Outside, as Gu Xun'er's bid rang out, the entire hall fell into deathly silence. Moments later, it erupted into an uproar. Everyone began speculating about who occupied that private room, someone so fabulously wealthy that they could casually toss out Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills as though they cost nothing.
Onstage, after recovering from his profound shock, Old Man Baoshan, who was overseeing the bidding, broke into a smile as radiant as a blooming chrysanthemum. His wrinkled face crinkled, his aged eyes curving into broad crescents filled with overwhelming delight. Two Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills for one map fragment meant six for all three. Even a ten-percent commission on the value of six Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills would be an astonishing fortune. The thought sent him into raptures.
"Ahem. Everyone, please settle down. Our honored guest in Room 666 has offered two Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills for each map fragment. Does anyone wish to bid?"
After that burst of elation, Old Man Baoshan's professionalism allowed him to regain his composure. Suppressing his delight, he coughed twice and posed the question to everyone in the hall.
At his words, however, the crowd stopped their earlier discussions and fell silent, offering him no response whatsoever.
After all, across the entire Dou Qi Continent, very few people could casually offer six Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills. Anyone capable of doing so either possessed terrifying personal strength or had an overlord-level faction behind them, perhaps both. No one wanted to offend such a person, and few had that kind of wealth anyway.
Seeing the silence below, Old Man Baoshan was unsurprised, though he still sighed inwardly. Had someone bid now, another fierce struggle might have erupted, potentially doubling the price.
Unfortunately, no one volunteered to be the bird that stuck its head out first. A flicker of disappointment crossed Old Man