"Thirty million Mora!" Childe's voice echoed again, determination clear in his tone.
"Fifty million," Ningguang's voice remained calm and indifferent.
"So rich! Raising the bid without batting an eye..." Jiang Bai clicked his tongue, astonished.
"That's how wealthy people are!" Hu Tao shrugged, equally amazed.
Even she would struggle to come up with such an amount at once.
"How extravagant." Childe shook his head, clicking his tongue thoughtfully before continuing, "Fifty-five million Mora!"
"I never realized you were interested in collecting antiques," Zhongli observed quietly, looking at Childe with probing eyes.
"It's the world's first Mora. It's certainly an item worth having!" Childe replied with a slight smile.
He mentally calculated his funds, noting that the bid was nearing the limit of his personal savings. Hopefully, he'd be able to expense this later.
Once I secure this coin, I'll send it to Dottore's lab first. After the analysis, I can gift it to Pantalone.
The first-ever Mora—Pantalone would surely appreciate something like that. If presented properly, reimbursement wouldn't be difficult…
Watching the auctioneer growing increasingly excited over the rising bids, Ningguang leisurely exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Fifty-six million Mora."
"Fifty-seven million!" Childe countered steadily.
Compared to his initial reckless doubling of the bid, his increments were now more cautious.
Ningguang remained silent, casting an ambiguous smile toward Childe's box.
"This envoy from Snezhnaya truly covets the Archon's power."
"My Lady, shall we continue bidding?" Baishi whispered.
"No, he's close to his limit," Ningguang exhaled softly, smiling contentedly. "Fifty million Mora of pure profit. Not bad."
"Fifty-seven million Mora, going once! Fifty-seven million Mora, going twice! Fifty-seven million Mora, sold to box number twelve!"
After several intense rounds of bidding, the auction reached its peak.
"Do you think that first Mora coin is really worth so much?" Jiang Bai asked incredulously, amazed at the astonishing price the coin had fetched.
"I expected ten million Mora at most," Xingqiu admitted, equally surprised.
Such aggressive bidding was indeed rare.
"Probably because the auctioneer said it contains the Archon's divine power," Hu Tao remarked curiously, turning to Xingqiu. "Does it really?"
"This particular item was submitted by Lady Ningguang," Xingqiu answered meaningfully, spreading his hands.
Hu Tao understood instantly. This was a pit Ningguang had deliberately dug—any divine power was just hype.
"Tsk tsk tsk, poor guy~" Jiang Bai gloated with obvious delight.
Too bad he couldn't witness the Fatui Harbinger's reaction when he realized there was no divine power…
"Our next items are a set of Adeptal texts discovered in Jueyun Karst. They include arts for subduing demons, creating mechanical talismans, and warding off evil. Authored by the adepti themselves and verified as authentic, each text will be auctioned separately, with a starting bid of one million Mora each!"
Hearing his items being announced, Jiang Bai immediately sat up straight.
Whether or not I strike it rich hinges entirely on this!
The Feiyun Commerce Guild had advertised the auction well in advance, stirring great interest among Liyue's lesser-established merchants. Even though major families already possessed many Adeptal texts, the smaller merchants eagerly sought to enhance their standing or expand their collections.
There were also numerous cultivators specifically drawn by these texts. As soon as they appeared, the bidding erupted.
"One million Mora!"
"One million three hundred thousand!"
"Two million!"
"Three million!"
As the bids poured in, Jiang Bai felt a weight lift off his chest.
He had three books up for auction. Even at three million Mora each, that'd be nearly ten million Mora. Minus the cost of the slime, he'd still pocket more than seven million Mora.
The mere thought of that much money made him practically drool!
In the end, the first text sold for an impressive 6.35 million Mora, and the remaining books fetched similarly lucrative prices.
Imagining the glittering Mora about to flow his way, Jiang Bai couldn't suppress his wide grin.
Seeing his embarrassingly ecstatic expression, Hu Tao couldn't help but cringe.
"Wipe your drool," she said flatly.
Jiang Bai quickly slurped it back and wiped his mouth sheepishly.
Hu Tao turned away, unable to bear watching him.
None of the following items interested Jiang Bai much, so he settled into his seat, munching sunflower seeds and listening casually as the auctioneer described their origins and functions.
He saw top-grade noctilucous jade extracted from deep mines, a pair of precious, qilin-like antique statues, an exquisitely sharp sword that cut through iron like butter, a massive pearl retrieved from a sea beast's belly, and even mining rights to a lucrative mountain. It was truly an eye-opening experience.
"Our next item is a curious artifact—what appears to be a vambrace. An adventurer discovered it on Dragonspine, encased deep within layers of ice."
"The adventurer consulted multiple experts, but none could identify the material."
"As of now, no one has determined the exact composition, but the vambrace is extraordinarily resilient, impervious to extreme heat and blades alike. It's remarkably lightweight, and the intricate patterns carved on its surface suggest origins from the ancient nation of Vindagnyr."
Since the popular release of The Tale of the Snowy Land, adventurers had flocked to Dragonspine in search of treasures. This vambrace was discovered precisely due to that treasure-hunting craze.
Jiang Bai found himself captivated by the auctioneer's description. Once he saw the item clearly on the tray, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
A sense of familiarity surged from deep within his heart—as if this object had once accompanied him for countless years.
"[Baiyuan]…" Jiang Bai whispered unconsciously.
"Starting bid, three million Mora!"
Seeing Jiang Bai fixated, Hu Tao asked curiously, "Have you seen that before?"
Jiang Bai nodded slowly, "It feels incredibly familiar. I think it might've belonged to me before I lost my memories."
"Then why was it found on Dragonspine?"
"Maybe I floated down an underground river beneath the mountain and ended up in Liyue…"
"I see…" Hu Tao murmured thoughtfully.
The auctioneer announced the price, but the hall remained strangely silent.
The item was called a vambrace but didn't quite resemble one—more like a long tube about arm-length. If it were made of valuable material, it might be useful for reforging, but unfortunately, no one could melt it down.
And few were genuinely interested in ancient relics from Vindagnyr.
After all, Vindagnyr existed briefly, its traces nearly faded by time. If not for Jiang Bai's book, few would even recognize its name.
Seeing the lack of bids, the auctioneer became anxious, continuing hastily:
"According to the adventurer, this item was guarded by several Ruin Guards, indicating its significance. He sustained serious injuries distracting the guards, barely retrieving the artifact from its icy tomb…"
"Three million Mora!" Childe finally broke the silence.