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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Double the Bid
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The Auction.
This event, held annually since the appearance of the Gates, was superficially dismissed as merely ‘the world’s largest auction’…
but it was, in fact, an exclusive affair for the upper class who truly drove the global economy.
Though the auction drew thousands of participants each year, only a few dozen ever attempted to bid or successfully won an item.
These were individuals such as…
members of prominent Jewish magnate families, who had diligently amassed wealth over long traditions and histories…
or people from the royal families of Saudi Arabia or Abu Dhabi, whose private fortunes were rumored to exceed a trillion dollars.
Occasionally, when an artifact that could be of great help in suppressing a Gate was put up for sale, the defense department of a specific nation would go to great lengths to secure it.
Simply put…
it was no exaggeration to call the auction a ‘league of their own,’ a world where those of ordinary means wouldn't even dare to dream of participating.
— One….
— Two….
— Three….
But then, a new magnate appeared.
- The first auction item, the ‘Spirit's Canteen,’ has been sold to the anonymous bidder, Immortal!
What's more, this suddenly-emerged, newly-rich powerhouse had, upon his debut, completely overwhelmed the ‘Rothschild family,’ one of the auction’s dominant forces.
“Wow, did he just overpower the Rothschilds with money…?”
“Who on earth is he?”
“I don’t know his identity, but he must be incredibly wealthy….”
In another private room, an old man watching the scene unfold scowled slightly.
Meyer Rothschild.
He was the head of the prestigious Jewish magnate family, the House of Rothschild.
“Who is he?”
He asked in a low, soft, baritone voice. Behind him, his personal aide, who had been hesitating for a moment, answered with difficulty.
“Regrettably, all we know is that he is a special-grade client of the ‘Secret Society of the Wealthy,’ a private bank run by the goblin race….”
Receiving a less-than-clear answer, Meyer Rothschild tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa.
“Seeing as there’s no information on him yet, he must be some fledgling who just started making money by riding the recent trends….”
Meyer Rothschild trailed off vaguely before looking at his aide and asking again.
“I felt that man’s actions were a clear provocation. What do you think?”
The aide nodded his head a few times before replying in a serious tone.
“Unfortunately, I share your sentiment, sir….”
The first auction item, the ‘Spirit's Canteen,’ was by no means valuable enough to fetch eight million dollars.
Its estimated winning bid was three and a half million dollars.
This meant that Meyer Rothschild’s own bid of four million dollars was already excessive….
‘Bidding exactly double that amount can only be seen as a clear provocation.’
After a moment's hum, Meyer Rothschild gently stroked the tip of his beard and muttered to himself.
“I suppose I should personally help that arrogant nouveau riche bastard understand his place….”
And so, the auction resumed.
- Our second item is a set of special *natural pigments* that can only be found beyond the Gates.
As the auctioneer looked at the screen set up behind the stage, a sample of twelve different colored dyes was displayed.
- As you can see, they are characterized by their vibrant and rich colors, and a freedom in expressing shades that is simply incomparable to Earth's natural pigments.
Every one of them was a natural dye extracted from otherworldly plants, minerals, or earth.
- This bluish pigment was named ‘Sacrificial Ultramarine’ due to its story.
- To obtain just a few grams, the lives of over several hundred people were sacrificed.
- It is a color that captivated the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Fra Angelico.
- Of course, the ultramarine of their time was also more valuable than gold, but it cannot compare to this.
- The name of this green pigment is ‘Giant's Demise,’ extracted from the hide of a troll, and this red dye is….
Even as the auctioneer’s explanation stretched on, the audience remained completely focused, listening intently.
It was because everyone attending the auction not only had a refined taste and knowledge of art but also a profound interest in it.
“The colors are nice, aren’t they…?”
Of course, Kang-jun was no exception, his eyes gleaming as he listened to the explanation.
“I need to buy that too.”
At his words, Bong-gu’s eyes widened as he asked back.
“Boss, were you always interested in art?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t see why you need to win the bid….”
Kang-jun replied in a serious tone.
“Actually, it’s something I only learned recently myself, but it seems Seol-i was born with an absolutely enormous talent for art.”
“So?”
“She creates masterpieces with just colored pencils from the neighborhood stationery store. If she had good materials, wouldn’t a masterpiece of the century be born?”
Though it was a roundabout way of putting it, in short, he intended to bid on this item as another gift for Seol-i.
“Huh….”
Just then, the auctioneer began to speak again.
- We will now begin the auction for the 12 types of natural pigments from beyond the Gate. The starting bid is ten thousand dollars!
The starting bid for twelve tubes of paint, each no bigger than an index finger, was just over one hundred million Korean won.
- Two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand….
- Double, eight hundred thousand dollars!
- We have one million dollars.
- Double, two million dollars!
Then, the auctioneer shouted once more.
- The royal family of Saudi Arabia has doubled again, and we’ve instantly reached four million dollars!
- Four and a half million from the Rockefeller family, five million from the Baring family, six million from the Rothschild family!
- Six and a half million from the Abu Dhabi royal family, and seven million dollars again from the Rothschild family!
- If no other bidders emerge by the time I count to three, this item will be….
It was then.
“Bid double.”
At Kang-jun’s calm words, Kagon once again submitted a bid for twice the current price….
- Kagon, the proxy for ‘Immortal,’ who won our first item, has doubled again!
- We have now reached fourteen million dollars! An incredibly fierce competition is unfolding!
- If no other bidders emerge by the time I count to three, this item will also….
The auctioneer, who had been speaking, suddenly cried out, “Ah!” and continued.
- The Rothschild family has re-entered the bidding with fifteen million dollars!
- My goodness, it’s been doubled again! The price has instantly shot up to thirty million dollars!
- The Rothschild family has re-entered the bidding with thirty-five million dollars!
- Unbelievable, it’s been doubled again! The price soars to a staggering seventy million dollars!
- The Rothschild family has once again re-entered the bidding with seventy-five million dollars!
- And the anonymous bidder ‘Immortal’ has doubled again! The bid is now one hundred and fifty million dollars!
Simultaneously, a clamor erupted once more from all corners of the auction house.
“O-O-One hundred and fifty million dollars?”
“Are they insane?”
“Just how much money do they have…?”
Each time the Rothschild family raised the price slightly, Kang-jun countered by offering exactly double their amount.
— One….
— Two….
- Three….
After counting down again in a steady rhythm, the auctioneer shouted in an excited voice.
- The second item, the 12 types of natural pigments from beyond the Gate, has also been sold to ‘Immortal’!
- Unbelievably, the final bid is a staggering one hundred and fifty million dollars!
At the auctioneer’s cry, Meyer Rothschild yelled, “Damn it!” and began to furiously pound the armrest of his sofa.
As if that wasn't enough to quell his anger, he loosened the necktie that was choking him and continued speaking, his voice thick with rage.
“Have you ever seen such a crazy bastard!”
Converted to Korean won at the current exchange rate, it was a colossal sum far exceeding one hundred and sixty billion.
No matter how wealthy the Rothschild family was…
they simply couldn't pour such an amount of the family’s public funds into purchasing mere natural pigments, however excellent their colors.
Furthermore…
he was certain that if he had tried to re-bid with a higher amount, that bastard would have undoubtedly offered exactly double it.
It was an accurate guess.
None of the magnates who usually dominated the auction had managed to win a single item; all had been snatched away by the new powerhouse.
- The third auction item, the ‘Ointment of Youth,’ has also been sold to Immortal!
“This one’s a gift for my sister.”
- The fourth auction item, the ‘Ogre Serum,’ has also been sold to Immortal.
“This one’s for Crabslie.”
- The fifth auction item, the ‘Wyvern's Skeleton,’ has also been sold to Immortal!
“This one’s for our Gaettongi.”
“Who’s Gaettongi?”
“Th-that, uh, d-dog, Marbas.”
- The sixth auction item, the ‘Witch's Pheromone Perfume,’ has also been sold to Immortal!
“This is for Iriel.”
As Bong-gu watched him spend trillions in the blink of an eye, he let out a genuinely impressed, “Wow….”
“Bong-gu, Bong-gu, what do you think of my winning strategy?”
“A strategy, you say?”
“Yep, the 'always bid double' strategy.”
Bong-gu managed to swallow the words he couldn't say out loud and thought to himself.
‘It feels less like a strategy and more like you're just crushing everyone with overwhelming financial power….’
That evening.
All sorts of media outlets were busy reporting on the new magnate, ‘Immortal,’ who had swept every single item in the preliminary auction.
“Damn it!”
Watching the TV, Meyer Rothschild couldn't control his anger and hurled the remote control in his hand.
“This can’t go on….”
He didn't know the extent of the man's wealth, but if that bastard also went for the ‘Elixir,’ it would create all sorts of complications.
“I absolutely must get my hands on the Elixir, no matter what….”
He had learned of an organization that operated with an absolute being called a god at its back, aiming to gather information on a single world.
The Brotherhood.
Ever since obtaining information about them, Meyer Rothschild had been struggling to become a member of the Brotherhood.
The Rothschild family had been able to diligently accumulate wealth since ancient times thanks to their skill in aligning with the right powers through the generations.
‘The world is about to change….’
The Brotherhood held the fanatical ideology of creating a society composed solely of those who could be called ‘elites.’
He had determined that for the Rothschild family to not lose its prestige in the new world, they had to be absorbed under them.
‘Prove your worth by obtaining the Elixir.’
‘Bring us the Elixir, and we will let you join.’
‘But if you fail, we will take your life.’
He had to win the Elixir, no matter what, to prove to the Brotherhood that the Rothschild family was not a useless group.
“I’d better secure as much capital as possible….”
Finishing his thought, he immediately took out his cell phone and began making calls all over.
It wasn't enough to just issue orders to sell off the family’s stocks, bonds, and real estate to liquidate them into cash….
He also arranged for funds from several close magnates, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.
Among the rumors circulating in the financial world was one that suggested ‘Immortal’ was merely a shadow figure put forward by the 「Secret Society of the Wealthy」.
The reasoning was that it would be impossible to accumulate such vast wealth in a short time without even making a name for oneself otherwise.
Which meant—
he might have to engage in a head-on financial battle with the ‘goblin bastards,’ who were known for being quick with numbers and keen on profits.
The total amount of liquid cash Meyer Rothschild secured reached a staggering sum in the hundreds of trillions.
“Immortal, I don't know how much wealth you command….”
He then smirked and muttered again.
“Heheh, the Elixir will be mine in the end.”
His face was painted with a smile brimming with avarice.
