Chapter 320
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Chapter 320: Political Struggle?
"Dear Master Saaya Colloa, welcome back to Corleone Manor." Rio greeted Saaya with a smile, "Was last time not exciting enough?"
"Hmm." Saaya nodded with a dark expression.
Karoso was already in disguise, having grown ten centimeters taller and cloaked in a black robe, so Rio did not recognize him.
"This way, please. I believe today’s auction will not disappoint you." Rio gestured for Saaya to follow.
Soon, Saaya and Karoso arrived at the auction site.
Today’s auction was even more grand than the last, especially since they were auctioning a High Elf and a Dark Elf, not just any young elves, but elves over six hundred years old.
One of them is a wizard, and this wizard is very important. All wizards over four hundred years old have much greater knowledge than human eighth-tier wizards.
Karoso and Saaya sat on the second floor for a better view, while Aileen sat on the first floor, closer to the auction stage.
After the auction began, Karoso and Saaya had no interest in the opening items.
In fact, Saaya even yawned and joked, "Last time was the first time, so we needed a big splash. This time is the second, so we don’t need a big splash, right?"
"Second Brother actually understands this?" Karoso casually replied.
"You were still playing in the mud when I understood this," Saaya sneered.
He was very suspicious that Karoso sat next to him just to annoy him.
"The next item for auction… Rupert’s Tear! This is a legendary item on the same level as Pandora’s Eye, and it has wonderful effects for wizards!" the auctioneer announced loudly. "Wearing it can also make your mind clearer, like having a permanent boost of Arcane Intellect!"
"The best part is, it stacks with Arcane Intellect!"
"Starting bid, one hundred thousand Magic Crystal Coins!"
"Each bid must be at least one thousand Magic Crystal Coins."
"The real deal has arrived." This time, even Karoso became serious.
"Tears of Rupert…" Saaya said, if only I had the money, I would definitely buy it!
One hundred thousand Magic Crystal Coins is equivalent to one hundred million Forged Coins.
Even for Saaya, taking out this one hundred million is very difficult.
The budget in Canglang Province is quite tight; a few children, besides having advantages on their cards, do not have much pocket money. They manage the businesses given to them, and how much they earn depends on their own skills.
To develop a force, one must start from being the lord of a city.
When Karoso reaches the right age, he will also be appointed as the lord of a city.
Most of the money Saaya earned was used to grow his power, which he would use to deal with Karoso in the future.
[Oh, Rupert’s Tear!]
[Come on, anyone who understands knows that this is just a piece of glass.]
[No, in this world it is a truly Divine Artifact.]
[It really is a good item, meant for training heroes.]
[Sign in for seven days to get it for free.]
[Damn it, why can everyone only have one Rupert’s Tear?]
Karoso was already used to every netizen in this world having a top-tier extraordinary item.
"Two hundred thousand," Karoso announced the price directly.
"You are not planning to buy it with my money, are you?" Saaya felt a chill run through him and said, "I must tell you, I talked to my father, and I don’t have that much money with me…"
"Don’t worry, I will pay with my own money and settle it right here," Karoso said.
The auction has two payment options: you can pay right away or pay later.
Paying right away allows you to wear it sooner and show it off, but for bigger items, it’s not as convenient.
"Okay," Saaya felt a little more at ease.
"Oh my goodness, Master Saaya from Canglang Province just doubled the price!" the auctioneer exclaimed, "What boldness!"
Many people’s attention turned to Saaya.
Saaya stood up, smiled, and waved his hand in all directions.
I must say, this does add quite a bit of prestige.
"Two hundred thousand… and five thousand." A person hesitated for a moment before making a bid.
This extraordinary item is quite valuable; it’s one of the renowned Divine Artifacts, and it could even be passed down as a family heirloom. Many people have their eyes on it.
"Three hundred thousand!" Karoso raised the price directly without waiting for anyone else to bid.
"Where did you get so much money?" Saaya felt a chill, "Wasn’t that card meant to be sold by your father? You aren’t spending your father’s money, are you?"
"You can report me," Karoso said mockingly.
In another life, he didn’t have this item and couldn’t use Arcane Intellect to increase his learning speed.
In the game, Karoso focused all his thoughts on battle, so he improved quickly. In a one-on-one match, at the same age, Karoso might not even be able to defeat his game counterpart, since learning card creation takes up a lot of his time.
When it comes to auctions, boldness can be very important. Karoso tripled the price in an instant, and no one wanted to bid anymore since the Tear of Rupert was just a minor item.
Compared to the two fairies that could also serve as family heirlooms, the Tear of Rupert’s usefulness is very slight.
"Well then, we congratulate Mr. Saaya for winning the Tears of Rupert!" The auctioneer called three times before the gavel fell.
Soon, the Tears of Rupert were sent to Karoso, who quickly put it around his neck and settled the bill.
Wearing this thing makes studying much faster.
You could say that once this thing reaches the world of netizens, anyone who uses it can easily get into Tsinghua or Peking University, much like having endless NZT-48.
"Now, for the next auction item that everyone has been waiting for… the dark elf!" The auctioneer waved gracefully, and a cage slowly descended from above, unlike before when it rose up.
The cage was suspended in mid-air, and the elf inside looked like a pet.
Her clothes were very tattered, looking like they were made of grass.
A collar was around her neck, a technology from before the card era, equivalent to a slave contract.
With this thing, she couldn’t even think about committing suicide.
She must have had many scars before, but now they have formed scabs.
A sixth-tier dark elf, who has not advanced even after six hundred years, shows how unfair nature can be to the elven race.
The same realization comes easily to humans, but it is very difficult for elves.
Of course, their lifespan is unmatched by humans; elves are definitely the longest-lived race, but sadly, they are very few in number.
"Me…" The ponytailed waitress almost couldn’t hold back when she saw the person she had been waiting for come out.
A childhood friend, locked away in a cage like this…
She really wanted to pick up a dagger and rush in, but she knew she couldn’t.
"Who dares to illegally auction a dark elf!"
At that moment, the door of the auction house was kicked open.
The Holy Light shining Celica appeared inside the auction house.
Everyone looked shocked. Why was a high-ranking church member here? Didn’t the church never participate before?
"Cardinal?" Rio stared at Celica in surprise. He didn’t understand at all why a cardinal would come!
[Hahahahaha… things just got interesting!]
[Celica is involved in the Death Knight event in the story, but she has no idea about the trouble happening here.]
[In the story, Celica is also quite busy. She came alone to Laria, unlike in this world where she met Minaret and brought two people for safety, allowing her to handle both sides at once.]
[Do you think Celica can take advantage of this?]
[It’s a bit hard for just Celica, but with Master Karoso’s plans, it became easier.]
[This time, the Corleone family has hit a wall.]
"It turns out to be Bishop Celica. Let’s go outside and talk."
Jeff Corleone, the head of the auction, quickly stepped forward.
He was a well-dressed old gentleman, his hair neatly combed.
He hurried to Celica and respectfully said, "The auction is still ongoing."
"Talk outside? I’m not interested. Now you have solid evidence, and you are auctioning a dark elf right under my nose." Celica scoffed, "Isn’t this getting a bit impatient?"
"This dark elf has no identification; he is an illegal resident…" Jeff showed a Magic Crystal Card and softly said, "Theoretically, it is legal…"
"All dark elves, once discovered, must be turned over to the Church of Dawn Goddess and cannot be kept hidden!" Celica said coldly, "This is the church’s strict rule!"
"How about you go back and ask Bishop Ricardo?" Jeff suggested cautiously.
He cursed Ricardo in his heart.
Dark elves have flowed into the market; this has been allowed by the church for a long time.
The expenses of the Church of the Dawn Goddess are not a small amount. If they do not get enough donations from followers, there will be problems.
For example, the cardinal would be deemed unqualified.
Many cardinals, to keep their positions, will more or less allow such things to increase their income, making their performance look better.
Compared to the cardinals, they are more like politicians.
As long as their achievements are met, what does legality matter?
Jeff has given enough money, and Ricardo did not handle the matter well; this is a big problem.
"Do you mean that there is a deal between you, and he allowed you to sell?" Celica squinted her eyes.
She was very glad she investigated; otherwise, she would have never discovered such dirty things!
Speaking of which, the Blade of Dawn does some dirty work for the church, but Celica is a weirdo in the Blade of Dawn, always finding fault with everything.
Therefore, the church had to let this strange member of the Blade of Dawn do some brighter tasks, like fighting cultists.
Later, when there were really no enemies left for her to fight, she achieved all sorts of accomplishments and became a role model for many members of the Blade of Dawn and knights. Thus, the church had no choice but to appoint her as a cardinal, in the Kingdom of Persia, where there were the least chaotic things to handle.
Little did she know, by chance, she ended up in Laria, getting involved in other people’s business.
Ricardo was doing his best to keep it from her, but with the encouragement of others, it was impossible to hide.
"No, no, no, I didn’t say that…" Jeff was shocked, wondering what was going on.
Could this woman be trying to take down Ricardo? Did they have a past?
An auction for a dark elf can be a big deal; taking down a cardinal is quite difficult, but sometimes all it takes to target someone is just a chance. There are plenty of people keeping an eye on that position, and if the opportunity is good enough, countless people will help Celica.
In Jeff’s eyes, Celica’s appearance was a political struggle, and she was even planning to use the Corleone family as a springboard!
"Then let me ask him what is going on!" Celica took a step forward.
The people below began to chatter.
"What is happening with the Corleone family?"
"Didn’t they say it was no big deal?"
"How did they get the church’s cardinal involved?"
"Is this really the top auction?"
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Jeff’s forehead; if this matter was not handled well, the auction’s reputation could be ruined!
The problem is, with Celica here, he couldn’t just eliminate her, right?
"I asked you to ask Bishop Ricardo. Yes, yes…" Jeff let out a bitter smile, "This dark elf is not a real dark elf; it’s a human in disguise… I want to ask Bishop Ricardo to confess."
"Ha, fake? Do you think I am blind?" Celica’s gaze turned to the dark elf, "Bring her over, I want to check."
"This requires a search warrant…"
"My presence here represents the will of the church, the will of the goddess!" Celica narrowed her eyes, "I am the search warrant itself!"
"This…" Jeff saw that they couldn’t agree and could only sigh helplessly, softly waving his hand behind him.
To stop Celica from continuing her search, they would have to eliminate the dark elf.
Although it would be in front of Celica, silencing her like this would at most lead to being taken back for questioning, and afterward there would still be ways to act.
Once she took away the real evidence, that would be a different story.
The girl with a single ponytail walked over to the switch, gripping it tightly.
Crack!
The entire auction house suddenly became completely dark.
Jeff quickly turned around.
Damn it, what is happening? I asked them to destroy this auction item, not to cut the power!
"What do you want to do? No one move!" Celica shone with a golden-red light, like the blazing sun, illuminating the entire auction house!
For a moment, the light inside the auction house grew even brighter than before.
The panicked nobles quickly settled down.
"This matter is not your concern for now, but if I find out who bought the dark elf later… I suggest you hurry to the church and confess." Celica looked around, "Now, everyone, cover your heads and squat down, or I will treat it as resisting the law!"
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly covered their heads and crouched down.
Those who had never bought a dark elf suddenly felt calm.
What the heck, we didn’t buy it, so what are we afraid of?
It’s those who have bought it who are worried.
Buying a dark elf is not a big deal, right?
"Darn it!" Saaya cried out as he crouched down, covering his head. "Isn’t it true that we can’t use magic here?"
"She is Celica, and we’re above Laria, still within Laria’s area. In theory, her magic should be sealed, but she can still summon holy power," Karoso kindly explained to Saaya.
