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The bidder of 130 million was also in the VIP area. He was a man in his thirties with a massive head and an obese body, dressed in luxurious golden clothing, a three-pound gold chain around his neck, and diamond rings on every finger.

Just one look was enough to tell he had come into wealth quickly. All the native nobles were confused. When did another big spender enter the city?

Jade City was undoubtedly massive. However, the upper class was very small, and everyone in the circle knew everything that happened. Since this obscenely wealthy man appeared out of nowhere, they were convinced he was a scammer! Given that this was an auction, they were certain he was a paid actor.

One noble immediately grasped the situation, and his lips twitched uncontrollably. ‘This is such an obvious paid actor, what a lousy trick,’ he thought.

What these nobles didn’t understand was that the paid actors arranged by the auction house were only meant to scam Viscount Yelu and the players.

The stereotypical luxurious golden clothing, thick gold necklace, and countless diamond rings made him look like someone who had suddenly come into wealth. This made him the least likely to be suspected as a paid actor.

Taurus stared at the wealthy man, his eyes seemingly spewing fire. He had doubled the bidding price to eliminate all potential opponents from the start. With this strategy, he hoped to avoid a bidding war and acquire [Windslash] at a reasonable price.

In his opinion, the sword was worth 120 million at most. He had already nearly reached his limit by raising the price to 100 million. However, no one expected this damned NPC to name a price higher than he could accept.

Since Viscount Yelu had been a big spender earlier, Taurus and the other players subconsciously assumed that all the NPCs attending the auction were wealthy. It seemed extremely unlikely for him to be a paid actor. However, this wealthy man was definitely a paid actor.

‘One hundred and thirty million has exceeded my bottom line. It won’t be reasonable to continue bidding, but I can’t bear to let it go. Also…’ Looking around, Taurus saw countless pairs of eyes staring at him, filled with eager anticipation, indifference, or excitement.

‘So many eyes are on me. If I back off, I’ll definitely become a laughingstock. This will directly affect [Death of Love] Guild’s growth and the plan to hunt down the Princess!’ After some deliberation, Taurus gritted his teeth and slowly raised his number plate, continuing the bid. “One hundred and thirty-one million.”

The scene erupted in an uproar.
“He’s still bidding, still bidding!”
“He actually did it!”
“As expected of Young Master Zhang. He easily did something we could never do!”
The players were incredibly excited.

“Is this outsider stupid?”
“That’s such an obvious paid actor. How can’t he see that?”
“Or maybe he does see it and is deliberately following up?”
“Or perhaps, he’s just stupid but rich.”
The natives looked at each other and shook their heads.

“One hundred and sixty-one million.” Before the heated discussions could end, the wealthy man raised his number plate and spoke indifferently. The scene fell dead silent before he even finished speaking.

Everyone shifted their gazes from Taurus back to the wealthy man, filled with shock, confusion, or disbelief.

“He actually said that without hesitation!”
“This guy is so rich!”
“I really want to suck up to this NPC!”
“Come on, Young Master Zhang, don’t lose to the NPC!”
“That’s right, you are our representative!”

Some players inexplicably felt like fighting back.

“Why do I feel like he’s not a paid actor?” a native nobleman asked, frowning in confusion.
“I think so too. How could a paid actor raise the price like this?”
“Isn’t he scared the other guy might give up?”
“If that happens, wouldn’t he mess up his job?”

The natives began to question their previous judgment. After all, it was simply too bizarre to raise the price by thirty million twice in a row!

Taurus’ face turned slightly pale. His eyes, now looking at the wealthy man, were no longer filled with rage but confusion.

‘This price is too abnormal!’ he thought. 161 million was 41 million higher than his bottom line! Was it worth it? Was this sword worth the money? Obviously, it wasn’t. Taurus hesitated. He had to. His money didn’t grow on trees. He couldn’t waste it.

At that moment, the wealthy man turned his head and smirked, saying, “Heh, peasant.”

Hearing that and seeing his disdainful expression, Taurus felt the final thread of reason in his mind snap.

“One hundred and eighty million!” He raised the number plate without hesitation and shouted.

S.K.Y. was dumbfounded.

‘Is Young Master Zhang insane?’ he thought. He wasn’t the only one thinking that. Most people at the scene were stunned and rendered speechless.

In the VVIP guest room, Yaeger and Kastina exchanged smiles.

“See, I told you it’s fine,” Yaeger said.
“It’s actually my first time seeing someone so foolish,” Kastina sighed in realization.
“He got played,” Yaeger said calmly, taking a sip of black tea.
“It’s so bizarre. I just can’t understand.”

No matter how she looked at it, the paid actor was too conspicuous. Yet, he couldn’t figure it out.

“It’s because of the lack of information,” Yaeger smiled. The players were still scratching the surface of this game and barely knew anything. She, however, had nearly three years of experience in this game.

“What do you mean?” Kastina tilted her head.
“I mean they don’t know anything, so it’s easy to mislead them.”
“It seems like you know everything about that, right?” Kastina leaned forward and caressed Yaeger’s thigh.

“What are you doing?”
“No, I just felt like touching it. You don’t mind, right?” Kastina smiled.
“Fifty million for one touch,” Yaeger rolled her eyes.
“So expensive. Do you think you’re made of gold? No, not even gold is that expensive!” Kastina retracted her hand in surprise.
“Enough, stop playing around. Keep watching the show.” Yaeger retracted her gaze and looked down through the privacy glass.

Kastina sat down obediently and paid attention.

Below the stage, the wealthy man frowned, his expression shifting slightly. He seemed to hesitate and waver.

Everyone was confused by this. Hadn’t he acted bold just now? He added another 30 million repeatedly without flinching. So why would he make this expression after his opponent bid 180 million?

Perhaps 180 million was his limit? Or maybe, he was acting?

Taurus stared at the wealthy man, his hands tightly clenched.

‘F̲u̲c̲k̲ it. I’ll even toss out two hundred million as long as I win!’ he thought. His mind was clearly controlled by anger at this point, rendering him unable to act reasonably.

S.K.Y. silently shook his head. ‘As expected, Taurus isn’t suited to handle important affairs,’ he thought.

“Two hundred million!” the wealthy man finally decided, shouting out the number.