Anya stepped back onto the stage as another staff member wheeled out a frost-coated display table covered with small glass cases. Each case held a unique herb, all emitting a faint, icy aura. A chill seemed to seep into the room, creating an air of mystery and anticipation.
Just as the system had announced, the item in question was one of the items required for his pet's evolution, but Nox didn't know which one—only a suspicion because of the chill it emitted. However, that was more than enough to leave his chest pounding in a mixture of excitement and anticipation.
Anya briefly glanced in his direction, and with a smile on her face, she began in a confident and alluring voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you ten arctic herbs, harvested from the most frigid and treacherous kingdom, Snowhelm. These plants are not only rare but essential for the greatest alchemists, healers, and combatants. Their effects range from enhancing potions to unlocking new realms of power."
"So it's the Arctic herbs, huh?" As if on cue, a holographic screen appeared above the parchment before him, detailing the uses of Arctic herbs.
From the holographic display, Nox learned that Arctic herbs were considered legendary-tier ingredients and were highly sought after by alchemists. Each herb had unique properties, capable of enhancing skills, crafting potions, and even being used as ingredients in food. However, there was no information about the herbs helping beasts to evolve.
Of course, Nox never expected such information to be there in the first place; after all, only a handful of people had knowledge about it.
At that moment, Anya called out, "The starting bid for the 10 Arctic herbs is 5000 golden coins!"
The room erupted into noise as people started shouting their bids.
"Five thousand, five hundred gold coins!" someone yelled from the middle.
"Six thousand!" another voice chimed in almost immediately.
The bids kept climbing, and more people joined in. Most of them looked like important alchemists, wearing fancy robes covered in weird symbols. They all seemed really serious about getting whatever was up for grabs.
An old alchemist with a long silver beard stood up. "Ten thousand gold coins!" he said loudly, making everyone turn to look at him.
Nox kept watching, not letting the tension distract him.
Then a woman with sharp blue eyes and an icy expression raised her hand. "Twelve thousand!" she said, her voice just as firm. She pulled on her gloves like she was already getting ready to work with whatever was being sold.
The bids kept rising.
"Fourteen thousand gold coins!"
Nox stayed quiet, watching the tension between the bidders grow.
The old man's face tightened, and he raised his hand again. "Sixteen thousand gold coins!"
The woman with the icy stare let out a small smirk. "Seventeen thousand," she said in her calm voice.
"Eighteen thousand gold coins!"
'They're really going all in for this one,' Nox thought. "Thankfully, none of the VIPs are interested in this one."
Clearing his throat, Nox said in a firm, powerful voice, "Twenty thousand gold coins!"
The room went silent, and everyone's eyes turned to the VIP area.
"Why can't he just let small fries like us have the items?"
As soon as they recognized the box the voice came from, the audience below started to curse in their hearts.
And just like that, Nox claimed the Arctic herbs.
"That's one down!" Nox felt like doing a happy jump at this moment. The Arctic herbs were one of the items Fluffington needed.
As the item was delivered to his box, little did Nox know, a pair of beautiful blue eyes were fixated in his direction.
"I wonder who he is in there, is he an alchemist?" Amos muttered as he stared at the box beside his. From his own box room, he could only see a shadowy outline.
The reason Amos was curious about this person was that usually, the VIPs weren't interested in the items sold for the public. They usually reserved their gold coins for VIP-only auctions where the main treasures would be auctioned.
It was one of the reasons none of them had made any moves—they were waiting for the real prizes to be presented. However, the fact that this mysterious individual had bid so aggressively for something as mundane as Arctic herbs intrigued not only Amos but the rest of the VIPs.
"Tsk, he will regret this decision by the time they bring in all the cool items," one of the VIPs laughed to himself.
"Maybe he's an alchemist."
The next items also happened to be evolution items, and of course, Nox claimed them.
The next couple of items were magic items, ranging from swords, shields, and armor pieces. However, Nox didn't bid recklessly and simply waited for the rest of the resources for his pet's evolution to show up.
Several boring minutes later, just as Anya had promised him, one after another, the resources needed for his evolution were soon introduced, and Nox bid fiercely for them.
Because of his status as a VIP, not many dared to go against him. After all, they didn't want to be on the receiving end of his wrath if they dared to outbid him for something that was clearly important to him. The atmosphere had changed, now crackling with an undercurrent of tension. Every time Nox raised his bid, the room grew quieter, as if everyone was waiting for the next move.
The next item up was a crystal vial containing a glowing, ethereal liquid. Anya introduced it with a flourish. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is a vial of Glacial Water—extremely rare and sought after for its power to enhance both elemental and physical abilities!"
The instant Nox heard "vial of Glacial Water," excitement coursed through his body. He couldn't believe his eyes—he had gotten all the resources he had been looking for in the past years in one night!
This Glacial vial was the final item that could help Thirteen evolve. But he didn't let his excitement show. He kept his gaze steady, waiting for the bidding to start.
But little did he know, things wouldn't always go as planned.