Diana Hurst's voice trembled with excitement, nearly hoarse. "One hundred and eighty billion! This is not the first Celestia Auction, but a price of one hundred and eighty billion is absolutely unprecedented. Clearly, this ring holds an enormous secret. Though we may not know what it is, I'm sure the bidders do..."
In a private box on the third floor of the Celestia Auction Hall, a man with his face obscured by a hood clenched his fist tightly. On such an occasion aboard Celestia I, few wore cloaks, making his concealed presence all the more conspicuous—no one could see his face.
For him, these things were never a concern. He cared little for how others viewed him; as long as he knew what he was doing, that was enough. In his eyes, no disguise could ever match the concealment his cloak provided.
To attend this auction, he had gathered a total of two hundred and ten billion. For the sake of that ring, he had even given up on bidding for the Three Jade Slips.
Amid Diana Hurst's raspy shouts, he unhesitatingly offered a bid of two hundred and ten billion. If he still failed to win the ring, he would seize it by force. The Three Jade Slips were also among the items he intended to take, one way or another.
"My goodness, two hundred and ten billion! This bold guest has just thrown down two hundred and ten billion..." Diana Hurst exclaimed.
Diana Hurst continued her enthusiastic calls, but Joe Di could only sigh and stop bidding. It wasn't that he didn't want to bid further—he simply didn't have that much money. Fortunately, he wasn't too interested in the ring; after all, it was something he couldn't quite figure out. His earlier bids were only because so many others were vying for it at high prices.
The auction still had a long way to go; even if he missed out on the ring, there might be even better treasures ahead.
Not only did Joe Di stop bidding, but the sheer size of the bid swept through the hall—no one else offered another price.
After calling for bids for some time with no response, Diana Hurst stopped shouting and abruptly announced, "We will now take a break in the middle of the auction. Guests may dine or order food to be brought in. The auction will resume in one hour."