The nobleman who made the first bid came from a large plantation family. Almost half of the sugar in the Empire came from his family's plantation. Other than that, his family also owned the main raw materials for healing potions, making him one of the highest-ranking farmers in the Empire. However, due to his previous wealth, he did not receive an invitation from the Southern Duke to attend the auction. However, things had changed after the Realm War. Although he had suffered a great loss during the Apocalypse, the potion raw materials that he had accumulated had allowed him to earn a fortune from the Empire. He then used this fortune to buy the land and assets of those who had gone bankrupt or even lost their families. His net worth had doubled. In an instant, he had become one of the top nobles in the Empire.
In the previous Realm War, there were those who died, and there were those who became rich. The upper nobles' circle was about to be reshuffled, and a nouveau riche like this one was eager to occupy a more comfortable position.
Unlike the others, this nouveau riche did not bring many servants with him. Instead, he came alone with a contract. He read the contract aloud in front of the crowd. The contract stated that he would use 5% of his plantation's annual income in exchange for a place as a sponsor. Take note, it was every year in the future.
That was the price he offered. It was so generous that the surrounding nobles, who were used to seeing the world, were shocked. Even Baiyi was a little taken aback. The first bid of the day was already this ridiculous?
Even though Principal Bai was greedy and did not care for worldly possessions and only accepted precious materials, it still depended on the amount of the offer. This offer, which was made using shares as a bargaining chip, was worth careful consideration. This was especially so considering the fact that Principal Bai was on the rise. A 5% profit could be equivalent to hundreds of thousands of gold coins in the future, and all he needed was a place as a sponsor.
Exchanging a long-term meal ticket for a place in the Academy might seem like a bad deal to most people, but Baiyi seemed to have made a huge profit. However, Baiyi had already made up his mind. Although he did not say it out loud, his heart had already rejected the offer.
In order to get that 5% profit in the future, Baiyi had to help this guy a lot, which was equivalent to being in the same boat as him. In the future, Principal Bai would definitely use Da Xue and the Voidwalkers as his backers, which would bring more trouble to Da Xue.
This was probably the reason why this nouveau riche was so generous with his offer. He lacked a strong foundation and support, so he desperately needed money to cling to a powerful backer. Many traditional nobles would usually choose the royal family or the Church as their backer, so it would be difficult for a nouveau riche like him to join them. Why not try to join Da Xue, who was on the rise and had a bright future?
That was why Baiyi rejected the offer in his heart. The Voidwalkers could not be bought with just a little bit of money. In the past decade, there had been other nouveau riche who had tried to do the same thing. They had offered much more than the one in front of him, and some of them had even offered to sacrifice their young daughters. However, all of them had been rejected by Baiyi with a strong sense of righteousness.
Currently, the only family that had truly clung to the Voidwalkers was Miss Undine's Dole family. However, they did not rely on Baiyi's money. Instead, they relied on the fact that Undine was the descendant of a merchant, as well as her relationships with other girls. Other than that, the lovely lady often acted cute and coquettish in front of Baiyi, even selling herself to him. In the end, she had successfully entered Da Xue's boat.
Therefore, trying to rope Baiyi in by offering a share of the profits would not work in the past, nor would it work now.
When the nouveau riche saw Baiyi's dispirited expression, he knew that his plan had failed. He had thought that his offer would be very tempting, as the war between Da Xue and the Church was imminent. However, the Voidwalkers were just as he had said; they did not need anyone to stand on their side. The nouveau riche was just giving it a shot. Even if he failed, there was nothing he could say.
However, he did not leave. He still had a chance. He was a little interested in the marionette business that the nouveau riche had mentioned earlier, so he wanted to see if he could get in on the action later.
The other nobles could tell from Baiyi's reaction that he was determined, so the second offer was much more reasonable.
The ones who made the offer were the aforementioned father and son, the tea merchant. This family, which dabbled in luxury goods, had just suffered a heavy blow, and they were still recovering from their losses. However, they were stubborn about sending their heirs to Da Xue. The noble ordered his useless son and his servant to carry a coffin-shaped box up to the stage. When they opened it, they saw that it was a suit of armor.
The light gray armor looked rather ordinary, similar to the common sorcerer's armor. However, its design was much older. There were no beautiful patterns on it, nor were there any luxurious decorations. Even though it had undergone an emergency renovation, many of the marks left behind by the passage of time could not be concealed. Compared to Baiyi's Sacred Silver armor, which had been worn for many years, this suit of armor looked so old that it was almost unpresentable.
The nobles who were present could not help but burst into laughter. Before this, there had been people who had tried to use their armor as a bargaining chip, but all of them had failed. Baiyi's Saintly Silver Armor was a gift from the Emperor himself, after all, so the significance of it was extraordinary. On the other hand, most of the armors used by the other Voidwalkers were provided by the heretical Alchemists, and then created by the joint efforts of the Blacksmiths and the Engineer Geniuses. These armors incorporated all kinds of cutting-edge ideas, including ergonomics, and were specially tailored to the condition of the Voidwalkers. No matter how exquisite or gorgeous the armor was, how could it be compared to the Saintly Silver Armor? It was like playing with a big axe in front of Guan Yu and a big knife in front of Lu Ban.
"This armor is my family's heirloom," the Tea Merchant said. "It is said that our ancestor received this armor as a reward for helping a powerhouse. Although he did not leave his name behind, he found a lot of experts to appraise it. They all agreed that this armor is not an ordinary item, so it should be a good gift, right?"
The Tea Merchant's words, which sounded like a swindler's, caused a burst of laughter.
"Old Hans, you really brought out your family's heirloom? And you even told Master Hope about your family's funny story? Hahaha! You're cracking me up! So many years have passed, and you still think it's real? "
"It's one thing for you to brag about it to us, but to bring it out in front of so many people? Do you think Principal Hope is a fool? I can't believe you're so naïve! "
"Hahaha! Old Hans, you've made another joke out of yourself! Do you really think that this thing is a treasure?"
In fact, when this tea merchant was in his prime, he had mentioned this family heirloom many times. However, at that time, his family was overflowing with wealth and was a first-tier luxury merchant. At that time, when his friends heard this, they just treated it as a joke and complimented him in a joking manner. But now, things were different. His family was about to decline, and it was very funny to mention this matter again. Naturally, he was mercilessly ridiculed.
The tea merchant's face was calm and collected, and he turned a deaf ear to the jeers. He was certain that his father would not lie to him, and neither would his grandfather. This family heirloom was the real deal. Others might not be able to tell, but someone like Principal Hope would be able to see through it.
But the Tea Merchant's son was shy, so his face flushed red. He blamed his father in his heart. Since you've already brought out your family's heirloom, why didn't you come up with a better story? You'll be treated like an idiot if you tell the truth.
Besides, even if this armor is really something good, the greedy Principal Hope has seen all kinds of good stuff. Why would he want this pile of scrap metal?
While the Tea Merchant and his son looked at Baiyi with anticipation and worry, Baiyi did not smile. He studied the armor quietly for a long time before he tossed the number to the Tea Merchant's son and said, "You have a good father. Remember to work hard when you're enrolled."
Aside from the tea merchant, everyone else was dumbfounded, including the Grand Duke of the South and Lady Undine. Everyone in the room was experienced and knowledgeable, but they could not figure out what was going on with the armor. How could Principal Hope, who had such a huge appetite, agree to it without hesitation? Was there something wrong with the script?
Baiyi did not have the obligation to explain to the crowd. He walked quietly to the armor and was about to take it down from the shelf when he turned to the tea merchant's son and said, "There are a lot of strict rules in Da Xue. You can think about it one last time. If there's no problem with it, I'm going to take it."
He did not ask for the Tea Merchant's opinion because it was his son who was enrolled in Da Xue, not him.
The Tea Merchant's son was still in a daze. He was like a puppet, staring blankly at the number plate. His mind was filled with thoughts. How did his family's scrap metal catch Principal Hope's attention? Is there really something special about this thing? Was the rumor of the Jianghu swindlers from my ancestors actually true?
While he was in a daze, his father pinched him in exasperation. Only then did he realize his impolite behavior. He quickly bowed and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Master Hope. I was distracted for a moment."
"So, are you willing to come to Da Xue and abide by all the rules?" Baiyi asked again patiently.
"Yes! Of course! "The Tea Merchant replied." Thank you, Master Hope, for giving me this opportunity! "
"Good. Remember to think about which faculty you want to study in when you go back. Just bring that number plate when you're enrolled," Baiyi said. Baiyi said as he began to collect the armor. He added, "Also, call me 'Principal' from now on."
The Tea Merchant, who was standing next to him, asked with a complicated expression, "Principal Hope, if it's possible, could you tell me the origin of this armor? It's been passed down since our family was still a small noble family. I've tried to investigate its background but to no avail. If it's possible, could you please tell me? "
"Aren't you afraid that you'll regret it?" Baiyi retorted.
The Tea Merchant was taken aback. His emotions became complicated. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he said, "No matter how amazing a divine item is, it's meaningless if we can't use it ourselves. Compared to the future of our descendants, this is nothing. I'm just curious."
"Is that so …" Baiyi said as he quickly removed the armor and kept it in his storage pouch. "If I'm not mistaken, this armor's name should be … Enigma." "Enigma?" Baiyi's eyes widened as he looked at the armor in front of him.
As soon as the name appeared, all the nobles in the room gasped. Enigma? It's the legendary Divine Armor Enigma? Didn't this thing disappear for two thousand years? Even the legends related to it had become obscure. People only knew that it was a legendary divine armor. It was said that it was once worn by a powerful Holy Knight. The Holy Knight relied on this armor to charge forward while using his blessed hammer to smash all kinds of monsters. There were also legends that said that this armor was worn by a powerful Druid. He wore this armor to summon a wolf and the spirit of the oak tree. He used a whirlwind to kill the Holy Knights who came to his land to preach his religion.
There were all sorts of versions of this armor that were worn by a powerful necromancer, a mysterious assassin, and so on. Although people didn't understand what was going on with this armor, they felt that it was very powerful. No one could have imagined that the legendary Enigma would have such a simple appearance. It looked no different from an ordinary mage's armor. It was no wonder that it was treated as a piece of scrap metal and hid in the basement of a noble's house for thousands of years without seeing the light of day.
"I'm not sure what kind of legend it has. Even us Voidwalkers don't know about it. I only found its name from a few details on its body," Baiyi explained as he took out the breastplate from his storage pouch. As he explained, he took out the breastplate from his storage pouch and used his mana to hover it in the air. Then, he added a layer of mana to the breastplate, and a series of Ancient Rohlserlian formations appeared on the surface of the breastplate.
"You might have heard that Ancient Rohlserlian formations have their own meanings, just like the emblem of the Sorcerer's Association. The meaning of this formation is its name, Enigma," Baiyi said.
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