258 Dreaming to be an Alchemis (1/2)
Chapter 258: Dreaming to be an Alchemist
Translator: WQLEditor: EbonyFrost
None of the guests sitting downstairs had noticed that since the first product of a master alchemist was displayed, the red-robe muling of them Sun Dynasty and the general of the Norman Empire expressions had became increasingly grim. It seemed that they were becoming a bit nervous and paying more attention to the following items being auctioned today, especially to that product from a master alchemist.
Not only the people in the chartered rooms, even many guests downstairs were startled. For some reason, the number of products from master alchemists seemed to be a bit more than usual today. They knew that the products of master alchemists were rarely seen in the auction house in the past years. What happened this year? Who was that generous?
Zhang Tie skimmed through the brochure and found that introductions on the products of a master alchemist were the simplest.
——There were several more products of master alchemists to be auctioned today. At the request of the client, we have to keep these items a secret before the official procedures start. Therefore we won't tell you the details here. Thank you for your attention.
After the sun-stone necklace, there were some more products of a master alchemist to be auctioned.
The second product of a master alchemist was a Pato-stone ring which was used to make people calm and more quick-witted. As the favorite of all the field commanders and other professions concerning intelligence, this ring was fixed at the final price of 49,000 gold coins.
The third product of a master alchemist was a pair of earrings made of nickel-iron meteorite, which were used to increase focus and rapidly enter a meditative state. This product could reduce one's chance to be affected by a devil when in meditation by 50%. Therefore, it was also a treasure of cultivators and was finally taken away at the price of 52,600 gold coins.
The fourth product of a master alchemist was a forehead ornament made of lazurite. Its effect was to nourish and mobilize one's spiritual energy as well as increase one's perception. Therefore, it broke a new record——62,800 gold coins.
When the lazurite forehead ornament was displayed, the atmosphere in the house became heated as nobody would have imagined that four pieces of a master alchemist would appear in this annual Sauls winter auction. In the past, there were only one or two pieces. What happened today? What was even stranger was that all the patterns of these items were for women. They seemed to be one set of ornaments for a woman.
'That's impossible! Even the queen of the Norman Empire would not be that exaggerating by having such set of priceless ornaments made by a master alchemist' Many attendees mumbled inside.
Even if Zhang Tie had felt something wrong with this auction as a hidden flow and restlessness was silently in an upsurge. As a result, when they heard that there was another product from a master alchemist, many people were shocked as they sprung up from their seats. At the same time, the sound of someone taking a deep breath had drifted throughout the auction house.
”The following item also comes from a master alchemist. It's a pair of bracelets made of garnet with its special properties completely activated. It is definitely the favorite of all the women as it could maintain one's beauty and keep one's youth. Additionally, it could improve one's skin, increase one's vitality of qi and blood as well as the health of the organs that are concerned with the female reproductive system...”
Zhang Tie's eyes then fixed on the projection wall behind the auction block with the auctioneer's gesture. The photo of that pair of garnet bracelets had been enlarged by many times, allowing people to see its details.
In Zhang Tie's eyes, it was not a pair of average garnet bracelets. It looked purple among the garnet red, making it completely like the average ones. However, what was weird was that on the surface of the garnet were some mysterious fine grains that penetrated from the inside. Zhang Tie had not seen the same grains on other average garnets. If this pair of bracelets were not large enough, those mysterious, fine grains could almost not be noticed by Zhang Tie from his position.
Could it be the mark left by the master alchemist after tapping and activating the abilities of the stones? This seemed to be the only difference between them and those average garnet bracelets which could be bought at the price of 10-odd silver coins besides that this pair of garnet bracelets looked more brilliant than average ones.
He was right.
”As you can see, these three stone flowers have been activated by the master alchemist on the pair of garnet bracelets, which represents that the three special properties and abilities of the garnet stones had been activated. As the first lot that has three attributes in this auction, it could not help you fight or cultivate; but it could make a woman more beautiful and healthier. Therefore, the starting price of this pair of bracelets was 38000 gold coins. Each mark-up should not be lower than...”
Before the auctioneer finished talking, a person on the 2nd row in front of Zhang Tie couldn't wait to open his mouth, ”50,000 gold coins!”
”You'd like to take away this pair of bracelets with only 50,000 gold coins!”
”56,000 gold coins!”
”58,000 gold coins...”
”60,000 gold coins...”
In a short while, the price of that pair of garnet bracelets had surged over 70,000 gold coins, which price had scared off many people who had offered at the beginning. But there were still some rich and powerful guests were bidding for that.
As a classical Chinese allusion went——touch a stone and turn it into gold. Only immortal beings in the the Chinese myths and legends could make that. However, at this moment, seeing the average-looking garnet stone turning into an item which was tens of thousands more expensive than the gold of the same weight, Zhang Tie felt it was never too exaggerating to describe it using the above classical Chinese allusion.
Sitting on his own seat, Zhang Tie kept trembling at each mark-up. It was not because of fright, but because of his own excitement.
”100,000 gold coins!” A person sitting on the first row of the auction house abruptly stoop up. After this offer, that person moved away her cloak and hood. Meanwhile, she took off the brass mask on her face. When she turned back, everybody saw a 40-odd woman's face who looked still enchanting. She had rosy cheeks, bending and long eyes. Beside this, she also looked sharp and had a killing intent. She glared at all the guests behind her and aggressively said with a smile, ”This mother will have this pair of bracelets. Who dares to grab it from me?”
”Black widow!” Some guests behind him took a breath of air while someone mumbled.
The auction soon restored quiet.
Although Zhang Tie didn't know her true status, judging from her look, it seemed that many people knew her status. Additionally, this woman seemed also terrifying. At least nobody wished to offer more than 100,000 gold coins to buy a pair of bracelets at the cost of offending this woman.
Seeing nobody else uttering any voice, the woman turned back and fixed her eyes on the auctioneer without saying anything more. Taking the small hammer, the auctioneer forcefully swallowed her saliva, ”Someone offers 100,000 gold coins. Is there any higher offer? No? 3, 2, 1, sold!”
As the small hammer smashed down, that woman called black widow took a seat again. By then, the auctioneer's forehead had been covered in drops of sweat.
”The next item is the last product of a master alchemist in this auction...”
Hearing the auctioneer's words, all the guests became startled, causing an uproar.
”What? One more product from a master alchemist? Is this Sauls winter auction the exclusive one for master alchemists?”
”That's impossible. It's been the 6th one. Even in greater auctions, people could also hardly see so many products from master alchemists in one auction!‘
”If we were notified earlier that so many products from master alchemists would be auctioned this time, we would have been more prepared. The Sauls auction house should notify us at least 1 month in advance so that we could have prepared an appropriate amount of funds. What's your purpose of not notifying us before the auction?” Many people started to complain about the Sauls auction house.
”If I was notified one month in advance, I would never have given up that pair of Pato-stone rings!”
”The Sauls auction house has to give a proper accounting!”
”We need justice!”
Zhang Tie looked around the auction house in an interested way. Even the two people beside him became so excited as they stood up and loudly complained. These people were blaming the Sauls Auction House for not having fulfilled its obligation to provide them with accurate details. As each of the product from the master alchemist would cost tens of thousands gold coins, even 100, 000 gold coins. It was not a small amount of money for anyone at present. For some people at the present, if they didn't have it prepared well in advance, it would be hard for them to even afford one product.
The auctioneer in the stage became pretty embarrassed as she could not respond to so many complaints at the same time. When the crowd became increasingly more furious, causing the auction to be unable to continue, a 60-odd man abruptly appeared in the stage.
When the old man appeared, the auctioneer hurriedly retreated to the backstage. Meanwhile, Zhang Tie also noticed that even though the auction became a bit disorder, from the beginning, the representatives of the Sun Dynasty and the Norman Empire sitting in the chartered rooms upstairs hadn't make any expressions at all.
”May I have your attention please...” The old man looked around the house. Hearing his words, the furious and complaining crowd instantly became quiet. Many people seemed knowing the status of this old man, ”As the director of Sauls Business Group, I'm very regretful about your troubles in this auction. But I have to honestly tell you that as the sponsor of this auction, we were only made aware that a batch of alchemical products would be auctioned here one day ago. Therefore, we didn't have time to share that information with all of you. Additionally, until 10 minutes before the start of this auction when this batch of alchemical products were escorted to this auction house did we didn't know what they were. We're also shocked by them. However, we cannot refuse the owner's request for keeping these alchemical products a secret.
”Who?” A low voice drifted from a brass mask, ”Who's the commissioned auctioneer of this batch of alchemical products? Such a request and attitude was rude for Sauls auction house. We want to know whose request is it that the Sauls Business Group could not refuse!”
Standing in the stage, the old man took a deep breath, ”It's the Selindor Clan which entrusted the Sauls auction house to auction the former alchemical products, including the final pair of alchemical products!”
Hearing his reply, the whole house became quiet. The Selindor Clan was also the famous Iron-Gate Clan, the ruling clan of Kalur City. The development of the entire Kalur region greatly benefited from the painstaking effort of the whole Iron-Gate Clan for many generations. Zhang Tie remembered that when they attended the survival training, the ”Iron-Gate T21” crossbow carried by Fatty Barley was produced by the Selindor Clan. Magnificently situated in Kalur City, this clan was also the most powerful military supplier and machines manufacturer in the former Andaman Alliance. Compared to this clan, the Gregory Clan in Blackhot City was just a rural nouveau riche.