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(Today's update, 9000 words, looking for monthly votes ~)
Chapter 291 "Saintess"
After these words were said, Du Wei's forehead was covered in cold sweat while Zach's face also turned pale.
After a long time, Du Wei finally let out a long sigh: "Well, since things have already come to this, we can only follow His Highness' wishes."
Although he spoke helplessly, he couldn't help but think to himself: What's so strange about this matter? Why does Prince Son want me to do it? He forced me into a corner and wanted me to take the lead to win the Pope's promise. Of course, this is one way to deal with the provocation of the Shrines, but in terms of choice, this His Highness thinks too highly of me. Why didn't they let Count Biliaibuer or Camisiro do the job instead? Why did he pick me to stand on the cusp of the storm ….
It's just that he can't say these thoughts out loud to Zach. After calming himself down, Du Wei let Zach go out and arrange for today's important auction.
Auctions are not something that doesn't exist on the Roland Continent. For example, the bidding in the slave market is the prototype of an auction. It's just that what Du Wei taught Zach to do was completely based on his knowledge of the auction house business from his past life, systematizing and scaling it up.
It's not even noon yet, but there are already 17 to 18 luxurious carriages parked in the open space outside. Many nobles have already arrived, and even the attendants outside the door are close to a hundred people.
The Tulip Family's auction business is very good. In Du Wei's shop, there's already a separate two-story building. In the middle of the building is a large hall surrounded by elegant seats. At the top of the second floor, there's also a VIP room.
Every month, the auction house had become an important event in the capital's rich and powerful circle. Anyone who can participate in the Tulip Family's auction is either rich or noble. Being able to buy a ticket to participate in the auction is already regarded as a symbol of entering the capital's upper class.
As for the seven to eight VIP rooms on the second floor, they've been reserved for years with only one or two left for temporary rental.
In the VIP room upstairs, there were the most comfortable couches and free wine. Looking down from above, the atmosphere was naturally different. More importantly, there were several other benefits. Anyone who had such a VIP status would become a symbol of status within the Imperial Capital's circle of dignitaries. It could be said that to be able to have a VIP room reserved for a long time in the Tulip Family's auction house, other than the most popular political figures or the most powerful aristocratic families... ordinary nouveau riche would not be able to buy one even if one had the money.
Also, Zuckerberg is very good at currying favor. When the VIP rooms were auctioned, Du Wei benefited and organized an auction. The ownership of the VIP rooms has already made a lot of money for the Tulip Family.
In addition, after receiving the VIP status, every month the auction house would provide all kinds of information about the auction items for free. The auction house even created a beautiful catalog to inform the VIPs of the new rare and precious items that arrived every month … … This series of practices was exactly the same as what the top brands in Du Wei's previous world used to treat their VIP members.
This way, not only did the VIP status increase, it also made the Tulip Family's auction house more popular. In the end, almost every auction is full and it's hard to get a ticket.
Obviously, today's' auction item 'has already spread like wildfire in the capital. Therefore, today's auction attracted even more people.
Zuckerberg had already gone out to make preparations and had someone invite Du Wei to the auction house. By the time he arrived, there were already dozens of people sitting in the auction house.
Roughly glancing around, Du Wei could see that almost all of the first and second rate noble families in the capital had arrived. According to the rules, the auction house can only allow one person to enter at a time. Therefore, the attendants and servants of the nobles are waiting outside. In the large hall, Du Wei attracted a lot of attention when he walked in. Most of the people here can recognize Du Wei. Even if they haven't seen Du Wei before, they can guess his identity.
There are a few people who wanted to approach him, but when they saw the Duke's cold expression and slight frown, they knew that the Duke is in a bad mood. Therefore, they didn't dare to touch his bad luck.
In addition to the Pope's decree, the original items in today's auction were all rare goods. In particular, there were a few pieces of jewelry crafted by Du Wei's skilled craftsmen using the magic cores from the North to polish them into precious jewels. Therefore, among the people present, there are also a few noble ladies from the rich and powerful families.
Of course, there are also some people with ulterior motives. Knowing that the Duke of the Tulip Family had returned to the capital, they've already placed their sights on Du Wei. Guessing that the Duke would most likely come to the auction today, these people simply brought their daughters along in hopes of meeting Du Wei here. Who knows, maybe they'll be able to get a good relationship with the Duke of the Tulip Family.
But there are even more people who came with the intention of inquiring about the situation. After all, the Shrines' abnormal behavior has caused panic in the circle of nobles. Coming here to see how the Duke of the Tulip Family will react is a good thing.
Since he came to the auction house, Du Wei didn't say anything more. The doubts and worries in his heart have all been put away. His mood is calm and his eyes are full of determination.
In fact, this is Du Wei's character. Although he seems to be smart and cunning, he often likes to take the unconventional approach and take shortcuts. He is used to planning and calculating everything first.
However, if things really came to a head and he was forced into a corner, the naturally hidden toughness in his personality would naturally erupt. Du Wei is such a person. If there are seven or eight paths in front of him to take, he will carefully consider and analyze. But if you force him to take a path and not give him a choice, then he won't lack the courage to take the path to the end.
At this moment, Du Wei's heart is resolute. Since there is only one choice in front of him, then he will do his best and not think about other distracting thoughts.
With such thoughts in mind, Du Wei's face naturally showed a bit of indifference. Along the way, the few people who wanted to greet him didn't dare to open their mouths. They could only feel a chill coming from this young Duke. After all, the character of a Magician is very temperamental, so no one wants to be a busybody at this time.
Du Wei walked all the way to the back of the auction house and went up the stairs to the second floor. Inside the several VIP boxes, several old acquaintances have already arrived. The first to bear the brunt is naturally Count Biliaibuer and the demonic beast from Delan Mountain.
Since the coup, Count Biliaibuer has been a staunch member of Prince Son's faction. Later on, he took over the royal family's business and became their agent. As for the demonic beast from Delan Mountain, he is one of the continent's leading weapons merchants. His network of influence extends to the military and the financial department of the empire. He is also a favorite of Prince Son. With the status of these two, it is only natural that they are the VIP guests of this auction house. The people sitting in the other private rooms were also first-rate wealthy families in the Imperial Capital.
Seeing Du Wei come up, Count Biliaibuer stood up to greet him while the demonic beast from Delan Mountain also walked out of the box with a smile. In the end, Du Wei couldn't keep a straight face in front of these two. Instead, he revealed a smile and greeted them for a while. However, even though he was grateful to Count Biliaibuer last night, he can't help but feel a bit annoyed right now: These guys already knew about the auction, but they pretended to be deaf and mute in front of me! Although Du Wei knows that this must be Prince Son's order, he still can't help but feel resentful.
Count Biliaibuer and the demonic beast from Delan Mountain are both veterans of this circle. Although Du Wei didn't say it out loud, his demeanor still revealed some clues. These two know what Du Wei is thinking. Smiling bitterly, Count Biliaibuer whispered: "Du Wei, I know you are dissatisfied with us right now. This matter is also an order from His Highness, so we can't disobey. Hmm … … I already sent someone to send an invitation to you this morning. I want to invite you to a banquet tonight so that I can apologize to you face to face. "
Next to him, Delan Mountain also said a few similar words. Only now did Du Wei understand why he received so many invitations early in the morning.
He wasn't a petty person to begin with. Since the other party had said so, he couldn't show his anger on his face. He smiled and said, "The two of you are my good friends. There's no need to say these things. I understand in my heart. It's just … … Alas, His Highness Son's move is really giving me a headache. "
The two old foxes dryly smiled and didn't dare to talk about Prince Son. The demonic beast from Delan Mountain mumbled: "His Highness has always done things with deep meaning, and this time is no exception. As his subjects, we only need to follow his orders. "
Du Wei naturally knows that this is an excuse. He also knows that these two old foxes aren't willing to take any responsibility, so he just smiled and invited them into the private room.
The more than a dozen private rooms upstairs are arranged in a semi-open arc, similar to the VIP rooms on the second floor of an opera house in Du Wei's past life. Because of this circular arrangement, even if one is sitting in a private room, they can still see the people in the other rooms.
Du Wei walked into the private room that Zach arranged for him. Just as he sat down, he felt a gaze coming from the private room next to him. Looking to the left, he saw a young noble wearing a black robe with a golden belt inlaid with several gems. The style of the red collar is also the most common style of nobles from the south.
It's just that among the people who came here today, only Count Biliaibuer and De Lanshan, who are in their forties or fifties, can sit in the VIP box. Aside from Du Wei himself, it's rare to see such a young man, so they couldn't help but take a second look.
This young man's appearance could be considered handsome, but his face was too pale and lacked the color of blood. However, it was the standard paleness that formal nobles could only dream of. It's just that there's a hint of green in his pale complexion. Obviously, his body has been hollowed out by the daily wine and women. Although his appearance is good, but the spirit in his eyes is relatively dim. What makes Du Wei frown is that this young man's face seems to be smeared with some powder. Du Wei has always been disgusted by men who put on makeup. Although it's a custom in the noble circle, he has never liked it. Seeing such a good looking young man smearing his lips with red lipstick, he can't help but feel a little disgusted.
Behind this young noble, there's a man in his forties waiting on the side. This middle-aged man has a shrewd and capable look. He's dressed like a steward of a noble family.
Du Wei looked at this young man and found that he's also looking at himself. But to Du Wei's surprise, this young man's eyes don't seem to be very friendly. Du Wei felt a little strange. When this young man noticed that Du Wei was looking at him, he immediately retracted his gaze.
However, with Du Wei's sharp observation, when the young man hurriedly retracted his gaze, the gloominess in his eyes did not escape Du Wei's eyes.
Given Du Wei's current status and power, everyone in the circle of nobles in the capital would be eager to curry favor with him. Why would someone be hostile to him? Moreover, this young man seems very unfamiliar. Du Wei is sure that he's never seen him before, let alone have a feud with him.
Du Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he casually asked the attendant beside him while pointing to the private room at the side. This attendant was specially sent by Zach to serve Du Wei. He was very quick-witted, and immediately bent over to whisper, "Lord Duke, this is the private room of Marquis Seine's residence. A few months ago, Marquis Seine used 40,000 gold coins to reserve this private room for half a year. Usually, Marquis Seine would come here personally, but I heard that Marquis Seine's health hasn't been good recently, so he hasn't been here for a long time. Yes, this young man should be Marquis Seine's son, Young Master Dupont. Marquis Seine has three sons, and this Young Master Dupont is the youngest. But his mother is Marquis Seine's legal wife, and she's from a wealthy family. So, although he's not the eldest son, he's very favored in the family. "
Du Wei nodded.
Marquis Seine? Du Wei knew this name. It was said that this Marquis Seine was somewhat related to the royal family, but that was more than a hundred years ago. He could be considered an ancient and wealthy family with a long history in the capital. His political stance had always been smart, and he rarely got involved in any political struggles. Instead, he pursued the principle of staying out of it. So, he could be considered to have stood tall for a hundred years. Moreover, the family was very wealthy, and they had many properties in the southern part of the empire. In the early years, when Augustine VI was in power, Marquis Seine donated a large sum of money to build the navy, which was praised by Augustine VI. Later, he took advantage of the navy's expedition to Southeast Asia to make a lot of money, and his business was quite big. There were also people in the family who had served as high-ranking logistics officers in the navy. They also had their own territory in the south and their own fleet. The family had even produced a high-ranking official like the governor.
Overall, they could be considered a first-rate family.
But … … The Seine family … … I don't think I've ever offended them.
As Du Wei was thinking, Young Master Dupont peeked at Du Wei a few times, but he quickly looked away, which made Du Wei a little unhappy, so he just glared at him. Young Master Dupont panicked and quickly turned his head away, carefully avoiding him, not daring to be rash. But Du Wei didn't let him off, and kept staring at Young Master Dupont. Young Master Dupont didn't dare to look at Du Wei, so he could only turn his head away, but his expression became more and more stiff, and his eyes gradually showed a bit of impatience.
Instead, it was the steward behind the young master who saw Du Wei. Bowing in a very friendly manner, the steward gave a distant salute.
At this time, Zuckerberg walked up to the front stage of the auction house.
This steward under Du Wei also changed into a very formal black robe, which made him look a lot more dignified. He was holding a small golden hammer in his hand. He walked up to the stage and coughed to attract everyone's attention. Then, he raised his voice and said, "Thank you all for coming. This month's auction has officially begun. Now, please be quiet."
After that, he bowed to the audience, and then went behind a table on the stage.
In the past, when the auction house was just established, Zuckerberg personally served as the auctioneer. After that, he trained several professional subordinates to serve as auctioneers, and he was happy to be lazy. But today was such an important occasion, so Zuckerberg didn't dare to be negligent. He changed his clothes, picked up a small hammer, and personally presided over the auction.
Zuckerberg was now a famous figure in the imperial capital's circle. Everyone knew that he was the representative of the Duke of the Tulip Family in the imperial capital, so they gave him some face. Seeing Zuckerberg announce the start of the auction, the clamor of the audience immediately disappeared.
"Everyone." Zuckerberg coughed, and then with a solemn face, he said: "Today's auction officially begins. First of all, I represent the Tulip Family Auction House to welcome everyone. Then, today's first item is … … "
Zuckerberg began to introduce several items, nothing more than expensive jewelry, or luxury items made from magic beast cores. The most expensive item was the newly made "Paladin Armor", which was worth 150,000 gold coins.
In the past, these items were naturally popular goods. But today, Du Wei sat in the private room upstairs and looked down. He could clearly see that everyone present had an indifferent look on their faces. Only a few female guests showed a yearning look towards the few pieces of jewelry. Most of the people had an indifferent look.
Finally, when Zuckerberg introduced the decree signed by the Pope, everyone's expression turned solemn. Most of them straightened their necks and looked serious.
Then the auction began.
The first few items were sold without any surprises. The scene was very calm. Because of today's special situation, it seemed that the people present were not interested in the first few items. The prices were very low. Seeing this, Du Wei couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seems that he didn't make much money in today's auction.
In less than the time it took to eat a meal, the first few items were auctioned off. It was much faster than usual.
Finally, when it came to the last item, the Pope's decree, Zuckerberg seemed to be a little nervous. He wiped his sweat, then coughed and said: "Everyone, next we will proceed to today's last … …" He seemed to want to say "goods", but when the words reached his mouth, he remembered that using the word "goods" to describe the Pope's personally written decree seemed somewhat disrespectful. He had no choice but to change his words. He didn't know how to describe it, so he could only vaguely continue: "Everyone knows that His Majesty the Pope is benevolent and has compassion for the victims of the disaster in the south. This decree has received His Majesty the Pope's promise that the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the victims of the disaster in the south. Let us first thank His Majesty the Pope for his benevolence. May the glory of the Goddess bless His Majesty the Pope. "
Everyone quickly put on an awe-inspiring expression.
Zuckerberg paused for a moment. After a moment of silence, he continued: "Then … … I now announce that according to the Shrines' request, the auction for this decree personally written by His Majesty the Pope will now begin. Because this item is personally signed by His Majesty the Pope, the auction house has received confirmation from the Shrines. For this item … … there is no lower price and no upper limit. The highest bidder wins. Now … … please place your bids. "
After the last sentence was said, the entire auction house fell into silence.
After a long while, the dozens of dignitaries present looked at each other, but no one spoke first. Everyone looked at the people around them with a probing gaze.
Du Wei saw this and couldn't help but sigh … …
Today, if the people here were loyal to the Royal Family, who would dare to buy this item? Then, there must be people from the Shrines here to stir up trouble.
Finally … …
"Five hundred thousand gold coins."
The first person to speak was a man sitting in the back row. Du Wei looked around and saw a tall and thin man wearing gorgeous clothes. However, judging by his appearance and hair color, he should be a typical southerner.
Du Wei gave the attendant beside him a meaningful glance. The attendant looked at him and whispered into Du Wei's ear: "Your Excellency the Duke … … this person is very unfamiliar. I have never seen him before. Hmm … … today seems very strange. There are a lot of unfamiliar people here. "
Du Wei made an "Hmm" sound and said: "In our auction house, strangers can come in as they please?"
The attendant whispered: "Hmm, in the past, half of the seats are fixed. There are also some tickets that are publicly sold outside. Additionally, our auction is held once a month. Usually, the tickets are sold 20 days before the auction. Some of the tickets are even sold on the black market and sold for a high price. The unfamiliar faces that came today probably bought those tickets on the market. "
Du Wei nodded and no longer spoke.
At this moment, the bidding had already begun. From the first bid, the price soared all the way until it reached one million gold coins.
Du Wei's heart was even more surprised … … Are these people not afraid of death? Coaxing such a thing here is tantamount to going against the royal family! Are these people out of their minds?
However, Du Wei also carefully saw that these people were calling out the price. The ones who were calling out the price were often some foreign faces. The local rich and powerful people of the Imperial Capital often kept their mouths shut and watched the development of the situation.
When the price reached one million gold coins, the voices that continued to raise the price quieted down a lot. Du-Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he understood what was going on. Obviously, among these foreign faces, there should be people sent by the Shrines. Especially those with southern accents, their identities were even more suspicious.
Du Wei hesitated for a moment. When he was about to bid, he suddenly heard a voice from the corner of his seat: "One million and two hundred thousand."
Du Wei looked over and saw that this person was a standard merchant from the Imperial Capital.
As soon as this person called out, another person with a southern accent immediately called out one million and five hundred thousand.
After that, the merchant from the imperial capital shut his mouth, but he raised his head and glanced upstairs. What made Du Wei surprised was that this person's eyes were looking in the direction of Count Biliaibuer's and Declan Mountain's box.
Just as Du Wei was frowning, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the box behind him. It was Count Biliaibuer who sent a few words to Du Wei: "This thing cannot be bought by outsiders. As the direct descendants of His Highness Son, we naturally have to share the burden of the Regent. Count Biliaibuer and Declan Mountain have already contacted several influential people in the Imperial Capital and are ready to join forces to bid for this thing. How can they let the people of the Shrines buy it?"
Du Wei nodded. It seems like Declan Mountain and Count Biliaibuer didn't know that he had received a secret order from Prince Son, nor did they know that the item had already been taken away by Prince Son. The reason these two came to report to Du Wei was because they wanted to show their stance to Du Wei. After all, among the direct descendants of Prince Son, Du Wei's status is the highest. Therefore, these two are hinting that they will follow Du Wei's lead.
Du Wei thought for a moment and understood that this was the intention of Count Biliaibuer and the others to show their loyalty to Prince Son.
Thinking up to here, Du Wei sighed and softly said: "Two million gold coins."
Although Du-Wei's voice wasn't loud, but it came from upstairs and immediately spread throughout the room. Everyone heard it clearly.
Far away in the box, Count Biliaibuer and Declan Mountain both looked at Du Wei and nodded with a smile.
Declan Mountain then immediately sent a message to Du Wei: "Since the Duke is making a move, they will shut up. If the Duke's hands aren't tight, then Declan Mountain is willing to support you."
Declan Mountain seems to have understood that he was acting under Prince Son's orders.
Du Wei sighed.
When he shouted out two million gold coins, the person below immediately shouted out two million and five hundred thousand gold coins.
Everyone in the room sucked in a breath of cold air. The smart ones understood that this was the beginning of a bidding war!
Who doesn't know Du Wei's identity? If it was a simple auction, the Duke of the Tulip Family would have opened his mouth. No matter how rich the others were, they would still have to give the Duke face and not continue to bid against him.
But these southerners seemed to have come prepared and didn't give Du Wei any face. This further confirmed Du Wei's guess – these southerners were sent by the Shrines!
This play by the Shrines is also very interesting. The Pope wrote such a decree and then sent his own people to buy it.
The meaning behind this is very deep!
After all, the Pope personally presiding over the baptism is tantamount to openly challenging the authority of the royal family. But this kind of promise is not something the Pope can casually make, so he can only use the excuse of "raising funds for disaster relief".
As for the second step, the key was to find out whose hands this promise fell into!
If … … If it falls into the hands of an ambitious person, then if this person gets this promise from the Pope, then it would be the same as getting the baptism personally presided over by the Pope … … This is equivalent to getting the same treatment as the royal family!
The most subtle thing is that "the Pope personally presiding over the baptism" has been regarded as a symbol of legitimacy for the succession of the throne! It's regarded as sacred and noble!!
If the Shrines want to use this to attack the prestige of the royal family, then the most effective and simple method would be to find a way to get their own people to buy back this thing and then deliberately arrange for a lowly rich person to receive the baptism from the Pope. In this way, everyone can't help but think: if a vulgar upstart can get the same treatment as the royal family, then the ceremony of the royal family's legitimacy … … is not sacred at all.
Thinking deeper … … If it's some ambitious person who gets this promise, then if it's someone like the Northwest Army's Rugaard who gets baptized by the Pope, then people can't help but think: Then wouldn't that mean that he also got the highest level of legitimacy?
If this kind of association is opened, then it's very dangerous!
Du Wei sighed … …
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the price has already reached 5 million gold coins. Du Wei's heart naturally hurts. His money didn't grow on trees. No matter how high the final price was, he had to hand over the money to the Temple.
When the price reached 8,000,000 gold coins, there was finally no sound from below.
Du Wei's heart faintly gave birth to a trace of uneasiness … … Is it that simple? Is it that easy to complete the task? If that's the case, then the Shrines' plan would be too easy to destroy.
Sure enough! Before Du Wei could finish his thoughts, he suddenly heard a crisp and sweet female voice coming from the entrance of the auction house. The voice was delicate and pleasant to listen to, but it also carried a hint of holiness.
"I'm sorry to disturb everyone. I know that being late is a very impolite thing to do, so please forgive me. "
Before the voice died away, the door of the auction house was pushed open and a woman in a white dress slowly walked in. This woman is tall and slender, wearing a white dress, but it's obviously the style of a Shrines' cleric. Her long golden hair softly draped over her shoulders, and a snow-white cloak draped over her shoulders.
Standing at the entrance, she lightly swept her eyes across the audience, attracting everyone's attention. This woman's voice sounds very young. Standing at the entrance, the cleric's uniform on her body carries a hint of holiness and nobility. Although she doesn't have any luxurious jewelry on her body, her every movement is filled with a faint noble aura.
As soon as Du Wei heard this voice, a trace of haze flashed across his eyes.
This is the daughter of the late Crown Prince, the Saintess Princess who dedicated her life to the Shrines!
The Holy Maiden Princess walked in. Her eyes were clear, and her face was covered by a white veil. Although her appearance could not be seen clearly, her pair of eyes were like the cold moon. Coupled with her graceful figure, she walked over step by step. She was obviously very flirtatious, but there was a hint of holiness to her. This kind of complex temperament merged with her body, making people's hearts involuntarily flutter.
Seeing the arrival of the Saintess Princess, Du Wei's heart immediately sank, and he frowned tightly.
At this moment, Du Wei suddenly heard the young master of Marquis Seine, Dupont, suddenly let out a short exclamation. Du Wei turned his head and saw a look of surprise on Dupont's face. His eyes were full of passion as he stared at the Saintess Princess below.
The Saintess Princess also seemed to raise her head and smile at the young master. The young master's face instantly flushed red, and as if he suddenly received some kind of encouragement, he shouted loudly, "10,000,000 gold coins!"
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