Tommy’s gaze was not purposeful, unlike many perverts who make their intentions clear as day when they see a beautiful woman. Tommy appreciated Coral’s beauty in a way that didn’t put her on guard.
Of course, Coral didn’t feel the need to be guarded because it seemed like they had known each other for ages.
Bayden sat on the other side of the aisle, seething with hatred but maintaining a composed demeanor. He occasionally glanced towards Coral.
Leo took his seat next to Coral and handed her a glass of water while saying softly, “Drink less alcohol.”
Coral smiled and thanked him.
Tommy noticed Leo for the first time and asked Coral, “Who is this?”
“I almost forgot to introduce him since I was so busy talking with you,” said Coral as she straightened up. “He’s Leo Bloomer, my company’s chief advisor. He came with me tonight for the auction.”
Tommy extended his hand to Leo and said, “Mr. Bloomer, nice to meet you. I’m Tommy Noah; I’m an old friend of Miss Wilde.”
Tommy emphasized ‘old friend,’ which Leo understood perfectly well as he shook hands with him.
The music gradually faded away as the auctioneer took center stage and announced loudly, “Dear guests, welcome to this charity auction! The auction will now begin!”
As soon as the host finished speaking, service staff pushed a movable table onto the stage, and the auctioneer stepped up to the podium.
Tonight’s auction items were diverse, ranging from various jewelry, watches, to limited-edition garments personally designed and crafted by renowned foreign designers, and even antiques and paintings.
After the auction began, Tommy didn’t leave and seemed to have decided to sit beside Coral. With good manners, he ended his conversation with Coral as the auction started.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s charity auction is held for a noble cause, and all auction items are generously donated by philanthropists. The proceeds from the auction will be fully allocated to the charity fund, aimed at helping underprivileged children in impoverished mountain areas…”
The host’s eloquence was commendable, quickly stirring up the atmosphere in the venue. Almost everyone’s attention shifted to the stage.
“The first item up for auction today is an authentic calligraphy piece by the hero Ales Yacoub, titled ‘Infinite Life Sutra Ink Treasures Album.'”
“Ales Yacoub’s calligraphy is exquisite, drawing on the essence of major calligraphy masters, forming a unique style that is captivating. It possesses extremely high collection and research value. Esteemed guests who appreciate calligraphy surely recognize the uniqueness of his calligraphy. Don’t miss out.”
The auctioneer’s words carried a hint of excitement, and as he reached the end, he raised his voice, “The auction begins now, starting at fifty thousand. Each bid must be no less than one thousand. Please place your bids!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful woman walked onto the stage holding a red cloth-covered plate with both hands.
The auctioneer uncovered what was under it while she held it up for everyone to see.
“One hundred thousand!” A slightly overweight middle-aged man raised his bidder number card high and shouted out loud.
“Mr. 178 bids one hundred thousand!”
“One hundred and fifty thousand!”
“Two hundred thousand!”
“…”
In the end, the calligraphy was sold for one million to a middle-aged man in attendance at the hall.
One item after another was then put up for sale on stage; many people participated in bidding wars while Leo only heard numbers: five hundred thousand dollars, one million dollars, two million dollars, five million dollars…
Even Tommy next to Coral joined in several rounds of shouting prices but seemed uninterested in any particular item; he just went along with it because it was expected of him.
Coral sat quietly watching everything unfold as if waiting for something specific; Bayden sitting across from her also appeared to be waiting patiently too.
Finally, the gourd that Leo had been anticipating made its appearance.
“The next auction item is an extremely ancient antique. According to experts, this item dates back at least three thousand years. Would you like to know what it is?” The host deliberately created suspense, waiting until everyone’s faces showed curiosity before raising his voice and continuing, “Now, let’s invite our beautiful hostess to present the auction item.”
As before, a lovely hostess walked onto the stage, carrying a tray with the item covered by a red cloth.
Even before the red cloth was unveiled, Leo felt a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power. When the auctioneer revealed the red cloth, Leo squinted his eyes.
What appeared before everyone was a gourd, plain and gray, as if it had just been unearthed from the soil, without any eye-catching gemstones or jade.
Leo couldn’t help but feel excited because, through his Spiritual Power perception, he could confidently confirm that this seemingly ordinary gourd was a spiritual weapon.
Treasures also have different grades. The lowest is a magic tool, the middle tier is a spiritual weapon, and the highest is a spiritual treasure, also known as a magic weapon.
Unlike magic tools, both spiritual weapons and spiritual treasures can be upgraded. For example, the Blue Phantom Sword Leo currently possessed belonged to the magic tool category, while the Purple Radiance and the Mystical Sky Bagua-Patterned Alchemical Furnace were spiritual weapons.
Spiritual weapons can only be controlled using Spiritual Power, while spiritual treasures can be controlled using both Spiritual Power and mental intent.
“This round’s auction item is a gourd, phonetically known as the ‘Blessing Gourd,’ an absolute auspicious item. The uniqueness of this gourd lies not only in its ancient age but also in the manufacturing material, which is not found in the periodic table of elements.”
“Experts speculate that this gourd was made by ancient people using extraterrestrial meteorites, making it extremely rare and precious. Now, back to business, the starting bid for this item is five hundred thousand. Each bid must not be less than ten thousand. The auction begins!”
The host mentioned the special features of the auction item to enhance the atmosphere and, in the process, potentially increase the bidding prices. After all, their compensation was tied to the final transaction amount.
“Six hundred thousand!” Someone raised their bid card.
The starting bid for this gourd was not as high as the previous item, a landscape ink painting, but it was still a significant amount.