Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Relic Prayer Beads_1

The imperial nine-dragon pattern wine pot used by the Emperors of the Song Dynasty was eventually bought by a wealthy businessman from out of town for the price of 12.3 million.

From within VIP room number 8, Xu Fan, watching the excited crowd below, couldn’t help but reflect. Despite Xu Fan’s lack of interest in the mundane world’s wealth, the astronomical price fetched by such a small piece of porcelain indicated the profound base of the auction.

Thinking of the treasures still to come, Xu Fan felt quite fortunate.

The first and second auction items had already reached bids over ten million, yet Xu Fan’s entire net worth was just over ten million, all of which he had snatched from that kid Song Qiang.

If it weren’t for the Hu Family from the south of the city and Brother Long from Night Castle each sponsoring him one hundred million and two hundred million respectively, Xu Fan probably wouldn’t have needed to attend this auction at all, and would have had to resort to robbing in disguise instead.

However, the money from Brother Long and the Hu Family was not taken for nothing. Xu Fan would later offer a little help to Brother Long to secure Night Castle’s position in Zhonghai. That would be far more valuable than money.

As for the Hu Family, who had already offended Xu Fan, not throwing Hu Hai into the sea to feed the fishes like he did to Song Qiang was already letting him off lightly. Allowing him to retire in peace and enjoy his old age was far better than mere worldly wealth.

With a solid three hundred million in funds, Xu Fan was not particularly anxious and waited calmly for the second auction item’s contract to be signed, continuing the auction.

In the other nine VIP rooms, like Xu Fan, everyone was quite capable of holding their breath, showing no interest in competing for the first two treasures, sitting calmly as if fishing without batting an eyelid.

Two minutes later, the merchant who had acquired the second auction item finished the procedures and the auction continued with the third item.

This was a new rule established by the organizers to prevent people from muddying the waters. After an item was sold, brief handover procedures must be completed and the payment received before the next item could be auctioned.

Although this could slow down the auction to some extent, it prevented those who dared to bid without any money from causing trouble. On several occasions in the past, such people had appeared at auctions, resulting in a standoff; even if the organizers beat them half to death afterward, it was to no avail.

Therefore, this rule could effectively prevent such scenarios. If someone couldn’t pay, whether it was a real or fake funding issue, failing to transfer the bid amount within two minutes would lead to the auction immediately initiating a rebidding process. There were many who had wanted but failed to acquire the item, and some even hoped that the item would go through the rebidding process.

The feeling was as nerve-wracking as contestants on a variety show hoping for a chance at a revival battle.

However, the buyers of the first two auction items were indeed genuine wealthy tycoons, with ample funds. They completed the procedures within a minute and then happily took their seats again.

The auction continued, and the third and fourth items kicked off a new round of fevered bidding.

The subsequent auction items were somewhat less valuable than the first two, lacking the allure of generals and emperors. They were indeed very exquisite and ancient artifacts, but without such an aura, the bidding was not as fierce.

The middle auction items mostly stayed below the ten million mark, although almost all were above five million. The same old scene played out, with most of the bids coming from the people in the main hall. There was hardly any bidding from within the ten VIP rooms.

“`

The only item that fetched a high price at the auction was a Buddhist rosary made of Shariputra beads. This rosary, said to be crafted from the Shariputra of a greatly virtuous monk, has a history of more than a thousand years. It is said that holding this rosary can calm even the most restless of individuals, allowing those suffering from severe insomnia to sleep whenever they wish after wearing the rosary.

The value and efficacy of this rosary won the favor of many, igniting a new frenzy of bidding.

Now, the biggest problem for many rich businessmen isn’t a shortage of money, but having too much money to be able to sleep. This rosary, which can induce sleep, proved to be more effective than any sleeping pillow.

Moreover, the wealthier people are, the more superstitious they tend to be. Hearing that the rosary was made from the Shariputra of a greatly virtuous monk, they believed it could bless them with peace and safety, which led to even more competition.

In suite No. 8, Xu Fan also took an interest in this rosary. Within it, there was a faint trace of Spiritual Energy, or more precisely, the wish-power transformed from the original owner’s dedicated meditation on Buddhism.

Originally the transformation of a high monk’s Shariputra, coupled with centuries of continuous chanting of scriptures by Buddhists, the rosary subtly accrued a bit of the Buddhist wish-power, capable of influencing those who wore it.

Actually, this rosary was not intended for aiding sleep but for cultivators to borrow the rosary’s calming energy to quickly enter the meditation Realm. Ordinary people, not understanding what meditation is, could at most fall into a deep sleep. Another unseen benefit of wearing the rosary is that one would never have nightmares. All evil spirits stayed well away from the wish-power of the rosary.

Although Xu Fan was currently only in the Qi Practicing Realm, his mind was long past that of a minor Qi Refinement Realm cultivator. He did not need to rely on any object to enter meditation. If he wished to meditate, he could do so while conversing. Thus, the rosary held very little attraction for him.

But the people in the suites above showed great interest in this rosary and joined the crowd below in the bidding war.

The patrons in the suites were clearly more lavish than those in the hall; while the common bids in the hall increased by tens or hundreds of thousands, the distinguished guests in the suites pressed their advantage with money, starting their bids with an increase of one million, followed by another two million, and then five million if needed.

After just a few rounds, the crowd in the hall ceased their bidding, no longer daring to compete with the powerful figures above. They might afford items worth a few million up to tens of millions, but treasures that increased in price by several millions with each bid were beyond their reach.

Eventually, the price of the rosary stopped at forty million, called out by suite No. 6.

Seeing that no one around was bidding any longer, Elder Wang lifted the hammer and asked three times consecutively.

Forty million once…

Forty million twice…

Forty million third time…

DUANG!

With the hammer’s fall, the rosary, cradled by a ceremony attendant, was taken up to suite No. 6.