Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 650

Chapter 650

Chapter 650: Mysterious Number Three

“Silence!” The Wine Master’s low voice growled . He lifted his Astrum, and that was enough shut everyone up .

Archangel Metatron shot to his feet . “Your Majesty Cosmagus, fairness and equality must be the foundation of any auction . No one here has taken to hiding their identity . I ask we make the bearer of paddle three reveal themselves to everyone . ”

The Wine Master’s response was tepid . “Everyone had the choice to hide their identity and affiliations . ”

An Liu had pushed the third cart to the center of the stage . In clear contrast to the two before it, this crystal was larger – about fifty centimeters in diameter . It contained about as much energy as the last two crystals put together .

“Vital Crystal Number Three . Starting bid, one battleship . Please make your offers . ”

“Five battleships!” The black-clad buyer was not bothered by Metatron’s pleas .

Five more battleships? The others couldn’t handle it anymore . The prices were one thing, but they couldn’t even match this stranger’s bids! Undoubtedly it was a fine piece, large and full of pure vital energy . With a Tear of Neptune, those energies would be even more potent .

“Five battleships and one scout!” Metatron lifted his paddle, number fifty .

“Ten battleships!” Mysterious Number Three retorted with a firm voice, doubling the bid straight off . Again, silence . Metatron quietly stared daggers at the stranger’s back .

Three crystals in, the stranger had pledged twenty battleships – practically a small fleet! A pirate could easily turn those twenty ships into a formidable clan . No ordinary group had access to resources like that . If he was a normal buyer, fine – but what if he wasn’t? What if he was placed there to drive up prices?

“Vital Crystal Number three, going for ten battleships . Any other takers?” The Wine Master was moving quickly . Clearly he was pushing for the countdown .

The auction floor fell into turmoil . What on earth was this stranger doing? There were a lot of crystals left, but if this kept up many participants would be priced out before they even began . War ships needed resources, manpower, and technology . The East had been clear about what ships would be considered useful for trade . There would be no way for buyers to cheat them, and crystals were delivered upon purchase .

“Ten battleships going once . Going twice . Going three times – sold!” The Wine Master paid no mind to the angry grumblings . He patiently and rapidly went through the procedure .

The fourth crystal was brought out . It looked very similar to the first one .

“Vital Crystal Number Four . One battleship, starting bid . Do I have one battleship?”

“Five battleships!” Mysterious Number Three started out the bidding once again .

“I’d be worried this auction might cost you more than you’re willing . ” The angered voice growled from all around them, generated by some special means .

The Wine Master turned a blind eye to the interruption . He continued in attempts of maintaining the auction’s integrity . “Vital Crystal number four, five battleships . Anyone else?”

“Five battleships, one scout . ” The Terminator spoke up .

“Six battleships!” The mysterious stranger countered .

“Six battleships, one scout!” Metatron joined the exchange .

The mysterious stranger paused as though thinking, but didn’t say anything further .

“Six battleships and one scouting vessel . Does anyone have another offer?” The Wine Master asked twice more before banging his gavel . At last there was a crystal that didn’t fall into the mysterious stranger’s grasp .

The fifth crystal was pushed onto the stage . When it was revealed several of the buyers sat up in their chairs . The crystal wasn’t any larger than the others, but it had a deeper color and vital energy so potent they could feel it like a soup . Clearly, this crystal was on an entirely different level from the others . When it was revealed, a lot of attention came its way .

“Vital Crystal Number Five . Starting bid is five battleships . Let the auction begin . ” Skyfire Avenue’s chairman continued the same as before . The higher quality of the crystal didn’t change his demeanor .

“Five battleships!” A buyer in the back shouted out before the mysterious robed man could .

“Six battleships!” Another retorted .

A vital crystal like this had never been seen in human space, at least not as far as anyone knew . There was no way for them to measure the energy precisely . Further research was needed to discover specifics .

The exuvium process relied on vital crystals, so it was fair to assume the quality of the crystal would have an effect on how it worked . At least it was known that the more powerful the Adept, the more potent the crystal needed to extend their lives . There were several buyers in the crowd who were particularly interested in this piece .

A faint smile spread across Lan Jue’s lips . He knew what was to happen .

“One expedition ship . ” Mysterious Number three raised their paddle . This was the first time an expedition ship was put forward . They’d paid out an equivalent sum already, but this time their posture was different . They wanted to win .

Yesterday’s showing revealed five such crystals on offer – vital crystal number five was one of them . It wasn’t the best one, but it certainly wasn’t something to sniff at .

“One expedition ship, one battleship!” No hesitation this time . The Terminator jumped right into the exchange .

When the Northern leader made his bid, everyone went quiet . Being second on the Paragon list made one a pretty effective deterrent force, even in an auction .

“One expedition ship and three scout ships . ” Unfortunately for the Terminator, Mysterious Number Three didn’t seem to care who he was .

The Paragon’s eyes narrowed . “One expedition, five scouts!” He appeared interested in this crystal .

Mysterious Number Three would not be denied . “Two expedition ships!” Two! Equivalent to twenty battleships, all for one crystal .

Both Archangel Metatron and Fallen Angel Lucifer stared in disbelief . The East couldn’t have set this up . Who was allowed to sit up front? Government leaders from the three Alliances . Not just anyone could sit among them .

So far the West and North were stuck on the sidelines, watching .

The Terminator was silent, he made no more bids . This was too rich to make it worth it for him . The North had money, but not as much as the East had these days . Besides, they weren’t just talking money, during this auction . Ships were a different beast .

When Mysterious Number Three gave his bid, another representative from the first row in his sixties couldn’t help but speak out . “Two expedition ships and one battleship . ” He lifted his paddle, bearing the number one .

“Two expeditions, two battleships,” countered Number Three .

“Two expeditions, three battleships!” Number one offered .

Mysterious Number Three wavered . After a moment he leaned back and offered nothing more .

“Vital Crystal Number Five, going for two expedition ships and three battleships . Do we have any other interested parties? Going once, twice, three timer . Sold!”

The elderly Northerner nodded toward the Wine Master, a pleased expression on his face . He was also a senior Adept, peak of ninth rank . He’d been specifically asked to come by the North .

Finally, the auction began to liven up . Mysterious Number Three continued to throw his wealth around, and it earned him several more crystals . However, the remainder of his bids were more conservative . With so many thirsty auctioneers, the prices were getting too high to outbid everyone .

There were only a hundred crystals and eighty participants . At best, everyone would walk away with one . But Mysterious Number Three had ten to his name already . The others were getting anxious . Who knew when the next auction like this would take place? For every crystal passed, the chances of walking away empty handed grew .

Almost overnight, vital crystals had become one of the rarest and most sought-after items in human space . And what wealthy family wouldn’t want some? When word of the auction emerged, they clambered over one another for the chance to extend their lives .

Western government officials continued to look on in silence, while members from the North continuously raised the bids . They were already richer by several crystals . It made sense, considering the North had the most resources to throw around . They had the best ships modern technology could produce .

“Vital Crystal Forty-Eight . Starting bid, one expedition ship . A battleship is the minimum bid increase . Let the bidding begin!” At last, another high-grade vital crystal . Visually it wasn’t much different from the fifth crystal except it was fifty percent larger .

“Two expedition ships!” A representative from the West spoke up for the first time . The West had managed to acquire some normal crystals, but had yet to get their hands on one of the finer specimens . They lost the first one to the North, so the pressure was on to walk away with a win . They could see it plain as everyone else; the longer this went on, the most expensive the bids would get . It was imperative they got a crystal or two of significance before the opportunity passed .