Chapter 38: Auction Starts

Ruxley's memory was exceptional. Although dozens of people had attended yesterday's stone-betting event, he recognized Elowen at a glance. Ruxley looked up at Elowen, swirling the wine in his glass with a playful expression. "So? He's your cousin. Are you planning to stand up for him?" Elowen trembled slightly and quickly shook his head. "Sir, you've misunderstood! How could I dare stand up for this fool? The fact that he dared offend you shows just how clueless he is. You can handle him however you see fit." He then turned to Arden and scolded, "You idiot, why are you still standing there? Get over here and apologize to this gentleman right now, or you won't see tomorrow's sunrise!" Arden shuddered all over. From the fear in Elowen's eyes, he felt an unease creeping into his heart. Never in his life had he seen Elowen like this. At that moment, Arden realized that Ruxley's identity was far from ordinary. It seemed he had made a grave mistake, unknowingly kicking a hornet's nest. With this in mind, Arden immediately knelt before Ruxley, fear written all over his face. "Sir... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault for being blind and foolish. Please, be the bigger person, and don't hold it against me." Seeing Arden apologize, Elowen let out a sigh of relief, putting on a smile as he spoke to Ruxley, "Sir, my cousin doesn't know any better. When we get home, I'll make sure to teach him a lesson. Please, show some mercy and let him go." After all, Arden was his cousin, and Elowen couldn't simply leave him to his fate. Ruxley glanced at Arden, who was trembling in fear and said indifferently, "Get lost. And make sure I never see him again." A worthless, spoiled brat like Arden didn't even deserve to provoke his anger. "Yes, yes, thank you, sir, for your mercy!" Elowen, feeling as if granted amnesty, repeatedly bowed in gratitude to Ruxley and then dragged Arden out of the banquet hall. Afterward, the staff of Kyushu Hotel quickly cleaned up the glass shards on the floor, and the banquet hall resumed its normal state as if nothing had happened. However, if one paid close attention, they would notice that there was a ten-meter radius around Ruxley where no one dared to come close—not even Odhra. Even now, she hadn't snapped out of her shock. Time passed quickly, and soon, the auction began. Under the guidance of the staff from Olympus Auction Housee, the guests moved to an auction hall within Kyushu Hotel. Ruxley and Fafnian found seats and sat down, but just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the auction hall. Turning to look, they saw a proud-looking young man in white, surrounded by a group of followers, entering the hall. As soon as this young man appeared, murmurs spread through the room. "Look, Mr. Doyle is here!" "It seems the Doyle family is quite interested in today's auction!" "Well, of course! The Doyle family is the largest supplier of medicinal herbs in Sheyton Province. With so many high-grade herbs up for auction today, it's only natural for them to attend!" "The Doyle family is so wealthy. If they decide to buy, we probably won't stand a chance against them for those high-grade herbs." From the surrounding conversations, Ruxley learned the identity of the young man in white. His name was Lindon Doyle, the eldest son of the Doyle family in Shiphay City. The Doyle family was a prestigious family, ranking sixth among all the families in Sheyton Province, with far greater power than the Bourbon and Bennett families. They primarily dealt in medicinal herbs and owned dozens of large herbal pharmacies across the Saultrouge Kingdom. Half of the herbs collected by Lixen previously came from the Doyle family. Ruxley raised an eyebrow as he observed Lindon's arrival. It seemed the Doyle family heir was here for the same purpose—to acquire the high-grade medicinal herbs. Ruxley wondered who would have the last laugh between the two of them. After Lindon took his seat, the auction quickly commenced. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Olympus Auction House's quarterly auction. I'm Damian Mogul, your auctioneer for today." "For this quarter, we have prepared an abundance of rare treasures for you. Each item is a priceless masterpiece, so if anything catches your interest, don't miss out!" With a brief introduction from Damian, the auction officially began. "The first item for today's auction is a wooden Buddha statue from the Ming Dynasty." "This wooden Buddha was the proud creation of the carving master, Joniah Fael. It has a history of over 500 years and is exceptionally valuable. The starting price is five million—please place your bids." As Damian finished speaking, the auction hall quickly erupted with bids. "Five million one hundred thousand!" "Five million two hundred thousand!" "Five million three hundred thousand!" The first few auction items of the day were all antiques and relics. Although these antiques were worth a fortune, they did not pique Ruxley's interest. However, just because Ruxley wasn't interested didn't mean others weren't. With Damian's infectious enthusiasm, these antiques were all auctioned off at high prices. The atmosphere in the auction hall became more and more heated as the guests engaged in competitive bidding. In about an hour, all the dozen or so antique relics prepared by Olympus Auction House were sold. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the part you've all been waiting for—the medicinal herb auction. We have prepared dozens of high-grade medicinal herbs, each over a hundred years old. Don't miss your chance!" Damian smiled as he addressed the crowd. As soon as he finished, everyone in the hall became visibly more spirited, sitting up straight in their chairs with eager expressions. Many of them had come specifically for these precious herbs. Seeing the crowd's excitement, Damian wasted no time and brought out the first medicinal herb of the day. "This is a hundred-year-old wild ginseng from the depths of Fair Mountain. It's over 150 years old, with a starting price of five million. Bids must increase by no less than one hundred thousand. Please, place your bids!" The moment Damian finished speaking, the crowd began bidding frantically. "Five million five hundred thousand!" "Six million!" "Six million five hundred thousand!" In just a few seconds, the price of the wild ginseng soared to ten million, doubling its original price. Seeing this, Ruxley raised an eyebrow slightly. No wonder Lixen had mentioned how difficult it was to obtain high-grade medicinal herbs. It seemed they were in extremely high demand. Fortunately, Ruxley had prepared ample funds beforehand; otherwise, it would be uncertain whether he could secure these valuable herbs. Under the fierce bidding, the price of the 150-year-old wild ginseng skyrocketed to thirteen million before the bids finally slowed. Seeing no more bids, Lindon calmly raised his right hand and confidently called out, "Thirteen million five hundred thousand!" The hall instantly fell silent. That price was already beyond the ginseng's true value, and only wealthy families like the Doyles could afford to continue bidding. Just as everyone thought the wild ginseng would fall into Lindon's hands, a soft voice suddenly rang out in the hall. "Fifteen million!"