"The next auction item, a modified Golden Four-leaf Clover."
He didn't have to wait long; as soon as the white-robed auctioneer spoke up,
the familiar Golden Four-leaf Clover was presented.
"This modified Golden Four-leaf Clover, compared to the original, maintains its soul-enhancing effect without reduction, and has added the benefits of strengthening vitality, with the expected acquisition of a slight healing ability."
"The starting bid—5000 Magic Stones!"
Ding!
"The bidding starts now!"
The white-robed auctioneer swung the gavel and struck the golden podium, making a 'ding' sound.
Maybe it was an illusion,
but Colin always felt that right after the gavel fell, the auction hall became extraordinarily silent.
A faint layer of tension lightly shrouded his heart—
after all, aside from the Golden Four-leaf Clover, he only had a few hundred Magic Stones, a mere pauper!
With these few hundred Magic Stones, he couldn't afford much whether for buying a ship or acquiring knowledge.
He was counting on the auction of the Golden Four-leaf Clover to quickly realize his dream of buying knowledge and a ship, to set sail for the busier Siya Continent sooner!
"6000 Magic Stones!"
Soon, the familiar mechanical sound of bidding echoed.
"6050 Magic Stones!"
"It's a Golden Four-leaf Clover..."
Adjacent bidders started whispering among themselves.
Colin's expression subtly shifted.
He was seated in the main hall of the auction, which was a fairly ordinary area.
The seats, while somewhat spaced apart, weren't far from each other, and the partitions between them were just ordinary wooden planks.
Coupled with his keen senses, the conversations nearby were quite clear to him.
"7800 Magic Stones!"
Colin composed himself, no longer paying attention to the apprentice next door, focusing all his attention on the voices calling out bids.
At this moment, the bid for the Golden Four-leaf Clover had climbed to 7800 Magic Stones.
The rate of bidding had slightly decreased but was still continuous.
It seemed that the increase was significant.
Previously, the Appraiser at the Golden Anchor Auction House had appraised McIntosh's Golden Four-leaf Clover at between 6000 and 15000 Magic Stones.
It was just uncertain what the final amount would be...
Colin silently awaited the final price, with his heart expecting around 10000 Magic Stones.
After all, the auction house would take a 15% commission.
If it were to go for less than 10000 Magic Stones, it wouldn't be much more than the direct sale to the auction house for 8000 Magic Stones.
Inside the auction hall.
"8200 Magic Stones!"
"8220 Magic Stones!"
The mechanical voice calling prices continued, but the increments diminished gradually.
It seemed they were nearing the limit.
Colin's heart sank.
Unfortunately, as the owner of the Golden Four-leaf Clover, he couldn't participate in the bidding.
Otherwise, he might have been able to strategize a bit.
Suddenly!
"10000 Magic Stones!"
The mechanical sound of bidding rang out once again, but this time, it jumped to 10000!
The continuous flow of bidding inside the auction hall suddenly ceased.
This was precisely the reaction that the bidder calling out this price wanted.
He intentionally waited until everyone's competitive spirit was waning and the increments of the bids were decreasing before he abruptly raised the bid significantly.
In doing so, it was clear he could discourage many of the bidders.
"11000 Magic Stones!"
But some people are not so easily deterred.
"11150 Magic Stones!" he called out without hesitation!
"11700 Magic Stones!"
The voices bidding did not stop...
And they kept resounding.
As if in a blink of an eye, the bidding price for the Golden Four-leaf Clover skyrocketed.
And then, before Colin could react, it was settled!
"Fourteen thousand eight hundred Magic Stones once!"
"Fourteen thousand eight hundred Magic Stones twice! Fourteen thousand eight hundred Magic Stones three times!"
Ding!
The golden gavel swung down.
Though it landed on a gold base just like itself,
it seemed to strike Colin's heart, making his heart involuntarily leap with joy.
14800 Magic Stones!
Even after deducting a fifteen percent commission, that still left 12580 Magic Stones!
He had never possessed such a quantity of Magic Stones before.
'It's a pity... it's still quite a bit short of the 14999 Magic Stones needed for the Sea Swallow,' he thought somewhat dully.
And then he shook his head, laughing.
'Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant...'
If it had been before, when he was simply trading Magic Crystals,
even if he were trading the more valuable Memoria Crystals,
his net income would be no more than 300 Magic Stones a month after expenses.
To save up over ten thousand Magic Stones like now, it would take at least three years!
'Indeed... one doesn't grow rich without sudden wealth, nor does a horse fatten without night grazing.'
Colin thought to himself, then composed his expression, returning to a calm demeanor.
Having surfed frequently in his previous life, he, of course, knew there was another line to that proverb—
'Sudden wealth won't enrich the destiny of the poor, night grazing won't fatten a toiling horse.'
For the remainder of the auction, Colin did not pay much attention.
After all, the items that came up later were beyond what he could currently afford.
He sat in the auction seat, pondering how to allocate the twelve thousand plus Magic Stones.
At the same time, he spared a bit of attention to listen to the white-robed auctioneer's introduction of the items as a way to gain knowledge.
After a while, he made his decision.
He would not use these Magic Stones for the time being.
First, he would go to the book store to purchase knowledge regarding advancement to Official Wizard, carefully understanding the path forward before making plans.
After all, personal strength was everything.
While the Sea Swallow was tempting, it was only an external object.
Moreover, with his current Magic Stones, he couldn't yet afford the Sea Swallow.
Time quietly slipped by.
When the sun was high, the monthly Golden Anchor Auction House officially announced its conclusion.
The light on the stage went out, replaced by the Bright Crystal chandeliers at the top of the hall, which began to emit light.
Colin rose and followed the crowd out.
He involuntarily glanced at the two Wizard Apprentices who sat next to him, who had been conversing from time to time.
They wore ordinary grey robes with hoods, nothing special.
Their appearance suggested they had not auctioned anything either.
Noticing his gaze, the two apprentices turned to look at him.
But all they saw was Colin's back as he quickly headed toward the exit.
The process of retrieving the Magic Stones went smoothly.
The procedures at Golden Anchor Auction House were clear and simple, no excessive fees, and no delays in payment...
Indeed, a Second Rank Wizard ran the auction house.
After cautiously storing the Magic Stones in his Storage Ring,
Colin hastened to his next destination—
Bananka Book Store.
Ten minutes later, Colin arrived at the Bananka Book Store, also on Blueberry Street.
"Here."
Colin pulled out three hundred Magic Stones and handed them to the female clerk.
"Thank you for your patronage," said the clerk as she took the Magic Stones and carefully counted them.
She then handed the introductory booklet for advancing to Official Wizard to Colin.
Colin took the booklet, rubbing his thumb over the matte, white cover, feeling a little excited.
As if remembering something, he asked:
"Do you have any flying spells here?"