"Ladies and gentlemen, after our appraisal, this sword sheath has reached the level of the Supreme God and its quality has reached the legendary realm. Although it has no sharp edge, it is definitely a divine weapon."
Wen Gui was still trying to find a better selling point for the Zhanlu sword sheath, and said, "The ancient Zhanlu sword was the sword of a king. When the king is virtuous, the sword is by his side and the country prospers; when the king is wicked, the sword is thrown away and the country is destroyed. Therefore, possessing this sword sheath will surely bring you benevolence and righteousness."
Upon hearing Wen Gui's words, someone retorted, "Host, that's not very kind of you. Everyone in this business has dozens of lives on their hands. Forget about benevolence, it's hard to even be a good person! So buying your scabbard is just asking for trouble, isn't it?"
Wen Gui showed no change in expression after hearing this, and simply said, "The Zhanlu sword sheath belongs to a high-ranking person in my black market. He offered a starting bid of one million top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals."
Some people had initially had high hopes for the Zhanlu sword sheath, but their hearts sank when they heard the starting price. A broken sword sheath daring to ask for a starting price of one million top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals was simply outrageous. Who would be so foolish as to buy a sword sheath that had no use whatsoever?
"One million top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals, any customers interested in making an offer?"
Seeing the atmosphere gradually cool down, Wen Gui hadn't expected that the second and final item would encounter such an awkward situation. But he had no choice; the sword sheath was put up for auction by a high-ranking person in the black market, who had specified that it should be placed in the final position, so he could only comply.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward, a voice rang out.
"One million and one thousand top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals!"
When everyone looked over, they realized that the person bidding was the man next to the extremely wealthy woman. Seeing this, many people sighed. These days, currying favor with someone is a skill, and it's even more difficult to find someone as generous as Liu Zhaodi. They could only look on with envy.
"Anyone else bidding?" Wen Gui shouted. There were still black market shills in the audience, but he was afraid that if his shills shouted out a price, they would scare people away. If that happened, he would lose more than he gained.
"One million and one thousand, once!"
"One million and one thousand, twice!"
"One million and one thousand, three times!"
"make a deal!"
The so-called final item wasn't as popular as expected, and even Wen Gui's auction mood was somewhat affected. However, when he looked at the third and final item, his eyes lit up with fervor once again.
Meanwhile, everyone else was watching the last item up for auction, because if the information leaked from the black market was true, then this last item was very likely the Imperial Seal of the State.
What is the origin of the Imperial Seal of the State? It was cast by Emperor Qin Shi Huang when he conquered Zhao and obtained the He Shi Bi jade. It was the first time in history that the fortunes of the nine provinces were gathered as a symbol of the orthodoxy of China. It was in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people. Even though the Qin Dynasty could not escape the law of decline after its peak, the Imperial Seal of the State still represented orthodoxy in the dynasties of China. One can imagine the significance of the Imperial Seal of the State to China.
"Please welcome our final and most anticipated item – the Imperial Seal of the State!"
The red curtain was lifted, and in an instant, a dragon's roar resounded throughout the venue. The overwhelming imperial might swept in like a force descending from the heavens, and those with weak wills even had the urge to kneel down.
Jiang Yuan stood up. He felt the surge of energy within him, a phenomenon rarely seen in the energy of the Nine Provinces, which was enough to show how much influence the Imperial Seal of the State had on the energy of the Nine Provinces.
"It really is the Imperial Seal of the State!"
Jiang Yuan had made some guesses before, but he was still extremely shocked when he actually saw that it was the Imperial Seal of the State. The audacity of the black market was beyond his expectations. They could even sell the Imperial Seal of the State, which represents the orthodoxy of China. This was simply disregarding the Heavenly Palace and the various divine imperial families.
"The starting bid for the Imperial Seal of the State is zero!"
Wen Gui's next sentence completely ignited the entire audience: the Imperial Seal of the State, a priceless treasure, had a starting bid of zero. This meant that everyone had the opportunity to own the Imperial Seal of the State, even if it was just for a moment's bidding.
"Five thousand top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals!"
"I'll offer eight thousand!"
"Ten thousand!"
The venue erupted in a commotion, but these were all small fry; none of the big shots present, who possessed millions or even tens of millions of top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals, stepped forward to compete with them.
Those who bid all wanted to benefit from the nation's fortune through the bidding process, and as competitors for the Imperial Seal, it was understandable to let them have a taste of success.
As the auction prices continued to rise, a big spender with a million-dollar stake finally entered the fray.
"I'll offer 1.2 million!"
A man wearing a bronze mask spoke up, and as soon as the price of 1.2 million was announced, the noise in the venue indeed decreased significantly. Although the threshold for the Heaven and Earth Gathering was to spend over one million Holy Spirit Crystals, it was just a threshold. If nothing unexpected happened, the final transaction price of the Imperial Seal would be one million plus a zero.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
The bidding war at the next venue did not dampen the atmosphere; on the contrary, the bidding increases of hundreds of thousands left everyone present speechless.
Jiang Yuan watched the people bidding in the arena without saying a word. As a member of Tianfu, he would never compromise with those who stole national treasures. Therefore, every bid he made was a disguised concession to his bottom line.
Liu Zhaodi seemed to see through his thoughts, but she still chose to raise the price: "Five million!"
Faced with such competition, only by acting decisively can one demonstrate their determination to obtain the Imperial Seal of the State and thus deter others from competing. In any case, she estimates the transaction price of the Imperial Seal of the State to be around 20 million, and the more aggressively she shouts now, the more people will lose their competitive spirit.
As expected, the entire audience fell silent for several seconds after the five million was announced. Five million top-grade Holy Spirit Crystals was already the limit of a major power's financial resources.
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