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Join the ServerWhen the spotlight focused on the elven maiden, the entire venue fell into an eerie silence. Her beauty transcended racial boundaries, causing even the proudest noble ladies to unconsciously lower their gazes.
The girl’s porcelain skin, set off by her shackles, resembled fragile moonlight, making every covetous soul yearn both to possess and to shatter her.
“Opening bid: ten thousand gold coins! Each raise must be no less than one thousand!”
As the auctioneer’s words landed, the crowd collectively gasped. Ten thousand gold coins? That was no small sum! What ordinary noble could afford such a price? Even if they could, would they dare to reveal their wealth so openly? They would fear being summoned by the royal family for tea the very next day. Unless, of course, they had a Saint Archmage at home to shield them from the crown’s inquiries.
Through the projection, Su Liyue observed the scene and sighed inwardly. Ten thousand gold coins was indeed a fortune. By Earth’s currency standards, one copper coin equaled one yuan, one silver coin equaled one hundred yuan, and one gold coin equaled one thousand yuan. Ten thousand gold coins meant ten million yuan.
What did that imply? How could a minor noble accumulate that much tax revenue in a year?
Su Liyue cautiously glanced at her two fathers’ expressions. They, too, were momentarily stunned by the elf’s breathtaking beauty, but quickly regained composure, showing little interest. She guessed the reason: perhaps they wanted to maintain a dignified facade before their daughter, or perhaps Father Su was wary of Madam Su’s overbearing authority.
After all, having given birth to a daughter as exquisite as her, how could her mother’s looks be any less?
Mu Wanqing appeared tense, her eyes brimming with sympathy. Yet in this auction house packed with power and influence, all she could do was offer a compassionate gaze.
As for Li Yunxin, she was utterly captivated by the elf’s otherworldly features. No wonder they said the elven race’s innate beauty was intoxicating. Even this young elf, still in her infancy, left her—someone blessed with a goddess-nurturing system—feeling utterly outclassed.
Though Li Yunxin desperately wanted to purchase the young elf, the starting bid of ten thousand gold coins was far beyond her means. She could only watch, powerless.
“Eleven thousand gold coins!”
The first to bid was naturally Duke Xiao. Having received prior intelligence about such a treasure, he came well prepared.
With Duke Xiao’s opening, other wealthy attendees joined the fray. The price quickly soared to thirty thousand gold coins. Even if Su Liyue had the intent, this public auction made it difficult for her to act.
Though she pitied the elf, she couldn’t rescue her openly. The Aetherland Empire’s grand auction attracted most of the nation’s influential figures. Her father and friends were present. Publicly offending the noble faction would invite considerable trouble.
After all, she couldn’t very well ask Ye Xingchen to erase the entire Aetherland Empire with a single slap. That would be too absurd.
Li Yunxin clenched her small fists as she watched the pitiful little elf, then reluctantly let them fall.
The elven maiden in the crystal cage seemed to sense something. She suddenly lifted her head toward their private box.
Her emerald eyes held a heartbreaking light, hope and despair intertwined.
When the price hit one hundred thousand gold coins, the successive bids gradually thinned.
Many nobles set down their paddles with ashen faces, sweat beading on their brows. That figure had exceeded their prepared budgets.
Duke Xiao smiled faintly. In his luxurious box, he leisurely sipped tea and ate fruit before continuing to bid.
“One hundred and five thousand gold coins!”
The room gasped at this staggering sum. Truly, the Duke’s mansion was exceptionally wealthy. Rumors had circulated that Duke Xiao, to expand his harem, had built a massive garden and even leveled several inconvenient hills around his villa at great expense. Now, those stories seemed all too real…
The auctioneer’s voice trembled with excitement: “One hundred and five thousand gold coins! Any higher bids?”
His gaze inadvertently swept toward the central box on the second floor, then quickly darted away. In this empire, the forces daring to challenge Duke Xiao could be counted on one hand.
Just as the entire venue held its breath, from that mysterious box with its curtain perpetually drawn came a languid yet irrefutable voice.
“I bid one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins.”
The moment that bid was announced, shockwaves swept through the auction hall like a tidal wave.
Even the leisurely fruit-savoring Duke Xiao lost his composure. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford more, but he began to ponder the necessity. Who in the Aetherland Empire could outbid him so effortlessly? Besides the royal family and Saint Archmage-level experts, who else could it be?
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Looking For My Child's Father. Start reading now!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
