The auction officially began, the lights gradually dimmed, a beam of white light fell on the room, and the items were brought up one by one on a velvet cloth.
Many rare and uncommon ingredients were auctioned off one by one, and one particular item truly brought the banquet to a climax.
It was a dazzling red gemstone, about the size of a baby's fist, with irregular facets that made it stand out. As soon as it appeared, it drew gasps of amazement from the ladies in the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this lot is a gem produced by a gem fish from the Forest of Dog."
The female auctioneer smiled sweetly, holding a delicate wooden gavel in her hand.
"Gemfish feed on volcanic minerals throughout their lives. After consuming large amounts of minerals, gem-like stones form in their bodies. Gemfish populations are rare, so such beautiful gems of this size are not commonly seen."
"This gem comes from Lord Leo, who once captured a ten-star pearl mammoth. The starting bid is one thousand gold coins. Gentlemen, you may now begin bidding."
This exquisite and beautiful gemstone attracted a lot of attention, and bidding soon began:
"Eleven hundred gold."
"Five thousand five hundred."
"Two thousand five hundred gold coins."
"Two thousand seven hundred gold coins—"
Hearing the prices keep rising, Xu Milu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
One gold coin is equivalent to one hundred Berries, enough for an average family's expenses for a week. The mercenaries of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group are willing to risk their lives for ten gold coins, but that's not even enough to attend an auction here.
Seeing Xu Milu staring blankly at the gem, Maggie seemed to misunderstand her meaning and asked in a low voice whether she should raise her paddle.
Xu Milu waved her hands repeatedly, her face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.
Just kidding, the most valuable thing she has right now is the Black Needle Grass on her back that she keeps in the system slot, but she can't sell it yet, so what's the point of buying a gem?
Maggie slightly pulled back the curtain in front of Xu Milu so that she could see more clearly, and couldn't help but laugh when she saw Xu Milu's expression:
"Lady Milu, you are so adorable. A gourmet hunter like you never has to worry about these things. If you like this gem, someone will deliver it to you."
Xu Milu was somewhat taken aback, but after thinking for a moment, she still asked:
"There are many gourmet hunters coming and going from Dobe Port, so in theory there should be no shortage of gourmet hunters on the island. But from what you're saying, it turns out that low-star gourmet hunters like me are also sought after by many people?"
Maggie covered her mouth and laughed:
"Lady Milu is joking. You were able to capture a five-star gourmet-grade Black Needle Grass in this season, which is something many people cannot do, not to mention that you were able to cross the Snow Valley and Thorn Plain alone."
After all, "capturing five-star ingredients" and "only being able to capture five-star ingredients" are two different concepts.
Xu Milu's expression shifted slightly: "You're so familiar with the map, Maggie, are you also a Gourmet Hunter?"
Maggie smiled and was about to speak when someone in the room bid a high price of five thousand gold coins and won the bid for the precious gem.
The room where the bid was placed was one of the private rooms on the second floor, and murmurs could be faintly heard from inside:
"It's Lord Aoki..."
"They're from the Aoki Mercenary Group..."
"Lord Aoki is here too? Why haven't I seen him?"
"Thump thump thump!!"
The auctioneer gently tapped the table with his gavel, his smile impossible to hide:
"Congratulations to the Aoki Mercenary Group for winning this precious gem! Congratulations to Lord Aoki!"
Behind the sky-blue curtain, several figures could be vaguely seen, but the legendary Aoki still hadn't shown himself.
As various rare ingredients were auctioned off one by one, the auction gradually reached one small climax after another.
...
...
"Crack!"
"Damn Aoki! He actually came too!"
Inside the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's private room, Su Lang crushed a porcelain teacup in his hand, his eyes growing increasingly gloomy.
"Damn it!! What's he doing here?! Is he here to laugh at me?!"
The other people in the private room didn't dare to breathe, standing to the side with their hands hanging down.
Puka was not only Su Lang's favorite son, but also the captain of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's first adventure team. His death in the Snow Valley was a significant blow to the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's reputation.
In the past two years, the Aoki Mercenary Group has grown increasingly powerful, almost overwhelming the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, a long-established mercenary group.
The Wolf Head Mercenaries are about to form a marriage alliance with the Baron's Mansion. Not only did Puka fail to complete the mission, but he also caused the First Adventure Team to be almost completely wiped out. You can imagine how Su Lang felt.
Vera sat on the sofa, playing with her long hair, her expression somewhat nonchalant.
"Father, it seems that Aoki and the others have also set their sights on that thing."
Su Lang sneered:
"Of course, how could they let such a good opportunity pass by? But the Baron is determined to get this, and I don't think Aoki is that stupid to go against the Baron."
A faint hint of mockery flickered across Vera's lips, but it quickly vanished, replaced by an expression of curiosity:
"Father, is that ingredient really that important? How could the Baron deceive the Gourmet Association for it?"
Half a month ago, Su Lang received instructions from the Baron to bid for this ingredient, which might be from the world of dark cuisine, at all costs.
"The Gourmet Association is dedicated to eradicating everything related to the Dark Cuisine world, but few know that some Dark Cuisine can awaken the talents of Gourmet Hunters. If Baron could become a high-level Gourmet Hunter..."
Su Lang slowly stopped, the scars on his face appearing even more ferocious and terrifying under the light.
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