In a familiar place, Thor and his companions quickly settled down as the evening glow gradually descended, marking the end of the day.
"The daily intelligence system has been updated!"
The text flickered, and pieces of intelligence reappeared.
However, there was no intelligence that surprised him once again.
But this was also quite normal. After all, it was just an auction; Loren City hosted one every year. This time, having a young man with an Affinity for All Things and a Stone of Thunder was already unexpected. As for the others, there likely werenāt any other really good items.
The night gradually passed.
A new day arrived.
With the dawn light falling, the area around the Habbs Commerce Association was already crowded with people.
A large number of Pioneer Knights and the Nobility had gathered here.
Every person wore expressions of anticipation and excitement.
"Have you heard?"
"About what?"
"Hehe, you might not know this, but a few days ago, the Habbs Commerce Association released the information that this auction would feature three bottles of Intermediate Life Potion and thirty bottles of Low-Level Life Potion."
"Really?"
"Of course itās true. How could the Habbs Commerce Association deceive us?"
"My goodness, there are actually three bottles."
"Yes, this will be something worth watching. Those Noble Lords will probably go crazy."
A myriad of voices mixed together as Thor, along with Reine and Neil Morton, stood among the crowd.
Hearing these discussions, Thor wasnāt too surprised.
Life Potions, regardless of where they are, hold immense value.
Intermediate Life Potions are enough to make countless people compete for them.
This is true even for the Frost Moon Province, and the Northern Province is no exception.
But what intrigued him was that no one mentioned the Stone of Thunder.
Though curious, Thor, Reine, and Neil Morton followed the attendant into the auction.
Under the attendantās guidance, they went directly to the second floor.
Here there were private rooms, only available to families like the Dressrosa Family at the Count level or higher, or Noble Lords with territories.
As for other Pioneer Lords, they could only stay on the first floor.
"Thor Knight, this is the auction catalog. You can take a look first to see if thereās anything satisfactory."
"If you have any instructions, feel free to call me. Iāll be right outside the door!"
The attendant spoke respectfully, handing a catalog to Thor before slowly exiting.
After a smiling acknowledgment, Thor directed his attention to the catalog.
Upon opening the catalog, it displayed twenty-one auction items.
As Thor scanned through, his eyes quickly fixed on the fourth and sixteenth items.
The fourth item was a group of slaves, the only male slave sale, with a total of five hundred robust peasant slaves, claimed to have mastered exquisite farming techniques, with a starting bid of two hundred Gold Coins.
The sixteenth item was surprisingly the Stone of Thunder, with a starting bid of one thousand Gold Coins.
Seeing this price, Thor couldnāt help but feel relieved.
At this moment, he still had about five thousand Gold Coins left, which theoretically should pose no significant problem.
As he exhaled a sigh of relief, the auction quickly began.
A blonde-haired girl swiftly took the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Habbs Commerce Associationās auction has officially begun. Now, letās welcome our first auction item: ten exquisite female slaves with a starting bid of three Gold Coins, with each increment not less than one Silver Coin."
The melodious voice echoed, followed by ten very attractive female slaves being brought onto the stage.
Soon, the surrounding voices rose.
"Three Gold Coins!"
"Four!"
"Five Gold Coins!"
The auction quickly started.
Thor did not participate as he had little interest.
The first item was ultimately sold for five Gold Coins and twenty Silver Coins.
The second item was also a group of female slaves, noticeably more beautiful and in greater numbers, but Thor still wasnāt very interested.
Until the fourth item came up.
His expression suddenly became serious.
"Robust peasant slaves from Nanyue Province, skilled in fine farming techniques, with a starting bid of two hundred Gold Coins, and each increment not less than one Gold Coin."
The womanās voice echoed.
The next moment, the entire venue fell silent.
Five hundred peasant slaves at a starting bid of two hundred Gold Coins was exceptionally expensive.
However, the exquisite farming skills were something every Lord needed.
"Iāll bid two hundred Gold Coins!"
After a moment of silence, someone quickly spoke up.
"Iāll bid two hundred and twenty Gold Coins."
"Two hundred and thirty!"
"Two hundred and forty!"
"Iāll bid two hundred and fifty!!"
"Two hundred and fifty-one!"
"Two hundred and fifty-two!"
Voices kept echoing, but the price gradually increased less dramatically.
Two hundred Gold Coins wasnāt a small amount, and even possessing exquisite farming skills, earning back those two hundred Gold Coins wasnāt something achievable in just a year or two.
As the bidding sounds quieted down.
In Thorās room, Reineās voice was heard.
"Three hundred Gold Coins!"
His words silenced the entire auction venue for a moment.
Many people shook their heads and sighed, while others looked toward the source of the voice with curiosity.
"Is there anyone willing to bid higher?"
"These are robust slaves with exquisite farming skills, pivotal to any territory."
The womanās words were met with silence.
Three hundred Gold Coins was the limit.
The woman didnāt continue asking and instead struck a wooden panel, starting the countdown.
"Three hundred Gold Coins once!"
"Three hundred Gold Coins twice!"
"Three hundred Gold Coins thrice!"
"Congratulations to the guest for winning this auction item!"
"Now letās welcome our fifth auction item!"
The voice rang out again.
The auction continued.
At this point, the attendant knocked on the door.
Thor waved his hand.
Reine quickly stepped forward, handing over the remaining Gold Coins to the attendant.
The attendant respectfully withdrew.
The auction continued.
Items were constantly being auctioned off.
These included various supplies and equipment.
Thor even saw Black Iron Armor and Silver Armor being sold.
These were the seventh and eleventh auction items.
There were twenty sets of generally average quality Black Iron Armor and three sets of similar quality Silver Armor. These items respectively sold for ten Gold Coins and one thousand Gold Coins.
Indeed, those three sets of average quality Silver Armor were auctioned for one thousand Gold Coins, which even made Thor a bit envious.
It was akin to daylight robbery.
Given the value of these Silver Armor pieces at over three hundred Gold Coins each, his own armor surely wouldnāt sell for less than four hundred Gold Coins, lest it be considered too generous.