Shigeru Nagano swept his gaze across the hall, slowing his speech and enunciating each word:
"Two hundred and seventy million, going once—"
"Two hundred and seventy million, going twice—"
"Two hundred and seventy million, going three times—"
"Sold!"
The gavel came down with a crisp thud, exceptionally loud in the quiet hall.
"Congratulations to this gentleman for winning Lot Number Forty-Seven—the Gible Pokémon Egg—for two hundred and seventy million!"
Upon hearing Shigeru Nagano's words, the old man's lips curved slightly upward.
The young man beside him, dressed in a dark navy haori, suddenly had his eyes light up. He clenched his fists on his knees and leaned forward slightly, staring fixedly at the Pokémon Egg onstage, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.
The old man turned to glance at the young man, gently patted the back of his hand, and murmured something.
The young man nodded firmly, the light in his eyes growing even brighter.
Xinhai sat at a round table near the edge, his expression grave as he watched the scene.
Two hundred and seventy million.
That number once again made him keenly aware of the gap between himself and these great families and powerful factions.
After half a year of hard work, plus the gym's investments and his share of the animation licensing fees, everything he had amounted to only a fraction of that sum.
Yet these people could throw out two hundred and seventy million without hesitation for a single Gible Pokémon Egg.
Just as Ryosuke Onodera had said, they truly did not treat money as money.
More accurately, they spared no effort in turning money into power of their own, ensuring that they could acquire even greater wealth and status.
Wealth and power had always been two sides of the same