317: Chapter 13, Don’t Mess with the Fiancee_1 317: Chapter 13, Don’t Mess with the Fiancee_1 Sure enough, after the price broke ten thousand, the nobles stopped bidding.
The beauty of the elves, along with their innate close connection to nature, has always been popular in the slave market.
Where demand exceeds supply, there are often huge profits; ordinary elf slaves can be sold for thousands of gold coins, and top-quality ones can be sold for tens of thousands of gold coins.
There have been cases where elves have been sold for more than ten thousand.
The massive profits brought about the prosperity of the slave hunting industry.
Every year, countless slave hunting parties delve deep into the Elf Forest.
Despite the Elf Kingdom’s strenuous crackdown, it couldn’t curb human greed.
Even the tightest guard has its loopholes.
Most slave hunting parties never return, but in the end, some slave hunting is successful.
Each year sees the emergence of dozens, even hundreds of elf slaves.
Though the numbers seem large, distributed across the whole Continent of Aslante, they quickly become a precious commodity.
With their unique temperament, elves are almost in line with the aesthetic standards of all intelligent races except for the magical beasts.
Not only humans participate in slave hunting; other species also contribute their part.
Fortunately, the elves have good cultivation talent and, along with their long lifespan, the clan produces a steady stream of Strongmen.
Plus, the unique terrain of the Elf Forest has kept it shielded from the outside world.
Moon Elves are relatively rare, and these two sisters are peerless beauties.
Once the price exceeded ten thousand gold coins, it reached everyone’s psychological limit.
If this was before the outbreak of war, the price could at least be increased by three to five thousand gold coins.
Now, everyone is tightening their belts, without their usual extravagance.
The price is below expectations, the auctioneer was sweating profusely.
There is little he could do if customers refuse to bid.
He surely cannot set up someone to deliberately inflate the price, right?
If that kind of scandal were to occur, the auction house’s reputation would be ruined.
Nobel participants at the auction aren’t pushovers; if provoked they are capable of drawing swords to kill.
Involving many nobles, regardless of how powerful the backers are, when in the wrong, the organizers will have to swallow their pride.
With the atmosphere falling flat, the enthusiasm for the following auctions wasn’t high.
Before placing a bid, people always think twice.
Once an item approaches market price, no one will bid higher.
As an observer, Hudson doesn’t care about the transaction price of the goods.
The sluggish closing price apparently seems to be due to the mood of the auction, but in reality, it is caused by the war.
Looking at the auction, anything related to the war or that can enhance personal abilities is not sold cheaply.
Those failing to meet the expected prices are mostly luxury items that were highly sought after in the past, and there even have been incidents of lots not getting bid on at all.
Although the auctioneer tried his best to rally the crowd, he proved to be futile against a group of customers who were tightening their belts and spending rationally.
“The final auction item – a mysterious treasure map.
The seller of the treasure map claims: the location recorded on it is a secret cache left behind by the Bright Empire to regain power.
To protect the interests of everyone here, we have verified the age of this treasure map, which is at least three hundred and fifty years old.
We all understand what the Bright Empire implies.
The value of a treasure left behind by an empire for the purpose of restoration is obvious.
There are records of these treasures in historical records.
It is unlikely that someone would have created a fake treasure map as a joke more than three hundred years ago.
There is no starting price for this auction, and the bid increments aren’t limited.
The auction starts now.”
As soon as the auctioneer’s voice fell, the hall bustled, the guests started the discussion around the treasure map.
“A treasure map”, is almost a must-have for anyone aspiring to make a fortune.
Hudson is also envious, but a map of uncertain authenticity is not something he would gamble everything on.
Even if the treasure map is genuine, it does not mean the treasure still exists.
If it were Hudson, he wouldn’t mind taking the treasure first and then selling the map.
If the treasure has not been taken out, it only means that the place where the treasure is buried is too dangerous, or the so-called treasure is a trap.
Normal people won’t set traps randomly, but cult organizations might.
For all we know, the so-called treasure is an altar for the Evil God.
Watching the nobles below arguing, Hudson quietly mourns for them.
The odds of becoming rich overnight by treasure hunting aren’t much higher than winning the lottery.
Not only Hudson didn’t bid, none of the nobility in the box participated in the bid for the treasure map either.
When weighing risk and reward, minor nobles who live in precarious times may choose to gamble, but well-established nobles cannot afford to gamble.
Reality is harsh; even if the treasure is real, it is unlikely to allow a leap in social status.
Moving from an intermediate aristocrat to a major noble seems to be only one step away, but the threshold for this last step is sky-high.
Those who can cross it are not due to capability nor effort, but elusive luck.
As the cake hasn’t gotten any bigger, the upper class’s positions already have an occupant for each slot.
For new budding nobles, the only way to make room is to remove the previous ones.
Under the existing rules, unless the major nobles make a mistake or perish on the battlefield, there’s no opportunity for the up-and-comers.
…
“Master, Viscount Orlan invites you to a banquet tonight.”
What’s expected always comes.
But the efficiency was surprisingly high.
The auction just ended, and the father-in-law had already sent an invitation.