Ko Gunwen, facing his father's pressure and questioning his dependence, declared he would repay his father and forge his own path. His father, City Lord Ko, scoffed at the idea, questioning Ko Gunwen's ability and motivation to survive independently. While Ko Gunwen struggled to answer, City Lord Ko dismissed his son's thoughts as delusions. Later, City Lord Ko announced that two sons would attend a trading company auction, intending to give Ko Gunwen a chance for redemption. However, he unexpectedly chose Ko Furen and Ko Wenlu, much to Ko Fuan's dismay, leaving Ko Gunwen to ponder his situation.
"Your Highness", the Inner Court Elder of the Ember Palm Pavilion, who arrived at the inn where Wei Yuanjie was lodging, offered a respectful bow. He was accompanied by two other Sect Elders, as well as several Disciples and Sect Protectors, all of whom mirrored his gesture.
"Good evening," Wei Yuanjie responded with a nod, a subtle, unreadable smile gracing his lips. "Shall we proceed?"
The Sect Elders, much like Lu Bihai from the Martial Alliance the previous day, observed that besides Duan Feng, ten figures concealed by veiled bamboo hats were present with the prince. Notably, Wu Long was absent. A swift conclusion, similar to Lu Bihai's, was immediately drawn regarding the reasons behind these absences.
They then made their way to the Soaring Feather Trading Company, the thoroughfares leading to it teeming with a dense multitude of attendees.
A festive ambiance masked an underlying tension. Even as they ascended to the private balcony within the auction hall, an air of excitement and enthusiasm permeated the vast crowds gathered on the ground floor and in the galleries.
Wei Yuanjie made no move to activate the privacy formations for his balcony, openly allowing his arrival and presence to be observed by all within the hall.
He noted that the 5th prince, Wei Liheng, who had arrived earlier and occupied a different private balcony on the opposite side of the hall, had adopted a similar approach, his entourage readily visible.
However, in contrast to Wei Yuanjie's direct association with the Ember Palm Pavilion, the Seven Extreme Swords Sect maintained a separate private balcony, which was also left open to public view.
Indeed, a considerable number of private balconies had their occupants choose not to obscure them from public sight. Examples included the balcony occupied by the Crystal Wood Sect, and the one hosting the delegation from the Martial Alliance, where Lu Bihai offered a courteous nod to Wei Yuanjie and the Ember Palm Pavilion.
Qian Ying also occupied a private balcony, as the owner of the arena was expected to be present at such a prominent event, particularly following the announcement of the tournament sponsored by the Soaring Feather Trading Company.
In yet another private balcony, the Iron Claw Group was represented by one of its four Chiefs, who regarded the 9th prince with undisguised hostility.
Adjacent to them, representatives from the Silverleaf Trade Hall surveyed their surroundings with an air of disdain and arrogance. Among them was a man with a sallow complexion and slightly bloodshot eyes, recognizable as the representative of the Bao Family, whose actions had previously caused significant distress to the owner of the Silverleaf Trade Hall.
Yet, the aura of superiority and self-importance projected by these two representative groups from Iron Claw City was significantly diminished by the palpable, almost mocking attitude directed at them by nearly the entire assembled audience. The former faced scorn due to the incident involving Tiezhu Bo's death and Go Ritian's dismemberment, while the latter incurred scorn from pervasive rumors circulating throughout the city since that morning.
Bypassing these two groups, Wei Yuanjie expressed surprise to find the City Lord Manor represented by Ko Wenlu and Ko Furen in one of the visible balconies, having anticipated Ko Fuan's presence instead.
Conversely, the Imperial Ambassador, Wei Lufan, was conspicuously absent, leading to widespread speculation that he was likely situated within one of the private balconies shielded from public view by defensive arrays and formations.
The Right Guardian of the Crow King also occupied one of these private balconies, complete with activated privacy protections.
These private balconies commanded a considerable price, yet not a single one remained unoccupied, rendering this auction profitable even before the sale of a single item.
Even within the two tiers of galleries, which offered more moderately priced accommodations, a substantial number of individuals who would have secured a private balcony if available were present. These included representatives from Crimson Arrow Manor, numerous nobles and court officials accompanying the Wei Dynasty delegation, and delegates from local Sects.
Following a period of murmuring and hushed conversation, the auction commenced as a masked individual emerged onto the stage. They delivered an opening speech, expressing gratitude for the audience's attendance and humorously acknowledging a few latecomers from Iron Claw City, eliciting laughter from the crowd. This caused the representatives from the Silverleaf Trade Hall to clench their jaws in suppressed anger, unable to respond.
This masked orator was, predictably, Kwon Qianhong, who had returned from his assignment in Emerald Falls City specifically for this event.
The auction began with a high-value item designed to ignite excitement: a 3rd-tier Mortal Grade sword, crafted by Kai Huoshi and Ci Han from Blood-Veined Iron. This item was notably announced as the first quality piece 'submitted to the auction by a third party,' a strategic move orchestrated by Wu Long and Sui Luxiao to bolster the auction's credibility shortly after its inception.
Almost immediately, several bids were announced from the lower levels and surrounding galleries, with participants loudly calling out their offers and raising their numbered bidding signs.
Suspended directly above the auction stage was a swirling sphere of Qi, meticulously displaying the current highest bid alongside the minimum increment required for subsequent offers.
Occasionally, the displayed bid would update without a sound from the crowd, indicating a silent bid had been placed using a bidding sign, likely to maintain anonymity.
The bidding for the item escalated swiftly, reaching 50,000 Wei Dynasty gold coins before the rapid increase began to peter out. It inched up to 60,000 and then painstakingly crawled towards 70,000.
While the sword was undoubtedly a rare and exquisite artifact, its current price point was already surpassing its estimated worth, considering the quality of its materials and the skill of its crafting. Consequently, the pool of interested bidders began to shrink considerably.
The final few offers originated from the Seven Extreme Swords Sect, a fact that further diminished the likelihood of additional bids. Few would dare to provoke one of the three major Sects, even with the convenience of anonymous bidding.
This situation, however, might change for someone with sufficient influence...
"100,000 gold," Wei Yuanjie's voice boomed as his hand, clutching a bidding number, rose into the air.
His bidding number illuminated, and the impressive sum flashed above the stage, replacing the prior offer. A wave of murmurs swept through the hall, accompanied by disgruntled expressions from the members of the Seven Extreme Swords Sect.
"120,000 gold!" The 5th Prince's sign shot up almost instantaneously.
The assembled crowd gasped, realizing that the two princes had entered into a bidding war from the very outset, even on the first item. Simultaneously, a palpable excitement surged through those less interested in the sword, anticipating a thrilling duel between the royals.
"200,000 gold," Wei Yuanjie declared with a low chuckle, his new bid eliciting an even more significant reaction from the onlookers.
"250,000," Wei Liheng retorted with a snort, clearly unwilling to concede defeat easily.
"300,000."
The exchange was so rapid that the audience barely had time to react as the escalating bids quickly propelled the price towards half a million gold.
Observers noted that while the 5th Prince was increasing his bids by tens of thousands, Wei Yuanjie consistently raised his by a hundred thousand, effectively pressuring Wei Liheng.
It became apparent that Prince Wei Yuanjie had initiated this confrontation not to acquire the sword, but to provoke his rival. Now, even if he forced Wei Liheng to pay an astronomical sum, the significant difference in bid increments made the 5th Prince appear hesitant. This pushed him to respond in kind, ultimately bidding 600,000 gold.
After this substantial bid, Wei Yuanjie paused briefly. Then, turning to Wei Liheng with a wide, disarming grin, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, if Brother desires this sword so greatly, I shall not contend with you for it. Consider it a gift – enjoy."
Wei Liheng's fists clenched tightly in suppressed anger as he struggled to maintain his composure, realizing he had been expertly baited. He had no intention of bidding further after this, making this final, escalated bid of 100,000 solely to assert his dominance. He was content with having forced Yuanjie to expend such a vast sum for an item that, in reality, was worth much less.
Kwon Qianhong's voice rang out with feigned enthusiasm, "Sold for 600,000 Wei Dynasty gold! What an explosive opening! Congratulations to His Imperial Highness, the 5th Prince, on this spectacular acquisition!" The auctioneer's pronouncement only amplified Wei Liheng's bitter feelings. He certainly did not feel like a victor, nor did he believe he appeared as one to the assembled audience.
He might have attempted to frame it as gaining the strategic advantage by securing the initial bid, a price that could be justified for any valuable item. However, it was universally understood that this was not the demeanor he displayed when the bidding war commenced. Wei Yuanjie's current display of cheerful indifference, completely unfazed by 'losing' the bidding war, only served to reinforce the perception that the 5th Prince had, in fact, suffered a defeat.
