Chapter 77: Laituonosula! My Lord, Greetings! (3/5, Requesting Data)

"Ladies and gentlemen, the long-awaited auction is now officially underway!"

With a command from the host on stage, today's auction began, and the audience below was nearly full.

"The first auction item today is from..."

"The second auction item today..."

"..."

No matter how passionately the host spoke, Biscuit remained slumped on the sofa, her wine-red eyes distant.

She was imagining the sight of that piece of top-grade quality ruby—surely it would be an extraordinary sight.

Maki and Little were flipping through the catalog, gazing at the dazzling array of auction items, slightly overwhelmed.

Here, auction items came in all manner of odd varieties, including but not limited to jewelry, antiques, video game consoles, and ingredients...

But they all shared one common trait: immense value!

Only items with sufficient value were eligible to appear at the Huanpaimai Society.

As each auction item was sold, the moment Biscuit had long awaited—the top-grade quality ruby—finally arrived.

"The next auction item is exceptionally beautiful and exceedingly rare."

"This is an extremely rare ruby, whose clarity and purity are both top-grade quality!"

The host lifted the white cloth, revealing a tray upon which lay a ruby roughly the size of a fist.

Under the lights, the ruby's deep red glow was clearly visible to all.

Merely by this single glance, Biscuit—who had seen countless gems—knew this was a genuine, high-quality ruby.

"Starting bid: ten million jeni, with increments of no less than one million jeni."

No sooner had the host finished than someone raised three fingers, palm facing away from the host.

This gesture meant an increase of five million jeni—the second-highest bidding gesture at the Sipaimai Society.

The Sipaimai Society, also known as the Huanpaimai Society, had its own unique bidding system.

Different hand gestures represented bids ranging from ten thousand to five million jeni.

Most notably, the thumb-up gesture meant matching the previous bidder's exact amount.

Thud!

"Fifteen million jeni!"

The host struck his gavel and announced loudly.

Inside her private booth, Biscuit's expression remained unchanged; she raised a thumb, fully visible through the transparent window.

She was determined to win this ruby, bidding the maximum possible increase.

Using this gesture also carried an unspoken message: she intended to claim this item at all costs.

It warned others not to challenge her—save time and money.

Thud!

"Twenty million jeni once!"

"Twenty million jeni twice!"

After intense bidding, Biscuit acquired the ruby for three hundred million jeni.

This was roughly its true market value.

But for Biscuit, if she could obtain a gem she loved, spending extra money was worth it.

After all, money could be earned again—but a gem missed might never return.

Watching Biscuit casually spend three hundred million jeni, Maki felt a pang of envy, and suddenly realized she wasn't nearly as wealthy as she thought.

At the very least, she could never muster three hundred million jeni.

"Hehehe... ruby..."

In contrast, Biscuit felt no regret, already imagining how she would admire the gem once in hand.

Inside the gathering hall,

Luo Ge stared at the man before him, whose expression was humble and cautious, and felt surprised.

He hadn't expected the main figure to appear yet—but here stood someone unexpected, yet somehow fitting.

Before him stood a middle-aged man of about thirty, sporting a slick back hairstyle in line with current gang fashion.

His hair remained jet-black, his face still smooth, with a square, stern-looking visage.

The man's name was Laituonosula, the very patriarch of the Nosula family in the original story.

But now, he was merely the head of a Sanliuhei Gang in a local region.

Only after several years, when his daughter Nion awakened her precognitive Nen ability, did he gain the favor of many powerful figures.

With his daughter's ability, the family rose to its later prominence.

Laituonosula offered a servile smile, instinctively lowering his head half a notch, and extended his business card.

"My lord, greetings. I am the patriarch of the Nosula family, my name is 'Laitu'."

Though called a business card, gang members' cards were not ordinary paper.

The card was not a simple sheet, but a folded paper wallet-like casing, with key information printed on the outside.

This information included name, current territory, and business operations...

And the inner compartment was meant to hold money.

This was an unspoken rule among gangs: if two gangs of equal rank met, no money needed to be placed inside.

But if a lower-tier gang sought to approach a higher-tier one, money must be placed in the compartment—the exact amount left to the individual's discretion.

The larger the amount placed, the more sincere the lower-level gangs are said to be; it is rumored that many Heibang Society members even place bank cards inside.

Casually taking the bulging business card, Luo Ge didn't even consider looking at the money inside; instead, he felt somewhat curious about Lance's actions.

The outside world generally knows that the head of the Ella family is Zhu Di, not him.

He believed that many present felt that between him and Zhu Di, Zhu Di held the dominant position, and he was more like a bodyguard.

Then he should logically have handed the business card to Zhu Di, not to him.

Perhaps a few gangs knew the inside story, but he didn't think Lance had the qualification to know the inside story.

So...

Was it judged by keen observation?