Old Peter was pleased with everyone's reaction. He clapped his hands, and a tray appeared in front of him.
The colorless glass in the tray, alongside a black, jelly-like substance, seemed to shimmer with every color.
"Given how precious extraordinary potions are, the starting bid for this auction is zero. Each bid must be at least 1,000 gold coins higher than the last."
"Now, guests, please place your bids!"
As soon as Old Peter finished speaking, the young man seated in the center of the front row made a bold opening bid:
"I bid 7,000 gold coins. I hope everyone will do me the courtesy of stepping aside."
Some of the representatives among the guests who could afford to compete hesitated.
They weren't set on getting the Scholar Potion. Among the many extraordinary paths, they had plenty of options.
With their connections and resources, they could enter the extraordinary world by paying a price. They could reliably obtain an extraordinary potion for 8,000 gold coins.
Especially when it came to the paths associated with the Orthodox Churches: if they only wanted to get started, gold coins could serve as their ticket in.
Paying too much would simply not be worth it to them.
"Mr. Balder has bid 7,000 gold coins! Any higher bids?"
Old Peter immediately stepped in to liven up the atmosphere. A Sequence 9 potion from the Scholar Path was exceptionally rare.
If it didn't fetch a good price, then holding this auction would have been all for nothing.
On the Old Continent, the extraordinary paths associated with the Orthodox Churches were relatively easy to access.
The Scholar Path was a rare extraordinary path, and they had gone to great lengths to secure the right to auction this potion.
"I'm very interested in this potion. 8,000 gold coins!"
The bid came from the back of the grand hall.
Balder Lancaster's expression didn't change, but he turned to look at the person who had spoken.
The bidder was Hisoka, a scholar dressed in an unusually flamboyant outfit, a Royal Apprentice Painter.
Arthur turned to look at Hisoka and saw him surveying the crowd with a half-smile. He immediately looked away.
Hisoka was one of Arthur's suspects, and was quite possibly a member of the Black Devil Order. He had happened to arrive on Blue Bay Island that very day, and might have dreamed that night.
Hisoka's bid broke Lancaster's hold over the room, prompting the other guests to consider joining the bidding.
Arina tapped the armrest. Her casual voice carried an unmistakable authority, reaching everyone in the hall.
"9,000 gold coins. I'm very interested in this potion."
Balder Lancaster turned toward Arina and said courteously, "Miss Arina, would you be willing to let me have this potion?"
"No."
Arina Stuart raised her proud chin, giving Balder no consideration at all.
"This is the Old Wood Ship Auction. If you want the potion, speak with your gold."
Balder's smile faded. A trace of indignation appeared in his eyes as he said in a low voice, "I bid 10,000 gold coins!"
Arina chuckled and raised the bid again. "12,000 gold coins!"
"13,000 gold coins!"
"14,000 gold coins!"
"15,000 gold coins!"
Balder's relentless bidding made Arina loathe him. He was willing to fall out with her over a mere Sequence 9 potion!
She closed her eyes and calculated how much gold she had on hand, along with the family assets she could quickly liquidate...
"Since Balder values this extraordinary potion so highly, I'll do him a favor.
"I'll make one final bid: 20,000 gold coins. If you can go higher, I'll gladly let you have it!"
Arina's voice trembled slightly. Her hands were clenched together, and she looked ready to erupt at any moment.
A potion worth 10,000 gold coins was going to cost her so much more, thanks to Balder's bidding!
Kill him!
Balder Lancaster suddenly felt his body trembling. A surging malice flowed from nearby and reached the depths of his heart.
He was surrounded by malice. It threatened to swallow him, to drown him.
Damn it!
Why?!
Why was the Stuart Family targeting him? Or had they learned some secret?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
With a grim expression, Balder lowered his head and looked through the gap in his clothes at the Broken Bronze Mirror Shard against his chest.
The bronze shard flickered faintly, and an ancient voice appeared in Balder's mind.
"Yield for now. Gold is like fertilizer; it only bears fruit when spread in the right place.
"The final lot will do far more to resolve your current predicament than the Scholar Potion."
Balder took a deep breath, calming his agitated emotions. He put on a gentlemanly air and said, "Since Miss Arina wants the potion, I won't compete with her for it."
Arina looked as if she'd just bitten into a worm in a moldy loaf of bread.
If Balder was no longer competing for the Scholar Potion, then he must be aiming for the final lot.
A cold smile touched her lips. You think you're going to get that lot without a fight? Not unless I take your name, Lancaster!
"Congratulations to Miss Arina on winning the precious Scholar Potion!"
"Now, let's welcome our final lot, a treasure from across the ancient Midland Sea, the Pharaoh's mummified remains!"
"I won't go into too much detail, but I can confirm that this Pharaoh was a true descendant of the Pharaohs!"
"The starting bid is 10,000 gold coins. Guests, please place your bids!"
As Old Peter finished speaking, two marines carried in a coffin. Its decayed wooden sides had a gaping hole, and inside lay a shriveled body wrapped in bandages.
Arthur watched the path the marines had taken, and the trickle of sand spilling from the coffin as it jostled up and down.
Could they have just dug it up across the sea and brought it straight to the auction on Rhine Island?!
"30,000 gold coins! Our governor is very interested in this ancient corpse!"
"40,000 gold coins! The Pharaoh's body is extraordinarily precious. Our Earl intends to claim it!"
"50,000 gold coins!"
The final lot, the remains of a Pharaoh from the Tanmot Continent, pushed the auction's atmosphere to a fever pitch.
Arina watched Balder's reactions. Certain that he intended to buy the lot, she interrupted the other bidders.
"I bid 90,000 gold coins!"
After making her bid, Arina closed her eyes and waited quietly for Balder Lancaster to raise it.
Balder's face turned pale. That price was his limit. Even if his family came up with 100,000 gold coins all at once, it would leave them badly weakened.
Lancaster was no longer the Lancaster of a hundred years ago!
The ancient voice sounded in his ear again. "Claim this corpse, and you will receive my inheritance: an ancient treasure from a high-sequence being."
Balder gritted his teeth and called out the enormous bid of 100,000 gold coins.
"Isn't 100,000 gold coins a little too much?"
"It's just a Pharaoh's corpse. The Old Wood Ship Auction should have more later. I'd bid 70,000 at most."
"Forget it. Competing with Lancaster is simply unwise!"
The Old Wood Ship Auction was drawing to a close. Arthur stood up, ready to head to the back and collect his Jana Snake Bone.
At that moment, the 168 hours of his [Research]—the product of "firearm" plus "Dread"—had come to an end.
He closed his eyes and savored it carefully, then smiled faintly. It was an offensive extraordinary weapon.
He hadn't yet entered the extraordinary sequence, but now he had another way to protect himself.
Hisoka watched Arthur from the corner. Seeing the smile on his lips, he murmured, "That smile came out of nowhere. Is it because of Miss Arina?"
"It seems that Scholar Path potion was meant as a gift for Lord Arthur."
"This is getting more and more interesting."
Before you continue