The nobleman who had just announced his bid reluctantly lowered his bidding paddle. Collecting it was one thing, but spending four thousand gold soul coins on a damaged soul device? He might as well have used that money to hire a low-level Soul Monarch as a bodyguard—that would have been far more practical.
Other VIPs murmured among themselves, but none dared to raise their paddles. Seeing this, Ignaz smiled quietly to himself, clenching his fists tightly as he nervously waited for the auctioneer's hammer to fall.
"The honorable guest number 127 bids four thousand gold soul coins. Is there anyone willing to offer more?"
The auctioneer's eyes quickly scanned the crowd of VIPs before continuing, "Four thousand gold soul coins once... twice... sold for four thousand gold soul coins on the third call."
Bang!
As the hammer came down, the auctioneer looked toward Ignaz's direction, pointed to his seat, and smiled warmly.
"Congratulations to guest number 127 for winning this special soul device."
The auctioneer had initially estimated this special soul device would go for somewhere between three to four thousand gold soul coins, so getting a full four thousand was a pleasant surprise. That extra hundred gold soul coins in profit share made her commission sweeter—though it still didn't compare to the bigger auction items earlier.
But aside from storage soul devices, this one was the best profit share they could hope for.
With that, Ignaz swiped his card to pay the four thousand gold soul coins, officially adding the damaged special soul device to his storage device.
However, in the very next second, noise erupted from thirty blue VIP boxes. One by one, figures emerged from behind the curtains, their soul energy waves putting enormous pressure on Ignaz. Nearby, Director Shui looked just as tense.
It was clear these soul masters inside the boxes were no ordinary fighters; their minimum strength was at least Soul Emperor level, possibly even one or two Soul Douluos among them.
"Director, why has this auction attracted so many powerful figures? Could it be that one of the auction items includes a soul bone?"
Ignaz asked, and Director Shui gave a brief explanation. As Ignaz suspected, the last item up for auction was indeed a soul bone. The auction house hadn't revealed any further details, but these Soul Saints and Soul Douluos were specially invited and must have been given more inside information.
The auctioneer then personally brought out a delicate wooden box and ascended the stage. Behind her followed ten powerful soul masters. At that moment, the soul masters in the VIP boxes gripped the railings tightly, their eyes full of desire.
Slowly, the wooden box was opened, revealing a blue tailbone shaped like a fish's tail. It continuously emitted faint soul energy waves.
"What's this? Just a bone? Or another soul device?"
Many VIP guests looked puzzled. For the final item, it was just a mere soul device? But for soul masters like Ignaz, their expressions turned serious, even greedy. One excited soul master suddenly stood up and shouted,
"A soul bone! This is a soul bone!!!"
"That's right, esteemed guests. The last item in the Vast Sea Auction House is this very soul bone."
Before the auctioneer finished speaking, all the guests stood abruptly, their eyes fiercely locked on the prize. Everyone wanted this soul bone.
"Auctioneer, get to the point! Name a starting price—I'll buy it."
"You don't even deserve it. Soul's bones belong to the worthy. With only your Soul Sovereign strength, even if you win it, you won't survive long enough to use it."
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, please hold on. Allow me to briefly introduce this soul bone."
The auctioneer confidently lifted the soul bone from its box and explained,
"This soul bone comes from an extremely rare sea soul beast—the Fish-Dragon Beast. The bone is between three to five thousand years old. It is not one of the six major soul bones but an exceptionally rare external attachment soul bone from the fishtail category."
Ignaz was stunned to hear about the Fish-Dragon Beast. With a dragon's head and fish's body, it carried an imposing dragon bloodline and lived in the Nine-Star Sea. Its clan leader was a 100,000-year-old Nine-Segment Fish-Dragon Beast whose strength surpassed even the 100,000-year-old Evil Demon Orca King.
However, centuries ago, the Fish-Dragon Beast provoked the Sea God by invading Sea God Island and was slain by Poseidon. Its clan was almost wiped out, devoured by other sea soul beasts, teetering on the brink of extinction.
While Ignaz pondered this, the auction hall fell deathly silent. Within seconds, it erupted into a frenzy of excitement. A millennia-old soul bone was impressive enough, but this was a top-tier sea soul beast's soul bone—an elite, evolvable external attachment soul bone.
If the ten powerful figures on the stage hadn't simultaneously revealed six or even seven standard soul rings each, this auction would have devolved into a slaughter arena.
"Since all of you are so eager, I won't bore you with more details. There is no reserve price—the highest bid wins."
With the auctioneer's hammer falling, paddles shot up one after another.
"I bid one million!"
"I'll offer two million gold soul coins!"
Director Shui glanced at the soul masters still sitting silently inside the VIP boxes upstairs. He sighed, knowing his family's auction funds probably weren't even close. Still, he dared to raise his paddle tentatively.
"Three million gold soul coins!"
But before a second passed, a four million gold soul coin bid swiftly overshadowed his.
Director Shui sighed regretfully, "Alas, this top-tier external soul bone still isn't destined for the Shui family."
At this moment, Ignaz finally realized the gap in financial power. The earlier items were just appetizers before the real feast. He silently comforted himself,
"As a soul device master, this fish-tail external attachment soul bone won't help me much anyway. Even if I don't get it, it's just a thousand years old!"
The bidding price had already soared to fifteen million gold soul coins, and the frequency of bids began to slow.
"Fifteen million gold soul coins, any higher bids? Fifteen million once... fifteen million twice..."
"I bid twenty million!"
A slightly aged voice came from VIP box number one.
"Thirty million!"
"Thirty-five million!"
...
By now, the entire auction had become a battleground between the ten or so powerful figures in the VIP boxes. Bidding slowed, but every increase was no less than three million.
When the bid hit sixty-four million, only two VIP boxes remained actively bidding.
As one box pushed the bid to sixty-seven million, the other finally lost patience. A figure threw back the curtain, stepped onto the viewing platform, and glared fiercely at his biggest rival.
"I don't know which faction you represent, but this soul bone belongs to the Yu Luo Mian Sect. I hope you'll honor the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and withdraw from this auction. We will reward you handsomely afterward."
Ignaz looked up at the imposing figure of Yu Luo Mian. He had never expected that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect—located in the eastern continent—would be invited to this auction.
And the man who came was none other than the sect's second-in-command, the biological father of Liu Erlong. This external soul bone contained dragon essence, making it perfect for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial spirit.
"Since you're the vice sect leader of the continent's third greatest sect, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, I apologize. If Brother Yu wants this soul bone, then it's yours."
The man hiding behind the curtain bowed politely and stopped bidding, yielding the external soul bone.
With the fish-tail external soul bone finally in Yu Luo Mian's hands, the auction ended smoothly. But as Yu Luo Mian left Vast Sea City, many soul masters secretly followed, ready to seize any opportunity to snatch the prize.