Chapter 321: Tears of the Rainbow
Besides, repairing a magical artifact requires magical materials. If you spend another two or three hundred thousand gold coins on materials, the price of this single Soulbound Artifact would shoot past a million gold coins. With a bit of luck, you could buy two brand new Soulbound Artifacts for that amount...
There's no helping it—eight hundred thousand gold coins is truly a staggering price...
Even Saren Charlotte, who seemed determined to oppose William Merlin at every turn, fell silent after hearing that outrageous price. He couldn’t help but quiet down. At first, with a price of just a hundred or two hundred thousand gold coins, you could buy a damaged Soulbound Artifact and annoy William Merlin at the same time—a pretty good deal. But now, with the price at eight hundred thousand gold coins, not even Saren Charlotte could keep up his bravado...
"Isn't that a bit too expensive?" William Merlin couldn't help but worry...
"Not at all..." Leon smiled and shook his head, waiting for the auctioneer to announce the result.
As expected, the price of eight hundred thousand gold coins crushed all competition. Soon enough, the auctioneer struck the gavel, declaring Leon the winner of the damaged Soulbound Artifact.
"Marfa, cousin..." Ross Merlin was left speechless as he watched from the side. It seemed this distant cousin from Thousand Sails City truly had astonishing wealth—eight hundred thousand gold coins, handed over without the slightest hesitation...
When Ross Merlin spoke again, he couldn’t help but reconsider whether the terms he’d offered earlier could actually tempt this fabulously wealthy cousin from Thousand Sails City.
"How about this—I still have two top-tier Soulbound Artifacts, each ten times more powerful than the intact Radiance of the Black Moon. If you’re willing to hand over that map, I’ll let you choose one from the two!"
Ross Merlin practically recited every word, his eyes reddened as he stared intently at Leon. This was the biggest trump card Ross Merlin could offer—two top-tier Soulbound Artifacts, brought back from the Blazeforge Realm at the cost of countless near-death battles. The price he paid for these is unimaginable to most. Over the years, these two artifacts have accompanied Ross Merlin through countless campaigns across various realms, again and again defeating powerful foes and overcoming perilous trials. They are his last resort, his second life.
In the past, nothing was more important to Ross Merlin than those two Soulbound Artifacts...
Even those closest and most trusted by him were never allowed to touch them.
But now...
Ross Merlin had no choice but to offer up those two top-tier Soulbound Artifacts, all to exchange for the map left behind by Stan Watson...
This was his last gamble—he’d even put up what he considered his second life. If this deal fell through, he’d have to resort to more drastic measures...
After saying his piece, Ross Merlin kept his eyes locked on Leon...
Ross Merlin waited, hoping for an answer from his distant cousin...
Instead of the answer he wanted, Ross Merlin watched as his distant cousin raised his hand to bid once again.
"Three hundred thousand gold coins."
At this moment, seven thumb-sized magical gemstones were up for auction—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, each a different color. Placed under the crystal dome on the auction platform, they truly gleamed like a rainbow.
This was a complete set of Rainbow's Tears—seven gemstones, each possessing a unique power. Every single one rivaled a formidable magical artifact in strength, and since all seven gems shared a common origin, they were mysteriously linked. With just a bit of refinement, they could be used to construct a powerful alchemical array, the likes of which ordinary people could scarcely imagine.
Even in the heart of the kingdom—Auckland—a complete set of Rainbow's Tears was a rare treasure. The auctioneer had barely finished the introduction when a flurry of bids erupted. Leon managed to seize a brief opening and called out a bid of three hundred thousand gold coins, but before he could lower his hand, the bids kept coming...
"Three hundred and twenty thousand gold coins."
"Three hundred and fifty thousand gold coins."
"Three hundred and eighty thousand gold coins."
"Four hundred thousand gold coins."
"Four hundred and fifty thousand gold coins."
"Five hundred thousand gold coins."
............
All you could see were hands shooting up and bids being called out—within the blink of an eye, the price for the set of Rainbow's Tears had already reached around six hundred thousand gold coins...
That was already an astonishing sum...
"Eight hundred thousand gold coins!" Just as everyone was quietly marveling, Saren Charlotte's voice rang out from the top-floor box: "William Merlin, I refuse to believe you can cough up another eight hundred thousand gold coins!"
There was a smug satisfaction in Saren Charlotte's voice...
Just moments ago, he'd been slapped in the face with an eight hundred thousand gold coin bid—no wonder he was so frustrated. Saren Charlotte had been plotting his revenge, but hadn’t expected the opportunity to come so soon. Ha, it was as if fortune itself was on his side. Rainbow's Tears happened to be one of the magical materials his family specifically requested this time. The price—eight hundred thousand gold coins—was steep, but not entirely unreasonable.
But the most crucial thing was...
William Merlin had already bid eight hundred thousand gold coins once. Saren Charlotte simply couldn't believe he'd be able to do it again...
"One million five hundred thousand gold coins." Just as Saren Charlotte was basking in his triumph, a voice rang out from the fifth row of the auction hall.
Saren Charlotte was stunned. At first, he thought he’d misheard and even pulled a subordinate over, asking in disbelief, "Just now... what did he say?"
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"One... one... one... One million five hundred thousand gold coins..." The subordinate was so shocked by the number that he stammered for ages before finally getting the words out.
As soon as that number was spoken, Saren Charlotte's expression looked as if he'd swallowed a dead rat. His eyes bulged, his mouth hung open, and though he wanted to say something, his tongue wouldn't cooperate. He just stood there, dumbfounded, before finally blurting out a curse: "Damn, is he insane?"
Yes...
That was exactly what everyone was thinking...
With the sky-high bid of one million five hundred thousand gold coins, the entire auction hall erupted in chaos. No one could believe that these seven Rainbow's Tears could fetch such a staggering price—almost double their usual market value. Instantly, all eyes snapped to Leon...
And then, everyone realized...
The one who bought Rainbow's Tears for one and a half million gold coins was the same spendthrift who’d just dropped eight hundred thousand gold coins on the Radiance of the Black Moon. In just a few minutes, more than two million gold coins had been tossed around. People whispered and gossiped, curious about the identity of this prodigal—he was truly in a league of his own.
As for the result, it was, unsurprisingly...
With a crazed bid of one and a half million gold coins, who would be foolish enough to compete with Leon? The auctioneer followed protocol, asking and counting down, but the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. In the end, the seven Rainbow's Tears were won by Leon for one and a half million gold coins...
"Marfa, cousin, you..." Even Ross Merlin was left dumbfounded...
It seemed this distant cousin from Thousand Sails City was even wealthier than Ross Merlin had imagined...
One and a half million gold coins! After years of battling across countless realms, Ross Merlin's entire savings barely amounted to a million. The thought that his life's savings couldn't even match a single evening's extravagance at the Blackhorn Auction left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable...
What now...
At this moment, Ross Merlin’s optimism was fading fast...
At first, he’d thought that, despite the rumors swirling around the Merlin Family about his cousin’s wealth, coming from a small place like Thousand Sails City meant he’d never seen the wider world. That gave Ross Merlin confidence—he figured he could impress his cousin with magical knowledge, alchemical skill, and top-tier Soulbound Artifacts.
But now, Ross Merlin wasn't so sure anymore...
Someone who could casually throw around over two million gold coins—how could ordinary things possibly tempt him?
The problem was...
He was out of cards to play...
What now?
No, I have to get that map!
With that thought, Ross Merlin steeled himself and gritted his teeth. "Marfa, cousin, let me say this again: for that map, I am willing to pay any price..."
The meaning behind those words was perfectly clear...
Ross Merlin thought that, no matter how calm his distant cousin seemed, after hearing this, he’d have to seriously discuss the deal...
But unexpectedly, his words received no response.
"Marfa, cousin!" Ross Merlin frowned, his voice rising in frustration.
Still, there was no response...
Because at that moment, Leon had already turned his head and whispered to William Merlin, "Cousin, can you get me a copy of the auction inventory?"
Just then, Leon had finally gotten his hands on the Rainbow's Tears and was in high spirits—he had no time to bother with Ross Merlin.
After spending over two million gold coins and winning two key components for the Doombringer Staff, Leon was finally starting to take an interest in this auction...