197: Chapter 193: Auction 197: Chapter 193: Auction As the bidding for Turtle Shell, item number 88, reached fifty thousand, the number of continuing bidders dwindled to a few.
Though Turtle Shell has significant nourishing effects, an excessively high price ultimately deterred many people, causing them to give up and back down.
Only three bidders were left.
Two elderly men, one gentle and kind-looking, the other somewhat scholarly, exuding an academic aura.
The last person was a rough man with a fierce face and the air of a nouveau riche about him.
Fifty-five thousand…
Fifty-eight thousand…
Sixty-eight thousand…
By the end, as the burly man bid sixty-eight thousand, the two elderly men looked troubled, exchanged glances, sighed, and did not continue.
“Table eighteen, President Yan bids sixty-eight thousand, any higher bids!” the auctioneer called out, holding the Turtle Shell and scanning the crowd below.
“Just hooked up with a minor celebrity, recently been a bit lavish.
Getting a thousand-year-old Turtle Shell to make soup would be perfect for a good nourishment!”
“Zhang, no need to ask anymore, surely no one will outbid me, Yan.”
“Don’t waste time; just hammer it down already!”
The burly man, called Yan Jing, owned nightclubs in the Capital City and, in the last two years, ventured into real estate in Hainan, seemingly making a fortune.
Just recently, while buying a car, he even thought about taking the car model home as well.
In the end, he surely bought the car, but whether the model became his “canary,” outsiders didn’t really know.
Given his flamboyant nature, buying a thousand-year-old Turtle Shell for soup was nothing out of the ordinary for him.
As he spoke, he bragged, giving the two old men, who were also bidding, the middle finger.
“I bid one hundred thousand, the Turtle Shell is mine!”
Just as the auctioneer was routinely asking once again if there were any new bids, the previously silent Chen Hai finally raised his paddle and spoke up.
“Kid, what do you mean?”
“If you wanted to bid, why didn’t you speak up earlier and only did when Zhang on the stage was about to finalize the sale!”
“You’re deliberately going against me, trying to play me, huh?”
Yan Jing rolled his eyes and glared ferociously at Chen Hai.
Whether he got the Turtle Shell or not didn’t really matter to him.
He was upset with Chen Hai mainly because he felt that Chen Hai had massively undermined his prestige.
After all, he had just boldly claimed that no one in the auction could outbid him.
But in a blink of an eye, Chen Hai raised his paddle and bid one hundred thousand for the Turtle Shell.
You should know, during the two hours of the auction, there were thirty to forty items sold.
But only the damaged Turtle Shell had reached a final bid of one hundred thousand.
Truth be told, neither the auctioneer Zhang nor the organizers behind him might have expected this turn of events.
“President Yan, right?
Sorry, but I must have this Turtle Shell!”
“If you want to buy Turtle Shell for soup, those available in the market are not much worse!”
“If you don’t mind, I can send you a dozen or twenty pieces without issue!”
Unperturbed, Chen Hai responded nonchalantly.
If this Turtle Shell was indeed a type similar to one linked to Divination and Mana as he surmised.
Not to mention a hundred thousand, even a million would feel worth it to Chen Hai.
He upped the bid from sixty-eight thousand to one hundred thousand in one go simply to crush Yan Jing’s thoughts of further competing.
“Item eighty-eight, table sixty-seven, President Chen bids one hundred thousand, first call, any higher?”
After a brief moment of astonishment, auctioneer Zhang recovered.
His ear was plugged with an earpiece and the auction space was covered with several cameras.
Under such circumstances, knowing some information about Chen Hai and addressing him directly as President Chen wasn’t surprising.
After all, when Chen Hai had gone to the VIP room to transfer money, his identity information had already been noticed by the organizers.
Though there were several private vendors around the exhibition hall, based on the current antique market, only Chen Hai had transactions amounting to over a million.
With such impressive results, would the organizers not pay him extra attention?
“Kid, I’ll remember you, your surname is Chen, right?”
“Since you’re determined to get this Turtle Shell, fine, I’ll let you have it.”
“I hope in time, you won’t regret today’s decision!”
After glaring harshly at Chen Hai and making some threats, perhaps due to considerations of the organizers’ background, besides making threats, Yan Jing made no other moves.
Being simply a nouveau riche, Chen Hai didn’t take his threats seriously.
Relieved to see Yan Jing no longer competing, he breathed easier.
Truthfully, with the cash he could muster, even if Yan Jing continued to compete, he was confident he could secure the Turtle Shell.
However, spending too much money on it would still pain him!
“Item eighty-eight, table sixty-seven, President Chen bids one hundred thousand, second call!”
“Item eighty-eight, table sixty-seven, President Chen bids one hundred thousand, third call, sold!”
Seeing Yan Jing had ceased his efforts and had no intention to continue bidding against Chen Hai.
Auctioneer Zhang quickened his pace considerably, and soon, with a final bang of his gavel, the deal was sealed.
Once Chen Hai paid and collected the Turtle Shell, returning to the central area of the exhibition hall, the day’s auction came to a close.
The attendees had already dispersed.
Checking the time, it was now half past four, almost ten minutes away.
The exhibition hall’s networking event would continue until six.
Having agreed to dine with Dong Dahai, even if Dong Dahai closed his stall early, Chen Hai would still need to wait a bit after five o’clock.
The newly acquired Turtle Shell, did it indeed contain some legacy of a magical practice?
Chen Hai was eager to find out.
After a brief contemplation, he walked toward a restroom in a corner of the exhibition hall.
Securing a stall, Chen Hai shut the door and attempted to channel his Mana into the Turtle Shell.