Chapter 41: There Is Plenty of Time (Revised)

As lot after lot was sold, the auction drew to a close.

The preceding lots had all been claimed, yet the atmosphere in the hall did not relax—it grew even more stagnant and tense.

Their emotions gradually settled from their heightened state, and everyone present knew the true main event was still to come.

That, too, was a part they had no right to take part in.

"Dieyuzhe" stood at the center of the auction stage, his formulaic smile slightly subdued, and a hint of seriousness flickered in his deep purple eyes.

He gently raised his hand, signaling the crowd to be silent, and the mechanical butterfly on his shoulder stopped flapping its wings, resting motionless.

"Honored guests," his voice softened, carrying a deliberately crafted sense of anticipation.

"Thank you for your patience; what is about to be presented is the final lot of this auction, and...... the most special one."

He deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping the hall, savoring the feeling of controlling the overall rhythm.

"It, perhaps, is not a treasure in the traditional sense, and its value is not something everyone can comprehend."

The hint in his words stirred a subtle commotion below; although they could only watch for fun, it did not stop everyone from wondering what exactly it was.

As Dieyuzhe gracefully spread his hands, a huge cubic container covered in black velvet was slowly pushed forward from behind the auction stage.

When the velvet was suddenly lifted, what was revealed was not some rare exotic beast or divine weapon, but a huge, transparent cylindrical life-support chamber.

Inside the chamber floated a pale blue nutrient solution, in which a young girl hovered, her eyes tightly shut, sunk in sleep.

She appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen, her features pleasant, retaining a touch of youthfulness, but she was certainly not a great beauty—indeed, rather ordinary, like any girl next door you might see on the street.

She wore only a simple white sterile garment, with no extra adornment whatsoever.

The hall instantly erupted in an uproar!

"A woman?"

"This is the final showpiece?"

"What a joke! Although she's fairly pretty, slaves like her are a dime a dozen on the slave market—she doesn't deserve to be placed last for auction!"

Voices of doubt and scornful laughter at the girl rose and fell.

Obviously most bidders could not fathom how such an unremarkable girl could become the finale's treasure.

Dieyuzhe seemed to have anticipated the crowd's reaction; his face still bore that mysterious smile as he raised his hand in a pressing gesture, and the hall's clamor instantly fell silent.

"Please remain calm, everyone," his voice carried an odd penetrative power, soothing the restless crowd below.

"As I said before, her value does not lie in her flesh; those who understand will naturally grasp its worth."

"We, the Undercurrent, can guarantee that after her capture, aside from the necessary anesthetic measures to ensure her stability, we have never inflicted any harm or alteration upon her."

He especially emphasized those last few words, his gaze lightly sweeping toward a few specific private boxes.

"We believe that those who truly understand her value will naturally comprehend the...... significance she represents."

His words were full of hints, but unfortunately, only a very few people present could grasp his meaning.

"Perhaps she is a key to a forgotten era; or perhaps she harbors within her an age-old treasure, unknown even to herself."

These words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending out ripples upon ripples.

Thus, even those without access to information sensed something was off, simply because Dieyuzhe's rhetoric differed starkly from how he auctioned those peerless beauties.

He did not emphasize her beauty, docility, or combat prowess, but repeatedly mentioned the words "value," "significance," "key," "treasure," and especially declared that she had undergone no alteration.

What secret the girl hides, but that secret is certainly not something these people have the right to pry into.

"Well then," Dieyuzhe, pleased with this effect, finally got to the point.

"The final lot's opening bid is zero, with each increment not less than one million."

"Bidding...... begins!"

After a brief silence, a cold electronic voice from a second-floor private box first broke the silence:

"Ten million."

That icy electronic synth sounded like cold water dropped into boiling oil, instantly igniting the hall.

After a brief dead silence came an even more frenzied bidding surge.

"Fifteen million!" a slightly hurried voice called from a western private box.

"Fifty million." The cold electronic voice sounded again, without a ripple, yet it directly pushed the price to a breath‑taking height.

In the auction hall, the ordinary bidders who still harbored doubts about the finale now could only stare agape.

They watched the continually rolling figure, at least jumping in tens of millions, and finally realized this game had long surpassed the level they could involve themselves in.

The secret and interests tied to that girl were beyond their imagination and beyond their ability to participate.

Murmurs and gasps rose and fell, but no one voiced doubt any longer; only a near‑reverent silence remained, watching this silent war between true titans.

The price continued to climb at an astonishing speed, soon breaking the hundred‑million mark with no sign of letting up.

All factions seemed to have caught wind of it, determined to seize this "Undead of the Old World."

Ying Duo stood silently before the one‑way glass, watching the mad bids pop up one after another below.

He turned his head to ask Bai Mu Yun, who was still calmly swaying his water cup.

"Are we not going to bid?"

Bai Mu Yun, upon hearing this, didn't even lift an eyelid; he simply pressed a number on the bidding device in the private box at random.

"One hundred fifty million."

This bid temporarily topped the previous calls, drawing a low murmur.

However, this lead lasted less than three seconds.

"One hundred eighty million." The cold electronic voice sounded again, coming from the private box where the Heresy Tribunal resides.

"Two hundred million."

Bai Mu Yun's bid was instantly drowned out.

Only then did he leisurely set down his water cup, turn, and look toward Ying Duo.

In his golden eyes there was no urgency to surpass any amount of money; instead, they held a calm, all‑seeing mockery.

He looked down mockingly, as if watching a dull farce.

"What's the rush?"

He slightly curled the corner of his mouth, a smile full of calculation.

"Let them fight until they're bloody first; a true hunter must learn to strike when the prey is most exhausted and least vigilant..."

"Or, wait until those self‑important hunters wear each other out, then step in to clean up the mess."

His gaze turned back to the fierce bidding war below, his tone carrying a certainty of being in control of the whole situation.

"Someone can't sit still anymore, but we have plenty of time."