Firefly Journey

The third item is a big one.

When the waiter brought it up, the buyers below the stage were stunned. Lin Yuanran noticed that the well-informed boss's expression also changed, and immediately realized that this was a good thing.

As the dark brown curtain was lifted, a robust cylinder came into view. Claudia, beaming with pride, introduced it:

"This is the national treasure of my Kingdom of Delos, named 'Sky-Supporting,' forged from a strange iron that my ancestors mined in the royal mines. It has countless uses."

My country is now deeply indebted, and my father has no choice but to auction it off to alleviate our immediate crisis.

As she spoke, Claudia's expression gradually changed from pride to disappointment. After all, it was an old object with a history of thousands of years, and to some extent, it was a symbol of the Kingdom of Delos. Not to mention that she was a princess of the country, even an ordinary citizen of the kingdom would sigh.

But there's no way around it; that's just how small countries are—they can only struggle to survive in the cracks. The law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—is an eternal and unchanging rule in any world.

“It looks…so big,” Lin Yuanran said.

Tong En said, "I have heard of this magical artifact. I heard that it can change size at any time. Just imagine, a big pin suddenly becomes a mountain of a thousand pounds. The terrifying destructive power is something that even extraordinary beings below the level of demigods would not be able to withstand."

The same extraordinary item will have different powers in the hands of extraordinary individuals at different levels. Generally speaking, it's definitely an increasing relationship.

The demigod-level powerhouse wielded this "Sky-Supporting" weapon...

Lin Yuanran imagined it for a moment. The scene was so shocking that it could not be described by imagination. But even without using his brain, he should know how powerful it was. If a small town like his hometown of Torreg were to be smashed down by "Skybreaker", it would definitely be reduced to ruins in an instant.

Nearby buyers were discussing the two, clearly showing that the grand finale had piqued their interest and made them eager to participate.

“In recent years, the finances of the Kingdom of Delos have been deteriorating, and now they are unable to make ends meet. Auctioning off national treasures... I am not surprised.”

"The 'Sky-Supporting' is indeed valuable, but how long can it last? It's just a case of draining the pond to catch all the fish. I'm afraid this ancient country with over a thousand years of history won't last many more years!"

"Exactly! Besides the financial mess, their king is also chronically ill and might go to see the sun god any day now. Who knows what kind of chaos it will become then!"

With a sorrowful heart and a pale smile on her face, Claudia, as a princess of a nation, could not change the fate of her kingdom. All she could do was use her identity to gild "Skybreaker" as much as possible, so that it could be sold at a higher price and the Kingdom of Delos could survive a little longer.

After giving a graceful bow, Claudia said in her sweet voice, "The value of 'Skybreaker' is probably self-evident, and as for the price, we will offer our sincere offer to ensure it is reasonable."

Starting bid: 100,000 crystal coins.

One hundred thousand crystal coins… Lin Yuanran narrowed his eyes slightly. In terms of practicality, he figured that Qingtian wasn’t worth that price and should be reduced by about half.

However, its status as a national treasure significantly increases its price; at least 100,000 crystal coins would be entirely reasonable.

The Kingdom of Delos, a vassal state of the Duchy of Bema, is facing a financial crisis, something the Duchy couldn't possibly be unaware of. Delos's decision to sell its national treasures at an underground auction is likely a desperate measure, indicating that they have at least communicated with the Duchy.

For the duchy, a small country's treasure is nothing to worry about. After all, in the duchy's glorious history of thousands of years, it has conquered countless countries and tribes. The Kingdom of Delos is just a drop in the ocean. Naturally, it would not spend a lot of money to buy something that is not commensurate with its value.

However, since we've become the elder brother, we can't just watch our younger brother die, so today's auction was tacitly approved by the Duchy.

If the government won't buy it, and the church won't buy it, then it will flow to the general public; there will always be extraordinary people who need it.

"11." The one who spoke was the armadillo tribesman who had previously bid on "Wild Rising."

"12!" someone else called out from the corner.

"65,000!"

"13 million!"

"15 million!"

Bidding noises rose and fell, and the scene instantly turned into a vegetable market, with extraordinary individuals from different races and regions vying to bid.

This excludes the owners and employees of the Neon Guild. For them, once they obtained the World Tree's sap, the trip wasn't a waste; the rest was just for watching the show.

When the price reached 20, no one spoke up anymore, regardless of whether they were shills or genuinely in need.

The one who called out the high price was a middle-aged man wearing a half-face mask, revealing his nose and mouth. His hair under his gentleman's top hat was white, unlike Lin Yuanran's vibrant hair; it was the pale white of twilight.

"20 million once!"

"Twice 20 million!"

"Is there anyone offering a higher price?"

There was total silence.

"20 for three times! Sold."

As soon as the host, Lisa, finished speaking, a sparse round of applause broke out in the audience. Like any creature, they have a herd mentality, and led by the shill, the applause grew louder and louder until it became a deafening roar.

With the main event concluded, the auction came to a perfect end.

On the stage, Princess Clodia Elilanca of Delos lifted her skirt and gave her final bow.

When she returned to the backstage area, she was so happy that she almost jumped up. After all, she was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, and she almost showed her joy. Even though she had grown up in the royal family, she was still a little scared in the face of so many eyes.

Fortunately, she exceeded her target, earning 20 crystal coins, which was far beyond her expectations.

It's always something to be happy about to do something for your country.

Guided by the waiter, Lin Yuanran and his companion went to the back to pay and deliver the goods, and the process went smoothly. Tong En thoughtfully arranged for the driver to make a detour to Paifeiti to take Lin Yuanran home.

The carriage finally stopped at a detached building in the Lanworth district.

Tong En transformed into a bat, so she didn't need to open the door; she flew in through the half-closed window.

The room was completely empty.

Tong En, who had reformed into human form, looked anxious and hurried downstairs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the man reclining on the sofa reading a newspaper.

The man seemed used to Tong En's recklessness, his gaze fixed on the newspaper: "I'm fine, darling. I can go downstairs for tea by myself, and of course, read the newspaper."

Tong En, with a rosy complexion, sat down next to him.

"Augustus! Stop making fun of me, I just..."

"Just what?"

"I'm just a little scared, afraid that you'll suddenly disappear."

"How could that be?" The vampire baron Augustus, whose face rivaled that of an elf, embraced his wife and said gently:

"Until the shame of the vampires is washed away, neither you nor I can live as we please."