Chapter 16: The Winning Bid
"Brother Kalan." Alice whispered, looking at him anxiously.
Some people might feel proud to be the "prototype" for a master sculptor's work. But Linley's piece was different. Anyone with some knowledge of sculpture could fully discern Linley and Alice's past from the divine charm contained within the five independent human figures.
If Alice were merely becoming the wife of a commoner, that would be one thing.
But the man she was to marry was Kalan Debbs.
The future heir of the Debbs family, one of the top three major families in the Finlay Kingdom.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Kalan held Alice's hand.
But Alice could feel that Kalan's hands were covered in sweat.
"Father—" Kalan looked at his father, Bernard, and then at his mother. His parents doted on him immensely, which was why they were willing to take out eight million gold coins for Kalan. After all, for the Debbs family, eight million gold coins was a very large sum.
"Kalan, don't even think about it. The family cannot spend over ten million gold coins for a fiancée of yours." Bernard said sternly.
Kalan was stunned. Even Alice looked up at Bernard, her eyes filled with worry and a glimmer of hope.
"Let's stick with our earlier decision." Bernard ignored Alice's hopeful gaze and coldly pronounced.
Kalan stood frozen for a long time. Beside him, Alice tightly gripped Kalan's hand, staring into his eyes. Alice understood very well what Bernard's words just now meant. She was extremely unwilling to accept that outcome.
Kalan glanced at Alice, sighed helplessly, and gently shook his head.
"Brother Kalan, I don't want this." Alice said softly.
Kalan squeezed Alice's hand and shook his head gently. "It's no use, Alice. I am the heir of the family. I must consider the family's interests. I hope you can make a small sacrifice for me. I promise, my feelings for you will never change."
Alice fell silent.
The heir of the family!
These simple words destined that everything about Kalan would be tightly bound to the honor and disgrace of the family. Although Bernard deeply loved his son, he would never allow Alice to become Kalan's legitimate wife under any circumstances.
Yes, she could not become his legitimate wife.
That meant that any children Alice bore would not be direct descendants.
In fact, ever since the sculpture "Dream Awakening" had been seen by many, the Debbs family had already demanded that Kalan give up Alice. Even if he were to marry Alice, she could never become his legitimate wife. But Kalan had insisted all along.
Later, Bernard, who doted on Kalan, compromised. He decided that if they could purchase "Dream Awakening," he would reluctantly agree to the matter.
But now it seemed...
"Brother Kalan." Alice looked at Kalan, her eyes moist. She then looked around at the members of the Debbs family. But neither Kalan, nor Bernard, nor Kalan's mother paid any attention to her.
At that moment, Alice felt a chill in her heart.
She suddenly recalled the time she had spent with Linley, how he had cared for her with meticulous attention. In the past, she had thought that Linley's indulgence and concern for her were only natural. But at this moment, she longed for it so desperately.
She looked up, her gaze passing through the glass toward the third floor of the auction hall. But all she saw was the dark glass.
"Ten million gold coins! Ten million gold coins! Is there any higher bid?" The blonde host shouted loudly from the stage.
The man in the loose robe casually glanced around and then directly called out to the blonde host, "Hey! Stop wasting time with your nonsense. Just start the countdown!" The wealthy nobles nearby all laughed.
The auction host wouldn't listen to what the audience said, would he?
According to what these wealthy nobles knew about this blonde man, he would always hype up the auction item, driving the price to an extremely high level.
The blonde host heard the voice but felt as if he were hypnotized, and very naturally said, "Then I'll start the countdown. Three, two..."
"10.1 million gold coins!"
An aged voice came from a box on the second floor.
Everyone's gaze turned to that box. Even the man in the loose robe stared at it in surprise. Besides the Debbs family, the families in the other boxes on the second floor were all major families renowned throughout the entire Yulan Continent.
The wealth of those major families far exceeded that of the Debbs family.
"Oh? There really is someone who knows quality. But only increasing by 100,000 gold coins? Too stingy. Add a bit more. 10.3 million gold coins." The man in the loose robe said casually with a smile.
At this moment, Linley and the others on the third floor of the auction hall all noticed this man in the loose robe. But from their angle, they could only see his profile and couldn't make out his face clearly.
"Hmm?"
Both Gilmore, the Red Archbishop of the Radiant Church, and Lampson, the Red Archbishop, stood up. They frowned and moved to the other side of the glass window to get a better look at the man in the loose robe below.
And at that moment—
The man in the loose robe seemed to notice the two Red Archbishops looking at him. He actually looked up and glanced at them.
"It's him?"
The faces of the two Red Archbishops suddenly turned pale.
Gilmore and Lampson exchanged a glance and both shook their heads. In fact, before the auction, the Radiant Church had decided to spend a large sum to purchase the sculpture "Dream Awakening" in order to improve their relationship with Linley.
However, upon seeing this man, Gilmore and Lampson changed their minds.
"Better not compete with this madman." Gilmore said softly.
Lampson nodded as well. "I don't want to provoke this madman either."
Although they called him a "madman," the fear was deeply ingrained in their bones. Both Lampson and Gilmore were very clear about the terror of this man, who appeared to be in his thirties or forties. Especially Lampson...
Because if it weren't for this madman, Lampson probably wouldn't have had the chance to be promoted to Red Archbishop.
The Radiant Church only had five Red Archbishops in total. It was because this madman had casually killed a Red Archbishop that Lampson had the opportunity to take that position. But even though he had killed a Red Archbishop, the Radiant Pope was unwilling to truly oppose this madman over it.
"10.4 million gold coins." The aged voice from the second-floor box sounded again.
The man in the loose robe looked up, frowned, and said, "You're really troublesome. 11 million gold coins."
"11 million gold coins! This gentleman has bid 11 million gold coins! Is there any higher bid?" The blonde host became excited as well. After all, the top of the ten great sculptures, "Blood-Eyed Mane Lion," had only sold for 13 million gold coins.
On the third floor, Gilmore whispered to Lampson, "Lampson, do you know which family is in that box? They actually dare to compete with this madman. Are they tired of living?"
"Curator Maia." Lampson called out to Curator Maia, who was not far away.
Curator Maia immediately walked over.
"Curator Maia, do you know which family is in the box that just bid?" Lampson asked. "It seems the one in charge is a young girl." Standing on the third floor, Lampson could naturally see through the window the person sitting on the sofa in the second-floor box.
As for the aged voice, it seemed to be the girl's servant.
Curator Maia glanced over and said with a smile, "Lord Gilmore, Lord Lampson, this young lady is a direct descendant of the Ryan family of the Yulan Empire. This box was reserved under the Ryan family's name."
"The Ryan family?" Lampson and Gilmore were startled.
The Ryan family was one of the top five super-great families in the Yulan Empire, the oldest empire on the entire Yulan Continent. Any one of the top five families in the Yulan Empire could easily destroy the Debbs family.
Most members of the Ryan family held important positions in the Yulan Empire, wielding a vast network of power.
"Gilmore, the number one magical genius from our Ernst Institute in the past, Dixie, seems to be from the Ryan family of the Yulan Empire, right?" Lampson asked.
Gilmore was more familiar with the affairs of Ernst Institute.
"Yes, not just Dixie. He also has a sister—I can't remember her name. Both siblings studied at our Ernst Institute. However, a few days ago, Dixie has already applied for graduation." Gilmore said directly.
Lampson nodded. "It seems that girl is Dixie's sister." Lampson looked toward that box.
In the box reserved by the Ryan family on the second floor, Dillya, dressed in a purple suit, sat calmly on the sofa, looking through the window at the "Dream Awakening" sculpture below.
"Miss, don't compete. The person down there is not to be trifled with." The old man said with some concern.
As a super-great family of the Yulan Empire, the Ryan family was very well-informed about the hidden forces and super experts across the entire Yulan Continent. They understood very well that although they were a super-great family, there were some people they could not afford to offend.
For example, the man down there, who appeared to be only thirty or forty years old.
The old man knew very well that although he himself was over four hundred years old, this man in the loose robe had probably looked the same even before he was born.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Xiu. Can you deliver this note to him for me?" Dillya took out a pen, quickly wrote a sentence on a piece of paper, and handed it to the old man.
The old man took the note, looked at the content, and was stunned.
"Miss, you, how could you..." The old man was shocked by the content.
"Never mind that. Just deliver this note to him." Dillya said without hesitation. The old man hesitated for a moment but eventually left the box and went down to the first floor.
"12 million gold coins!"
Dillya's clear voice rang out from the box.
The man in the loose robe frowned, and a trace of murderous intent began to gather between his brows. At that moment, the old man named "Xiu" walked toward the man in the loose robe. He stopped before him, bowed respectfully, and said, "Sir, I am a servant of the Ryan family. This is a letter from my young lady for you."
The man in the loose robe raised an eyebrow, then took the paper with interest.
"Oh?" The man in the loose robe glanced at the content, his eyes lighting up, and then he burst into laughter.
"Alright, alright. I won't compete anymore. I won't compete anymore." The piece of paper in his hand instantly turned to ashes. The man in the loose robe himself sat down with a smile and even looked up at the box where Dillya was on the second floor.
At that moment, on the third floor of the auction hall.
Linley and Yale heard the clear "12 million gold coins" and were both stunned. The voice was too familiar. Linley had known its owner since the day they both entered Ernst Institute.
"It's Dillya." Yale said in surprise.
Linley immediately stood up and moved to the other side of the window, to a position where he could see Dillya's box. Sure enough, Dillya, dressed in a rather formal purple suit, was sitting on the sofa, staring intently at the "Dream Awakening" sculpture below.
"Three, two... one, bang!"
The blonde host struck the small hammer and shouted excitedly, "Congratulations to the Ryan family for winning Linley Master's sculpture 'Dream Awakening' with a bid of 12 million gold coins! I am honored to announce that the sculpture 'Dream Awakening' has become the third highest-priced work among the ten great sculptures. Only Master Hoover's 'Blood-Eyed Mane Lion' and Master Prox's work 'Hope' have sold for more than this 'Dream Awakening.'"
The entire auction hall erupted into noise, followed by enthusiastic applause.
Linley stood by the window on the third floor, looking down at Dillya, then turning his gaze to Alice in another box. Both girls were sitting on sofas, but Dillya had a faint smile on her face, while Alice's face was pale.