Chapter 54: Auction Two
"Hello, Mr. West, no, no, I haven't arrived in Italy yet. Did you receive the gift Lane helped me bring? You liked it? That's good!"
Inside the private box, Tang Song took out his satellite phone, his fingers tracing the identifying mark on the auction catalog.
For things he wasn't clear about, especially those related to the Sacred Shield Brotherhood, he might as well ask someone who knew.
"Yes, I'm on a cruise ship, just relaxing. In a few days, I'll visit you in Vatican. You don't need to be so polite about picking me up, alright, alright..."
Tang Song spoke with a chuckle, "Oh, right, there's something I'd like to ask you about!"
At this moment, in an inconspicuous small church in Vatican, completely closed and not open to tourists, the four walls were covered in Bible stories.
On the stained glass ceiling was a famous depiction of The Last Supper.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass, falling upon the crucifix.
Inside the small church, a group of bishops in black and white robes were devoutly praying before the crucifix.
In a small square in front of the small church, beside several chubby naked cherub statues,
West, wearing a white robe and tall, held his mobile phone, talking while watching several knights in medieval armor training in combat against each other with a serious expression.
"Auction?"
West pondered for a moment, listening to Tang Song's description over the phone.
"This should be Charles's business, Charles Bishop Weyland. He's an old member of the Brotherhood. He's different from us; he's old and has been looking for a way to extend his life recently!"
"He's always been the one holding this kind of auction. Many people entrust him to auction off some things that can't see the light of day!"
"The auction might encounter some trouble. Do you have any suggestions?"
Tang Song looked through the frosted glass at the tall old man sitting in the hall outside and the long-haired big man beside him, tapping the glass lightly with his finger.
These two didn't look like they were here for a peaceful purchase.
Neither helping nor hindering, or taking advantage of the chaos – that depended on the news from West's side.
"Charles is old. He's always acted independently within the organization, constantly pursuing alien culture, which goes against the initial philosophy our Brotherhood was founded on!"
Listening to West's words, Tang Song understood. This Charles Bishop Weyland and West were clearly not from the same faction.
"Then I understand, Mr. West. See you in Vatican in a couple of days!"
Tang Song hung up the mobile phone and looked outside the private box. One by one, burly men carrying briefcases walked into the hall.
It was clear that the auction's security measures were indeed good.
These security guards looked like handpicked elites, all carrying firearms. Among the leaders, Tang Song felt aberrant energy on a few of them; he didn't know if they were mutants or other supernormal beings.
This level of security was completely more than enough to deal with ordinary robbers, but among the people in the hall eyeing these items, including Tang Song himself, there wasn't a single ordinary person.
As the auctioneer took the stage, the auction quickly began. "The third auction item of this auction is ten kilograms of vibranium ore! I don't need to elaborate on the price of this auction item; everyone should be clear about its value! The starting price for this item is one hundred million US dollars, with each bid increase no less than five million US dollars!"
On the auction table, an Eastern beauty wearing a blue and white porcelain qipao stood beside the auction table, holding a small wooden square hammer similar to an inkstone in her hand, introducing the auction item with a charming smile.
The sky-blue qipao perfectly outlined the female auctioneer's figure. In her thirties, the age when a woman is most mature, her exquisite curves made her resemble a ripe peach.
However, everyone who could attend the auction was a powerful and influential wealthy individual; they had all seen it all. Compared to the beautiful auctioneer, everyone was more focused on the auction item.
"VIP number 23 bids one hundred and ten million US dollars, one hundred and ten million once..."
"VIP number 17 bids one hundred and fifteen million..."
"VIP number 6 bids one hundred and twenty million... Are there any other VIPs with a higher bid? One hundred and twenty million once." After the dinosaur egg and an Eastern antique porcelain were auctioned off, the third auction item quickly came to the vibranium ore.
After the auction price reached one hundred and fifteen million, Tang Song increased the bid by five million, raising the price to one hundred and twenty million.
This price was already the ceiling price for this piece of vibranium ore. After all, this price was already one-fifth higher than the black market price.
Unless someone urgently needed it, the wealthy individuals who could sit here all knew the value. They would all weigh whether it was worth auctioning for a piece of ore at this price.
Even Vibranium has its own price.
Many people, after weighing the pros and cons, decisively withdrew from bidding.
"One hundred and twenty-five million!"
To Tang Song's surprise, just as the auctioneer raised the hammer for the second time, someone actually increased the bid based on his.
"One hundred and thirty million!" Tang Song pressed the red button.
Although he had decided to acquire it for free, he still wanted to enjoy the fun of the auction.
"One hundred and thirty-five million! VIP number 27 bids one hundred and thirty-five million! Are there any other VIPs bidding?"
The beautiful auctioneer cast her gaze towards the private box where Tang Song was.
Tang Song did not disappoint her expectations, directly raising the price to one hundred and fifty million.
"The VIP in private box number 6 bids one hundred and fifty million!" The beautiful auctioneer half-raised the small hammer in her hand. "One hundred and fifty million once..."
"One hundred and fifty-five million, VIP number 27 bids one hundred and fifty-five million..."
Tang Song furrowed his brow and looked towards seat number 27 in the auction hall. It was a large white man wearing a camouflage uniform, with a buzz cut and a trimmed full beard, and a scratch mark below his eye.
He looked quite menacing! This big man seemed to notice Tang Song looking at him and gave Tang Song a provocative glance.
"Baby, look up this person's background for me!"
Tang Song gave the big man in the camouflage uniform a cold glance, not choosing to increase the bid, but instead patted Skye's perky butt.
Skye raised her hand. The multi-function watch on her wrist, its cover popped open, turning into a miniature micro-computer.
*Click, click*, after taking photos of the big man in the camouflage uniform, Skye operated the computer and quickly found his data.
The data was quickly projected onto the private box wall.
"Boss, his name is Ulysses Klaue. He's a mercenary leader active in Africa. Currently, eighty percent of the Vibranium circulating in the Underworld comes from his hands!"
Tang Song looked at the photos of Ulysses Klaue projected onto the private box wall. The background was the African Savanna. Ulysses Klaue, dressed as a mercenary, stood on a Humvee, looking spirited as he manned an anti-aircraft machine gun.
Ulysses Klaue, Tang Song recalled this name from his distant memories.
If he remembered correctly, this guy was the one who brought out a large batch of Vibranium from Wakanda.
Tang Song looked at Ulysses, who was somewhat exasperated because he hadn't increased the bid, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
He rubbed the black jade thumb ring on his thumb. In a corner unnoticed by others, the black jade thumb ring, rustling, transformed into a small black snake.
A faint mist enveloped the small snake. Its body quickly shrunk, finally becoming as thin as a strand of hair, and flew out through the gap in the private box window...
(end of chapter)