And there was another crucial factor: Xiao Hongchen.
It was something Elder Ma had to consider.
Although Xiao Hongchen had not come today, Meng Hongchen was here. Xiao Hongchen would surely learn every detail of this auction.
If he ultimately failed to win this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast embryo and Xiao Hongchen found out, what would be waiting for him?
Based on Elder Ma's understanding of Xiao Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen would not care about the price or any traps.
He would only look at the result.
Such an opportunity had been placed before them, yet they had failed to secure it. Once they returned, they could only await Xiao Hongchen's reckoning.
Right now, the role of spending a fortune to win the auction had merely shifted from Xiao Hongchen to Ye Luochen.
To Elder Ma, there was not much difference.
They were both well-connected figures he could not afford to offend.
"Then we'll take it. Let's gamble."
"If we win, the Sun Moon Empire rises, and the Star Luo Empire can wait to cry. If we lose, we'll pick out some defective, outdated junk and sell it to them at exorbitant prices, extorting a hefty sum from them. They can still wait to cry."
"Either way, the Star Luo Empire will be the ones crying. Bid!"
Having made his decision, Elder Ma no longer hesitated. With a sweep of his hand, he directly raised the price to one hundred and fifty million.
Elder Ma's bid was quite calculated. It was exactly the one hundred and fifty million Meng Hongchen had produced.
That way, if they won it but ultimately gained nothing, it could still be considered the personal act of those well-connected youngsters. His responsibility would certainly be lessened.
Faced with Elder Ma raising the price by tens of millions in