As expected, when the bidding reached 37,000 gold coins, the auction hall quieted noticeably. Those who had just joined the fray were now shaking their heads, chuckling softly—there was a hint of mockery in their smiles. To them, paying 37,000 gold coins for a bottle of River Styx Water was the height of foolish extravagance.
It was obvious: River Styx Water might be rare, but its applications in alchemy were hardly extensive. There were only about a dozen potions that actually required it, and most of those could be made with substitute ingredients anyway. Forking out nearly forty thousand gold coins for a single bottle? No sane alchemist would make that call.
"37,000 gold coins, first call."
"37,000 gold coins, second call."
"37,000 gold coins, third call. Any higher bids? If not..."
"50,000 gold coins."
Just as Kadgar was about to announce the sale, a voice rang out from one of the second-floor private boxes.
The moment Leon called out, "50,000 gold coins," the previously quiet hall erupted. Most of the bidders turned to stare at the second-floor box, eager to catch a glimpse of the spendthrift who’d thrown out such a ludicrous price for a bottle of River Styx Water. At this point, 'foolish and rich' didn’t even begin to cover it…
For reference, that Gale Fang—an exceptional, top-tier magical weapon—had only fetched a little over ten thousand gold coins at the start. Now a single bottle of River Styx Water could buy several Gale Fangs?
Even if you’re loaded, there’s no need to burn money like this…
Too bad, no one managed to catch sight of the mysterious big spender by the end.
Because the one who stepped out from the box was none other than Farrow from the Blackhorn Auction House.
"It’s that Merlin kid." Of everyone present, only the Monty family’s private box knew the true identity of the extravagant bidder.
"Where’d he get fifty thousand gold coins?" Monty frowned. The River Styx Water itself was nothing special, but this sudden appearance of fifty thousand gold coins meant something big had changed.
Even within the Monty family, only two or three people knew that Monty was dead set on acquiring Roger Merlin’s house.
After Roger Merlin’s shipwreck, Monty had been sure the house was as good as his. He’d approached Felix, leveraging that eight-thousand-gold-coin contract, and nearly backed Matthew Merlin into a corner.
But just as the house was about to fall into his hands, Matthew Merlin suddenly turned into a mage—and somehow scraped together eight thousand gold coins, leaving Monty with nothing but false hope.
Still, Monty wasn’t discouraged. He simply turned and went to find Soth.
Viper’s Nest had managed to rise to power in Seaview City in just over a decade, becoming the top underground force—and that was all thanks to the Monty family’s backing.
Among the major powers in Seaview City, this was practically an open secret.
At Monty’s suggestion, Soth sent out a Ninth-Rank Mage. Honestly, sending someone of that level to deal with a young mage who’d only advanced two or three months ago—and an old man who could barely walk—was serious overkill.
And yet, even the Ninth-Rank Mage failed.
He didn’t just get a few dozen subordinates injured—he got so badly spooked he developed a nervous disorder. He’d barely returned to Viper’s Nest before he found an excuse to leave Seaview City, never to be seen again…
Still, even after two consecutive failures, Monty only frowned a little—he never really saw Matthew Merlin as a threat.
To Monty, a young mage with no background or influence—even if he managed to beat a Ninth-Rank Mage—so what? In all of Seaview City, only Salomon could truly decide everything by sheer personal power. No one else, no matter how strong, could ever stand up to a force like the Monty family on their own.
If anything, it was today’s fifty-thousand-gold-coin bid that left Monty troubled…
Fifty thousand gold coins wasn’t a huge sum, but it represented an unpredictable variable. Monty had no way of knowing where the money had come from.
Who gave Matthew Merlin fifty thousand gold coins?
Could it be that some other faction has their eye on that house?
If that’s really the case, things could get messy…
That house was specifically requested by the Gray Tower. If Monty couldn’t handle this, he wouldn’t just be in trouble—the whole Monty family could be at risk.
Who was it that leaked the information…
"Maybe Farrow lent it to him. Matthew Merlin’s always had ridiculous luck: last time he got help from Solon at Sage’s Spire, now he’s cozy with Farrow at Blackhorn Auction House. I’d like to see how he manages once he leaves the auction and can’t hide behind Farrow anymore…"
That gilded rose bottle from the auction was a stain on Mason’s reputation. He was still physically present, but his mind was elsewhere—plotting just how he’d make Matthew Merlin suffer once the auction was over.
"Shut up!" Monty snapped, shooting his son a glare. If only things were that simple—Farrow might have some pull at Blackhorn Auction House, but even he couldn’t just conjure up fifty thousand gold coins on a whim.
Still, Monty knew talking sense to Mason was pointless. The little bastard was dead set on getting revenge; nothing else was getting through to him right now.
Thinking of this, Monty couldn’t help but remind him, "Listen, I don’t care how you handle Matthew Merlin, but last time you caused trouble with Solon at Sage’s Spire, it put the family in a bad spot. If you stir up trouble again after this, don’t even think about leaving the house."
"Alright, alright, I get it..."
While the father and son were talking, Farrow had already returned to the box with a bottle of River Styx Water.
"Mage Merlin, is this... is this really worth fifty thousand gold coins?" Farrow handed the River Styx Water to Leon, hesitated for a long moment, then couldn’t help but ask.
If it were anyone else spending fifty thousand gold coins on a bottle of River Styx Water, Farrow would’ve already started mocking them—this was just ridiculous. Any alchemist with a bit of sense knew the real value of River Styx Water; to pay that much was either stupidity or sheer excess.
But since it was Leon who bought the River Styx Water, Farrow didn’t dare think that way…
Leon was destined to be a master. His insight and judgment put everyone else to shame—even Kadgar couldn’t compare. If Leon spent fifty thousand gold coins on a bottle of River Styx Water, he must have his reasons. If I can’t understand it, it’s only because my own vision is lacking.
"Of course." Leon popped the cap and took a sniff—the River Styx Water was even purer than he’d expected. At the height of magical civilization, this stuff would’ve easily traded for a dozen Abyssal Magic Diamonds.
Scoring such a rare material for fifty thousand gold coins put Leon in a great mood. He even gave Farrow a rare tip: "After the auction, you should try swapping River Styx Water for troll blood when you’re brewing Abyssal potions. See if the results improve."
"Thank you, Mage Merlin, thank you!" Farrow was stunned at first, then broke into a delighted grin.
Here it was: guidance from a future master. Farrow’s apology had paid off, and his sincerity had earned him advice. Not only did Leon not take offense, he even offered a tip.
Advice from a future master—just thinking about it left Farrow speechless, all he could do was keep thanking Leon over and over. After a while, he finally remembered what Leon had said, pulled out paper and pen, and started jotting down calculations right there in the box.
Leon smiled, then turned his attention back to the auction.
As for Farrow’s calculations, Leon didn’t even need to look—he already knew the outcome. In fact, using River Styx Water instead of troll blood for Abyssal potions wasn’t just "a little better"; it was several times more effective, enough to fundamentally change the potion.
And that was just the most basic use of River Styx Water…
The true value of River Styx Water far exceeded fifty thousand gold coins.
Leon figured that if he was careful, this single bottle could let him brew ten Phantom Elixirs after his Mana Baptism was complete.
The auction rolled on. Leon’s fifty-thousand-gold-coin purchase of River Styx Water sparked a flurry of gossip, but most people treated it as a joke and quickly forgot about it. Nobody had their heart set on winning the River Styx Water; getting it for cheap would’ve been nice, but missing out was no loss. It was just a free show.
Two more items came up next. Under Kadgar’s supervision, both fetched respectable prices.
"Next up for auction: a fragment of a spell."
Kadgar’s introduction left many in the audience puzzled. Magic had developed for so many years; spell inheritance was usually complete. Incomplete spells were rare.
If a spell was incomplete, its value was basically zero—no matter how powerful it used to be, missing even a single character meant it was scrap. No mage could cast an incomplete spell, let alone recreate its former glory.
So what was Kadgar’s angle, auctioning off an incomplete spell now…
"I believe everyone here has heard the name of this spell. Rudolph, the last Heaven-Tier Mage of the Third Dynasty, once used it to annihilate an entire demon legion. That’s right, this spell is Oblivion Inferno!"