Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 537: Now This Is Getting Interesting
"Calm down. You've got money, don't you? If you can buy it, why would you rob it?"
Lin Yuxia hurriedly stopped Santiago—who looked ready to start checking her again for fresh stockings to tear—because she genuinely believed he was capable of doing something outrageous.
"Oh. I'm just used to taking things by force. Almost forgot I can actually buy stuff now."
Only after her reminder did Steven realize he didn't need to overcomplicate things this time. If money could solve it, then it wasn't really a problem.
He casually put the AK away as if nothing had happened, then offered a friendly, apologetic smile to the other bidders who had been startled by his sudden movement.
It was hard to associate this polite expression with the same guy who had been preparing for a zero-cost acquisition just moments ago.
The other bidders had no idea what he was doing. Since they couldn't recognize what that odd-looking metal tube was anyway, they didn't think much of it. At most, they assumed he got overly excited after seeing the item.
After sitting back down, Steven fixed his gaze on the chess set. When it came to money, he had never backed down from anyone. What he hadn't expected, though, was that something Nian once asked him to collect would appear so casually at such an ordinary auction.
The rest became simple. The bidding process wasn't anything like the dramatic power struggles he'd imagined. Even facing a chess set that clearly possessed unusual properties, everyone remained calm. The price hovered around a few hundred thousand Lungmen dollars, with increments of only tens of thousands.
"Should I show them the power of a nouveau riche and give them a little capital shock?"
Steven asked Lin Yuxia beside him. Since she was experienced, he figured her advice on bidding might be useful.
"As long as you don't do anything impulsive like earlier, you can shout one hundred million if you want. As long as you can pay, it's entirely up to you."
Lin Yuxia replied weakly. Her expectations for Santiago had dropped to almost nothing. If he could just act slightly less absurd, she'd already be satisfied.
"Rad."
Steven casually picked up the bidding paddle and broke the slow increments immediately.
"One million Lungmen dollars. Miss Lin wants this item."
He looked completely indifferent while deliberately using Lin Yuxia's name to place the bid. Leveraging her identity seemed like a practical move to secure the item.
Lin Yuxia merely sighed, as if she had anticipated this, and didn't refute him.
The sudden jump from five hundred thousand to one million stunned the other bidders. Combined with Lin Yuxia's special status, many quickly lost their nerve.
The chess set looked mysterious, yes, but whether it was worth that much was uncertain. And offending Lin Yuxia over it didn't seem worth the risk.
Soon, after Steven raised the price to two million and drove off the remaining hesitant bidders, he obtained what he wanted—without using force for once.
"Gotta say, sometimes money really is more useful than most things. If it saves me a few bullets, that's not bad at all."
As the victor, Steven stepped forward, eager to examine the chess set and see what interesting secrets it held.
But just as he approached, a strange mist began to seep out from the chess pieces on the auction stage.
An ominous mist rapidly spread, engulfing the entire hall. The security personnel and bidders who realized something was wrong were swallowed by the white smoke—and vanished without a trace. Not even a scream or the sound of struggle echoed out.
Only Lin Yuxia, who instinctively grabbed Steven and retreated, managed to avoid being swallowed. When the mist finally dispersed, what appeared before them was a bizarre creature—like a mass of jars and bottles stitched together into a grotesque lifeform.
[Artifact Apparition (Pseudo)]
Only a name appeared, but that alone was enough for Steven. He never expected that casually strolling around with Lin Yuxia would land him in something this entertaining.
Clearly, this mutation was caused by the chess set. It seemed extremely unwilling to fall into his hands—otherwise it wouldn't have flipped the table like this.
But for Steven, this wasn't bad news at all. Just moments ago, he had been disappointed he couldn't act. Who would've thought the opportunity would arrive on its own?
"Be careful. These things… feel strange."
Lin Yuxia frowned. She had no idea why a perfectly normal auction had suddenly turned into a battlefield, but the situation definitely felt dangerous.
The sudden appearance of monsters and the disappearance of everyone else were far too abnormal. Even if these creatures didn't seem threatening right now, who knew what might happen?
"Of course they're strange. Those are the people who got swallowed by the mist. They've been transformed into these monsters. Whether it's an illusion or something else, I'm not sure yet."
Steven narrowed his eyes, observing the creatures that seemed more like cover for something else. He casually revealed their nature, then smiled and asked Lin Yuxia an important question:
"So… if I take back something I already paid for, that's not illegal anymore, right?"
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Note:
The Artifact Apparition came from this event by the way:
https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Invitation_to_Wine
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628