The atmosphere was quiet for a moment before the man with the Mediterranean hairstyle made an offer: “Five thousand!”
Once someone started bidding, more people began to follow suit.
The auctioneer waited expectantly for the price to rise. Leo did not participate; his target was the last package.
Chloe yawned and then took out her phone to play a game. The bargain-hunting phase relied entirely on luck, so her expert opinion wasn’t needed.
“Nine thousand, any higher?” The auctioneer’s voice echoed as no one else bid.
Seeing no response, he opened the package and randomly took out an antique.
It was a jade bracelet in excellent condition, and soon people started bidding again.
The first canvas bag was finally sold for ten thousand dollars.
As the auction continued, it quickly reached the last canvas bag.
The last bag was expected to be the highlight, so its starting price would likely be higher than the others.
Leo instinctively turned to look at the man dressed in black.
This man was about Leo’s age, with pale skin and thin lips, exuding an air of arrogance.
His facial features seemed familiar, resembling someone Leo knew.
Ethan, yes, he looked like Ethan.
Could this guy be related to Ethan?
While Leo pondered, the auction began.
“The last package, starting bid, six thousand dollars!”
“Eleven thousand!”
The man in black lazily raised his bidding paddle, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
Why was this guy suddenly interested in the last package?
Due to his high bid, no one else bid for a moment. Everyone sensed that this guy seemed wealthy, making it pointless to compete with him.
Seeing no one else bid, the auctioneer’s hopeful expression faded as he slowly raised his gavel: “Eleven thousand…”
Before he could finish, Leo raised his paddle: “Twelve thousand.”
The man with the Mediterranean hairstyle had somehow squeezed next to Leo. Hearing his bid, he couldn’t help but advise: “Young man, that guy looks rich. I think you shouldn’t compete with him; it’s not worth it.”
Leo remained silent, his expression calm.
The man in black glanced at Leo and then raised his paddle again: “Twenty thousand!”
This was like throwing a huge stone into a deep pool; the crowd erupted once more.
Chloe had noticed Leo long ago and now turned to see if he would give up or raise his bid.
Leo raised his paddle: “Twenty-one thousand!”
Leo’s bid seemed much weaker, just adding a thousand, enough to stay ahead.
The man in black frowned slightly and then raised his paddle again: “Thirty thousand!”
“Wow…” The crowd gasped. Was this guy crazy or just too rich?
“Thirty-one thousand!”
“Forty thousand!”
“Forty-one thousand!”
“Fifty thousand!”
The man in black’s tone became noticeably irritated as he glared at Leo.
He wasn’t short on money; Leo’s bids were clearly provocative.
If he gave up now, he’d lose face, especially with Chloe sitting right in front.
The Mediterranean man’s expression was quite dramatic. He had attended many auctions, and fifty thousand wasn’t much, but in this place, it was unusual.
Triple Element Commerce Association had never seen a price higher than twenty thousand at their low-end auctions.
Today it had reached fifty thousand, setting a record.
The elderly folks watched with interest, waiting for Leo to bid fifty-one thousand.
The auctioneer habitually adjusted his glasses, focusing entirely on Leo, anticipating his next bid.
“Fifty-one thousand.”
The crowd’s intuition was correct; Leo bid again.
The man in black couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up and pointed at Leo: “Are you crazy? What do you want?”
Leo shrugged and looked around: “Can anyone tell me if there’s a rule against increasing by a thousand at a time?”
“No!” The crowd chimed in, enjoying the spectacle.
The man’s pale face turned slightly green. He had bid so high to attract Chloe’s attention.
Now there was someone suddenly outbidding him; it was unbearable.
Though angry, he retained his rationality. If he bid sixty thousand and the annoying guy suddenly gave up, he’d be stuck with a pile of junk for sixty thousand dollars and become a laughingstock.
He had to hold back and not act foolishly.
“My name is Quentin. What’s yours?” The man in black asked angrily.
“Quentin?” Leo raised an eyebrow. “How are you related to Ethan?”
“He’s my brother!”
Quentin was surprised that this guy knew his brother. Did he have some background?
Chloe stood up impatiently: “Are you two men going to keep bickering or continue bidding?”
Leo smiled: “Your turn.”
Quentin gritted his teeth, conflicted. His status in the family wasn’t high; if he foolishly bought that package today, he’d be ridiculed even more.
But Chloe was watching. If he backed down now, his image would collapse.
No way could he let this guy outbid him. Quentin steeled himself and said: “Sixty thousand!”
“Sixty-one thousand!” Leo calmly countered.
The words “sixty-one thousand” hit Quentin like a cold winter wind, making him shiver.
Damn it, this was too much!
“What’s your name?”
“Leo.”
“I’ll remember you, Leo.”
Quentin calmed down and stopped talking to Leo. He sat back down and fiddled with the Azure Cloud Tripod.
He didn’t even know what it was for but instinctively brought it to his nose for a sniff.
Weird smell.
Chloe watched this with a look of disgust on her face.
The auctioneer knew Quentin wouldn’t bid anymore and started the countdown.
With a final gavel strike, the last package went to Leo.
Applause broke out, whether congratulating Leo or celebrating Quentin’s defeat was unclear.
The Mediterranean man looked at Leo and sighed inwardly: “You can’t judge a book by its cover; we can never understand the world of the wealthy.”
Only Chloe had different thoughts. She was curious about why Leo spent so much on this package. Did he know there was something valuable inside?