Above the mage!

Chapter 500 Getting rich suddenly
In terms of knowledge about the Blackwings and Dracula alone, David Jones is definitely among the top.

To confirm whether Dracula had taken the Spell Bottle to Ash Isle and left it on that scorched earth, he conducted an extremely thorough investigation of the Blackwing Clan.

To this end, he even found out those Blackwing gang members or their descendants who were still barely surviving in Black Sails City after the Blackwing Gang's decline, and subjected them to inhumane torture and interrogation.

Unfortunately, all his plans ultimately failed before the blue flames raging on Ash Isle.

"Blue Flame Ring, Embroidered Silver Necklace" David Jones put down the Blue Flame Ring and recalled relevant information about the Blackwing Gang in his mind for comparison. He quickly retrieved the key information.

"These were the personal equipment of Fallon, the former vice-leader of the Blackwing Gang. He went to Ash Isle with Dracula and died there, so these two pieces of equipment, like the spell bottles, were left behind in some corner of Ash Isle."

"As the vice-leader of the Blackwing Gang, Fallon was most likely in the same location as Dracula when the Blue Flame reignited. Therefore, their belongings should not be far apart."

The glint in Davy Jones' eyes grew brighter and brighter, like two flickering will-o'-the-wisps illuminating his scarred face.

Over the years, his position in Black Sails City has become as solid as a rock, his wealth has continued to accumulate, and his strength has reached the peak of a fifth-ring mage with the help of ample resources.

At the same time, Davy Jones's ambitions grew ever larger, like an abyss that could never be filled.

The title of Pirate King is no longer enough to satisfy his ever-growing ambition.

He wanted to become the Blue Flame King and turn the Blue Flame Islands into his own private domain, his backyard.

In Black Sails City, though he was the strongest, he was not invincible.

Putting aside everything else, Sarah Fortune, who has risen to prominence in the last few decades and rejected his marriage proposal, is not someone to be trifled with—otherwise, Davy Jones would not have allowed someone who defied him to live to this day.

To truly become invincible, one must continue to improve one's strength.

His mage level is already at the fifth ring of perfection, and there is no way to advance further, so he can only seek a breakthrough through external means.

The Spell Bottle was the most obvious artifact in Davy Jones' mind that could enhance his strength at the moment.

He was unwilling to miss any opportunity or information.

"Who is the person who consigned these two extraordinary pieces of jewelry? Have you investigated their background?" David Jones asked.

The burly man noticed Davy Jones's interest and quickly nodded. "This man's name is Gao De. Ten days ago, he entered the Blue Flame Islands waters aboard a merchant ship of the Plantagenet Dynasty and happened to encounter the Throat-Snatching Octopus that had escaped the hunting fleet."

He swallowed hard and quickly recounted the information he had gathered: "In the end, they docked at the Embroidered Anchor Gang's slaughterhouse, and that very night they ran into that crazy woman Sarah who, for some reason, accepted a bounty on the head of the Embroidered Anchor Gang, a nobody, and killed that Santos guy on the spot."

"The Embroidered Anchor Gang collapsed. This Gao De should be from some merchant guild or family of the Golden Flower Dynasty. He was accompanied by a fourth-ring mage as his bodyguard. The hunting fleet saw this rare opportunity and approached him to cooperate and together they occupied the Embroidered Anchor Slaughter Wharf."

"However, there is a very strange point. Before the Anling Festival auction began, the merchant ship he came on returned first, leaving him and his bodyguards behind in Black Sails City."

“And since the Funeral auctions began, God and his bodyguards have been involved in every single one of the auctions. This is what they’ve bought over the past few days,” the burly man said, handing a list to David Jones.

David Jones took it and glanced at it. "Magic crystals, saplings, tree seeds, and runemaster supplies are quite a mess."

Given the Bloodsail Pirates' control over Blacksail City, even with just this relatively "basic" information, a single day would be enough for them to thoroughly investigate Gaode.

"According to the appraiser below, this Gao De wanted to participate in the auction for the bottle of Five-Ring Upgrade Potion tomorrow, but he was short of money, so he brought out these two ornaments. He even wanted to auction them off today to cash out as soon as possible," the burly man recounted the events that had occurred in the appraisal room that day.

"Judging from the items he's acquired in the last few days, the most expensive one is today's Mind Clarity Incense. Clearly, his financial resources are limited. Without these two trinkets, he won't even be qualified to sit at the table, let alone win tomorrow's Ring-Up Potion," David Jones said expressionlessly, putting down the list.

"Boss, are we going to make a move?" the burly man asked again.

Based on the information currently available, Gaode's wealth is clearly disproportionate to his actual strength.

A fourth-ring mage with at least two tier-five pieces of equipment. This combination is a "fat sheep" and should be slaughtered and eaten.

“No,” David Jones said decisively, his attitude resolute. He did not explain the specific reasons to his men, but simply ordered, “Don’t take action. Keep a close eye on them, pay attention to their movements, and report back to me immediately.”

"Huh?!" The burly man was taken aback at first, somewhat puzzled, but he dared not show any disrespect to David Jones, and immediately nodded in response, "I understand."

After the burly man left the room, David Jones's gaze returned to his lowered position, his face flickering in and out of focus in the firelight reflected in the oil painting behind him.

"Although we don't know how he did it, it's certain that Fallon's personal equipment was left on Ash Isle, so these two ornaments must have come from Ash Isle."
Sending the merchant ships back first indicates his intention to stay in the Blue Flame Islands for a long time. This person must have discovered or possesses some means to support his gradual exploration of Ash Island. That's highly likely the case.

Inside the room, David Jones's increasingly loud and greedy mutterings echoed.

"Perhaps this is the opportunity to find the [Spell Bottle]. Once I have the [Spell Bottle], the entire Blue Flame Islands will be mine!"

The grand finale of the Wrath of the Night auction arrived as scheduled.

As usual, Gaode entered the auction hall on time and found an empty seat to sit down.

Today, several guards exuding a fierce aura have been added to the corridors of the auction hall. Even the oil lamps hanging from the dome have been refilled with new oil, and the flickering flames make the shadows of everyone in the hall exceptionally clear.

The auction hall, which usually had some empty seats, was nearly full today.

The few empty seats are because each ticket allows a maximum of two people to enter, but some guests are traveling alone.

As the melodious bells rang, Midi, who had been presiding over the auction for three consecutive days, walked gracefully onto the central auction stage.

Today, she was dressed much more formally than she had been the previous three days.

The upper body was covered by a black, tight-fitting leather armor that was tanned to be extremely soft, perfectly outlining the taut lines of the waist and abdomen, with flame patterns embroidered in silver thread along the edges.

He wore a short, dark purple velvet cloak that reached only to his waist, with a large bronze skull clasp at the collar. Two dark red agate beads, like congealed blood, were inlaid in the skull's eye sockets.

He wore dark brown leather riding breeches, the cuffs of which were tightly tucked into his leather boots.

It was solemn yet exuded the fierceness unique to the black market city.

"Distinguished guests." Midi raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, her voice carrying just the right amount of enthusiasm that resonated throughout the hall: "The Anling Festival Auction has been able to be held as scheduled for so many years, and it's getting better and better every time, thanks to everyone's support."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room, her red lips curving slightly upwards. "During the first six days of the auction, I think many of you here have acquired some treasures that you liked."

She raised her hand and patted it, and a ripple appeared on the light screen displaying the bidding behind the auction stage. "Today is the last auction. According to the rules of our Blue Flame Auction House, everyone who comes is a guest, and we can't let you leave empty-handed."

Therefore, we have specially prepared many highlight items today, items that are rarely seen in other auctions.

“Today, there will be a total of ninety-nine items for auction.” She held up her finger, indicating a number in front of her.

"Next up is the first item for today's auction."

Familiar veteran actors and crystal pillars rose from below the stage.

A tray covered with a red cloth was placed on top of the pillar.

This suspenseful attitude effectively piqued everyone's interest.

Midi noticed the atmosphere was improving and her smile widened.

She understood the principle of moderation, and immediately pulled away the red cloth, revealing the object inside. It was a crystal, shaped like a human brain, with dense, irregular grooves, in which flowed a mercury-like liquid.

"Crystal of Intellectual Resonance"

"Multiple users can share ideas through touch."

"This item appeared during religious holy wars and was used to interrogate enemy prisoners of war; it was known as an instrument of mental torture."

"This crystal has a limited size and can only be effective on mages of the fourth ring and below. Beyond that, the crystal will shatter because the mental power is too strong and exceeds the crystal's capacity."

"Starting bid: 6000 Golden Bird Coins!"

After hearing about the specific effects of the Thought Resonance Crystal, Gao De guessed that this thing must be incredibly expensive, but he was still stunned when he heard the starting bid.

After all, the Thought Resonance Crystal is more like a "prop" than equipment, and it can't improve a mage's strength in the slightest. Under such circumstances, the starting bid is so outrageous.

He had originally been thinking that if the price was acceptable, he would try bidding.

Because it's worthwhile to hoard these things; Gaode (the map service) feels like there's always a chance to use them.

But as soon as the price was announced, he immediately stopped thinking about it.

According to Gaode, this thing has limited applicability, but there are just too many rich people in the world, and even more rich monks.

Therefore, although the auction for the "Thought Resonance Crystal" was not exactly a flop, it did live up to its status as the first item up for auction, and was sold for 8000 gold coin after a series of bids.

Gao De was somewhat moved, but soon put the matter out of his mind.

Because, as the crystal pillar rose and fell, the second item appeared.

The ring is inlaid with a large blue flame crystal, but there are obvious cracks on the crystal.

It was the blue flame ring he consigned for auction yesterday!

"Blue Flame Ring, a fifth-tier extraordinary accessory, starting bid: 10000 Golden Bird Coins!" Midi took a light breath and slowly announced the price.

As soon as Midi finished announcing the price, a slight commotion arose below, and one person even stepped forward to ask, "What? Tier 5 equipment, and this is the starting price?"

The average price of a normal Tier 5 equipment is around 30,000 Gold Sparrow Coins.

“I know everyone has some doubts about this starting price, so let me explain in detail,” Midi said slowly. “With the reputation of our industry, if it’s said to be a Tier 5 equipment, it is Tier 5. There’s no lie about that. The reason why the price is so low is also very simple.”

She pointed to the cracked blue flame crystal and said in a very regretful tone, "As you can see, this ring is damaged and is a flawed product, but we can guarantee that it is still a fifth-tier item, only its effect has been greatly weakened."

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how weakened a Tier 5 extraordinary accessory is, it is still more powerful than most Tier 4 extraordinary equipment."

Next, Midi gave a detailed explanation of the effects of the Blue Flame Ring and the test results obtained by their appraisers after testing the actual object.

Many people who were initially very excited were suddenly dampened and lost their previous enthusiasm, but many others were still eager to participate.

They simply couldn't afford flawless Tier 5 equipment. This flawed kind of equipment perfectly met their needs—it was within their budget and of a high enough standard.

—In the past, many people preferred to give up brand-new Android phones and choose second-hand iPhones.

"The auction begins!" After giving a detailed introduction to the Blue Flame Ring, Midi announced without hesitation.

"11000."

Immediately, someone raised the price by a thousand gold coin, instantly sobering up many people who wanted to "get a bargain".

"The current bid is 11000 Goldfinch coins. Is anyone else bidding?"

"11500."

"11600."

Seeing this, Gao De remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that even defective products are quite popular.

While the current bidding isn't crazy, it's coming from multiple different customers.

With a large number of bidders, even if the bidding is slightly conservative, the final price will still go up.

As Gaode predicted, the Blue Flame Ring was eventually sold for 16600 Goldfinch coins.

Before his joy had faded, the third item came up for auction.

"This third item, like the previous one, is a flawed Tier 5 extraordinary ornament," Midi began her highly persuasive introduction.

There are only 99 items in total at this auction, so where would you find so many defective Tier 5 extraordinary ornaments?
Therefore, the third item in this auction is the embroidered silver necklace consigned by Gaode Auction.

The fact that Blue Flame Auction House was auctioning his two items together was somewhat unexpected.

Based on his observations over the past few days, in order to control the ups and downs of the auction, they rarely auction similar items together.

But Gaode quickly understood the auction house's intentions.

Because of the precedent set by the Blue Flame Ring, people are now very accepting of flawed items, and a preliminary psychological price point has been established for fifth-tier flawed extraordinary equipment.

The auction for the Blue Flame Ring had just ended, and the guests who had just lost in the bidding were still in a state of emotional turmoil and had not yet calmed down. Upon seeing such a "substitute," they rushed forward almost without hesitation.

This led to a much fiercer bidding war for the embroidered silver necklace compared to the blue flame ring, with bids increasing by a much larger margin.

After less than ten rounds of bidding, the starting price of 10000 Goldfinch coins soared to the final price of the Blue Flame Ring, which was 16600 Goldfinch coins.

The bidding continued even after the price had increased to this point, but the increments finally returned to normal levels, with the price fluctuating back and forth between 100 gold coin.

Finally, the price of the embroidered silver necklace stopped at 17500 gold coin.

The two extraordinary pieces of jewelry brought Gaode a total of 34100 Gold Bird Coins.

Of course, this does not include the auction house's commission and handling fees.

"It's out!" Gao De felt a surge of joy.

The collaboration with Sarah was, in essence, coercive.

However, Gaode never felt much aversion or displeasure about this matter.

Why?

Because Sarah gave so much!
The reward of a rare item, the "Drunkard's Amulet," plus two flawed Tier 5 extraordinary accessories was quite generous. What's a little risk?
(End of this chapter)