Chapter 293: Auction Bidding!

"Four hundred gold coins, my lords, Count Oliver has bid four hundred gold coins—does anyone else wish to bid?"

"My lords, four hundred gold coins once!"

The steward continued asking above.

Unfortunately, the other nobles seemed unwilling to compete with Oliver—after all, there would be a second batch soon.

"Four hundred gold coins twice!" The steward, though slightly disappointed, knew this price was already near the true value of these cavalrymen.

After all, the bulk of the cost for a cavalryman lay in his equipment and horse.

Seeing no one else challenge him, Count Oliver beamed with satisfaction, a smile curling on his lips as he awaited the steward's third call.

"Four hundred gold coins third—"

"Four hundred twenty gold coins!"

Of course, Oliver had rejoiced too soon.

For Gervas intended to secure these cavalrymen at all costs.

At last, he spoke.

Count Oliver's smile vanished instantly.

The castle steward, startled yet delighted, quickly locked onto Gervas as the final bidder: "That—ah—the young lord has bid four hundred twenty gold coins!"

Whispers erupted.

All eyes in the hall turned sharply to Gervas.

Especially the nobles seated beside him.

They had seen Gervas earlier at the long table.

Though his clothing fabric was not overly lavish, the noble family badge on his chest had earned him polite greetings.

Yet back then, they had assumed he was merely a younger son of some noble house, here to liven up the scene for Lord Darwin.

After all, half the guests had come for precisely that reason.

No one expected this previously unremarkable young noble to suddenly bid.

And not just bid—but match the son of a duke.

Had they misjudged him?

Was he perhaps the scion of some great family?

Though his demeanor was odd.

"Who is this young noble?"

"I don't know! I've never seen him before—have any of you?"

"Neither have I! He's probably not from our neighboring nobility, is he?"

In truth, even Lord Darwin and the castle steward looked puzzled.

Fortunately, the steward's assistant who had handled the reception still remembered Gervas.

He hurried to the steward's side and whispered a few words, then rushed to Lord Darwin's ear and whispered again.

"Ahem! My lords, this young lord is a distinguished guest from the Southern Violet Count Family, who has traveled far to Lord Darwin's castle specifically for these slave captives!"

"Indeed, this batch of slaves is truly exceptional—so if any noble wishes to bid, do so quickly, lest you miss your chance!"

"Southern? The Violet Count Family? Have any of you heard of them?"

"I've heard of them—but there's more than one Violet family, isn't there? Which one is this?"

"True, but one thing's certain: the Violet family has no house above the rank of count!"

Learning Gervas's origin, the guests grew even more astonished.

Still, the auction continued. Count Oliver, who had been certain of victory, now felt as if he'd swallowed a fly—but he could not show his anger, and forced himself to appear calm.

"Four hundred fifty gold coins!" Oliver called out.

Gervas smiled faintly. "Four hundred seventy gold coins!"

"Four hundred ninety gold coins!" Oliver's lips twitched.

"Five hundred ten gold coins!" Gervas still smiled.

Beneath his sleeve, Oliver clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.

Above, the steward grinned so wide he could barely close his mouth.

In less than half a minute, the price had risen another hundred gold coins.

And this had now truly met their expectations.

Each cavalryman was being sold for five gold coins; add the equipment, and it came to nine gold coins per man—nine hundred gold coins for a hundred.

"My lords, this young lord from the Southern Violet Family, Lord Gervas, has bid five hundred ten gold coins—is there anyone else willing to bid?"

The steward appeared to ask all guests, but his gaze was fixed on Oliver.

His eyes swept lightly over the front row where Count Oliver sat.

Unfortunately, Count Oliver now fell silent.

Before others, this second son of a duke appeared splendid.

But only he knew his true plight—if he were truly so well-off, he wouldn't have come here for a hundred elite cavalrymen!

Having just split from his family, he had some resources, but the duke had many sons.

His lands were tangled in countless demands, and money was needed everywhere.

He could grit his teeth and pay four hundred gold coins—but five hundred? Especially with this "southern fool" matching every raise without hesitation—he had no confidence.

So he chose to wait for the second batch.

Otherwise, if he kept bidding and lost again, it would be too humiliating.

"Five hundred ten gold coins once!"

"Five hundred ten gold coins twice!"

"Five hundred ten gold coins—third time! Congratulations, Lord Gervas, you have won this first batch of slave captives! Please proceed with immediate settlement!"

Though slightly disappointed Oliver had not continued, the steward knew he could not force it. With the third call complete, the auction for the first batch of cavalry slaves ended.

Gervas waved his hand; Eve Lan, Mick, and others hurried forward and placed a large wooden chest before him.

Gervas opened the chest, pulled out nine pouches, then selected ten additional gold coins from another bag, and handed them to the steward.

Each pouch contained one hundred gold coins, totaling nine hundred ten gold coins—this included the mandatory cavalry equipment.

The steward counted them on the spot, confirmed accuracy, and both parties signed the transfer contract before all.

This public settlement clearly eliminated any future disputes.

With the first batch of slaves sold as expected, the steward was in high spirits and immediately began auctioning the second batch.

This second batch was also the final one, and bidding was fiercer—within mere minutes, the price had climbed to three hundred eighty gold coins.

Throughout this, Gervas remained silent.

But several nobles who had witnessed his earlier move now extended goodwill, introducing themselves.

"Lord Gervas, I'm Lucas, from the Red Wolf Count Family!"

Yet Gervas had no interest in these overtures; after polite replies, he offered no further engagement.

After all, his sole purpose was cavalrymen, and his status was fabricated.

If these nobles learned he was merely a viscount, they would never speak to him again.

So there was no point wasting time on such matters.

Seeing his coldness, the nobles wisely refrained from pressing further.

"Four hundred thirty gold coins!"

A familiar voice rang out—it was Count Oliver bidding again.

But this time, Count Oliver was not so fortunate.

Since this was the final batch, the nobles' bidding spirit had intensified.

"Four hundred thirty-five gold coins!"

"Four hundred forty gold coins!"

"Four hundred forty-five—!"

"Four hundred eighty gold coins!" Oliver gritted his teeth and bid again.

At this moment, his fury burned.

He had almost secured them for four hundred gold coins—only for Gervas to ruin it.

Now look!

He had to pay so much more.

Still, the four hundred eighty gold coin bid frightened off many nobles.

This brought him slight relief amid his anger.