Chapter 081: The Final Hammer
The price gradually soared to 400,000, and the entire hall went wild.
Perhaps knowing that the value of such a two-handed sword was truly extraordinary, the bidders became more and more cautious. At this price, even the richest man in Xilan City would have to think twice about his total income shrinking by nearly forty percent.
The hall finally quieted down for a moment. No one made another bid. The hall was strangely quiet, but it seemed there was still room for the price to rebound…
“500,000!”
At the front table, a thin man in a valuable leather coat, with a beautiful woman on each arm, announced this astonishing price, enjoying the amazed gazes of the crowd.
At this price, it had finally reached a satisfactory level for Chen Ran, which made him sigh in relief, very happy for the generous donation of that big spender. However, before that guy could be happy for long, another voice sounded, and it was right next to Chen Ran…
“600,000.”
A casual tone, without a trace of hesitation. The man with the goatee drank his red wine and showed his low price.
Everyone’s gaze turned again, looking at the man with the goatee with admiration. It was clear that the wealthy and noble of this city could no longer withstand such an unreasonable addition of one hundred thousand, and they finally gave up.
“Gentlemen, does anyone else want to raise the bid? 600,000 gold coins. This is far beyond the previous record of 400,000 gold coins for a single transaction. If no one raises the price again, we will start the final countdown. Three, two…”
“Wait a moment.”
This time, the voice came from the viewing platform upstairs. From the position, it should be the specially invited guest seats of the auction, and at the very least, those who could sit there should have an extraordinary status, at least at the level of a city lord.
Even the man with the goatee couldn’t help but be stunned, looking at the reaction upstairs with curiosity. “I wonder what big shot is up there. He seems to have quite an air about him.”
The guest seats upstairs had a direct walkway to the auction floor. Soon, the sound of neat footsteps came. The leader was none other than the familiar city lord of Xilan City, Ella’s father.
Seeing the usually dignified city lord of Xilan City with a fawning look on his face, it seemed he was just a guide…
After the city lord of Xilan City, a tall woman in light armor and a veil walked out. A group of people clearly followed her lead.
The appearance of this woman instantly attracted the attention of everyone present. Although her face was covered by the veil, her dignified and imposing temperament would be memorable to anyone who saw it. Especially her long legs, which accounted for 2/3 of her height, an absolutely dreamlike tall figure. The simple and well-fitting light armor made her look incredibly heroic.
From these aspects, from all kinds of feelings, this was definitely a woman with a not-bad appearance.
Behind the woman followed a middle-aged man completely wrapped in a cloak. His behavior revealed a decisive, murderous air, and his strength was absolutely super strong.
The man with the goatee’s gaze kept moving. When he saw the golden tulip insignia on the woman’s silver breastplate, his face couldn’t help but change. “I didn’t expect it to be someone from the Tulip family, the Roland family. It seems she’s the head of this generation. In that case, I probably have no business with the auction items this time.”
Chen Ran glanced at the woman who was walking toward the stage, wondering who this woman, who could even move this “big shot” next to him, was. He couldn’t help but ask, “Who is that woman? She seems to have quite an air about her.”
“How could she not—” the man with the goatee shook his head. “If I’m not mistaken, this woman should be the empire’s number one duchess, the commander of the seventh army of the empire’s ace division, Roland Angélique. Xilan City is also a key passage through her fiefdom. I estimate she’s just passing by.”
“Duchess? Isn’t she too young?”
Chen Ran understood that the empire’s noble ranks, from low to high, were Knight, Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, and then Prince. Generally speaking, the position of Duke was only lower than a few people like the emperor and empress, and they held astonishing power and real authority. Chen Ran couldn’t believe that a woman who seemed not much older than him would be a duchess of the empire and also lead an army…
“Don’t you know about the affairs of the state?” Seeing Chen Ran’s truly puzzled expression, the man with the goatee explained, “The Roland family has led the army for generations, with countless military achievements, and has a hereditary ducal title. The empire’s northern border is often at war with the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Roland family has fought against them for several generations, with countless casualties. The Duchess’s father once fought against the current number one, the Austro-Hungarian War Emperor, and repelled him, but the old Duke himself was seriously injured and died, leaving only Angélique as the last of the Tulip bloodline. The ducal title naturally could only be inherited by her.”
Speaking of that woman, even the seemingly arrogant man with the goatee couldn’t help but admire her. “Speaking of this woman, it’s really not easy. She was born with a Holy Mark, and her talent far exceeds that of ordinary men. She inherited the family’s ducal title at the age of eighteen, and at the age of twenty-five, she has already reached the peak strength of a Tier 8 fighting spirit. Her practical combat ability is even more terrifyingly strong. As a high-level knight, she naturally loves to collect all kinds of famous swords. With their family’s rich resources, that last sword should have nothing to do with me. I was originally thinking of making a resale deal.” At this, the man with the goatee’s face was filled with helplessness.
Chen Ran had never thought that the one who came on stage would be such a legendary woman.
The veiled woman walked onto the stage without any hesitation, picked up Light’s Defiance, and pulled it from its scabbard.
The sword body was like water, still so bright and moving. Everyone seemed to have a feeling that the sword was as if born for that woman, and it was unexpectedly harmonious for her to hold that greatsword.
The woman also seemed to be stunned for a moment. She turned her wrist and simply brandished a round of sword forms. Two clear and bright crescent moon mirror wheels flashed before everyone’s eyes, dazzling them.
Then, she drew a well-made sword from her attendant with her left hand, held Light’s Defiance in her right, and poured her fighting spirit into both at the same time.
The greatsword in her left hand flashed with purple lightning, while Light’s Defiance in her right hand flashed with golden lightning. From the degree of fusion of the lightning fighting spirit, it was clear that Light’s Defiance was a step faster.
Then, she opened her arms and forcefully clashed the two swords together.
There wasn’t even a sound. The sharp blade of Light’s Defiance, with its star-colored diamond, easily cut through the greatsword she had brought. The woman held up Light’s Defiance, looked at it, and saw that there was not a single scratch on it. She finally nodded in satisfaction.
“It is indeed a good sword. I’ll offer one million gold coins.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.
No one had expected the woman on the stage to be so generous as to directly offer one million gold coins. In fact, she only needed to add another hundred thousand gold coins to the previous bid, and it would have been difficult to shake.
Of course, such an addition was more in line with the unreasonable style of the powerful and noble. Chen Ran simply loved the woman who had made the bid on the stage. She was truly worthy of the name of the Turin Empire’s number one woman.
