction ended would anyone know who was in which VIP room.
Xander Xuan turned to Luna and said, "Luna, raise the bid to eleven million Immortal Stones. I want the other side to know that I intend to take this Waterglass Crystal—and let them learn to read the situation."
Right away, the auction display screen flashed with 'VIP Room 4 – 11 million Immortal Stones,' grabbing everyone's attention again as thunderous discussion erupted throughout the hall.
Evan Lin had thought that with his ten-million bid, no one would dare go higher. But someone really did outbid him. In truth, Immortal Stones didn't matter much to Evan anymore; with Immortal Crystals inside his Timewheel Bracelet worth billions, he could absorb energy whenever he wanted—and the Essence inside was far purer than any Immortal Stone.
Of course, Immortal Stones were still needed for everyday things—food, lodging, all of it. After glancing at the display screen, Evan said, "Lotus, jump the bid straight to fifteen million. I want the other side to back off."
Lotus quickly raised the bid to fifteen million Immortal Stones, drawing everyone's gaze back to Room 16. "The owner of Room 16 really is loaded—just bumped the price by five million in one go. I wonder who this mysterious big shot actually is?" someone shouted in the hall.
"Anyone who can get into a VIP room must have serious status. For a giant clan, fifteen million Immortal Stones is just fifteen hundred high-grade stones—barely worth worrying about."
"The owner of Room 16 really is a bit dumb. Can't they see they're competing against Room 4? That's a Six Imperial Palaces representative—any one of them could wipe him out. And here he is, actually daring to fight the Palace experts over an item. It's basically suicide.
Sure, killing is forbidden inside Newcapital City, but once he steps outside, it's a whole different story. He'll probably end up losing both his life and his fortune."
"He's just a show-off, flaunting his Immortal Stones here. People like that aren't worth paying attention to."
"Sour grapes, huh? If you've got the guts, go bid yourself!" ...
The chatter kept rumbling through the auction hall, but most people were badmouthing Evan Lin. There was a clear sense of schadenfreude—anyone who dared offend the Six Imperial Palaces was basically walking a dead-end road.
Xander Xuan said, "Looks like this kid really wants to go head-to-head with me. I want to see just how many Immortal Stones he's got. Luna, raise the bid to twenty million."
When the display changed to twenty million, Evan Lin's expression shifted slightly. "Lotus, let's go big today. We've already drawn attention, so let's make sure everyone knows that whatever Room 16 goes after, nobody can take it away. Jump straight to fifty million—I want to see if he dares to go any higher."
Lotus said, "Young Master, this is a surefire way to stir up hatred. The first six VIP rooms are all Six Imperial Palaces delegates—you're basically offending them directly. When the auction ends, you're going to have trouble. I think you should just give up."
"Give up? No way. Just do as I say," Evan replied.
Lotus immediately raised the bid to fifty million—a jump of thirty million Immortal Stones, not just Crystal Coins. That number was way beyond the Waterglass Crystal's actual value, drawing everyone's attention once again, including the other VIP rooms.
"Who is this guy, anyway? How can he spend so many Immortal Stones on a Waterglass Crystal that's worth maybe twenty million at most?" a beautiful woman asked her companion.
"Dominion Lord, I'm not really sure who he is. Should we investigate?" the young woman asked.
"Forget it, let's just enjoy the show. I just hope Lin Feng isn't stuck in the common area—he wouldn't be bidding from there." the beautiful girl replied.
That beautiful girl was, of course, Lynn Ling. "Dominion Lord, he's not in the common area. I've already sent people to check—he came in with a young woman, so he should be in a second-class VIP room. Do you think the person in Room 16 could be him?"
"It's definitely possible. That guy is seriously mysterious. If it is him, things just got a lot simpler. We need to fan the flames a bit—of course, that depends on whether the Solarion Palace side keeps bidding. If they do, we'll bid too, so they know we care about the Waterglass Crystal.
If nobody bids any higher, we'll just take the Waterglass Crystal and gift it to him. If he keeps bidding, we'll back off—it's just a matter of going with the flow," Lynn Ling said.
At that moment, Xander Xuan's face turned a bit sour. He glanced at Luna and said, "Luna, should we keep bidding?"
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