Chapter 53: Auction
Two days later, late at night, the super Cruise Ship arrived in a Sea Area in International Waters.
Deep in the night, waves crashed against the brightly lit Yacht. Amidst the crashing waves, several large Cruise Ships and Yachts silently approached the Cruise Ship.
Small boats were lowered one by one. The Helipad on the Cruise Ship was cleared, and several helicopters landed on the Cruise Ship's Helipad.
At this time, a grand orchestral concert was underway in the Cruise Ship's banquet hall.
Tang Song sat in a private box, holding Skye, watching a group of well-dressed musicians passionately playing on stage.
These people were said to be a very famous orchestra from the Federation, with performance fees reaching seven figures.
Therefore, the banquet hall was almost packed.
Tap tap tap! There was a gentle knock on the private box door.
"Enter!"
Tang Song tapped his fingers on the table twice. Fox, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and opened the door.
Standing at the door was the Young Crew Member Tang Song had met before.
"Sir, the Auction has begun. Would you like to go over?"
The Young Crew Member bowed slightly to Tang Song and explained his purpose.
Tang Song raised his eyebrows slightly, put his arm around Skye, and stood up, saying, "Let's go!"
The Young Crew Member led the way. Tang Song walked behind, embracing Skye, while Fox followed behind them, her high heels clicking in a red dress slit up to her waist.
Not many people left the orchestral concert, only four or five in total. However, judging by their appearance, they were all wealthy and influential, and their destination was below the Cruise Ship.
Passing through two corridors, the Young Crew Member led Tang Song and the two women to a corner of an engine room, pushed open a hidden door, revealing a brand new elevator.
"Sir, the Auction venue is below!"
The Young Crew Member bowed slightly, gestured to the three, and then stepped back two paces.
Tang Song nodded at him and led Skye and Fox into the elevator.
Inside the silver elevator, the decoration was simple and clear, with only up and down buttons.
Tang Song pressed the down button. After a few imperceptible seconds of movement, the elevator stopped steadily. With a 'ding', the elevator opened, revealing a red carpeted Passage.
Several burly men with bulging waistbands and earpieces stood outside the elevator, watching the three exit.
One of the big men walked up and bowed slightly to the three:
"Hello, please show your invitation!"
Tang Song took out the black gilded card from the inside of his white suit and handed it over!
The big man took it with both hands, walked to a machine on the side of the wall, and swiped it. The machine gave a 'ding' and flashed green light.
"Hello, according to procedure, we also need to conduct a check!"
After the qualification verification passed, the big man returned the black gilded card to Tang Song with both hands and said politely.
A big man behind him held a metal detector and walked up to the three.
After getting Tang Song's consent, the big man scanned the three with the metal detector.
"Beep beep beep..."
When the big man scanned Fox with the metal detector, it emitted a harsh, short alarm sound.
The security big men immediately turned and looked at Fox with vigilance.
The leading Agent looked at Tang Song,
"Sorry, sir, firearms are prohibited in the venue!"
Tang Song gestured towards Fox. Fox reluctantly pulled out two black handguns from the inside of her thigh.
"Thank you for your cooperation!"
Watching Fox place the two handguns on the tray, the big man politely cleared the Passage.
...
At the end of the red carpeted Passage were two slightly ajar doors. In front of the doors stood two rows of women in professional attire.
Black hip-hugging professional suits, paired with black stockings and exquisite professional makeup. They were slender and plump, beauties of black, white, and yellow complexions, looking particularly pleasing to the eye. A Blonde Woman took Tang Song's invitation, pushed open the doors, and led Tang Song into the venue.
The venue was a space similar to a large auditorium, with rows of seats in the front and private boxes in the back.
The invitation Tang Song received from Barlow seemed to be of a high level. The Blonde Woman directly led them to a private box in the back row.
The private box was not large, less than a third of a World Cup VIP box. It had a leather sofa, a few exquisite fruit platters on the table, several bottles of Champagne, and several wine glasses placed upside down on a silver plate.
Tang Song sat on the sofa, embracing Skye. This position allowed them to see the venue and the Auction stage through the one-way glass.
Beside him was a red button. According to the Blonde Woman's introduction, this button was the bidding paddle. Each bid increase was a minimum of 500,000 US Dollars, and pressing it three times consecutively meant 5,000,000 US Dollars.
"Boss, the things sold at this Auction are so strange? Is it real or fake? There's even a Dinosaur Egg!"
Skye picked up an Auction catalog from the table out of boredom, opened it curiously, and was startled by the first page.
Tyrannosaurus Rex - Dinosaur Egg. The accompanying picture was a clear, high-definition photo.
The Dinosaur Egg in the photo was slightly larger than an ostrich egg, white, and looked like a magnified crocodile egg.
Dinosaur Egg. Hearing Skye's words, Tang Song became interested, leaned forward, and looked at the contents of the catalog with her.
Fox on the side also had her curiosity piqued. After all, it was a legendary extinct dinosaur, and anyone would be curious. However, seeing the two embracing, Fox pouted on the side and ultimately didn't go closer.
Tang Song flipped through the Auction catalog. Even he couldn't help but be moved by the organizer's grand scale.
In these catalogs, Tang Song even saw a few items that made his heart stir.
Ten kilograms of Vibranium ore.
This item is much rarer than Adamantium.
Adamantium is a man-made alloy. Although its circulation is not large each year due to its secrecy, you can find two to three hundred kilograms on the black market annually if you search.
Vibranium ore, on the other hand, is a truly rare material on the black market that is difficult to acquire even with money.
This extraterrestrial metal is only produced in the mysterious African nation of Wakanda. However, Wakanda has always implemented a closed-door policy. Their control over Vibranium isn't just strict; it's that Wakanda doesn't allow a single gram of Vibranium to flow out of the country.
As a result, the price of Vibranium on the black market has been inflated to 10,000 US Dollars per gram, more than 200 times the price of gold.
A fist-sized piece of ore has a starting bid of up to 100 million US Dollars.
Back then, Tang Song had Lane search for strange metals in the Underworld, but he couldn't find Vibranium. Therefore, Tang Song used the secondary Adamantium to refine his Sword Pill.
Ten kilograms of Vibranium. Tang Song's eyes flickered with brilliance. On his belt, two beads that looked like decorations faintly emitted silver light.
Besides Vibranium, Tang Song also found a few interesting items.
A plasma shoulder cannon full of alien technology. The picture was labeled alien technology.
According to the catalog description, this shoulder cannon, which Tang Song found familiar, came from an Alien Ruin in the Antarctic glacier. The starting bid was 10 million US Dollars.
A dose of serum, labeled 'Secondary Super Serum'! The catalog stated it could enhance the user's immunity and strengthen their physical functions. It was said to be the same type used by a certain Nick Fury! The starting bid was 5 million US Dollars.
A roll of skin from an unknown creature. Just by looking at the picture, Tang Song felt a sense of weightiness from it. The starting bid was 2 million US Dollars.
A piece of Mutant gene research data, with 156 types of Mutant gene samples included.
The starting bid was 100 million US Dollars.
...
Tang Song flipped through the catalog, becoming interested in the organization that put on this Auction. An Auction of this caliber would likely be beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities to organize, even if they wanted to.
Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. has no shortage of good things internally, but whether they are willing to take them out is another matter.
Not to mention anything else, just the piece of Cosmic Magic treasured within S.H.I.E.L.D., specifically the Space Gem inside it.
Even if placed in the Jambudvīpa World, it would be considered a top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure.
The quality of the items at this Auction made Tang Song's index finger twitch, and he even couldn't help but feel the urge to pull off a heist.
Just as he flipped to the last page, he saw an inconspicuous phoenix imprint at the bottom of the page.
Tang Song couldn't help but be startled. The mark of the Sacred Shield Brotherhood. The organizer of this Auction was actually the Sacred Shield Brotherhood.
Tang Song subconsciously touched his nose. The silver light flickering on his waist gradually dimmed.
(end of chapter )