"Oh! The bid is now up to 75 million! The beautiful lady with paddle number 86 bids 75 million! Is there anyone else who wishes to bid higher?"
As expected, once Chen Mo outbid the young man’s psychological price, a conflicted expression appeared on his face. At this moment on stage, the Auctioneer seemed to notice his hesitation.
Her tactics this time were completely different from the previous round. Last time, she had dragged out the bidding before calling the second price. This time, however, she quickly announced 75 million for the first and second calls. When it came to the third call, she deliberately slowed her pace.
"Sev-en-ty... fi-ve... mil-li-on... Third..."
She dragged out just those few words for tens of seconds.
After wrestling with his decision, the young man raised his paddle again.
"As we all know, the highest historical price for a Dark Heart was 90 million, and this handsome gentleman has already bid 80 million! Does anyone wish to bid higher?"
This guy has hesitated for so long; this is probably his limit. Chen Mo pondered for a moment before raising her paddle and calling out, "Eighty-one million!"
If the woman outbidding him hadn’t been so beautiful, the young man would have shot her a glare by now. He now strongly suspected this woman had consigned the auction item herself and was deliberately bidding on it to drive up the price.
"Eighty-five million! If you raise the price again, I’ll concede."
The young man raised his paddle for a final bid. He was clearly implying that if Chen Mo raised the price again, she’d be stuck with a bid she couldn’t honor, effectively ruining the sale.
Naturally, Chen Mo understood his meaning. With a dismissive smile, she raised her paddle again. "Eighty-six million!"
If he didn’t desperately need just one more Dark Heart right now, the young man wouldn’t have pushed the bid this high. Yet, even after he did, Chen Mo still outbid him.
While 86 million wasn’t an astronomical sum for this young man, the item itself simply wasn’t worth that much. Having money and an item actually being worth the price were two entirely different matters.
But thinking of the record high price, the young man raised his paddle again. "Ninety million!"
"Ninety million! The handsome gentleman with paddle number one bids 90 million, matching the historical high! Could our auction today set a new record price?"
The Auctioneer and the other bidders all turned to Chen Mo with intrigued expressions, eager to see if this beautiful lady would bid again.
"One hundred million!"
Ignoring everyone’s stares, Chen Mo simply raised her paddle.
"Whoa! This lady is seriously wealthy. Which prominent family is she from?"
"Not sure. I heard an attendant call her Miss Zhao earlier. She’s probably from the Zhao Family."
"She might even be a young lady from the Zhao Corporation. I heard the head of Zhao Corporation has three daughters, none of whom have ever made a public appearance. She could be one of them."
"Back when those dark dungeons first opened, the drop rate for Dark Hearts was quite high. You could get one for just 50 million back then. Now that the drop rate has decreased, I never expected the price to double!"
"Well, she’s a young lady from a major family. She probably doesn’t care much about this kind of money."
Seeing Chen Mo raise the bid to 100 million, and overhearing the surrounding discussions about her identity, the young man decided to give up. Firstly, he figured that with her apparent wealth, she could likely continue bidding without issue. Secondly, he didn’t want to offend her. He planned to have a proper talk with her later.
Sigh, if I had that material to craft the right item, I’d have a 100% chance of clearing this dark-type Random Rift Dungeon. Now, I probably only have a 70-80% chance.
Random Rift Dungeons are a special type of dungeon that appear unpredictably in various locations across the world. The exact time and location of their appearance are unknown. Even their duration, once they manifest, is a mystery. One might materialize right in your home or out in a remote forest. It could persist for a month or vanish within an hour.
Information about these Random Rift Dungeons can be obtained by simply touching them. Subsequently, one can access detailed information about the Rift Dungeon—including its specific difficulty, potential rewards, and other details—at any time through the Heavenly Path System.
While venturing into a Random Rift Dungeon is quite dangerous, the rewards often surpass those from other dungeons of comparable difficulty. They are fortuitous opportunities that many aspire to encounter. However, these chances are rare, come with entry restrictions, and not everyone is fortunate enough to stumble upon one and gain access.
The young man was so desperate to acquire the Dark Heart precisely because he wanted to enter the Random Rift Dungeon that had appeared in his home. But now that the item’s price had been driven so high, he had no choice but to concede.
Ultimately, after the Auctioneer’s third call, Chen Mo successfully acquired the Dark Heart for 100 million.
"Congratulations to the beautiful lady of paddle number 86 for successfully acquiring the item! The next item for auction will be the Holy Beast’s Inner Core. Interested guests, please take a short break and enjoy some refreshments. The next auction will commence shortly."
As soon as the Auctioneer finished speaking, quite a few people rose and departed.
Meanwhile, the young man approached Chen Mo and said, "Miss, could you possibly sell me this Dark Heart? I need it urgently, and I’m willing to offer you 110 million for it."
The prospect of earning 10 million instantly by reselling it was genuinely tempting for Chen Mo. However, considering her goal of achieving better results in the college entrance exams, she still declined.
"I’m truly sorry, but I also need it urgently. Otherwise, I would have let you have it."
"Well, never mind then..." From how aggressively Chen Mo had bid, the young man could already sense that she must need it desperately.
"May I ask why you’re in such a hurry for this Dark Heart?" Seeing his dejected expression, Chen Mo asked curiously. It’s just a material, after all. It’s not like I won’t be able to find another one later.
Seeing Chen Mo’s interest, a glimmer of hope rekindled in the young man. Perhaps if he explained his situation clearly, she might agree to sell it to him after all.
The young man immediately explained his reasons in detail. "You see, the Random Rift Dungeon appeared in my own home, so I’m not worried about others trying to seize it. The Academy Alliance has long-established regulations: if a Random Rift Dungeon appears in someone’s home, it’s considered their property. Others can negotiate to purchase entry rights, but they cannot seize it by force. Anyone who discovers a Random Rift Dungeon in their home is advised to report it to the Academy Alliance promptly. The Academy Alliance charges a certain guardianship fee to help protect it, preventing it from being coveted by opportunistic individuals. Of course, not reporting it is also an option. If someone forcibly seizes it, one can still seek arbitration from the Academy Alliance for compensation. However, by that point, the dungeon would likely have already been exploited. My family has already reported the Random Rift Dungeon in our home, and the Academy Alliance has dispatched personnel to guard it. Therefore, I’m not worried about discussing it openly. Random Rift Dungeons are excellent, you know! Plus, they contain many hidden missions. While these missions can be very difficult, completing them can yield top-grade rewards!"
After he finished his explanation, Chen Mo’s interest was piqued. "How many people can enter this Rift Dungeon of yours?"
"Five, I think," the young man said subconsciously, "but the more people there are, the more insanely difficult it becomes."
"To be honest," Chen Mo said, "I have a certain resistance to dark-elemental anomalies. You might not actually need this Dark Heart. If you’re agreeable, I could team up with you to enter. The difficulty shouldn’t increase too drastically with just two people, right?"