178: Chapter 177 Whale Oil
"7.5 million." Lin Fan finally raised his paddle.
The Ghost-Masked Man glanced back at him, his eyes narrowing beneath the mask, and raised his paddle again.
"8 million."
"8.5 million." Lin Fan didn't hesitate.
A low murmur of discussion broke out in the venue.
Although the netherworld evil core is a rare Materials, the price of 8.5 million was already quite a premium.
The Ghost-Masked Man seemed to hesitate for a moment, whispered a few words to the person beside him, and raised his paddle again.
"9 million."
Lin Fan tapped his fingers twice on his knee and turned to look at Xu Ziyan.
Xu Ziyan immediately understood and made an "OK" sign, lowering his voice.
"Bid with confidence; I'll cover the difference."
Lin Fan nodded and raised his paddle again.
"10 million."
The venue went quiet.
This price was already well above the market price.
The Ghost-Masked Man's gaze became sharp; he stared at Lin Fan for several seconds and whispered with the person beside him again.
Lin Fan could feel the gaze of those two piercing him like needles, but he didn't look away, calmly looking back at them.
In the end, the Ghost-Masked Man lowered his paddle.
Shen Man's voice rang out.
"10 million, going once... twice... three times, sold!"
The gavel fell.
Lin Fan leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
The netherworld evil core is mine.
Xu Ziyan excitedly patted his arm.
"That was so cool, Lin Fan! When you were bidding against that person, it was so thrilling!"
Lin Fan gave a helpless smile; bidding was indeed quite thrilling, but he hoped it wouldn't be as "thrilling" when they left...
He glanced seemingly casually toward those two Ghost-Masked Men.
Their gazes still lingered on him, like two cold snakes.
The subsequent items became increasingly rare and precious, but Lin Fan and his companion did not make any more moves.
"Next up are the final three items of the night."
Shen Man's voice suddenly rose by half a pitch, carrying a hint of unusual solemnity.
The atmosphere in the venue changed abruptly.
Everyone knew that the finale items were the truly good stuff.
The staff brought out a tray, and Shen Man pulled back the red cloth.
On the tray lay a fist-sized black object that looked like ink clay; its surface was bumpy and uneven, lacking any luster, resembling a piece of coal slag discarded by the roadside.
Placed on the exquisite tray, it looked completely out of place.
A low murmur of discussion broke out in the venue.
"What on earth is that?"
"It doesn't look like anything good."
"The auction house wouldn't use something like this to fool people, would they?"
Shen Man's expression remained natural as she picked up the small card on the tray and read.
"Deep Sea Whale Oil, appraised by our house's appraiser as whale oil from a Rank 60 or higher Abyssal Imperial Whale. It can be used for Armor Spirit evolution, Spiritual Liquid preparation, and Armor Equipment forging; it is highly versatile."
She paused and added.
"Although its appearance is unappealing, it is indeed a rare and valuable item. Starting bid, 10 million. Each increment not less than 100,000."
Lin Fan's gaze fell upon that piece of "ink clay," and his left eye heated up slightly.
"[Item]: Dark Abyss Devouring Whale Oil"
"[Rank]: Low-grade Saint Spirit Materials"
"[Usage]: Core Materials for Armor Spirit evolution, main ingredient for high-grade Spiritual Liquids, auxiliary Materials for Armor Equipment forging."
"[Evaluation]: Dark Abyss Swallowing Whale, a Rank 72 saint spirit rank Armor Beast, one of the deep sea overlords. Its whale oil contains extremely pure dark-attribute and devouring-attribute spiritual power, making it a top-tier Materials for dark-attribute Armor Spirit evolution. This piece of whale oil was taken from a Rank 72 adult Dark Abyss Swallowing Whale and is of excellent quality."
Lin Fan's pupils constricted slightly.
"Rank 72. Low-grade Saint Spirit. Dark Abyss Swallowing Whale."
The auction house appraised it as a Rank 60 Abyssal Imperial Whale; whether in terms of cultivation or Aptitude, it was an entire major Rank lower.
More importantly, the Dark Abyss Devouring Whale Oil contained dark-attribute spiritual power—which was exactly what Tun Tun needed most.
His heart rate sped up slightly, but he remained composed.
However, in the eyes of others, Abyssal Imperial Whale oil was already a rare and valuable item in itself.
This meant that the people who want this whale oil won't be few.
His heart rate sped up slightly, but he remained composed.
"Starting bid, 10 million. Each increment not less than 500,000."
As soon as Shen Man finished speaking, someone in the venue raised their paddle.
"10.5 million."
"11 million."
"12 million."
The price rose steadily; while it wasn't as crazy as the finale items, there were many bidders, all clearly interested in this "Abyssal Imperial Whale oil."
Lin Fan was in no hurry to bid; he was observing.
Among the bidders was the middle-aged man in the grey trench coat from the front row.
There was also an old man in a Tang suit in the corner, as well as two different VIP boxes on the second floor.
The competition wasn't exactly fierce, but it was steady, with the price being pushed up bit by bit.
"15 million." The man in the grey trench coat raised his paddle.
"16 million." The old man in the Tang suit bid leisurely.
"18 million." A voice came from the VIP box on the left side of the second floor.
When the price reached 18 million, the number of bidders began to dwindle.
Although Abyssal Imperial Whale oil was rare, its market price was only just over 20 million; any higher and it wouldn't be worth it.
Lin Fan tapped his fingers twice on his knee.
It's about time.
He raised his paddle.
"20 million."
The venue went quiet for a moment.
He had increased the bid by two million directly, pushing the price to the 20 million mark.
The man in the grey trench coat glanced back at him, frowning slightly; he seemed to hesitate for a moment but still raised his paddle.
"20.5 million."
"22 million." Lin Fan didn't hesitate.
The old man in the Tang suit shook his head and lowered his paddle.
The VIP box on the left side of the second floor remained silent for a moment and did not bid again.
Just as Lin Fan thought victory was in his grasp, a raspy voice came from behind.
"25 million."
Lin Fan turned his head slightly.
It was one of the two people wearing Ghost-Masked Man masks.
Them again.
Lin Fan's heart sank slightly, but he remained composed.
"26 million." He increased the bid.
"28 million." The Ghost-Masked Man's tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about something inconsequential.
"30 million." Lin Fan's voice remained calm.
A low murmur of discussion broke out in the venue.
Buying a piece of Abyssal Imperial Whale oil for 30 million was already quite a premium.
The Ghost-Masked Man's eyes narrowed beneath his mask as he stared at Lin Fan for several seconds.
Finally, he gave up the bidding.
Lin Fan looked at Xu Ziyan.
Xu Ziyan immediately understood and leaned in, lowering his voice.
"Borrowing money again?"
"Lend it to me, I'll pay you back everything when we get back." Lin Fan lowered his voice.
Without a word, Xu Ziyan shoved the card into Lin Fan's hand.
Shen Man's voice rang out.
"30 million, going once... twice... three times, sold!"
The gavel fell.
Lin Fan leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
Xu Ziyan leaned over and whispered, "30 million? Is this thing really that valuable?"
Lin Fan lowered his voice to a level only the two of them could hear.
"The auction house appraised it as Abyssal Imperial Whale oil. But in reality, this is whale oil from a Dark Abyss Swallowing Whale, Rank 72 saint spirit rank."
Xu Ziyan's eyes widened. "S-saint spirit rank?"
"The market price is at least upwards of 80 million."
The corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up slightly.
"Buying it for 30 million is already a massive steal."