Chapter 302
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Chapter 302: The Broken Empire
With nothing to do, Karoso called over a servant.
"Can I add more items to the auction now?" Karoso asked.
"Yes, of course," the servant quickly nodded.
Those who can participate in the auction are either rich or noble, and they may carry valuable items with them.
Karoso casually placed a card down and said, "Let’s take a look at this."
The waiter bowed his head to glance at it and was immediately shocked.
This is Emperor Goufuh? The seventh-tier Emperor Goufuh!
Just the seventh-tier Legend Card is worth a hundred thousand Magic Crystal Coins. This is a big deal!
The waiter quickly took the card and left this place.
In fact, if Card Maker sells a card like this for a hundred thousand Magic Crystal Coins, earning twenty thousand would be considered high; the profit would only be around ten thousand.
The materials for the Legend Card are really rare. Karoso spent over forty million just on buying the materials. If it weren’t for his special luck, the success rate of making the card would be lower. Even if it was similar to Alita, Karoso could lose sixty million before he got a successful card.
This was done for him for free; if he had to pay normally, Karoso would need to spend quite a bit of money.
Luckily, the difficult material for Emperor Goufuh was just one kind; the other materials were easier to find, just a bit expensive.
This is why the Emperor said that the Nature Mage Association cannot rise in a short time; there are too many commoners inside. Even noble families, how many people can afford this card? To be loyal to a great power, one must achieve great deeds first to earn it.
Even if nobles join the Nature Mage Association, it will take twenty years before we see any signs of growth, so the Emperor is very careful with his investments.
"You want to sell a card? I just remembered that you are a Card Maker," Aileen said casually, not knowing what kind of card Karoso was selling.
"Yes, my teacher told me to wait one or two more years before breaking through. I don’t want to break through right now," Karoso said, stretching out his hand. "This card is just sitting here; it won’t be worth as much after a while."
……
Soon, the bright environment around became dim.
At this moment, under the lights in the center of the auction hall, a beautiful woman in a red gown stepped down from an elevator and took out a microphone.
"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Corleone Auction," the woman smiled and said. "You may wonder why we can use an elevator and an electronic microphone when machines are banned in Laria. Actually, this auction is in a special location that is not in the Laria area, and everything we do here is reasonable and legal."
The people present were all of high status and were quietly talking, not making much noise.
"Alright, I believe everyone is not too interested in other things, so let’s introduce our first auction item. We had initially prepared a special item for the opening of the Knight Tournament, but just now, we got our hands on a very popular item, so the auction decided to use this item to excite everyone!"
"Moreover, this item technically does not belong to this auction!"
"So, let’s present the first item, the currently sought-after Nature Mage’s top card: Emperor Goufuh!"
Snap! Snap!
A platform rose up, and on it lay a shining golden card.
"Emperor Goufuh?"
"That Emperor Goufuh from Nature Mage?"
"This card is here?"
"I think this item doesn’t need much introduction." The beautiful lady glanced at Emperor Goufuh, "It allows a seventh-tier Nature Mage to gain double the magic power, which is like doubling their strength; if they are good at fighting, it could be even more than double!"
"Whether in a duel or on the battlefield, it is a rare and powerful tool."
"Most importantly, the Nature Mage Association is still negotiating for this card. Even the guildmaster of the Nature Mage Association has very few finished cards, and they are only used internally."
"Currently, it was only seen once, when Lord Karoso Colloa, the son of Grand Duke Osiris from Canglang Province in the Kingdom of Persia, brought it out at the Forbidden Sea."
"Clearly, its value is not just in battles; if you take it out for a fight now, you might be the first person to use Emperor Goufuh in real life. The sooner you use it, the more you enjoy it!"
"Also, there is one important detail… On the back of the card, there is the number 1. This means this is the first seventh-tier Emperor Goufuh. No matter how many are made in the future, it will always be the first! This number is a significant part of the negotiations; only numbers one to nine can be engraved on it, and others cannot. I wonder what price people will offer for this historical item?"
"The starting bid is one million Magic Crystal Coins! Each bid must be at least one thousand Magic Crystal Coins higher."
Even with Karoso’s wealth and status, he was sweating nervously at this moment.
One million Magic Crystal Coins?
This is Magic Crystal Coin, not Forged Coin.
If we count in Forged Coins, this card is worth one billion Forged Coins?
This card is impressive, but even if it is rare, two hundred thousand is the highest price, right?
There are not many Nature Mages above the seventh tier who can afford it, just wait and they will all have it.
As for the number on the back of the card, netizens found it interesting at first and suggested adding it; Karoso mentioned it casually, not expecting the auctioneer to exaggerate it to this extent.
[I’m tempted to buy it just by listening.]
[Wow, the earlier you use it the more you enjoy it; that’s too real. I bought a piece of clothing for sixteen hundred, and it lost value soon after.]
[My gun has also lost its value.]
[I just crafted an amazing shiny outfit, then they released a big update, and it became outdated right away. Who can I complain to? Boohoo, damn it, I enjoyed it…]
[This is the first card, and it really makes me want to buy it…]
[Why do we have so few Magic Crystal Coins, but they have so many?]
[I wonder if the game company dares to open a channel for exchanging Forged Coins for Magic Crystal Coins?]
"One million one hundred ten thousand!"
As soon as the beautiful woman’s voice fell, someone started bidding.
That person was not a Nature Mage at all; he was just an unqualified sixth-tier Professional, one who got to that level purely through potions.
He simply wanted to collect it; this was the first one!
"One million one hundred eleven thousand!" someone followed with a bid.
Even though the bid could be increased by one thousand at a time, and one thousand Magic Crystal Coins is still one million, this auction item made them forget that fact; it truly should not appear at this auction, and even the third floor joined in.
"One million one hundred twelve thousand!"
The prices in the area kept rising and in just a moment, they reached one million three hundred thousand.
Karoso watched with wide eyes; this high-end card can really make money!
Of course, this is Emperor Goufuh. Anyone who knows about cards would know that other cards can be discarded, but Goufuh will not!
Changing to a seventh-tier Legend Card absolutely does not have this much power.
A regular seventh-tier blue card only costs between five hundred and one thousand Magic Crystal Coins…
Saaya also looked very confused.
He instinctively felt that this item was something Karoso was selling.
Phew, it should be for someone else; this card was probably given to him by his father to sell, and the money definitely won’t go to him…
"One million five hundred thousand!"
A richly dressed wealthy woman proudly raised the sign.
Karoso glanced back and realized he had seen this person in the newspaper; they had a magic crystal mine at home…
Besides being money, magic crystals are also a source of energy; in this world, many energy sources are closely related to magic crystals.
It is well known that anything related to energy makes money.
Of course, this refers to mining, not working for someone else.
"Wow, Card Maker must be so profitable…" Aileen murmured, "If you could make a card like that, I would have to take you away."
"I really can’t make that," Karoso replied with open hands.
"Alright, this card belongs to Lady Number Six." With a wave of her beautiful hand, the lights on the platform dimmed, and the item would be delivered to that wealthy woman later.
Click, click…
The mechanical sound echoed again, and a large object covered with a red cloth slowly came down from the platform to the stage.
"The second item for auction is quite fitting for this knight’s tournament…" The beautiful woman pulled hard, and the red cloth was removed.
Under the red cloth was an iron cage, and inside the cage was a tall and handsome man.
His armor had many dents, and there was dried blood on it.
His body seemed to have been washed, looking very clean, but his face was very pale.
He was gasping for air and looking around at the people at the auction.
"A person…" Aileen’s face turned white.
A slave, a word both familiar and strange.
In many underdeveloped places, serfs still exist.
Even if some have escaped the identity of a slave, they have only changed the name, gaining just a little security; a slave is still a slave, burdened to allow those in power to live in peace.
"This knight has a remarkable background. He was second in popularity and one of the top four knights in the last competition!" the beautiful woman announced loudly. "A year ago, he fought bravely to prove himself, but he was captured and brought to our auction house for sale!"
To achieve second place in popularity, he must be very skilled, and to also be in fourth place shows he is quite strong.
As for why he is fourth? If he were in another position, the woman wouldn’t call it the top four…
This knight is quite unfortunate; he thought he earned his place through strength, full of confidence as he went into battle, only to be captured.
This knight is not bad; at least he truly wants to prove himself and is willing to go to the battlefield instead of just making money from fame.
"After this knight was captured, whether by others or by us, he was not mistreated. He still has a rebellious spirit, making him a good candidate for taming. Once tamed, he would make a great guard, and he has a sixth-tier Legend Card in his deck!" The beautiful woman waved her hand, "Starting bid, twenty thousand Magic Crystal Coins, with each bid increasing by no less than one thousand."
Out of those twenty thousand, over ten thousand comes from his deck…
"Knights cannot be sold…" Aileen snapped back to reality, losing interest in the spectacle. "This is a knight, a knight!"
She tried to get up, but Karoso held her down.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Aileen is a girl; she can be called a storyline goddess by netizens, and her potential is definitely strong.
Karoso could barely hold her down because he had activated the Mark of the Divine Favor.
Karoso realized that in this venue, he couldn’t draw magic power at all; the little he could use came from the Mark of the Divine Favor.
No wonder they don’t invite eighth-tier beings; surely none of them would enjoy this feeling of being suppressed.
"Do you want them to throw you out? Here, my influence won’t help you!" Karoso said in a low voice, "Do you know how many important people are here? There are several dukes and marquises, and other royal families are also present, along with representatives of major factions."
Thankfully, each table has a soundproof magic array, so only when raising signs to bid can the voices carry out, making it easier for everyone to discuss.
Otherwise, if it was just Karoso and Aileen arguing, it would likely cause a scene; they have already been asked to leave.
Earlier, during the bidding, some tables also had ‘intense discussions’ like those two, so it wasn’t too strange.
People who do not know might think Aileen liked that strong young knight and wanted to take him home for herself, but her husband disagreed.
"A knight, a knight is being sold like a slave! As a knight, how can I remain indifferent! He could die in battle or be captured and cruelly tortured by the enemy, but he should not be sold like a slave!" Aileen said with excitement. "I do not care who they are, I only know that I am a knight, and I cannot stand by and watch! Even if the Knight King is here, he would do the same as me. Helping weak companions is what I should do!"
"Weak companion?" Karoso frowned. "He was in the top four of the last big competition and has trained for three more years than you. How can you call him a weak companion?"
"Your Knight King also knows how to make friends from afar while attacking nearby. Battles require strategy; knights are not reckless!"
"If you go up now, what can you stop?"
"Your magic powers are sealed. If you go, it will be pointless!"
"Or do you have some status that makes them respect you?"
"Me? I am the daughter of the current Knight King, the princess of the Pande Empire, and also a knight!" After Aileen said this, she felt a buzz in her head. Did I just reveal my identity?
"So what? You are the princess of the Pande Empire. What can you stop?"
Unlike what Aileen thought, Karoso was completely unmoved.
Karoso pointed at the people behind, "Look at how many nobles from the Pande Empire are here. Do you think they don’t know? Not only do they know, but they are also bidding!"
"Do you really think that just because you are a princess of the Pande Empire, they will show you respect?"
"To harm such a business, you are up against a system, a huge system. This system, not just you, but even the entire Pande Empire cannot stop!"
"If you want to play in this system, you must follow the rules of the game!"
"What you see is only the sunny side. Do you know how dark this city is? Do you realize what your country is really like right now?"
"Right here in Laria, some single female tourists can suddenly end up being taken to nightclubs, forced to sleep with those powerful men, becoming tools for making money. They wouldn’t even get help if they called the police because the police are in on it."
"Wake up, Pande Empire, it has already rotted away!"
