Chapter 336: Hit And Miss! [Part 2]
Dim Dim blinked as Alex gave it the "Dim Dim, please bid for me!" gaze, which the latter understood.
The little bun glanced at the glass case where the Lucky Rose was being displayed, then glanced back at Alex.
A few seconds later, the little bun picked up another grape and chewed on it, pretending it couldn’t understand the desperation behind Alex’s eyes!
’You little traitor!’ Alex had a strong urge to squeeze the little bun’s cheek to oblivion, but a part of him thought that Dim Dim might have misunderstood his gaze, which made him calm down.
’That’s right. I’m sure Dim Dim just didn’t understand what I was trying to say.’ Alex crossed his arms over his chest, thinking of a way to bid for the item without eliciting a look of utter disgust from the Elven Princess seated beside him.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"Serena, if it were up to you, would you bid for that item?" Alex asked. "Even if it does not look too impressive, it did come from a gold chest. Wouldn’t you want to examine the item and see what it could do?"
Serena thought for a bit before giving her honest opinion. "Frankly, I am also curious about it. But aside from its Auto-Fit function—very common for magical clothing—it doesn’t have any known effects according to our appraisers."
"Oh, so you already knew about this item beforehand?" Alex inquired.
"We’re all informed about the special items that will be on display in auctions, just in case our VIP Guests ask us about them," Serena answered.
"I see." Alex pondered before steeling himself to tap the small crystal on top of the table. This would automatically inform Anya that someone from the VIP Room they were in was bidding for the item.
"Ten gold coins from VIP Room Number 13!" Anya announced. "Is there anyone else who wishes to bid for this item?"
Since each bid must be at least a hundred gold coins more than the one before, Alex decided to be the first to bid for the item. This gave him a certain advantage in exchange for his dignity!
Ten gold for a set of underwear was already quite expensive. At most, even the fanciest underwear on the market would only cost a gold coin per piece.
The other bidders were completely silent, with some of them chatting leisurely with each other.
Clearly, they were not too keen on bidding for the lingerie currently up for auction.
Their reasoning was simple.
This portion was called Hit and Miss!’ for a reason. The majority believed that the item was a Miss.
Sure, they were curious about it. But being un-appraisable itself was a significant problem.
If it were some kind of cursed item that could potentially harm the lady wearing it, wouldn’t that be a tragic thing?
So, despite their curiosity, all of them held back and didn’t make any effort to bid for the item.
"No one?" Anya asked. "I’m sure that this will be a wonderful gift for your lover!"
But no matter how much hype she tried to generate, no one else made a bid, making her sigh internally.
Despite her true thoughts, the smile on her face never disappeared, even when she was finally announcing the winner.
"Ten gold coins!" Anya shouted. "Going once.... Going twice... Sold to our VIP Guest in Room Number 13!"
Alex wanted to do a fist pump, but he held himself back and only smiled excitedly.
However, after he won the item, Aeris suddenly moved a little farther away from him on the couch. Even Serena took a step back from where she had stood earlier.
Clearly, the two ladies were distancing themselves from Alex due to his actions.
None of them said anything, but the young man believed they were already thinking that he was some kind of scum or had interesting hobbies. Even worse, they might be thinking that he was an evil man who intended to curse a lover by presenting her with such a gift!
Fortunately, Anya decided to move quickly to the next round of bidding, preventing any loss in momentum.
After fourteen items had been taken out and auctioned off, everyone’s gaze finally became serious. The highlight for today was finally about to be revealed to everyone inside the Auction House.
Even Aeris looked determined to win the bid, for it was that very item that had prompted her to come to today’s auction.
"And now, for our grand finale, let me introduce a Pseudo-Legendary Weapon personally crafted by the great Dwarven Master Blacksmith, Lord Alviss Stoneproud!"
With a wave of her hand, the cloth covering the display glass was removed.
To everyone’s surprise, instead of a weapon, all they saw was a silver orb the size of a human’s fist.
Golden runes shone within the orb, as if holding back a power ready to make its presence known to the world.
"Behold, the name of this weapon is Enigma!" Anya declared. "As you can see, it has no form right now. However, the moment someone resonates with this silver orb, it will transform into a weapon that will perfectly fit that person’s fighting style.
"If you are a swordsman, this silver orb will transform into a sword. If you specialize in spears, it will become a spear!" Anya’s voice spread across the entire auction house. "And if you are a mage, it will transform into a staff or a wand, depending on your preference.
"No one knows what the design will be like once the weapon transforms, perfectly matching its name, Enigma! The bidding will start at a thousand gold coins, and the increment for each bid will be a hundred gold coins! Bidding starts now!"
As soon as the signal was given, everyone started making their bids.
In the span of a minute, the bid for Enigma was already at six thousand gold coins.
To put matters into perspective, Alex’s Unique Warhammer, Sacrament, had cost him four thousand gold coins.
Unique Weapons usually fetched around four to six thousand gold coins, while Legendary Weapons could cost anywhere between twenty thousand and fifty thousand gold coins.
However, since Enigma was only a Pseudo-Legendary Weapon, many bidders did not want to pay as much as they would for a Legendary Item.
However, there were exceptions to this rule.
"Ten Thousand Gold Coins," Aeris declared as she tapped the crystal orb in front of her, which amplified her voice, reaching everyone in the auction house.
"Ten thousand gold coins!" Anya shouted. "As expected of a masterpiece created by Lord Alviss! Any other takers?!"
Truth be told, Alex also wanted to bid for Enigma, but he was wondering if it was worthwhile to clash with Aeris over an item.
Since he already had Sacrament, getting a new weapon wasn’t really his priority.
But the allure of a Pseudo-Legendary Weapon was still there, and he genuinely pondered whether taking the risk was worth it.
Even if he were not the one to use the weapon, he could give it to one of his Club Members as a form of investment, boosting the fighting prowess of his team.
The auction hall buzzed with excitement after Aeris’ bold declaration. Many of the bidders who were hesitating earlier were now forced to reconsider. The price was now higher than ever, but clearly the Elven Princess believed that the item was worth so much.
Her determination meant that this was no ordinary item to her. And if she thought it was so important...
"Eleven thousand gold coins!" shouted another VIP guest, unwilling to give up so easily.
"Eleven thousand! Do I hear twelve?!" Anya’s melodic voice was filled with encouragement, fanning the flames of competition.
"Thirteen thousand." Another nobleman raised the stakes without hesitation.
"Fifteen thousand!" Aeris’ clear, unwavering voice cut through the noise like a blade.
Her calm demeanor contrasted with the restless shifting of those inside the other VIP rooms. Many bidders frowned, realizing that the Elven Princess wasn’t going to stop until she won.
Meanwhile, Alex was still struggling.
His fingers drummed restlessly on the table. He could feel Sacrament resting quietly in his inventory, as if silently reminding him of its presence.
’Do I need it?’ Alex thought. ’Or... do I just want it?’
His eyes locked on the silver orb floating gracefully within its case. The golden runes pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat that echoed in his chest. There was no doubt in his mind—it was calling to him.
"Seventeen thousand!" shouted a burly merchant, his voice laced with greed.
The bid caused murmurs to ripple across the room as the price dangerously rose close to that of a true Legendary weapon!
"Twenty thousand."
Aeris’ calm declaration shocked the hall. Her beautiful eyes gleamed with a quiet strength, and there was no hesitation in her tone.
Gasps echoed everywhere. Even Alex couldn’t help but stare at her. Twenty thousand? It seemed that her resolve—and her family’s financial situation—was that solid.
Anya placed her hand over her chest dramatically. "Twenty thousand gold coins. Does anyone dare to go higher?!"
For a moment, no one spoke.
Alex clenched his fist.
He could bid.
He had the funds.
Enigma could greatly help him or his Club.
But... he glanced sideways at Aeris. Her eyes were sharp and steady. This wasn’t just a casual bid for her. It might even be something personal.
In the end, Alex took a deep breath and decided to let go.
’She’s one of the Heroines. If she gets a good weapon, she will definitely be far more powerful than ever before,’ Alex thought.
The grade of Aeris’ current weapon was similar to Alex’s Sacrament.
It was a Unique-Grade Bow, given to her by her parents on her sixteenth birthday.
She had been using it for a few years, making her one of the top three strongest students in the academy.
"Twenty thousand!" Anya shouted. "Going once... Going twice... Sold to the VIP Guest of Room Number 13!"
A round of applause reverberated across the auction house as all the bidders congratulated the brave lady who bought Enigma for the price of a Legendary Weapon.
Dim Dim tossed the last grape inside its mouth and joined everyone in clapping, then congratulated the Elven Princess for winning the bid.
Aeris remained seated, but a satisfied smile could be seen on her face, making even Alex feel that she truly deserved to become one of the Main Heroines of ELO due to how decisive she could be whenever she wanted to achieve her goal.