139: Everything is expensive

As the auction progressed, one astonishing treasure after another appeared, and the atmosphere of the entire venue gradually became frenzied.

Elder Bai Yan stood on the high platform, and every time he lifted the red silk, it would trigger continuous gasps of astonishment from the audience below.

"The next item up for auction will surely excite the Alchemists present."

Bai Yan's aged voice carried a hint of allure as he slowly uncovered the brocade cloth on the tray.

"A hundred-year-old Ice Spirit Ganoderma!"

"Whoosh—"

A commotion immediately erupted below the stage. Lying on the tray was a stalk of spiritual ganoderma that was completely crystalline, its surface covered in fine frost, reflecting a dreamy blue light under the illumination.

Several people dressed in Alchemist robes suddenly stood up, their eyes gleaming with greed.

"The starting price is 1.5 million gold coins!"

"Two million!"

An elderly man with a face full of wrinkles shouted impatiently.

"Two million three hundred thousand!"

Another middle-aged female Alchemist immediately raised the bid.

"Two million five hundred thousand!"

Bids rose and fell, and the scene descended into temporary chaos.

Bai Yan watched this scene with satisfaction, and when the price climbed to three million, he lightly tapped the gavel.

"The next item is even more unique."

Following his signal, four muscular men laboriously carried up a giant egg, half the height of a person.

"The egg of a Sixth-Tier Demonic Beast, the Lightning Winged Griffin!"

Bai Yan's voice suddenly rose.

"If successfully hatched and tamed, it will eventually become a mount comparable to a Dou Huang expert!"

"Heavens!"

"It's actually a Lightning Winged Griffin!"

A deafening chorus of gasps erupted below the stage.

Many people dressed as merchants stood up excitedly, and some even leaped onto their seats, wanting a clearer look.

The giant egg, entirely silver-white and wrapped in purple lightning patterns, shimmered with a strange light under the lamp.

"The starting price is five million gold coins!"

This astronomical price caused most people to gasp, but more than a dozen luxuriously dressed buyers began bidding frantically nonetheless.

The price quickly surpassed eight million, and representatives of several major powers argued fiercely, the situation momentarily spiraling out of control.

Just when everyone thought this was the climax of the auction, Bai Yan suddenly clapped his hands, signaling the guards to bring up several sturdy men bound by iron chains.

These men were naked from the waist up, their heavily muscled bodies covered in hideous scars, yet their eyes were as fierce as those of wild beasts.

"Gentlemen, next up are today's special auction items."

Bai Yan's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of danger.

"Berserkers from the Barbarian Tribe! After specialized training, each possesses strength comparable to a Great Dou Master, and they are completely ignorant of pain."

He paused meaningfully.

The merchants below instantly erupted.

Women let out exaggerated screams, while the men discussed excitedly.

A fat merchant excitedly waved the bidding plaque in his hand.

"I want the tallest one! I'll pay double the price!"

"The starting price is one hundred thousand gold coins per person!"

Bids rose and fell, and the entire auction house plunged into madness.

Yet, the good items at this auction continued to appear one after another.

Elder Bai Yan lightly stroked the jade box in his hand, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. He slowly opened the lid, and a scorching aura immediately swept through the entire auction hall, causing everyone present to feel a wave of heat.

"Gentlemen, I believe this next auction item will move many experts."

His voice was unhurried, yet carried an undeniable temptation.

"The fourth-grade pill—fire spirit pill!"

The audience fell silent for a moment, then immediately erupted in gasps.

"This pill has two effects."

Bai Yan held up two withered fingers.

"First, it can unconditionally raise the cultivation of a Dou Ling Expert by one star; second, it can temper the Dou Qi within the body, making it purer."

These words exploded like a bomb within the auction hall.

The eyes of the Dou Ling Experts in the hall turned red, and even some Dou Kings showed expressions of longing.

What was even more shocking was that on the second floor, several powerful auras belonging to Dou Huang experts involuntarily leaked out.

"The starting price is three hundred thousand gold coins!"

"Five hundred thousand!"

A burly man with a full beard roared impatiently.

"Six hundred thousand!"

Another Dou Ling Expert shouted directly.

"Eight hundred thousand!"

A hoarse voice came from a second-floor private room.

Bids rose and fell, and the price climbed at an astonishing speed.

The ordinary bidders in the hall were quickly eliminated, leaving only a few major powers fiercely competing.

"One million two hundred thousand!"

A middle-aged man in luxurious clothes gritted his teeth and shouted, fine beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

"One million three hundred thousand!"

A cold snort came from the private room opposite.

"One million five hundred thousand!"

An aged yet majestic voice was heard from the most luxurious private room.

This price caused the entire venue to fall silent.

After a few seconds, no one spoke.

Bai Yan looked around with satisfaction, and the gavel in his hand gently fell.

"One million five hundred thousand gold coins, sold!"

A wave of regretful sighs rose from the audience.

The Dou Ling Experts were filled with unwillingness, but they could only watch helplessly as the precious pill was delivered into that mysterious private room.

Many people were already calculating whether they should intercept it halfway after the auction ended.

Jiang Donghua took all of this in, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He noticed that even Yin Jiuxiao, who was beside Bai Xiaofeng, had his hawk-like eyes fixed intently on the pill until it vanished from view.

"It seems the appeal of this fire spirit pill is even greater than imagined."

Jiang Donghua muttered softly to himself, a playful glint flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Donghua narrowed his eyes, his finger lightly tapping the armrest of his seat, calculating in his mind.

"This Black-Corner Region truly is a place that devours people whole!"

The corner of his mouth curved slightly, revealing a playful smile.

"A fire spirit pill sold elsewhere would fetch at most one million gold coins, but here, it was actually bid up to one million five hundred thousand!"

He quickly calculated the costs in his mind.

"The ingredients for ten batches of fire spirit pill cost only 1.8 million gold coins in total. If I can successfully refine two pills, that's three million gold coins in revenue, a net profit of 1.2 million!"

Thinking of this, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, an ordinary Fourth-Grade Alchemist has less than a twenty percent success rate refining the fire spirit pill. Even a Fifth-Grade Alchemist must be extremely careful, as a slight mistake can cause the cauldron to explode."

"But I am different!"

He lightly rubbed his fingers together, feeling the strange power within his body.

"The afk constantly pours the experience of medicinal ingredients into my mind. Refining pills is as simple as drinking water for me."

"Others might fail seven out of ten times, but I succeed at least seven out of ten times!"

He swept his gaze across the auction hall, looking at those still frantically bidding for the fire spirit pill, and sneered inwardly.

"These people are fighting tooth and nail for one pill, yet they don't know that if I wished, I could refine ten more at any time!"

"However, scarcity breeds value. If the fire spirit pill becomes widespread, the price will plummet instead."

"Therefore, I must control the quantity, only releasing one or two occasionally to maintain the high price."

He withdrew his gaze, a plan already formed in his mind.

"Once the auction ends, I will go sweep the medicinal ingredient market in the Black-Corner Region and hoard all the ingredients for the fire spirit pill!"

"Then, I will slowly harvest the gold coins from these suckers!"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"The Black-Corner Region truly is a great place to make money!"