BXBX NOVEL Chapter 38 - The Most-Valued Item
However, 1,500 gold coins was truly the maximum Elder Shui wished to offer, otherwise, he would miss the forest for the tree [1]. After all, the most-valued item was not yet auctioned. Elder Shui noticed that some guests in the corner had never bid for a single item, ever since the start of this auction; they must be waiting for this final and most-valued item. Elder Shui was pondering on whether his remaining money was enough to win the final bid for that item, where more competitors would be looking to join in the bidding process.
Elder Shui kept scratching his head, expecting for Xu Yi to finally follow behind the other guests under the threat of his Shui Family.
“1,800 gold coins!” A crisp sound suddenly broke the silence; everyone felt like they were hit by a bolt of lightning. Xu Yi uncharacteristically added 300 gold coins, in an attempt to scare off Elder Shui, who he believed was merely a spent bullet at this point. Infact, Xu Yi was also fatigued by this long and dull competition, he would actually like to end it as soon as possible.
However, his final bid of 1,800 gold coins wasn’t a random bid, this was actually the most Xu Yi could offer. The total amount of money in his pocket was 2,000 gold coins, and he wished to reserve 200 gold coins for making the protective clothing by using the Long’er Scalp, which was obviously only a material and not yet a usable defensive item.
Elder Shui threw a vicious glance at Xu Yi, before he slowly closed his eyes, unwilling to witness what would happen next.
The sharp increase of 300 gold coins had successfully deterred Elder Shui from any further bidding. Elder Shui had to make this difficult decision, even though he greatly treasured the Long’er Scalp, perhaps even more than Xu Yi did, he still had to have enough funds left to win the bid for the most-valued item.
“1,800 gold coins, once! 1,800 gold coins twice, 1,800 gold coins, thrice! Deal! On behalf of the Exquisite Pavilion, I announce that our dear guest, No.23 has officially won the bid for the Long’er Scalp for 1,800 gold coins. Congratulations!” With the sound of the drumming hammer, Elder Li delightfully exclaimed.
Nevertheless, Xu Yi wasn’t all that excited. Instead, he looked rather gloomy.
Without these 1,800 gold coins, he’d be poor once again. Lately he had really been living the life of a rollercoaster, quickly rushing through the highs and lows. Before, he had gained these great fortunes in the blink of an eye, almost effortlessly. However, now, he lost these fortunes, so quickly that he wasn’t even able to mentally prepare himself to be poor again.
“Damn, 1,800 gold coins are enough for me to comfortably enjoy the rest of my life. Well... Well, anyway, the Long’er Scalp will probably save my life, which is priceless.” Xu Yi mumbled to himself, trying to find a proper way to console himself on the loss of these 1,800 gold coins.
“Our distinguished guests, I’m honored to introduce to you our last, but most-valued item of this auction. As far as I know, some of you have come here simply for this item. I have seen numerous precious items in this auction room, but none of them has ever been as breath-taking as this one. Infact, my first glance at this stunning item, reminded me of my first date with my beautiful girlfriend. It was so gorgeous and delicate, that it’ll definitely quicken your heartbeats. Trust me; this item is truly worthy of being the final item at our auction.” Elder Li passionately elaborated on the last item,
As Elder Li took off the drapery that covered the item, a round and white iron ball exposed itself.
- Boom! -
The item shown blew Xu Yi’s mind, as he couldn’t help himself but quiver out of sheer surprise.
The most-valued item of the Exquisite Pavilion was actually an iron ball, which was strikingly similar to the one that he had snatched away from the man in black clothing. The only discrepancy was, the ball on display was several centimeters smaller in its diameter.
The iron ball was regarded as the most-valued item in this auction, which was telling evidence that this item was extremely scarce on the market. Extreme joy suddenly overtook Xu Yi, as he realised he already owned another one.
“Is that the refined iron?!”
“Definitely! Look at the color, as white as snow and as transparent as jade, wow, it must be the legendary refined iron!”
“If it is really the refined iron, it should be priceless. I cannot figure out why the original owner would sell such a treasure?”
“………..”
The appearance of the iron ball brought this auction to its climax, as waves of exclamations quickly filled the air.
“Distinguished guests, with your discerning eyes, you have correctly identified this item. Yes! It is the well-known, but rarely-seen, refined iron. Since some of you might be interested in its origin, I’ll take the liberty to explain this to all of you. As its name suggests, it is made of refined iron - the best quality of iron. According to the ‘Exotic Matter Records’, the refined iron isn’t even matter of this mortal world, as it dropped out of the sky ages ago. By absorbing the essence of the natural energy, including the sun’s and moon’s, the exotic iron was gradually refined in a more delicate shape, as it became white and transparent. More surprisingly, when the natural energy has amounted to a certain degree, the refined iron would even give life to a ‘spirit of the refined iron’, which is said to be as sensible as a human\'s.”
“Subsequently, the refined iron possesses some kind of magic. If you put it into your palm, you can change it into various shapes, depending on the strength you use. Isn’t that amazing? Have you ever heard of the rumor that if this refined iron fell into the hands of the most talented cultivator, it would change into whatever shapes it could possibly be.” Elder Li finished his lengthy speech and put the iron ball into his palm.
“Now, everyone, watch carefully…” Before Elder Li had finished his words, the refined iron had already changed into several shapes.
“No more testing, we all know how magical this item is. Let’s just start bidding!” Someone stood up and urged.
“Wait a minute... If the refined iron just transforms itself into various shapes, it is no different from a simple toy. Please let us know how it can be used during a fight?” Xu Yi opposed, as he was eager to learn more about this refined iron.
As the host of this auction, Elder Li was more than happy to elaborate on the merits of the refined iron. He was sure, that spot testing was the most convincing way to lure them in and hit a high price.
“Good question. Facts speak louder than words. Distinguished guest, please watch closely.”
Elder Li put the refined iron into his palm and a shiny sword instantly emerged. He then slashed the sword in all directions, leaving curves of silver light flickering in the air.
Elder Li’s performance instantly received a burst of applause from the guests.
However, Xu Yi was slightly disappointed, as he was hoping for something more magical. When he was attacked by the man in black clothing, his body was pierced through by the refined iron (in the shape of numerous needles). As a cultivator in the peak state of a forged body, however, the needles had failed to poke into his bones, which were as hard as iron.
Based on this information, Xu Yi calculated that this refined iron would be a fatal weapon only if the opponent was well below the peak state of a forged body. For those beyond, for instance, cultivators in the realm of an ocean of qi, the refined iron wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
…………
[1]: Can’t see/Miss the forest for the trees: An expression used for someone who’s too involved with the small details, making him forget the big picture.