ACSP: Chapter 165: Artifact Obtained, The Final Grand Finale Item!
"You're the one having an affair with it. I don't know why it's like this either..."
Cai Kun was also completely bewildered at this moment. He had originally intended to politely decline Jiang Chen, but given the current situation, could he still refuse?
"This weapon recognizes its master; it seems it has a connection with you, Brother Cai Kun," Jiang Chen joked with a smile.
This Cai Kun had just released a burst of Eight-Tails' chakra aura, and there was still the scent of the Eight-Tails remaining on him. The Samehada must have sensed those auras, which was why it had actively stuck to him.
"Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel like I have a deep connection with this weapon. This feeling... it's like it and I were a pair of lovers in a past life, and now we've reunited, only it went wrong on the way to reincarnation and turned into a blade."
As Cai Kun reached out to stroke the Samehada, he spoke affectionately, his tone sounding particularly gentle.
Seeing this, Li Dala couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, "And you still say you aren't having an affair with it?"
Cai Kun turned his head and glared at him irritably, "You're just jealous of me."
After speaking, he turned back to look at Jiang Chen, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Jiang Chen, I'll accept this weapon, but I have nothing to give you. How about I just give myself to you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone else in the private room was stunned. They didn't expect Cai Kun to have such a hobby—no wonder he spent his days wearing overalls and sporting a roguish center-part hairstyle; he looked soft-skinned and tender, just like a woman.
Jiang Chen subconsciously took two steps back, "I'm straight, don't try that stuff with me..."
Upon hearing this, Cai Kun was stunned at first, but then immediately opened his mouth to explain, "Big Brother, where did your mind go? I meant that I want to join your guild."
Hearing this, Jiang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Damn, so that's what it was. You scared the hell out of me just now."
This Cai Kun had quite a reputation in the South District of Kang City, and he also held two secret realm entrances in his hands. With the other party coming to defect now, it was equivalent to letting Jiang Chen indirectly control the South District of Kang City.
As of now, the entire Kang City—apart from the East District—had the other three areas and the Temple of the Evil God in the center completely under his possession.
However, Jiang Chen did not get carried away because of this, because Kang City was not like Jinghai City. The population here was huge, and adding up all the large and small families and gangs, there were at least several hundred, especially in the South District, where millions of free-roaming individuals yearning for freedom were gathered.
If he wanted to firmly establish himself here, he had to manage his guild well. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Relying on military suppression is not a long-term solution; only by winning the hearts of the people can one ensure lasting peace and stability.
Meanwhile, on the auction stage downstairs, just as Jiang Chen was recruiting Cai Kun, President Xia Qianning had already auctioned off several items in succession. Jiang Chen had been keeping an eye on those items, but since they weren't what he wanted, he hadn't bothered with them. But soon, the item he wanted arrived: the Kusanagi Sword!
When this weapon was brought onto the stage by President Xia Qianning, everyone in the venue had their eyes drawn to it. President Xia Qianning had built up plenty of hype for this weapon beforehand, so many people here had come specifically for it, and Jiang Chen was no exception.
The auction process remained the same. After President Xia Qianning gave a brief introduction to the Kusanagi Sword, she immediately moved into the bidding phase. The starting price for this weapon was ultimately set at 5,000 Silver Chests, the same as the previous [Heavenly Transfer Technique].
Jiang Chen guessed that this weapon was likely the grand finale of the auction. Having two high-value items bookend the auction kept the atmosphere at a climax, indirectly increasing everyone's desire to purchase—this was precisely President Xia Qianning's brilliance.
Jiang Chen had never attended an auction before and didn't know any bidding techniques. However, he understood one principle: if a problem could be solved with money, just throw money at it. Therefore, when President Xia Qianning announced the starting price for the Kusanagi Sword, he immediately had Luo Yuqing light the "heavenly lamp."
However, the bidding situation this time was clearly more intense than when the [Heavenly Transfer Technique] was auctioned. As soon as he lit the "heavenly lamp," he saw that the other two private rooms on the third floor had also lit their lamps.
According to the auction rules, if multiple people lit the "heavenly lamp" simultaneously, the next bidding phase would proceed among those who had done so. The rule for this phase was that each person had to submit a blind bid based on twice the starting price of the item. Once the blind bid was submitted, it could not be changed, and the highest bidder would win—just like project bidding in the past.
"Vice Guild Leader Lei, how many Silver Chests do we still have in our treasury?" Jiang Chen turned his head and asked Lei Li.
"Excluding the two items auctioned earlier, we currently have about 25,000 Silver Chests left. However, we still have plenty of Bronze Treasure Chests. If you need more, I can exchange them with the chamber of commerce at a ratio of 100:1," Lei Li replied seriously.
Jiang Chen naturally understood the rules for chest exchange, but he didn't want to touch those Bronze Treasure Chests because they were the foundational resources of a guild. If he wanted to recruit more guild members in the future, these resources were indispensable. As for the 25,000 Silver Chests, he didn't intend to use them all at this auction either.
"Keep 5,000 Silver Chests as operating resources for the guild; let's bid 20,000 Silver Chests directly."
Jiang Chen pondered for a moment and finally gave a price he could accept, nodding to Luo Yuqing to signal her. Seeing this, Luo Yuqing immediately submitted the bid of 20,000 Silver Chests. The people in the other two private rooms on the third floor also quickly submitted their bids. These bids were sent directly to President Xia Qianning via text message by the attendants in the private rooms without passing through a third party, ensuring absolute fairness and transparency.
On the auction stage, after receiving Jiang Chen and his group's bid, President Xia Qianning made a brief comparison and immediately reached a conclusion. She slowly raised her head, looked toward the private room where Jiang Chen was, and spoke in a soft voice that nonetheless resonated throughout the venue:
"The item being auctioned, the Kusanagi Sword, is ultimately won by the distinguished guest in Room 1. This guest's bid is: 20,000 Silver Chests!"
—Hiss! When President Xia Qianning called out this bid, all the guests in the venue gasped.
"Oh my god, 20,000 Silver Chests. Who on earth is in that room? How are they so rich?"
"He hadn't made a move after winning the Heavenly Transfer Technique earlier, so I thought he was out of money. I didn't expect him to come out with such a huge move this time."
"I recall this guy has already spent nearly 40,000 Silver Chests at this auction, right?"
"Damn, 40,000 Silver Chests. I couldn't even grind that much in a lifetime..."
"It really is true that comparing yourself to others just makes you angry..."
"That's true, how can we cattle and horses compare to those big shots?"
"Exactly, who among those who can get onto the third-floor VIP seats isn't someone with deep pockets?"
The guests below were whispering and discussing, waves of sound rising one after another. However, just then, President Xia Qianning's voice suddenly rang out in the auction hall again:
"Everyone, this auction is about to conclude. The next item we are going to sell will be the grand finale of this auction..."
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