The beautiful woman's pleasant voice rang out, her subtle description stoking the already fiery atmosphere in the hall to even greater heights.
Earth-shaking treasures, top-tier techniques, mysterious inheritances—one by one, each item was enough to tempt even those sequestered in the private boxes.
But everyone knew that while her words sounded impressive, they were far from reliable. It was just a fragment of a map. Who could possibly use such a fragment to locate the right place and discover what was truly hidden there?
If the fragment really held immense value, it wouldn't be put up for auction in the first place. The Treasures Gathering Tower had ample resources—they would have organized their own search for the treasure.
The beautiful woman read the room and, sensing her objective had been achieved, said no more. She flashed a radiant smile and announced, "The reserve price for this map fragment is ten thousand Saint Crystals. Please, everyone!"
She didn't even mention a minimum bid increment, clearly leaving it to the bidders to compete freely.
"Ten thousand!" Though it was only a fragment, that didn't diminish its collectible value. The fact that no other fragments had been found didn't mean they wouldn't turn up in the future. Spending ten thousand Saint Crystals to take it home could prove to be an extraordinary opportunity. So, no sooner had the woman finished speaking than countless voices threw out the base price.
The woman smiled faintly and looked toward someone in the hall. "Our friend at number eighty-seven bid first. If anyone else is interested, please raise your bids!"
"Twelve thousand!"
"Fifteen thousand!"
The bidding in the hall rose and fell in waves. Even those in the private boxes jumped in, though each increment was modest—two or three thousand Saint Crystals at most.
The fragment, with its reserve price of ten thousand, was quickly bid up to fifty thousand, then seventy thousand, eighty thousand…
After eighty thousand, the atmosphere in the hall grew noticeably cooler. No one continued to bid.
Spending eighty thousand Saint Crystals on a map fragment of unknown purpose—no one was crazy enough for that. Its value was, at best, as a collectible.
Yang Kai shook his head and was about to say something to Wu Yi when he noticed that Yang Yan's expression had turned odd. He lowered his voice and asked, "What is it?"
Yang Yan turned to look at him and replied just as quietly, "I think I have one of these map fragments!"
"What?" Yang Kai was stunned. "Are you sure?"
Yang Yan nodded solemnly.
"Eighty-two thousand!" Yang Kai didn't hesitate for a second. The words were out of his mouth before he even thought. Only after the bid was placed did he freeze, suddenly remembering that he didn't have nearly that many Saint Crystals. An awkward flush crept up his face.
But once the price was called, there was no taking it back. If he tried, the Treasures Gathering Tower would throw him out on the spot—and that would be truly humiliating.
The long-cooled atmosphere in the hall was rekindled by Yang Kai's bid. The auctioneer beamed even more brightly, her gaze sweeping toward the private boxes as she called out in a clear voice, "Our friend in box C-thirteen has bid eighty-two thousand! Anyone higher?"
Just as Yang Kai sat there with a helpless look on his face, another bid rang out from below, mercifully rescuing him from his embarrassment.
"One hundred thousand!"
Yang Kai could clearly sense that the moment this bid was called, countless threads of Divine Sense converged on the bidder. To compete so resolutely for a map fragment could only mean one of two things: either the bidder didn't care about a hundred thousand Saint Crystals and wanted to buy a chance at fortune, or he already possessed another fragment.
The man who bid a hundred thousand seemed to realize the gravity of what he'd done and immediately lowered his head. But his appearance had already been committed to memory—hiding now was far too late.
Yang Kai memorized his face as well: a middle-aged man of unremarkable strength, only at the first level of the Saint King Realm, dressed plainly. He didn't look like someone of great wealth or status.
Could this man also have a fragment? Yang Kai wondered.
He was certain that not only he but many others were thinking the same thing. The moment this man stepped out of the Treasures Gathering Tower, he would likely be tailed by countless eyes. Buying the map fragment was practically inviting disaster.
At that thought, Yang Kai felt a chill of alarm. Fortunately, this man had relieved his predicament—otherwise, it would have been Yang Kai himself drawing all that unwanted attention.
Still, the fact that Yang Yan actually possessed a fragment of the same map was unexpected. If two fragments were pieced together, perhaps some clue could be found. Yang Kai quietly considered whether he should obtain the fragment from that man's hands—and if so, by what means, preferably without anyone else finding out.
What if the beautiful auctioneer was right, and that map fragment truly concealed some earth-shattering treasure…