As soon as everyone saw Baron Auguinare, they couldn't help but feel puzzled. Who would believe that a veteran soldier like Baron would bid for a fairy?
But it only made Count Tibal frown slightly, as he didn't think much about it.
In Count Tibal's eyes, Baron was just an ordinary soldier with no background and no money.
Still, when he heard that Baron was willing to spend 800 white gold coins for a fairy made, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
'Who gave that much money to him?' The Count still views Baron as a commoner, even though he got the noble title 10 years ago.
He then let out a deep sigh and raised his bid.
"900 white gold-"
"1,000 white gold coins."
Before Count Tibal could speak further, Baron raised another 100 white gold coins.
Count Tibal gritted his teeth and raised his bid again.
"1,100."
Unfortunately, Baron didn't give a damn about his noble title or political influence and spoke coldly.
"1,200."
The whole auction hall became abruptly silent.
This time, the Count didn't bid because he knew it had already exceeded the original amount.
'Ha! Then, I will have no choice but to snatch it from him.'
He soon signaled his guard to keep an eye on Baron Auguinare and others.
While Count Tibal was thinking about how to snatch that fairy from Baron Auguinare, Abium quietly walked away from his seat, stepped down, and soon reached the stage.
Then, he got the caged fairy from Tabitha and carried it back to his seat.
But to everyone's surprise, he suddenly opened the cage and set her free!
Meanwhile, Camilla noticed her sister's arrival, flapped her tiny wings, and flew towards her incredibly fast.
Soon, Abium and Baron signaled Helena to calm down and turned their gaze towards the stage.
Many debated why Baron Auginare brought that fairy, but all got their answer when they saw the adorable reunion scene.
'Good. What I have to do now is wait and leave this place without making any scene.'
Abium breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn his attention towards the next item but suddenly froze.
At that moment, he felt multiple gazes from behind!
'Someone started monitoring me already?' He turned his gaze towards a particular direction and noticed that Count Tibal and his soldiers were staring in his direction.
'Tibal, huh? I don't have to worry about them inside this auction house.' He gave a cold snort and shifted his eyes towards the stage.
With Lady Tabitha's skills, three more items were auctioned at a reasonable price.
"The next auctioned item is a second-tier spell model."
Tabitha's introduction caused sudden quietness. Within a few seconds, several first-tier mages and two or three second-tier mages who attended this auction showed their interest.
Abium also shifted his gaze towards the unique spell scroll and studied it.
Spell models rarely appear in this auction.
"Once upon a time, a second-tier mage named Tarnas used a unique spell to kill the Wadel kingdom's three top second-tier mages and gained a great victory for our kingdom. Even though he was assassinated after that battle, we still have engraved his name in our hearts. Anyway, his family members found this spell model in his cabin when cleaning and decided to put it up for auction. I believe everyone present has heard the name of this spell before. That's right; this spell model is the same one that once shook the five southern kingdoms. It's 'Ice net.'"
Tabitha had just finished speaking when the entire venue suddenly became quiet. The strange silence stretched on forever before finally bursting into a huge commotion!
"...Ice net!"
'This spell model must be created personally by that mage Tarnas. I sense a presence of unique law power inside.' Azolla's voice echoed in Abium's mind.
Abium knows nothing about that mage except he was a young mage who once terrorized all the enemy mages twenty years ago.
"The bidding for this Ice Net spell model will start at 500 white gold coins. The minimum bid increment is 50 white gold coins."
When Abium saw the starting price, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
His whole life savings were 500 to 600 white gold coins in the past, but seeing such a large sum of money spent on a spell model made him realize how pathetic his life was.
The Ice Net spell was immediately auctioned off with a wave of bids.
"600."
"800."
"1,000."
…
The current bid for that Ice Net spell model had already reached 1000 gold coins in less than a minute.
And it seemed that was just the beginning.
The following bids quickly overtook that price. When the price reached 2,500 white gold coins, it suddenly stopped, letting people gasp for breath.
But it was followed by another round of the competition. Crazy bids were announced one after another. That 'Ice Net' spell model somehow managed to reach the incredible price of 5000 white gold.
When Abium bought a small house near the noble street in the past, it cost him 400 white gold coins.
But when he saw the mages in the venue going crazy over this second-tier spell model, he couldn't help but feel bitter inside.
Apprentice mages, dozens of first-tier mages, and even some second-tier mages who attended this Orchid Auction House showed interest in this spell model.
The thirst for the second-tier spell model was something ordinary merchants or nobles couldn't understand. Meanwhile, Abium heard Azolla's exciting voice in his mind.
'it's a top-tier spell model. That's why everyone is fighting to get their hands on it. Even though they aren't useful to you, these spells are rare. Some unique spells could deal more damage to opponents than normal ones and have a high value. It's the same as the Blazing Shield spell you created earlier.'
'Oh?'
Abium nodded his head in understanding and soon shifted his gaze towards the auction stage.
Soon, a voice came from one of those VIP areas.
"8,000 white gold coins."
The second-tier mage Zivior who had been silent for a long time, finally made his bid.
"9,500."
Another voice came out from the opposite side, where Zivior sat.
"I'm sorry to ruin your mood, my friend. But I am also interested in this unique spell model."
A violent cough came out as an answer, followed by an even higher bid.
"11,000!"
"13,000 white gold."
"14,000!"
Once again, Zivior spoke with a mighty voice. Following his voice, no new bid appeared.
A few seconds later, a mage wearing a blue robe arrived near the stage and took the 'Ice Net' spell scroll.
Delighted by the bidding, Tabitha smiled and continued to auction more items.
But most of the second-tier mages didn't fancy the following auctioned items.
Only the apprentice mages and first-tier mages started to bid. Meanwhile, other small nobles and merchants watched the bidding in silence.
A majority of the items' starting prices were close to 1000 white gold, showing the difference between the wealth of a noble and a mage.
Also, Tabitha auctioned the thumb-sized ice elemental crystal for 8,500 white gold coins and gave Abium a considerable fortune.
He almost fainted from shock when he realized the price of a single ice crystal.
After calming his thumping heart, he noticed that the auction was nearing.
The final item was the Nether crystal.
As the guard carried the final item, all of them became quiet.
'The final show has begun.'
It is always the most precious and shocking item that appears at the end.
"The next item is the finale of the auction."
Tabitha said while lifting the silk cloth on the pedestal, exposing a gray crystal.
"It's the Nether crystal." She added calmly.
"Oh, my god…."
"How could a Nether crystal appear here?"
Tabitha had yet to finish when the entire venue broke into a commotion.
Most gasps came from the mages and necromancers seated in the auction hall.
The Nether crystal's arrival brought a shock to all of them.
"This crystal will start at the price of 2,000 white gold, and the least bid increment is 200 gold."
Tabitha officially called for bids on the final item with a smile on her face.
"10,000 white gold." Tabitha's words had just finished when a voice came out from the crowd.
"That crystal will belong to me!" A hooded figure stood up and proclaimed arrogantly. He had an average height, and his dark purple eyes flickered underneath his white mask, making him look terrifying.
But few other figures let out a sneer.
"Are you sure about that?" At that moment, a chilling voice appeared from the VIP area.
The speaker appeared to be 45 years old, with thin black hair and multi-colored eyes. That person wore a red robe and glared at that arrogant guy as he said.
"11,000."
This apparent provocation was to challenge that necromancer!
Abium gave a surprised look and quietly observed the person.
'It's Mage Ubius.' He had heard of him in the past.
Although Mage Ubius died much earlier during the Grand Nobles Gathering, he was still another second-tier mage and earned the title of Dead Slayer.
'He killed two second-tier necromancers and multiple Official-Tier Mages at that time and protected the Royal Family.'
While he was thinking, the bidding price increased at an incredible speed.
"12,000."
"13,000."
"14,000."
"15,000."
"16,000."
"17,000."
…
Two men kept outbidding each other, and in no time, the price had reached 17,000, with no one getting involved.
It was such a big venue with so many forces, but no one else had placed a bid. Fortunately, it didn't last long.
Once the price reached 17,000, Ubius couldn't keep bidding. He could do nothing about it because he had already spent mostly on one intermediate-tier magic artifact.
Soon, the hooded figure noticed that the other party had given up and gave a cold snort.
A smile appeared underneath the hood.
However, winning against Ubius did not mean that the auction for the Nether crystal was over.
On the contrary, the actual auction finally began.
Just as everyone expected, another voice echoed inside the grand hall.
"18,000."
Abium glanced at the source of that voice and noticed that the bid had come from a middle-aged man who appeared to be 40 years old. He also wore a hood to cover most of his face and had a mature look and a stern gaze.
'He is another second-tier necromancer, kid.' Azolla quickly scanned that person and said in his mind.
Meanwhile, Abium had long guessed it and watched the play quietly.
"20,000!"
That hooded figure gave a cold glare at the middle-aged man and increased the bidding.
"21,000."
"22,000."
"23,000."
"25,000!"
As the price reached 25,000 white gold coins, the venue went silent for the next few seconds.
"Number 29 has placed a bid for 25,000 white gold coins. Is there anyone willing to bid higher?"
Tabitha had a slightly flushed face on the stage, and her voice was louder than usual.
Although Orchid auction house had made quite a few sales in the past few years, this was the first time she had auctioned something for a very high price. She was slightly rattled inside.
"In that case, 25,000 white gold once, 25,000 white gold coins twice, 25,000 white gold coins going three times, sold! Congratulations, Number 29! You have won the Nether crystal for only 25,000 white gold coins!"
Tabitha dropped the hammer as she announced the end of the auction.
Then, a sudden silence took over the grand hall.
Just as the hammer hit the ground, the whole auction hall began to shake.