The Mysterious Card Maker: Starting with Zhang Jiao's Deification

Upon hearing Su Wanqing's reminder, Lin Fan immediately looked towards the other side of the arena.

Wang Bo was sitting leisurely in his seat, gently swirling his wine glass in his hand, with that enigmatic smile still on his face.

Seeing Lin Fan looking over, he even raised his hand, gesturing to him quite naturally.

Lin Fan frowned instantly. Why would Wang Bo suddenly make a bid?

A series of thoughts flashed through my mind.

The first possibility is that he just wanted to buy it for himself, and if that's the case, then there's not much of a problem.

Given Wang Bo's previous attempts to win him over, it wouldn't be impossible for him to send something as a gesture of goodwill.

But when he thought of the second possibility, Lin Fan's gaze darkened.

Wang Bo realized that he cared about the "Taiping Essentials", so he deliberately made a move, hoping to use it as a bargaining chip to get something from him.

If that's the case, then it's troublesome.

Lin Fan stared intently at the auction stage, hearing the auctioneer strike the gavel and announce, "130,000 for the first time."

He's starting to hesitate now.

Should we raise the price again?

In the first scenario, if I just ask, Wang Bo will most likely go along with it and stop, and I'll even get to do him a favor.

But if it's the second scenario, then raising that sign would be tantamount to actively telling the other party:

The "Taiping Essentials" are extremely important to him, and once he grasps this information, things will change.

Because he couldn't compete with Wang Bo in terms of wealth, if the "Taiping Essentials" really fell into his hands...

The "Taiping Yaoshu" is no longer an auction item, but a knife held to one's own throat, threatening oneself.

Da Niu then spoke up, "Are you crazy? Selling a lousy book for 130,000? Anyone who buys this book is either rich and has nothing better to do than have a screw loose!"

Da Niu couldn't understand how a tattered scroll that no one had ever wanted could now be priced so exorbitantly.

Lin Fan slowly exhaled, "Someone is deliberately stirring up trouble."

"130,000 for the second time." The auctioneer's gavel fell again.

Lin Fan frowned slightly. In terms of actual value, this price had already far exceeded the cost of the Taiping Essentials itself. 130,000 was almost enough to make a decent Purple Domain Card.

But he also knew very well that this thing couldn't be valued by its monetary worth. If he missed this opportunity, Zhang Jiao didn't know when he would be able to improve again.

It's not that Zhang Jiao is particularly strong, but from that initial blank card to his current state, Zhang Jiao can be considered his first card in the true sense.

Lin Fan remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly raised the number plate in his hand.

"150,000."

The moment the voice fell silent, the entire venue quieted down, and everyone's gaze turned once again to the person wearing the white peach wood mask in the front row.

Even Da Niu, who was drinking water behind him, almost spat it out when he heard the price. "One hundred...one hundred and fifty thousand?"

He then spoke, his voice extremely low, "Mr. Lin... Mr. Xiao Hei, this tattered book isn't actually some kind of treasure, is it?"

Su Wanqing narrowed her eyes slightly and remained silent.

Wang Bo, who was also in the room, seemed to smile even more broadly after seeing Lin Fan bid.

He gently twirled the wine glass in his hand, looking at Lin Fan in the distance, as if he were watching something interesting.

"As expected... this thing is very important to you."

"150,000 for the first time!" The auctioneer seemed surprised that someone would bid again. He coughed lightly and brought down the gavel once more.

"150,000 for the second time!"

Lin Fan stared intently at the screen, and when the numbers stopped fluctuating, he felt a little more at ease.

If the other party continues to raise the price at this point, he will give up immediately, because once it's confirmed, it will be the second scenario, and the All Souls Society will make a move, making this bidding process meaningless.

Because no matter what, they will take it away, and I don't have the financial resources to fight them.

The auctioneer slowly raised the gavel.

"Third of 150,000..."

Just as the hammer was about to fall, his movements suddenly stopped.

The entire hall fell silent for a moment as everyone turned to look at the auctioneer.

The auctioneer glanced down at the screen, then cleared his throat and put on a professional smile again.

"A distinguished guest in the Starlight Hall has offered 160,000." The moment the words were spoken, the number on the screen jumped up again.

160,000

Lin Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, and the last bit of hope in his heart completely vanished.

The big bull behind him glared and said, "That guy's raising the price again? Is he crazy?!"

Lin Fan didn't say anything; he was ready to give up.

But just then, a voice suddenly rang out beside him, "Two hundred thousand."

"Since you've already offered fifteen, this must be very important to you, so why not just take it? If you don't have the money, I do," Qin Muyao said.

The price on the screen rose again.

"Two hundred and twenty thousand"

"Two hundred and fifty thousand"

"..."

Thus, the price of this book, "The Essentials of Peace," soared to 600,000, leaving everyone in the room in awe.

"Does this thing really have some special effects?"

"Even the eldest daughter of the Qin family has joined in; could it be some kind of treasure?"

The murmurs inside grew louder and louder.

Many people who were not initially interested began to doubt their judgment, and when they looked at the tattered books in the room, no one raised their hand.

"If it really had any special effects, they would have said so already. Would we need to go through all this trouble?"

The discussions inside the venue continued.

"Sixty..." Qin Muyao wanted to raise her paddle to bid, but a hand pressed down on the back of her hand.

Lin Fan glanced at Qin Muyao and said, "Forget it, there's no need!"

"But..." Qin Muyao wanted to say something more, but Lin Fan held her hand tightly and didn't let go.

"Six hundred thousand for the third time!"

"make a deal!"

As the auction gavel fell, a low murmur rippled through the hall.

"Spending 600,000 on a worthless book? That's insane!"

"I'll see who paid for it later."

"This sucker has become famous today."

Lin Fan's gaze slowly shifted to Wang Bo, who was not far away. Wang Bo seemed to have noticed Lin Fan's gaze and looked in Lin Fan's direction as well.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

With his unchanging smile, Wang Bo raised his wine glass and gave Lin Fan a slight nod.

It's as if it's saying, "What you want is now in my hands."

Su Wanqing also looked towards Wang Bo, but moved closer to Lin Fan: "Is this important to you?"

"I guess so!"

"Since it was Wang Bo and his group who secured it, they'll likely continue to pursue you. After all, they now have another bargaining chip to use in negotiations with you."

"Yes, I know!"

"What will you do then? My uncle said you agreed with him that you wouldn't join Wang Bo and his group!"

"That thing is important, but not enough for me to risk my life for. Mr. Zhao said that if I join them, my life will be in danger."

Lin Fan said casually, but a cold glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Wang Bo, "Since he wants more leverage to talk to me, then I'll grant his wish."