eurekapd Chapter 1301 A Piece of Broken Iron?
Chapter 1301 A Piece of Broken Iron?
This "Eye in the Sky" occupies one-third of the three floors.
A huge one-way crystal window overlooks the entire auction hall, and nothing can be seen inside the ugly scene below.
Inside the private room, the Persian carpet was soft and silent, and the walls were adorned with original works by Renaissance painters. The air was filled with the aroma of ambergris mixed with the scent of top-quality cigars, creating a fragrance known as "power."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, this is your private box." Manager Monkey bowed and scraped, his voice obsequious. "We have prepared the finest French champagne, the finest Cuban cigars, and... twenty maids from all over the world, at your service."
He clapped his hands.
Twenty women, each with their own unique charm and dressed in light gauze, filed in and gave the two men a seductive curtsy.
Lin Zhen did not lift his eyelids.
He walked to the huge crystal window, looked down at the world below, a scene of rampant desires and human nature, and simply waved his hand casually.
"All go out."
"Ah? Yes...yes!" The manager was taken aback, but then understood and quickly led the twenty disappointed maids out with bows.
Lakshmi, who was standing by his side, was deeply shocked by what he saw.
Any one of these twenty women, if placed in a slave market, would be enough to make wealthy merchants fight tooth and nail for them.
But this man didn't even bother to glance at him.
She couldn't help but turn her gaze to the goddess-like woman in the main seat, Murong Yan.
Perhaps, only someone like him is worthy of standing beside him.
"My lord, it's so lively here."
Murong Yan walked to Lin Zhen's side, looking down at the crowd of people downstairs who seemed to have gone mad, a cold disgust flashing in her beautiful phoenix eyes.
She detested such filthy places more than anything in her life.
"The land is always dirty."
Lin Zhen chuckled and pulled her into his arms, whispering in her ear.
"But isn't this sinful land the spoils of war that I, your husband, have conquered for you?"
"Once I've wiped everything out of here, I'll build you a real sky garden."
Murong Yan rolled her eyes at him but did not break free, gently resting her head on his broad chest.
She was still wearing that extremely dark, phoenix-emerging-from-the-world dress today.
In this private room filled with Western luxury, her Eastern charm did not seem out of place at all; on the contrary, the stark contrast made her appear even more mysterious and noble.
The five-zhang-long, dark gold trail resembled a flowing night spreading across the ground.
The giant phoenix embroidered with real gold thread on the skirt shimmered under the crystal chandelier, as if it were about to take flight at any moment.
Its cold, phoenix-like eyes silently proclaimed its and its master's absolute conquest and possession of this land.
"when--"
A clear and melodious bell rang throughout the hall.
The deafening clamor downstairs instantly fell silent.
All eyes turned to the slowly rising circular auction platform in the center of the hall.
An old-fashioned British butler in a tailcoat walked onto the stage, his voice clearly amplified and carried to every corner.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!"
"Welcome to Bloody Mary, the grandest spring auction of the year!"
"I know you're all getting impatient!"
"So, without further ado!"
"Let's bring up our first item for tonight!"
As soon as the words were spoken, two bunny girls pushed a display stand covered with red silk onto the stage.
The auctioneer ripped open the silk curtains.
A strange cup, made of pure gold, studded with gemstones, and shaped like a pineapple, appeared before everyone.
"A legendary golden cup used for the sacrifice of the sun god from the Aztec Empire! Starting bid: 10,000 gold coins! Each bid must be at least 1,000 gold coins higher!"
"eleven thousand!"
"Fifteen thousand!"
"I'll pay 20,000!"
The pirates and merchants downstairs, their eyes bloodshot, immediately began bidding wildly.
One after another, "rare treasures" of dubious authenticity were presented.
Elizabeth looked on with a disdainful expression; in the eyes of this pirate queen who was used to seeing real treasures, most of these things were flashy but impractical fakes.
"A bunch of idiots fighting to the death over a pile of junk," she muttered under her breath, her eyes full of disdain.
Yue Fei remained calm and composed, ignoring the farce unfolding before him, and cautiously sensing the atmosphere around him.
Soon, a new item was brought up for auction.
"This next item is incredible!" the auctioneer's voice was full of fervor. "Legend has it that the tears of Medusa, the Gorgon with snakes for hair!"
On the display stand, a gem the size of a pigeon egg, with an eerie blue color, emitted a strange glow under the lights.
"It is said that anyone who looks directly at it will have their soul petrified! Starting bid: 50,000 gold coins!"
"I'll offer 60,000!" a wealthy businessman in a second-floor private room shouted impatiently.
"Seventy thousand!" another voice rang out, thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Inside the private room, Lin Zhen picked up the champagne that Lakshmi had just poured for him, gently swirled it, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Medusa's Tears?
It's just a piece of blue fluorite containing trace amounts of radioactive elements. Wearing it for a long time will only cause chronic poisoning and lead to an unknown death.
The bidding downstairs had already reached a fever pitch.
"One hundred thousand! I'll offer one hundred thousand gold coins!" A burly pirate captain stood up, pounding his chest and roaring.
"Hmph, a bunch of uncultured pirates." A cold snort came from a private room on the second floor. "I bid 150,000!"
The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw a fat Frenchman named DuPont holding up a sign with an arrogant expression.
"Two hundred thousand!" The pirate captain retorted defiantly, his eyes bloodshot.
"Three hundred thousand." DuPont casually quoted the price, a mocking smile on his face, as if watching a monkey jumping around.
The pirate captain finally slumped down, 300,000 gold coins having exceeded his limit.
DuPont basked in the spotlight, feeling smug as if he already possessed that "magic weapon."
However, Lin Zhen, inside the "Eye in the Sky" VIP box, remained uninterested.
He didn't even glance at those "treasures," but simply sipped champagne and chatted with Murong Yan in his arms.
Time slipped away amidst the frenzied bidding wars of falsehoods and bubbles.
The auction was drawing to a close.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Next up is the second to last item for tonight!"
The auctioneer's voice became mysterious and high-pitched.
"This item is very special."
"We don't know what it is, nor do we know where it comes from."
All we know is that it was discovered three months ago, deep in the rainforest of New Guinea, after that unprecedented meteor shower.
He gestured.
This time, what was brought up was no longer a glamorous exhibition stand.
Instead, it is a fully enclosed display case made of half a meter thick bulletproof crystal.
There were no treasures or antiques in the cabinet.
It was just a small, palm-sized, pitch-black piece of iron.
Its entire body was charred black and covered with cracks, like trash picked up from some abandoned factory.
An eerie silence fell over the entire auction hall.
Everyone stared at the auctioneer on the stage as if he were an idiot.
"What the hell? This is a 'special' item?"
"A piece of scrap metal? There are plenty of those in my backyard garbage dump!"
"Bloody Mary is insane?! She dares to sell this kind of garbage?!"
A chorus of disdain and mockery erupted from the crowd.
However, just when everyone thought it was a boring gimmick.
On the third floor, inside the "Eye in the Sky" private room.
The "Kunlun Prince" who was indifferent to everything from beginning to end.
The man who had been leaning back on the sofa, looking as languid as if he were about to fall asleep.
The moment I saw that "broken piece of iron".
His fingers, which had been lightly tapping the armrest, stopped.
He slowly sat up straight on the soft sofa.
Beneath the pure gold mask, a ripple finally appeared in those deep, still eyes, as if a crack had appeared in the surface of an ancient, frozen lake.
A subtle, unnoticed smile played on his lips.
"interesting."
He whispered to himself.