Chapter 85: Bidding
### Chapter 85: Bidding
"Sea Emperor!" Van der Sel exclaimed, immediately dropping to one knee. Prince Gerde also cried out in surprise and, along with his followers, knelt on one knee as well.
Zennard's pupils constricted, yet he remained standing, just like Li Xie.
Li Xie showed little change in expression because he didn't know who the Sea Emperor was.
"Sea Emperor? Quite grand!" Li Xie wasn't being sarcastic; he genuinely meant it. Although he didn't know who the Sea Emperor was, being called an emperor and causing others to kneel in reverence just by mentioning his name struck Li Xie as impressive.
"I am Li Xie," he introduced himself, without any lengthy titles or accolades, just his name.
"Hehe... Li Xie?" The Sea Emperor chuckled lightly. "Visit the Bering Sea when you have time."
"You're welcome to visit Juhua City anytime, expenses on me," Li Xie responded with a smile.
"Agreed." The Sea Emperor's tone shifted to one of commanding authority, brooking no dissent. "Sandor, ensure you handle what I've entrusted to you properly!"
"It will be done as you command," Sandor promptly replied.
The Sea Emperor nodded and then flew away, with the two guards following him.
It turned out that the two guards were the Sea Emperor's, and the amiable middle-aged man was Sandor Kocsis, the president of the Continental Chamber of Commerce branch.
After the Sea Emperor departed, Prince Gerde exhaled in relief and stood up. Van der Sel also stood up, taking a deep breath and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken. "My lord, you dared to speak so lightly to the Sea Emperor. You nearly scared me to death!"
"Who is the Sea Emperor?" Li Xie asked, a question that nearly made everyone else fall over in shock.
Van der Sel broke out in another cold sweat. "My lord, you really don't know?"
"Of course not, do I look like I waste time on such things?"
"Truly, ignorance is bliss," Van der Sel sighed and shook his head. "There are three emperors on the Continent of the Gods, above all other powerful beings. The Dragon Emperor of Mount Buzhou, the Martial Emperor of Wanren Cliff, and the Sea Emperor of the Bering Sea. Even human emperors must kneel before these three. My lord, it's fortunate you didn't know this time, but next time you must show proper respect. Although the Sea Emperor might not mind, a single thought from him could obliterate us!"
"Got it," Li Xie responded dismissively. He wasn't particularly concerned. The Sea Emperor had given him a headache upon meeting, so Li Xie was already annoyed. Asking him to kneel? Well, if there were enough gold coins involved, Li Xie would kneel and even prostrate himself! But as it stood, even if he met the Sea Emperor again, he wouldn't be so courteous.
While Van der Sel was talking to Li Xie, Prince Gerde had already explained his purpose to President Kocsis.
President Kocsis had already straightened up, still wearing a smile. He gave Li Xie a meaningful look before saying, "Butler, take them to the reception room to wait."
Li Xie and Prince Gerde followed the butler into the White Jade Palace, while Van der Sel, Zennard, and Prince Gerde's entourage were not allowed to enter.
Inside the White Jade Palace, it was not the opulent splendor they had imagined; instead, it exuded a scholarly atmosphere.
Particularly in the reception room, the rustic wooden furniture, elegant screens, artistic potted plants, and the calligraphy and paintings on the walls all made it feel like stepping into the study of a renowned scholar.
Li Xie and Prince Gerde sat opposite each other. After instructing the servants to bring tea, the butler disappeared, leaving two servants to attend to them.
The two men waited for ten minutes without seeing President Kocsis. Li Xie tried to chat with Prince Gerde, but he was ignored. Bored, Li Xie picked up his teacup and wandered over to the wall, sipping tea while examining the calligraphy and paintings.
The paintings on the wall were all landscapes. Li Xie, having only a superficial understanding of art, could tell that the paintings gave a sense of immersion, but he couldn't judge their quality.
As for the calligraphy, although Li Xie could read, he wasn't skilled in writing, so he could only look without appreciating the deeper meaning.
However, he did understand the poems on the wall to some extent, and they made him shake his head three times.
Considering that these works were displayed in the reception room of someone as prominent as President Kocsis, they were undoubtedly priceless. Li Xie could tell that the paintings were excellent, and the calligraphy was also good. But the poems seemed rather ordinary.
One of the poems, "Accumulating jade and gold, the official rises high; calamity strikes suddenly, turning everything to naught. Where is the splendor and wealth now? No different from a dream in Nanke," was even framed and hung on the main wall, which puzzled Li Xie.
Given that Chinese culture had been strongly infused into the Continent of the Gods by travelers from ancient China, it had several thousand years of heritage by now and should be no less profound than that of Earth's China. So why were the poems so ordinary?
"Does Duke Li also enjoy poetry and calligraphy?"
President Kocsis entered through an inner door, noticing Li Xie engrossed in the wall art and asked with a smile.
"Occasionally," Li Xie replied. He turned around to see that President Kocsis had changed clothes, likely having taken a hot bath and possibly even had lunch. Making Li Xie wait for an hour made Li Xie inwardly sigh at the man's grand demeanor.
"Does President Kocsis know me?" Li Xie realized that Sandor Kocsis had addressed him as Duke Li. Previously, Li Xie had not met Sandor Kocsis and had only introduced himself by name without mentioning his title.
Prince Gerde looked at Li Xie in astonishment, while President Kocsis, now seated at the head, smiled and said, "As the president of the Continental Chamber of Commerce, it's necessary to have some basic information about those with a net worth exceeding ten billion. Furthermore, the White Jade Palace isn't accessible to just anyone. Only those with a net worth of over five billion gold coins can enter Van Gogh Manor and come to the White Jade Palace. What does Duke Li think?"
Li Xie shrugged, relieved that he didn't have to introduce himself further. He then sat down and got straight to the point, "I heard that the president deals in magical beasts. I'm here to buy some. How much stock do you have?"
"Is that so?" Prince Gerde sneered at Li Xie, his eyes challenging, "I also want to buy magical beasts. How much do you have available, President?"
Li Xie suspected that Prince Gerde was trying to make things difficult for him in the magical beast trade.
Initially, Li Xie didn't need to care about these provocations. While he was interested in buying magical beasts, his primary goal was simply to meet Sandor Kocsis. If he could buy some beasts, that would be fine; if not, it wouldn't matter much.
After all, Li Xie had five billion gold coins with Jack and only another five billion on him. Buying low-tier magical beasts was manageable, but higher-tier beasts would strain his finances. Equipping an army of tens of thousands would require more than a single transaction.
However, since the provocateur was from the Dayan Kingdom, the situation changed. Prince Gerde's purchase of magical beasts would undoubtedly equip their army, speeding up their attack on the Tudor Kingdom. Li Xie couldn't allow that.
Seeing Prince Gerde's provocative gaze, Li Xie smirked, imitating a cat's meow, "Meow..."
The eerie sound made Prince Gerde shiver in fright.
Sandor Kocsis smiled at both of them and said, "It seems you both have very timely information. I have just acquired a batch of magical beasts, and here you are."
"Oh?" Prince Gerde's eyes lit up as he quickly asked, "What tiers? How many?"
"Three thousand tier-five magical beasts and one thousand tier-six magical beasts," Kocsis replied.
Li Xie's eyes also brightened.
Even Mercedes VII only had five thousand tier-five magical beasts in reserve, and just one thousand tier-six magical beasts!
Sandor Kocsis could offer nearly as many magical beasts as Tudor Kingdom's reserves!
"Market price! I'll take them all!" Prince Gerde quickly declared before Li Xie could speak, showing off his wealth.
"What's the price?" Li Xie asked next.
Sandor Kocsis chuckled and replied, "Fifty thousand gold coins per tier-five beast, and one hundred fifty thousand per tier-six beast. I'll include delivery."
Fifty thousand gold coins for a tier-five beast? Three thousand beasts would cost one hundred fifty million gold coins. At one hundred fifty thousand per tier-six beast, a thousand tier-six beasts would cost another one hundred fifty million.
In total, three hundred million gold coins!
Despite Li Xie's considerable wealth, when dealing with thousands of units at such high prices, even he had to carefully consider his finances.
Calculating, Li Xie realized he could still afford it.
"I'll take them all too," Li Xie said, giving Prince Gerde a cold smile. "We both want them, so who will President Kocsis sell to?"
Li Xie already knew what would likely happen next—an auction, where the highest bidder wins. He asked to gauge Sandor Kocsis's reaction and see if there was another way. In an auction, Li Xie knew he might not outbid Prince Gerde, who was representing his kingdom, while Li Xie was using his own money.
Sandor Kocsis calmly sipped his tea and said, "These four thousand beasts, I'll deliver to only one buyer. It'd be best if you two can negotiate. And I only accept cash, no credit."
Prince Gerde, experienced in such dealings, immediately said, "I'll add ten thousand gold."
Ten thousand? Not the total, but per beast! That raised the prices to sixty thousand and one hundred sixty thousand each!
Li Xie quickly recalculated. This increase raised the total to three hundred forty million gold coins, an additional forty million!
"I'll add another ten thousand!" Li Xie said resolutely.
Even if he had to spend his entire five billion, Li Xie couldn't let Prince Gerde get the beasts.
Prince Gerde smiled easily. "I'll add another ten thousand."
Damn, now it's four hundred twenty million! Li Xie could only call two more times!
"I'll add twenty thousand!" Li Xie hesitated briefly, then decided to go all in. With only five billion gold coins, he directly raised the price to one hundred thousand per tier-five and two hundred thousand per tier-six. The total came to five billion!
If Prince Gerde bid again, Li Xie would be out.
Prince Gerde, still relaxed, said, "I'll also add twenty thousand. I don't have much more money, but I'd like to see how much Duke Li has."
Damn it!
This bastard is taking advantage of my limited funds!
Anger surged within Li Xie. His right lip curled up. "I'll add thirty thousand more!"