Super Spender

“400,000.” Lewis serenely placed another bid. If they want to make trouble, they’d better have the ability. Lewis wasn’t afraid of trouble, especially not here. Backbone mattered here. Besides, spending money was never something Lewis feared, not on Earth and definitely not here.

“410,000. Sir, I am also interested in this item. Bidding fairly shouldn’t cause any misunderstanding, right?” Heibear Lincoln’s voice rang out. It sounded like he was trying to avoid misunderstandings, but the undertone was clearly provocative.

Moreover, none of the people present were pushovers. Surrendering was an unlikely concept, but if it ever happened, it would only be after an intense competition. No one here would willingly admit defeat — their only belief was that the strong ruled.

Once Heibear Lincoln finished speaking, bursts of laughter echoed around the room. While each private box could be soundproofed, clearly no one was playing nice today. All of them fed on chaos, so naturally, they let their laughter echo freely throughout the room, possibly even hoping to incite more mischief.

Everyone knew perfectly well what the laughter implied. Lewis got it too. Dunn Monty and Thomas Calvin stole glances at Lewis, fearing he might lose his temper, but verbal provocation at this level didn’t bother him. Anger would depend on who the final victor was. Such small talk wouldn’t even cause a ripple in his emotions, let alone anger.

“Oh, that won’t be an issue. We’re all wealthy people here. Bidding normally is, well, normal. This is an auction, after all. The one with the most money naturally gets the item. 2 million.” Lewis spoke with a calm demeanor.

The moment Lewis declared his bid, the ongoing laughter and noise that had pervaded the auction hall suddenly died down. Everyone inhaled sharply. The Gene Repair Liquid could fetch a high price in the hands of the right buyer, as genetic diseases, while uncommon, were certainly not unheard of.

However, the Gene Repair Liquid was difficult to produce and could only be made by formal research institutions and pharmaceutical companies. Transporting such items to forbidden places like the Death Star was strictly regulated. Even if supplies occasionally made their way in, the quantities were minimal, hence its preciousness.

Even so, in the federation, one treatment course of this item only cost 200,000 star coins. But when it arrived here, it had to be auctioned off, starting at 300,000 and rising by increments of 10,000. The highest price it could command was definitely not more than 800,000 because, if the price exceeded 500,000, one could simply arrange for it to be smuggled in.

But who would have thought that Lewis would raise the price directly to 2 million star credits? Already having spent several millions, and now another 2 million on top of that — just who was this, throwing money around like this?

John Jenkins backstage couldn’t help but fist pump. Going there was indeed the right move. Jenkins hadn’t expected Lewis to be this wealthy, but on second thought, if he wasn’t, how could he have tipped in star credits while crossing checkposts?

But this was some serious wealth. The bigger the better, of course. Only such individuals could maximize the profits of the auction house. Auction houses loved such magnanimously generous patrons! Lewis had significantly inflated the price, for an item that typically capped out at around 600,000-700,000. Who knew this generous fool could raise it as high as 2 million.

As for Lewis’s paying capacity, he wasn’t concerned at all. If Star Bank had given such an estimated valuation, confirming Lewis’s financial ability, it meant that Lewis could definitely afford this amount. Hence, he didn’t worry at all. Jenkins never expected these little things could be sold at such an unimaginable price.

The entire room lapsed into silence. Heibear Lincoln’s face turned beet-red, at a loss for words.

“Splutter…I’m dying from laughter, ha, ha, ha! Heibear Lincoln, you sure have some guts. Didn’t you say you were bidding normally? Why don’t you continue now?” Jasmine Davis’s provocative words almost drew a laugh from Lewis, and the quiet auction hall was filled with chuckles. This was just too entertaining.

Considering what Heibear Lincoln had said earlier, this was clearly a situation where… he was getting slapped in the face. And wasn’t he just talking about normal competition? Like Jasmine Davis said, let’s see your competitive bid now. Although not many people here knew Heibear Lincoln personally, everyone knew who he was.

None of these people could afford to throw around their money. Whether they be mercenary groups, pirate groups, or organizations making a living on the Death Star, each had many mouths to feed, hence, every penny counted and had to be spent wisely.

They came to the auction because some things couldn’t be purchased normally – they were only available here. While the items might be pricey, as long as it brought sufficient profit to their organization, the price was tolerable. But when Heibear Lincoln tried to cause trouble and ended up losing instantly…this auction was indeed becoming quite entertaining.

Without the need for second thoughts, everyone knew that even if Heibear Lincoln was seething, he would not continue bidding. He couldn’t afford such reckless spending. If he did place another bid and Lewis decided to keep up, that wouldn’t be a problem. But if Lewis were to back out, Heibear Lincoln would be skinned alive when he returned!

Heibear Lincoln didn’t dare speak again. The auctioneer knew that no one would raise the price further, so he quickly counted down thrice, confirming that Lewis had won the auction. Once confirmed, Lewis noticed a pathway opening in the wall of the hall. A few seconds later, a box containing ten vials of silvery liquid, like test tubes, was brought in.

Items of large value would be settled later, but like this, they delivered the object on the spot.

Monty picked up the box, checked it, and handed it to Lewis. “Sir, I’ve checked. There is no issue. The Federal Minny Pharmaceutical Group Corporation’s seal is still on it.”

“Hmm, you’re sure there are no issues?” Lewis responded, nodding.

“No issues.” Monty confirmed.

“Isn’t the box fragile?” Lewis looked at the box in Monty’s hands and asked.