Chapter 100 (2/2)
“510 million.” A newly rich plump middle-aged man was the first to open the bid.
“520 million.”
“550 million.”
“…”
This was the last round of auction, and only a few number of people were involved in this auction compared to the previous ones. However few bidders in numbers there were, but the price was in constant increase. And one of the most spirited and jubilant in bidding was the fat middle-aged man who wore the gold chain. 7 or 8 minutes later, the price had climbed up to 1.48 billion.
“1.5 billion!”
A bead of sweat permeated on the fat middle-aged man’s forehead as he called for the bid.
“2 billion!”
Another old man over his 70s raised the sign in his hand and shouted.
The fat middle-aged man suddenly turned his head as he stared at the old man with eyes full of anger. He heavily breathed a few times before he shouted again, “2.1 billion.”
Up to this price, there were only the old man and the fat middle-aged man. The old man’s complexion was expressionless as though he turned a blind eye to the fat middle-aged man’s angry stares and face as he shouted his bid once again, “2.2 billion!”
“2.3 billion!”
The fat middle-aged man’s voice turned a bit hoarse, but he still insisted on bidding.
However, his anger was quickly replaced with happiness, because the old man silently shook his head and no longer bidded.
“Huff…”
The fat middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead and secretly felt relieved inside. It was actually his limit, if the price increased again, he would have to renounce it.
The corner of the auctioneer’s mouth was curled as she smiled with sparkling eyes and said, “The price of the Nine Dragons Island has risen to 2.3 billion yuan. This is indeed a terrifying amount of money, but I do still think that some people have yet to bid. After all, this is a few tens of square kilometers island with completed construction and development. If this private island were to be used accordingly, it definitely would be a paradise on earth, the one and only kingdom for its owner.”
“There’s no legal and public law on the Nine Dragons Island, the master of the island is the king, the sole sovereign of the land. If the island’s owner wills it, he can apply to international laws to establish a new country.”
“This island is the dreamland, a paradise. Now, I would like to ask once more, is there no one who wants to increase the bid? No one wants to be the owner of this Nine Dragons Island?”
A deathly stillness and silence filled the entire auction venue.
Everyone was watching each other. The auctioneer’s words did instigate them and ignite their emotions and desires completely. But still, they couldn’t get so much liquidity, for their enterprises they would be seriously hit by the impact and would severely influence their companies and fracture them!
Hearts were palpitating!
But they were struck with helplessness!
This was the deepest and truest portrait to depict their hearts.
A trace of a disappointed expression was revealed on the young auctioneer’s elegant face, Xiao Ai. Despite the 2.3 billion price already exceeding her expectations, she still hoped to sell the island at a higher price.
In contrast, the fat middle-aged man was in the opposite mood as a smile emerged on his face; a proud expression could be seen on his complexion. His vision swept over to the last bidder, the old man, and then subconsciously glanced at Tang Xiu.
“2.5 billion!”
Tang Xiu’s voice finally reverberated inside the auction venue.
In just a split second, everyone inside the auction venue showed a very strange expression. Not even one of them had ever thought that Tang Xiu, who couldn’t buy the 1000-year-old wild ginseng before, was now participating in this private island auction. He even bidded with such outrageously sky high price.
_Did he have so much money?_
_From where did he get so much courage?_
_Furthermore…_
_Who was he?_
Each and every question surged and bubbled up inside everyone’s mind.
Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and even the immortal-manner-like Dao Master Ziyi who were sitting beside Tang Xiu, were shocked and shaken by Tang Xiu’s courage. They looked at Tang Xiu in disbelief. And never once did they expect that Tang Xiu was able to come up with so much money!
Shao Mingzhen gently touched Miao Wentang and whispered: “You persuade him as not to act recklessly in this place. The hidden big boss behind this auction is very powerful, and someone we must absolutely avoid to offend.”
* * *
Notes:
It’s been 8 months since I began translating Chinese novels. First novel was _Demon God_ of which I’ve already dropped it due to some trolls who flooded my email and accused that I deliberately slowed down the pace to get donation money, the second is _The Lame Daoist Priest_ which is being continued by Pangpang. The third is _Great Dao Commander_ which now being suspended and waiting for its publishing issues to be resolved. And the last is this _Returning from the Immortal World_. Each and every chapter I’ve translated are for free and I’ve never gotten any payment for them. Our team has never gotten even a dime including the ads revenue, since all of them go to server upgrade and maintenance. I feel the need to tell all the readers about this, in case that someone is wondering whether we accept any financial compensation for our works.
However, apart from that note, we’ve reached 100 chapters for _Returning from the Immortal World_. I don’t know whether I can continue translating this novel or not due to publishing issues and such. However, I might slow down the translation speed to 7 chapters a week to a maximum of 12 chapters with sponsored chapters. It’s because I need to carefully plan my schedule in real life. I have a family with 7 children (5 of them are adopted), and I’m also working and must manage my business for 8-12 hours a day, 5 days a week.
I didn’t have a plan to accept donation at first though. However, recently I’ve found other uses for the donation money, that is, donating the money back to social activities I’m currently engaging in real life. For all the donors that have donated for the sponsored chapters, I sincerely give my thanks to all of you. And I want to tell you that the donations’ shares I have received, all have been donated back to the orphanage from where I adopted my foster children. So, once again, I thank you both from me and on their behalf.
For the rest of the novels beside RFTIW, I’ll resume translating them if some issues regarding the rights have been resolved. And truthfully, RFTIW might be entering these “rights” circle too. However, whatever will be, will be… since I’m not really that disturbed if I must drop the novels I’m currently translating because of stealing, poaching, or due to translating and publishing issues. I don’t own the novel, neither do I have the intention to have meaningless talks and fights over them.
*[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes
*[12.47 to 13.07]: don’t ask me about the tree sap