Chapter 553: Gamble

“15,000,000 gold coins!”

Before Arathor and the Elf could even communicate, Lin Li had already chased up to them and placed his bid without hesitation.

As soon as he placed his bid, the miscellaneous noises ceased, and there was a sudden explosive sound that seemed like it was going to break the roof instead. It was just like a volcano that had erupted after staying dormant for a long time. No one bothered about William and the rules of the auction, for the bid was shocking enough to make everyone lose their mind.

15,000,000 gold coins! Damn it, he actually wants to pay so much just for this broken branch, and that without hesitation! Is there something wrong with this Mage Felic’s brain!? Those people had already become jaded after hearing the sky-high bids, but the new bid of 15,000,000 was already beyond what they could accept.

Damn, if I had those 15,000,000 gold coins, I would rather use them to buy better magic equipment and solicit stronger subordinates. This money is enough to double my abilities and strength. That madman Felic’s Tower of Dusk has only been established for a year, and he should be in need of a large amount of funds now. Yet, he wants to spend all of the money that he had just earned on some useless tree branch.

Lots of people thought the same, and they all felt that they would rather invest their money in their own forces in his place.

In fact, all of them had seen big money before. After all, they also owned powerful forces which dominated their respective fields. Their combined assets were definitely more than 10,000,000 gold coins. However, owning 10,000,000 gold coins was not the same as spending 10,000,000 gold coins. 10,000,000 gold coins could be put to various uses, yet Lin Li spent it all on a tree branch that was definitely not worth that much money even if it were taken from the Tree of Eternity.

What would the mages of the Tower of Dusk think if they were to find out? Anyway, if I were them, I would definitely kick him out of the damn Guild of Magic. I doubt the Tower of Dusk can last long with such a selfish President. It’s only a matter of time before they disband. 

Almost all the people in the audience were agitated. Although Lin Li had nothing to do with them, they were really anxious. Indeed, the lives of everyone were different.

I worked so hard to manage the forces under me for the sake of a small territory, and I even had to stain my hands with blood for the sake of earning money. Yet, I still don’t have 10,000,000 gold coins. If you think you have too much money, I can spend it for you. If you like tree branches, I’ll give you all of the branches in my territory. 

While seated in the VIP room, Lin Li immediately placed a bid of 15,000,000 gold coins, giving Wilkinson as well as everyone else a great shock. They reckoned that they were the only ones who knew the use of the tree branch and what it was really worth. They knew that the estimated value of the branch was probably just 5,000,000 or 6,000,000 gold coins. After all, the effects still had to be tested. However, they did not expect Master Felic to bid such a huge sum for the treasure.

At this point, there was no need for Arathor to be calculative with the Elves, either. Even the castellan of Roland City had no choice but to think to himself, If you Elves are rich, you may continue bidding and vying. This is all that I can do.

The Elf who had stood forth was instantly dumbfounded as he froze and stood rooted to the ground. How could he have expected to meet such a ruthless person? He angrily thought to himself, You’re just a filthy and lowly human, how dare you covet the treasures of us elves? It’s such an insult to our treasures and to us. Unforgivable! 

The Elves were not to be trifled with—they were no pushovers. Perhaps they used to be ones a long time ago, but after experiencing the disaster that almost wiped their entire race out, they became jaded, and were no longer kind or peace-loving. They began to think that those qualities were ridiculous.

There had been countless humans who entered the Emerald Forest where the Elves had fled. Most died in the Emerald Forest, though some deaths might have been caused by misunderstandings. For human beings, the Emerald Forest should be regarded as the only forbidden area in the land of Anril.

A menacing gaze formed in the eyes of the Elf as he stared at the human who was competing for his treasure and remaining seated leisurely with a look of contempt.

“15,000,000 gold coins. Is this going to be a new record, or is someone else going to continue breaking it? This is the last chance. 15,000,000 gold coins going thrice.” Actually, 15,000,000 gold coins was way more than William had expected. He followed the procedure and asked thrice. At last, he raised the gravel and prepared to seal the deal.

“Wait a minute!” the Elf yelled in a bid to stop William from slamming down the gravel. He did not place a new bid, however.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but if you’d like to postpone the transaction, according to the rules of the auction, you’ll have to gain the approval of Mage Felic beforehand,” William said loudly. Actually, under normal circumstances, his words would have been considered to be rejection, and only a fool would allow his rival to have more time to raise his bid.

“Mage Felic, I was just wondering if you could give me some time to discuss something with you. I hope to gain your approval,” said Arathor. Unlike Arathor, the Elf would never swallow his pride and stoop that low.

“Go ahead.” Lin Li nodded nonchalantly. Had he not discovered that the Elf was disguising as a follower, he wouldn’t have bothered to waste his time. However, he was now interested in seeing what tricks the Elf was getting up to.

Arathor and the Elf were actually standing rather close to each other. However, when they approached the entrance, they began to talk to each other about something in soft yet agitated voices. They had deliberately lowered their volume so much that even the sharp-sensed Lin Li could not hear their conversation clearly, though he heard that they were talking about Master Bethany or something of sorts. Next, Arathor shook his head profusely, and seemed to be put on the spot. The Elf had no choice but to sigh and turn around to return to his room. However, he ran into Lin Li.

“Mage Felic, do allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vidas, and I’m a mage too. It seems you’re probably also a pharmacist, and you’re purchasing the branch for the sake of using its natural aura to influence the growth of herbs, right? However, you should know that the price of 15,000,000 gold coins has already surpassed its practical value. If you let me have the branch, I promise to supply you with the seeds of some extremely rare herbs.” The Elf offered a tempting deal that was exceptionally attractive for mages.

If the tree branch was really just full of life, Lin Li would definitely agree to it because the Elves lived in the Emerald Forest, and they could certainly obtain extraordinary herbs. However, the problem was that the branch was one of the seven pieces of the debris of the stars, and contained the Rule power of nature and earth. It was extremely tempting to Lin Li, and it was a treasure that could not be replaced by anything else.

“I’m sorry, but this branch is very important for me too. If you’d like to have it, please offer a higher bid. I’ll definitely continue bidding for it with you too.” Lin Li turned down the Elf’s offer without hesitation because he had already made up his mind to lay his hands on that piece of debris of the stars, even if it was going to set him back by 30,000,000 or 50,000,000 gold coins.

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Vidas’ good will had been turned down. He had never felt so disgusted with humans before. He felt that they were absolutely shameless and foolish for paying a huge and unnecessary price for the sake of pride while causing inconveniences for others.

Vidas took a deep breath, tried to suppress his anger, and said to Lin Li, “Mage Felic, you and I are both mages. Since we can’t come to a consensus on this issue, why don’t we use magic? Whoever obtains victory can take the branch away!”

Before Lin Li could even answer, Wilkinson stared at Vidas in amusement as if he was staring at an idiot. “Hey, is there something wrong with your brain? This is an auction, not a casino. It’s not like President Felic can’t afford to pay that price. As long as William seals the deal, we don’t even have to vie with you.”

These Elves are really naive, Lin Li thought to himself, feeling extremely amused too. Trying to suppress his laughter, he said, “I’m sorry, Mage Vidas, this item belongs to me until you place a new bid. Since it’s mine, why do I have to bet with you?”

Vidas could no longer suppress his anger after being rejected again. He humphed, and immediately stormed into the VIP room.

Lin Li moved towards the side and stood in front of Wilkinson and the rest to stop them from embarrassing themselves in front of the Elf.

Wilkinson broke out in a cold sweat. Although pharmacists had high status, there was nothing they could do when it came to people who didn’t buy it.

There was a sudden magical wave that came from the VIP room, and everyone fell silent immediately. It was too strong—everyone thought the same, including plenty of level-17 and level-18 Archmages. They’d clearly already sensed that the massive magical wave was from a Legendary figure.

The auctioneer William’s heart suddenly wrenched up. Is the discussion going to turn into a brawl? That would be terrible for the auction. Most importantly, who was going to pay 10,000,000 gold coins for the tree branch if the paymaster were to flee!?

“Legendary-realm!” Hilary sprung up from his seat and shifted his gaze onto the VIP room opposite, contemplating if he should intervene. Although he did not feel great about Lin Li, he felt that he ought not to die, since he was the pharmacist Englos spoke highly of. He thought, Wait a minute, Englos seemed to have said before that this chap is extremely perverted and sickly talented. I’d better observe how perverted he may be. 

Arathor wanted to step forward to persuade him, but the overpowering aura of the Legendary figures made it almost impossible for him to move or speak. He had no choice but to curse in his head. Damn it, these Elves have been living out there for a long time. Why are they still so reckless?

However, Lin Li did not show any signs of discomfort at all. Instead, he said in a relaxed manner, “But, Mage Vidas, your suggestion is not bad. Of course, I’m not going to give in. How about this? I’ll purchase the branch and you can bet items that you think are of equal value later. I wouldn’t mind trying my luck then.”

Upon hearing Lin Li’s suggestion, Vidas paused and considered it for a moment before saying, “Alright, we’ll go ahead with your suggestion.”

Vidas suddenly lost his confidence and assertiveness, causing plenty of people to feel regretful. They were suppressing his envy and jealousy while waiting to see a good show, yet it ended before it even began.

“Master William, you may proceed with the auction. We’re giving up,” Arathor said.

It seems that the problem has already been solved. William heaved a sigh of relief. Although the new record of 15,000,000 gold coins had not been broken, he was content to know that there would be no unnecessary trouble. “The item has been successfully auctioned off to President Felic of the Tower of Dusk. Let’s congratulate him.” He raised the gravel and knocked down forcefully. The auction had finally been completed.

Be it sincere or not, everyone in the audience stood up and clapped to celebrate the birth of a new record. However, most of the people paid attention to the VIP rooms upstairs instead. Had the conflict really been resolved? It made them feel rather indignant.

“Fine, the transaction has been completed. Mage Vidas, what do you plan to use to bet with me?” asked Lin Li who could tell that the Elf was very strong—perhaps even more powerful than him.

What Lin Li needed now was a strong opponent.

It had been a long time since Lin Li broke through the Legendary-realm in the Abyss of Tharlen. Lin Li had three of Geresco’s relics, and his accumulations were shockingly massive, especially after his seclusion. Lin Li had even subtly sensed that he had already reached the brink of level-21. He only needed a little bit more to push his power to another realm.

However, it bothered Lin Li for a long time. Ever since the seclusion ended, Lin Li discovered that he still needed an opportunity to break through… or rather, he needed a strong opponent. Perhaps the challenge today would push him to level-21.

Of course, there were definitely risks involved.

Although Lin Li had still yet to witness Vidas’ true abilities, he could guess from the strong aura that Vidas exuded that the Elf’s ability was definitely at least level-21.

There was at most a 10% chance of him winning. Not to mention, he still had to stick to the rules…

However, Lin Li was not completely unprepared…

He had once stood at the pinnacle of the Endless World and battled the Moon Shrine. Hence, he did have some experience in battling with elves…