The auction continued.

As items were sold one after another, the ship drew closer to the docks.

Finally, the highly anticipated schematic for a piece of traditional craftsmanship was brought out.

"This scroll isn’t too badly damaged. Only the last few steps are ruined, making it a rare and exquisite piece..."

The auctioneer and his assistant carefully unrolled the scroll. Many of the crafting steps on it were damaged, making it nearly impossible to tell what it was for. Only at the very bottom were two words written in an ancient script: Exquisite Lock.

"The Exquisite Lock is a type of ancient Myriad Machina Lock that is incredibly difficult to pick. Anyone who enjoys adventuring knows its value. These locks are relatively common in the great Sacred Realms and Ancient Tombs. The starting bid is 100 million, with minimum increments of 20 million. There is no upper limit..."

"200 million—"

"300 million—"

"500 million—"

...

The competition between the powerful figures from various nations grew white-hot, and the bidding price soared past 2 billion.

The price was still climbing.

"2 billion—" Darius Lynch shouted, his neck straining.

Seeing this, Elias Lennox remarked with an amused sigh, "Worthy of a Best Actor..."

"2.5 billion," a familiar female voice suddenly called out.

"Junior Sister?" Elias Lennox’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at a corner of the room.

A figure was dressed in a long black robe, shrouded from head to toe.

These were the garments provided by The Phantom Trove, available in every room.

Most people at the auction wore the black robes and masks with voice changers to conceal their identities, but Aurora Sinclair didn’t use one.

After she spoke, neither Beta Morgan nor Darius Lynch placed another bid, and a brief silence fell over the venue.

The auctioneer asked with a smile, "2.5 billion going once, 2.5 billion going twice... Is there really no one else?"

"2.5 billion..."

"3 billion—"

Suddenly, someone sitting in a corner raised their paddle and shouted.

He spoke the international common tongue, with an accent that sounded like he was from the Amerian Continent.

"We have a bid of 3 billion over here! Are there any other bids? 3 billion going once..." The auctioneer’s voice was thrilled, his rapid-fire words tinged with manufactured excitement.

"3 billion going twice..."

Everyone held their breath and looked toward the person who had just bid 2.5 billion.

Just then, a faint voice spoke up. It was the same person who had spent 60 million on the newcomer artist’s painting.

"4 billion—"

Someone in the room seemed to gasp, their mind racing to guess his identity.

On the other side, the person from the Amerian Continent seemed to lower their head and whisper a brief discussion before raising their paddle again. "4.02 billion."

The auctioneer knew they had reached their limit. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Alvin Morgan. "Are there any more bids?"

"4.1 billion—"

The nonchalant voice made the bidder from the Amerian Continent give up. With a strike of the gavel, the schematic for traditional craftsmanship fell into Alvin Morgan’s hands. Darius Lynch was so excited he almost went over to claim him as family on the spot, but he managed to restrain himself.

Just as everyone thought this was the final treasure, the auctioneer suddenly gave a mysterious tap on the table, gesturing for everyone to look his way.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now proceed to the auction of our final, grand-finale treasure: a twelve-row Mechanical Lock crafted by Master Elara Miles."

At these words, everyone in the auction hall held their breath. The twelve-row Mechanical Lock was the piece that had made Master Elara Miles famous in her early years. Each lock came with a single key, and if that key was lost, the lock could never be opened again.

Many locksmiths had tried to challenge it by picking it without a key, but all had ended in failure. This was what had elevated Master Elara Miles’s work to legendary status.

Due to the intricate crafting process, Master Elara Miles had only made two in all these years. One was in the Veridian National Handicrafts Museum, and the other had been bought by a wealthy merchant from the Western Continent for 8 billion and was rumored to be used on his personal vault.

The auctioneer continued, "According to Master Elara Miles herself, although the internal structure of each Mechanical Lock is different and the crafting methods vary, in the spirit of promoting traditional craftsmanship, The Phantom Trove will present the winner of this treasure with the internal structural diagram of this lock for their study..."

His words sent a shockwave through the hall, and the crowd erupted.

Some people immediately pulled out their phones and started contacting their families to raise funds.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall had reached its peak, the auctioneer had the twelve-row Mechanical Lock brought out.

Compared to the two locks made years ago, this one was a size smaller, making it even more valuable.

The gaze of a certain person hidden in the crowd suddenly sharpened.

’My master has been searching for the crafting method of ancient Mechanical Locks. If I can win this...’

His eyes burned with fervor.

Meanwhile, Darius Lynch pulled out his phone and sent a message to Alvin Morgan:

[Darius: Whitlock, I want this! Buy it for me, quickly..."]

Unexpectedly, Alvin Morgan replied directly with two words: [Not buying.]

Darius Lynch froze, then instantly became furious. He turned to glare in Alvin Morgan’s direction and typed back through gritted teeth:

[Darius: Are you buying it or not?]

[Alvin: Not buying.]

[Alvin: Have you no shame, asking a junior to buy things for you?]

[Darius: (Crying emoji) My dear nephew, your uncle only has 2 billion. I’ll just borrow the money from you this time. I’ll pay you back when we get home.]

[Alvin: No money.]

When Darius Lynch saw this, he flew into a rage. Staring daggers at his phone, he furiously typed out a reply:

[Darius: You have no money? The Morgan Group made 10 trillion last year! Your personal assets are in the hundreds of billions, and you’re telling me you have no money? You damn miser! What are you hoarding all that money for? To lay some eggs?"]

[Alvin: It’s all for the betrothal gifts. Can’t touch it!]

[Darius: ...]

***

The bidding began. The very first bidder raised the price directly to 2 billion. Darius Lynch’s heart bled as he shot a resentful glare at Alvin Morgan.

Beside him, Elias Lennox asked with a smile, "You like this one?"

Darius Lynch nodded.

"I can lend you the money." Elias Lennox waggled the card in his hand.

Darius Lynch’s eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his paddle. "3 billion—"

"5 billion—"

"6 billion—"

...

The price skyrocketed. When it finally reached 10 billion, Darius Lynch gave up bidding.

Elias Lennox asked, "Why’d you stop?"

Darius Lynch let out a gloomy sigh. "Any higher and I’d have to give you my underwear as collateral."

Elias Lennox: ...

In the end, the twelve-row Mechanical Lock, along with its structural diagram, was sold for 12 billion to a wealthy merchant.

Once the dust had settled on the final item, the auctioneer declared the auction officially over.

The Grandmasters in the hall relaxed their guard and withdrew from the auction room.

A strange tension suddenly filled the air as many eyes began to size up the people who had won the last two treasures.

Beta Morgan’s expression shifted slightly. He reminded Alvin in a low voice, "Sir, our ship is already docked at the next pier. We should head over directly after we disembark."

The cruise ship was The Phantom Trove’s territory, but once they disembarked, they would no longer be under its jurisdiction.

Therefore, the end of every auction was a moment for the major powers to flex their strength.

With a few hours still to go before docking, everyone returned to their private rooms with various thoughts on their minds, waiting to disembark.

At this time, staff from The Phantom Trove began pushing carts around, delivering the auctioned items to their respective buyers.

The carts were covered with black cloths, obscuring the items within.

To everyone’s surprise, this cart full of treasures was being escorted to each buyer’s room by just a single, short, slender man.

’Isn’t The Phantom Trove being a little too confident?’

’Do they really think no one would dare to make a move on this cart of treasures while still on the ship?’

"Go and check it out—"

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out.