But since the Unearthly Fire had little significance for ordinary cultivators, and the only thing being auctioned off was a clue to finding the Dark Bone Gloomy Fire, there were hardly any bidders.
The auctioneer did say earlier that it was only useful for pill refiners and fire cultivators.
So, he was somewhat disappointed over the crowd's lack of enthusiasm.
Just when the auctioneer was starting to think whether the auction of the clue to the Dark Bone Gloomy Fire was going to be a failure, someone spoke up.
The first bid was announced.
"1 million 100 thousand vital energy crystals!"
"1 million 150 thousand vital energy crystals!" a second one called out.
A few moments later, the highest bid was placed at 1 million 500 thousand vital energy crystals.
The number of bidders dwindled, and the interval between each bid became protracted because they needed to wait awhile before starting a new bidding.
Finally, when the bid price came up to 1 million and 530 thousand, the bidding stopped after a very long wait.
When the auctioneer on the crystal stage was about to announce this as the last bid price, Austin finally decided to make an offer.
As a pill refiner, Austin was well aware of what he could gain by obtaining the Dark Bone Gloomy Fire. In case he won the clue and found the Unearthly Fire, he could further enhance his pill refining skill.
Although he would only be bidding for information on how to obtain the Unearthly Fire, he still stood a better chance of finding it than someone who didn't have a clue. It is said gaining wealth involved taking a risk. Maybe if Austin strove hard enough, he would be successful. After all, Austin never lacked spirit when it came to fighting.
"1 million 600 thousand vital energy crystals."
He offered the bid price through an audio button in his room, so no one was aware of his identity.
Another bidder made an offer.
Then the auction house remained silent for several minutes.
When Austin spoke through the audio system, someone seated at the corner of the house sneered. "This voice seems to be from Room No. 63 in the VIP zone. Hmmm. I remember seeing Austin there.
He's quite rich, which was something I didn't expect."
"That's all right. Austin may win the bid for the clue to the Dark Bone Gloomy Fire, but once we kill him, that will ultimately be ours. Ahhh...this clue is worth more than a million vital energy crystals," another man said.
Another voice said greedily, "And then we can resell it to others. More than a million vital energy crystals will be sufficient for the five of us to have fun."
"All right, everyone, I declare that..."
There was silence all around.
In the end, after just one bid by Austin, the clue of the Dark Bone Gloomy Fire finally belonged to him.
After the auction, all Austin got was a tattered cloth with a rather obscure map printed on it. The map showed mountains and rivers. But Austin had no time to examine the cloth, so he had no idea what it was.
With a wry smile, he thought, 'I spent more than one million vital energy crystals only to get a shabby cloth without knowing what it's for.
Am I a bit of a black sheep?
No wonder there weren't many cultivators taking part in this auction. It looks as if the auction of the clue was only a ploy by the Ganges Auction House."
After pondering this a while, Austin was somewhat regretful. In the end, he stuffed the shabby cloth inside his Space Ring. 'I'll find time to study it later.
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