Have you had enough, Miss Vampire? It's time to get down to business.

"Jizhi, you big-headed ghost, you want to take the church's money?"

Lor chopped her not-so-bright little head with a knife.

At the same time, Trevante said, "Unfortunately, the vault is constantly guarded by powerful transcendents, and it's also sealed with a powerful seal. Even if I could get in, I wouldn't be able to get the items out without anyone noticing."

"Did you hear that?" Lor shrugged. "In short, we still have to go through the normal bidding process..."

However, I only have one thousand dollars in my hand now, which is indeed not very safe.

It has to be a solution.

Lor lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he said to Trevante:

"Among the guests attending this auction, how many are wealthy businessmen and nobles from Palmer City? List their names and addresses for me."

"No problem." Trevante cooperated and found paper and pen, and began to make a list according to Lor's request.

"Huh? Lor, what do you want to ask these questions?" Isabella asked curiously.

Lor blinked and smiled:

"I've come up with a way to significantly increase our funds... Don't worry, you'll find out when the time comes."

"Hmph, why keep it a secret?" Isabella curled her lips.

12. Professional Agent

The night of the auction.

Luxurious carriages drove one after another towards the Duke of Campbury's Palace.

One of the cars carried "Mr. and Mrs. Sylvie from the Silver Star Chamber of Commerce," that is, Lor and Isabella.

That’s right, “Mr. Sylvie” was the name on the invitation in Lor’s hand.

The invitation letter from the church was genuine, and Mr. Sylvie was a real person. The Silver Star Chamber of Commerce, which he managed, was a rapidly developing new business organization. The Duke of Canbury had always wanted to get closer to him and do business with him, so he invited him to participate in this auction.

However, the invitation letter was not delivered to the real Mr. Sylvie.

He was intercepted by the church on the way.

In addition, Mr. Sylvie was a new face in the business world, and many people had only heard of him but had never seen him in person. The possibility of him being recognized by the Duke or the guests was very low.

"Welcome, Mr. Sylvie," the guard said respectfully after checking the invitation in Lor's hand. "...and Mrs. Sylvie, you are truly radiant tonight."

"Thank you for the compliment." Isabella nodded with a smile.

She didn't react much.

After all, he was born into a noble family and was used to such occasions, so he was accustomed to similar compliments.

But to be honest, she was quite eye-catching tonight. The dark blue dress, silver hair, dark red eyes, and jeweled accessories—the combination of these colors reminded people of the quiet yet dangerous night sky.

However, one still can't help but want to get closer and find out.

Isabella's beauty is irresistible to almost anyone.

That's exactly what happened.

Led by their servants into the spacious hall that served as the auction venue, the two of them attracted everyone's attention almost instantly.

"Being too handsome brings this kind of trouble," Lor sighed. "Wherever I go, I become the center of attention... The enthusiastic looks from the ladies are almost suffocating."

"Hmph, stop feeling so good about yourself!" Isabella complained.

But to be honest, Lor was indeed very handsome and elegant tonight. Isabella could sense that there were indeed several ladies looking at Lor eagerly.

This made her feel quite proud.

After all, Lor is my relative and belongs to me completely!

Humph, it’s no use for other women to envy you!

Kukuku.

There are several tables in the hall, filled with delicious dishes made with various precious ingredients, as well as various wines and drinks for guests to enjoy.

In addition, several servants were distributing a beautifully printed brochure to the guests entering the venue. It was a list of items for tonight's auction. This was to allow guests to consider the items they wanted to buy in advance and formulate a bidding strategy.

Lor also went to read a copy and roughly flipped through it.

The content is rich with pictures and text, with each page introducing only one item, roughly arranged from low to high in value. After the auction begins, the order in which the items are presented will also follow this order.

However, there is no introduction to the "Temptation Skull" in it.

It seems that it is intended as a special surprise and will appear at the end.

Lor understood.

"Hey, Lor... Since we've been keeping this a secret for a while now, can you tell me your plan?" Isabella nudged Lor gently with her elbow and whispered, "The auction is about to begin! What exactly is this method you mentioned earlier of 'significantly increasing our funds in one go'?"

Lor smiled without saying anything, just winked at her secretly.

At this moment, a slightly fat middle-aged man with a big gold necklace and a diamond ring, showing the temperament of a nouveau riche, walked towards Lor.

"Mr. Sylvie, this auction list is exactly the same as what you told me beforehand! I completely believe it now!"

The man raised his chubby palm to his mouth and whispered to Lor, "As agreed, I'll give you 1,600 gold coins! I'll ask you to help me get the cat's eye gem on page six!"

As he said this, he handed a bank check to Lor.

"Thank you for your trust." Lor nodded with a smile and put the check in his pocket.

This……

what's the situation?

Isabella didn't react for a moment.

Soon after, seven or eight more customers came over one after another. Their behavior was exactly the same as that of the nouveau riche, handing over large sums of money to Luo Er while listing the items they wanted to bid on.

Sometimes Lor would just take the money without saying anything, and sometimes he would look embarrassed and whisper a few words to the visitor.

After hearing the discussion, Isabella gradually understood:

"So... you became the bidding agent for these people?"

"Yes."

Lor nodded and explained slowly:

"I agreed with them that I would help them win the item at 120% of its market value. If the final transaction price was lower than this, the remaining gold coins would belong to me. If they were unsuccessful, I would return the principal and compensate them an additional 20%.

“For them, this is a sure win deal.

"No matter what the item is, once it's sold at the Duke of Canbury's private auction and then put on the market, it will appreciate in value to a certain extent. So even if they pay 120% of the price, they'll still make a profit. Moreover, even if they lose the bid, they can still earn some compensation."

Isabella was stunned when she heard this.

There were so many numbers in this passage that her little brain had trouble processing them:

"So you've been running around these past two days just to meet these people? But why would they trust you?"

"The guest list for the auction won't be made public. My ability to find them proves I have a close relationship with the Duke of Cambury and am a 'well-connected person,'" Lor replied. "Plus, the kind Mr. Trevante also provided us with a detailed list of auction items... This way, they'll have no choice but to believe it."

In fact, many people even believed that this "professional bidding agent" was sent by the Duke of Canbury.

It is the special care that His Excellency the Duke has given them.

"Hmm, I'm still not quite sure..." Isabella poked her chin with her finger and tilted her head slightly. "But from what I just heard, we might lose money, right? If the final transaction amount exceeds expectations, or there are too many failed bids..."

"As long as certain techniques are used, this possibility can be largely avoided."

Lore replied:

"I've already coordinated to ensure that all clients are looking for different items. There are only about thirty guests at today's auction, and nearly a third of them have become my clients... and all their funds have also been pooled into my hands."

A total of 27,000 gold coins!

At the gambling table, the person who ultimately wins is most likely the one with the heaviest capital. This is because the larger the capital, the more flexible the bidding strategies that can be employed; at the same time, the greater the margin for error, the greater the room for maneuver.

Right now, at this auction, this person is undoubtedly Lor.

In addition, in this situation, information is money and information is power, and Lor, who has mastered a large amount of intelligence in advance, undoubtedly has the advantage.

After successfully helping those "clients" to bid on items, all the money Lor earns will be used to compete for the "Temptation Skull"!

"What's more, I have you as my 'cheat', which gives me another winning card." Lor smiled at Isabella, "And it's a high-value card. It's totally cheating."

Just then, music sounded in the venue.

"Want to go dance?" Lor asked.

"Hmph, since I'm so important to you, you have to beg me." Isabella raised her chin proudly. "Let me tell you, it's not easy to impress me..."

Before he could finish his words, Lor knelt on one knee and reached out to Isabella:

"Will you please dance with me, my dear lady?"

Isabella's face flushed instantly.

What did he call me just now?

This……

Who can refuse this?

13. Establish your character first

This guy dances pretty well.

Isabella thought.

Humph, it’s all because I taught you well!

At this moment, Lor was hugging her waist, and with the rhythm of the music, the two of them danced in perfect coordination, showing off some difficult moves from time to time, winning rounds of applause.

"Miss, you're blushing." Lor said with a smile.

Isabella has a fair complexion, and even the slightest blush is noticeable.

"Stop talking nonsense, this is because of exercise!" said the eldest lady in a soft voice.

After the dance ended, cheers rang out all around.

People have been quoting:

"Is that the head of the Silver Star Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Sylvie? I've never heard of him being such a dashing figure, huh?"

"And he has such a beautiful wife... Successful in business and love? He's truly a lucky man, blessed by the gods!"

"I have another piece of gossip... I heard he got the list of items before the auction even started! This Mr. Sylvie is definitely not simple, he must have a close relationship with the Duke!"

"Wow, he has a bright future! I'll have to find a way to do business with him. Even if I lose money, it doesn't matter!"

At the same time, the real "Mr. Sylvie" who was not able to attend the auction suddenly sneezed. He was entangled with a mistress at the moment, and the fat tigress at home was on her way to catch them in the act.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for him.

Fortunately, before long, his "Silver Star Chamber of Commerce" will inexplicably receive many cooperation orders from all over the place... This is all because Lor helped him earn enough image points tonight.

Closer to home.

After the song, Isabella found a place to sit in the hall and take a rest.

Lor left her side temporarily and chatted and laughed with the nobles and businessmen who came to talk to him from all directions as "Mr. Sylvie".

…This is all part of the plan.

As expected, someone soon came to Isabella and said politely, "Mrs. Sylvie, it is a great honor to see your beauty today. May I have the honor of inviting you to dance with me?"

"Sorry, I'm a little tired." Isabella smiled and looked directly into the other person's eyes with her dark red eyes. "But it's okay to chat for a while... May I ask, which auction item are you planning to bid on? How much money do you have prepared?"

"I...have my eyes on the cat's eye gemstone and plan to bid for it with 800 gold coins." The man answered dully, having fallen completely into a hypnotic state.

"Don't even think about that thing," Isabella commanded in a low voice. "And you can't touch the following items I'm going to read out either. They are..."

She read out everything that Lor's "clients" wanted.

"Yes, as you wish." The man nodded slowly, still looking dazed.

"Okay, go ahead," Isabella dismissed him. "When you wake up, you won't remember our conversation... You asked me to dance, and I declined. That's all."

As he said this, he snapped his fingers lightly.