Chapter 2728: Unfathomable
The Vilna family showed no movement, but Roy was quick to act. The next day, he told Xu Huo that a membership-only auction was happening soon, and he had secured spots to bring him along.
The auction required anonymity. The two of them donned pre-prepared outfits and masks, then boarded a specially arranged aircraft that took them to a resort near the base city.
There were quite a few people at the resort, but not many were specifically attending the auction. They entered through a special passage and soon found themselves in an underground corridor. After several twists and turns, they entered a room. Through a one-way glass, they could see the auction stage ahead. At this point, the auction had not yet officially begun.
To avoid any transaction loopholes, this auction adopted the most primitive method: items were brought by the sellers themselves, auctioned off physically, and payment was made on the spot.
There was no pre-prepared catalog; it was only known that the items were all high-quality A-grade items or special items.
"Did you bring enough money?" Roy reminded him. "Some people like to play the game of driving up prices. If the price goes too high, don't follow. In the end, if they can't sell, someone will naturally contact you."
Xu Huo nodded, indicating he understood.
The auction began quickly. The first item put up was a defensive space item that provided three minutes of defense per hour, with the defense range limited to the player themselves, though it could be used in conjunction with other items.
After several rounds of bidding, Xu Huo secured it for twenty-five million.
Roy was somewhat surprised, as this item clearly had a premium. It wasn't a top-tier defensive item, and its defense range was limited to the player alone. Three minutes of use per hour sounded like a relatively small restriction, but considering its quality and defense range, it clearly exceeded its proper value.
Moreover, given Xu Huo's abilities, he should have preferred items with fewer restrictions.
However, seeing that Xu Huo didn't say anything and seemed quite pleased with his purchase, Roy held his tongue.
The next few items weren't particularly good. Even in Roy's eyes, they were somewhat lackluster. In high-level player battles, switching items was a vulnerability. Items with many restrictions had to be used with consideration for activation times, which was quite inconvenient, especially when personal safety was involved.
Yet Xu Huo still bought half of them.
Roy's gaze shifted from initial curiosity and confusion to complete incomprehension. "Are you really that short on items? You can even settle for these?"
Xu Huo just smiled and said, "I've come into a bit of money recently."
Although he had lost a batch of items and instruments, with the dividends from Vilna, support from the Special Defense Department, and the inheritance from the players he had killed, he was not short on funds.
Soon, the auction reached its highlight. Someone offered a life-saving special item.
"No one in the world can die a second time for you, but today's 'Mother's Wings' can. It is the fusion of a mother's faith and life, allowing the wearer to survive three fatal attacks! Starting bid: twenty-five million white notes!"
The price climbed round after round, quickly reaching forty million white notes. Even for a life-saving item, this price was far too high, especially since it could only be used three times.
So when Xu Huo made his final bid of forty-one million, the other competitors fell silent. But just before the deal was about to be finalized, someone suddenly jumped in with a higher bid, raising it by two million in one go.
Xu Huo followed with another bid, but when he saw the other party wasn't giving up, he stopped.
The same pattern repeated for the next few items. Whenever others gave up and Xu Huo persisted, one person would relentlessly chase the bid. But if Xu Huo showed no interest in an item, that person wouldn't do the same.
"Are the people here all familiar with each other?" Xu Huo asked Roy.
Roy had also noticed. His tone was somewhat heavy as he said, "Everyone here relies on their own means. It shouldn't be that others have leaked our identities. I suspect the items I prepared were seen through by someone."
"It seems they're targeting you," he added after a moment's deliberation.
It wasn't "seems"—they were definitely targeting him.
Xu Huo hadn't made many enemies since entering District 011, at least not enemies with such deep pockets. He could guess their identity without even thinking, so he stopped participating in the bidding for the remaining items.
He had already achieved his goal.
Sure enough, not long after, someone sent a server to deliver a message, saying they could arrange a private transaction.
The private transaction definitely wouldn't involve the items brought to the auction today. The venue didn't restrict this, but it no longer provided any guarantees.
Players could easily disappear, posing a certain risk to those wanting to sell items. However, Xu Huo had been splashing cash freely earlier, offering good prices for ordinary items. His air of wealth made people feel particularly secure.
Xu Huo arranged to meet two people privately, but after about ten minutes, both of them sent servers to politely decline the meeting. To avoid offending him, they hinted that someone else had offered a higher price for their items. Since it was all about making money, they naturally chose the higher bidder.
This was a bit too much.
Competing at the auction was one thing, but interfering with private transactions was clearly aiming for enmity.
Xu Huo wasn't angry. He collected the few items he had won and prepared to leave.
Perhaps driven by some kind of "fate," the two of them ran into people from another room as they exited. Even without seeing their faces, just by looking at the curly hair on one of them, Xu Huo recognized his identity.
Karg Helta, Ashis Werner's good friend. Besides him, there were several others Xu Huo had seen at the Vilna family banquet. They hadn't made much effort to hide their identities, wearing flashy masks with half their faces exposed.
However, the young player beside Karg Helta was vastly different from the others' arrogant demeanor, even appearing somewhat restrained.
"Today, I'm bringing you to get used to things. Gatherings like this have no real threshold, so don't be nervous," Karg Helta said, casting a provocative glance at Xu Huo as he spoke to the young player beside him.
Xu Huo found it utterly baffling. "Is your targeting of me on the orders of the Vilna family?"
Karg Helta's expression shifted slightly. "Are you sure you want to say something like that without evidence?"
"It doesn't matter. I can ask the Vilna family later." Xu Huo turned and left.
Karg Helta wanted to pursue, but as soon as he took a step, his form was frozen by time power. Xu Huo swept his gaze over the few of them, said, "This is the only time," and left the resort with Roy Clemens.
Xu Huo didn't go to the Vilna family to inquire, but before dawn the next day, someone delivered appeasing gifts. It seemed like an apology, but in reality, only two noble scions came as representatives, and not a word was mentioned about Karg Helta or anything else.