Chapter 318 Rich Miss
"The seed of Icy Dew Flower is from Eden?!" The audience was in chaos.
The flower pot became the center of attention. The ice crystals and the seed germinating in the crystals now seemed more beautiful than any natural scenery they have witnessed. It was like just the mention of its origin has added a charm they have never known before.
The diamond dust flying out of the icy seed was now truly worth a diamond in the eyes of the audience. No one could stop themselves from admiring its beauty as they thought how the seed was first caressed by the fairies of Eden.
Wassily got the desired effect. In reality, Icy Dew Flower wasn't really that precious despite its refreshing effect. It might be a delight to the senses and a great attraction in a garden or house but that was the end of its good qualities. That might be the truth but from one perspective, it was just a cynical thought process.
Just like how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the same was for the worth of any item or object. The additional background has just enhanced the worth in the eyes of the beholders. By how much, Wassily was about to see.
Wassily excitedly rubbed his hands. He worked on commission so greater the bid, the more profit he earned. He signaled to his gorgeous assistant who smiled seductively and said, "Please feel free to start the bidding," "
"$10000!" A young man in the premium seating zone shouted the first bid.
"$15000!" Another bid came from the normal seating zone. No one wanted to miss the chance of participating in an item that has originated from Eden.
"$30000!" A cold-blooded mercenary doubled the bid. As he looked at the icy seed, his senses smelled the fragrance of the fairies of Eden. Having the seed was coming close to the hot-blooded fantasy he has.
"$50000!" A female hunter participated in the bidding. The tales of Ice Queen and Eden were a source of inspiration for her and women around the globe. Naturally, she fancied the item which has originated from the pure land.
"Don't insult Eden with such low bids! $100000!" A middle-aged man in a private booth said with disdain. He hated how the commoners were bidding such a small amount for a great treasure.
"I'm bidding $150000! A voice came from another private booth.
"$180000!" Vasco declared his bid from his private booth. His friend Maynard cheered for him excitedly.
The bidding didn't stop here.
Even those who reasoned they were here to improve their chances for the core region began participating in the bidding war.
The psychology of humans was something truly interesting. The worth of an item is amplified depending on its background even if a much cheaper but same quality item is available elsewhere.
A wasted cloth worn by a famous person is sold in millions...
Eden was a sacred land, something both men and women alike desired for their own reasons. Eden was more than just some hot-blooded fantasy of youths... The present bidding war was just a glimpse of this.
Wassily fully exploited the psychological principle behind this working of the human mind.
Finally, the seed was sold at a sky-high price. The cost was so high that it made everyone's heart bleed and yet, the winner was smiling from ear to ear.
He wasn't the only one smiling. The auctioneer was far happier than him.
One after another, items continued to be sold. Not every item's bid went to such a high degree and the upcoming items were more related to their use in the forest.
Medical ingredients, weapons, explosives, armors, and portable energy shields. The auction has no limit of them and there was no end to the buyers either.
Most of the items were purchased by Level I or Level II mutants. Items worthy of enticing higher level mutants didn't appear yet so most of the audience got a chance to bid now.
Kiba purchased Misty Spring Flower in the first round because he himself was a researcher. He didn't have a shortage of the flower essence in the lab but he didn't a fresh fruit since it really didn't cost him anything...
As the auction moved forward, the worth of money cards became less. The items now costed more than just money. They could be purchased with only extraordinary items such as herbs, fruits, minerals and so on.
"Our next product is a flower which is extremely rare and valuable," Wassily said with a professional smile. "A grade III - Seven-petal Golden Rose."
Yasmine opened a box and showed it to the audience.
As soon as the box opened, a strong but sweet medical aroma swept through the auditorium.
The rose was a thing of beauty with a golden glow emitting from both its stem and petals. Each petal was divided into two distinct lobes; one letting a soft glow while other a piercing glow.
The rose could boost the immune system to such a high degree that even poisons wouldn't harm the body. Besides the immune response, it was used in genetic experiments due to its antioxidant and antimutagenic properties.
Seven-petal Golden Rose was born in an extremely rare environment, protected by ominous beasts. It was hard to find and its demand was never low so getting a chance to purchase it was very hard.
Many in the audience gasped. They have heard about the rose and knew its practicality. All parts of the rose were edible but it was far more useful in genetic engineering.
For those participating in the core region, the flower was useful though not greatly compared to the worth it has in the eyes of researchers and scientists. There were many who have come only to purchase such valuable genetic items with no interest in exploring the dangerous core region.
Kiba's eyes brightened. This flower was one of the main reasons why he arrived at the fair. The rose was a side component in the solution he has in mind for Felicity.
"Honorable guests, please start the bidding," Yasmine requested the audience. "Make sure you bid with a mutated fruit, herb, flower or minerals along with money."
"$20000 and a grade I - Fire Cloud Fruit."
"$25000 and a Golden Thorn Fruit of grade I."
"$100000, Dustless Yarrow and Three-colored Cherrymist. Both are borderline grade II," Kiba's voice ringed in the auditorium, bringing an absolute silence.
Fucking hell! Why does he have to increase the bid by so many times?!
The crowd erupted in curses and exclamation. Many who wanted to bid just for the sake of it were angry at his sky-high bid. He wasn't giving them any chance at all to show-off to their friends and family.
"Is he from some top faction?"
"Even if he is, he should treat his wealth carefully!"
"He would go bankrupt if he wastes it like this!"
"Does he think money and those flowers are some vegetables that he can give without any care?!"
People on both floors were still cursing when a soft, feminine voice came from one of the private booths.
"$200000 and whatever the items he mentioned," The voice said as if Dustless Yarrow and Three-colored Cherrymist were worth nothing.
Everyone in the auditorium was dumbfounded.
"What the hell?!"
"Just what's going on here today?!"
"Has the definition of wealth changed?"
Such extravagance from both Kiba and the feminine speaker was beyond their scope of understanding!
"Young pervert!" Kiba bitterly smiled as he thought of the owner of the soft voice.
He pressed a hand on his forehead as he contemplated her possible intentions and instantly realized he was going to have a hard time.
In a private booth, Sophia cheerfully smiled as she saw Kiba's bitter reaction.
"Shameless scoundrel, the last thing I lack is wealth," Sophia said with happiness. "Even if you go bankrupt, you wouldn't be able to defeat me in this game."
The middle-aged female servant beside her sported an awkward smile. She looked at her young miss and thought of how the family doted on her.
She was a jewel of both her parents' eyes and she only came to the forest for the core region. It was not due to a shortage of resources but something different.
Before the family sent her here, they stuffed her with protective charms, defense devices, hundreds of pill bottles, antidotes, countless rare herbs, fruits, and god-knows-what.
As for monetary wealth, she was the only daughter of one of the most important persons in Neville Family. So she was in no lack of money.
"She has always lived a guarded life," The middle-aged woman thought. "As such, she is pure as snow. For her to be acting in such a way, that golden-haired man must have offended her deeply."
She wondered why he calls her a pervert and she calls him a scoundrel and villain.
Kiba let out a soft sigh before saying, "$300000, Dustless Yarrow, Three-colored Cherrymist, and a low-grade mutated Echinacea."
He hasn't brought any herbs and flowers from Delta City. All he has what he acquired in the forest. He could only pray it was same for her otherwise the auction house was really going to get rich today.
Sophia gave a cold snort.
"Only if you beg for my forgiveness then you still might have a chance," Sophia said from her sofa seat. "I'm bidding double of whatever he said."
Her servants have acquired low-grade fruits and herbs from the forest so she was in no shortage. And if she used her own personal wealth, then even Kiba would feel poor despite his wealth in Delta City.
The auditorium was abuzz with loud shouts. Many frugal-hearted men and women almost had a heart attack as they saw her casually increasing bid multiple times.