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

The man came back to his senses, as if nothing had happened, and said regretfully:

"I'm sorry for being so presumptuous, Mrs. Sylvie... Please have a good rest."

……

Well, well done, Isabella.

Lor praised silently in his heart.

The two had activated "Sense Sharing" before parting, so Lor had a clear understanding of her situation. If nothing unexpected happened, many more people would approach Isabella, and she would plant hints on all of them.

This will reduce the number of potential competitors and greatly increase the chances of winning.

Her hypnotic movements were so subtle that ordinary people couldn't detect them. Even the extraordinary guards in the mansion could only detect them if they were very close to her.

At the same time, Lor was not idle either.

While chatting with other guests, he remained alert and kept an eye on the movements in the entire hall.

Today's auction is not just about selling things, its more important function is to serve as a social venue for nobles and wealthy businessmen... However, there are a few people who haven't talked to anyone since entering, and just stay quietly in an inconspicuous corner.

Presumably, they were either the extraordinary guards in the mansion, or some guests with "special identities".

My rival, "Mrs. Windsor" of the Dead Whisper Society, should be among these people.

At the moment, the most suspicious person is the veiled lady in the corner...

"Hmph, Lor, you're taking it for granted, aren't you?" the voice inside his head grumbled. "He's a high-ranking member of a sinister, secretive organization. He must be very skilled at hiding his identity. How could he be so easily discovered?"

...Thank you, it's confirmed.

Helped me a lot again.

Lor laughed in his heart.

At this moment, the entire venue suddenly became quiet and people looked towards the entrance of the hall.

The Duke of Canbury finally showed up.

He was wearing a black evening suit that didn't look very eye-catching at first glance, but if you looked more closely, you would find that the suit was exquisitely made and definitely worth a lot of money... Moreover, although the Duke had a kind smile on his face, he inexplicably exuded a kind of awe-inspiring temperament.

As expected of a great nobleman.

He is indeed worthy of being a fourth-order transcendent.

Incidentally, his nephew, Mr. Trevant, a second-level transcendent, was also with the Duke. Of course, he had completely forgotten about the information he had kindly provided to Lor.

"Thank you all for your presence, which has brought such honor to my humble abode." The Duke of Canbury raised a glass of wine, looked around at the crowd, and said humbly, "Tonight, please enjoy the food, drinks, and music. I hope you will forgive me if we are not doing a good job."

The guests present responded:

"No, no, it's our honor to be invited by you!"

"I've heard your mansion is extraordinary. Seeing it today, it's indeed true!"

As they spoke, they gathered around the Duke of Campbury enthusiastically.

...It seems that this social activity will have to continue for a while.

Lor had no intention of joining in the fun, but quietly returned to Isabella.

"Hmph, the most boring part of every aristocratic dinner has begun..." Isabella yawned and said, "However, for most people present, this is the main event."

I waited like this for nearly an hour.

During this period, most people's attention was on the Duke, so Isabella no longer needed to worry about her ladylike image and showed off plate after plate of snacks.

Finally, the auction is about to officially begin.

"Ahem." The Duke of Canbury cleared his throat and announced, "Everyone, it's getting late, and it's time to start the after-dinner entertainment... So, tonight's auction officially begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the servants who had been prepared began to distribute number plates to the guests present.

Then, on the stage at the end of the hall, the scarlet curtain slowly opened.

On the stage stood a host in a black tuxedo, holding an exquisitely shaped crystal glass in his hand.

It looks like this is the first lot to be auctioned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look! This is an antique from the Morton Dynasty court, a gold-decorated crystal cup, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from an authoritative institution... Starting price: one hundred gold coins!"

Lor raised his number plate without hesitation:

"I'll give you four hundred."

For a moment, the whole place was silent.

The host on the stage was also stunned.

No one expected that as soon as the auction began, this "Mr. Sylvie" would go all out... and instantly quadruple the starting price! This was clearly far more than the cup's true value!

"Hey, idiot Lor, what are you doing?" Even Isabella was a little confused. She quietly tugged at Lor's sleeve and whispered, "This isn't what your 'clients' want, right? Why are you buying it?"

"Shh." Lor didn't rush to answer.

At the same time, the host on the stage gradually came back to his senses:

"This gentleman offers four hundred gold coins. Is there anyone who can offer more? ... Four hundred gold coins once, twice, three times... Deal!"

Next lot for auction.

The starting price of "The Lamentation of Lisamona", a masterpiece by the popular painter Findach, is one hundred and fifty gold coins.

"I'll offer two hundred." This time, someone bid before Lor.

but……

"Five hundred!" Lor attacked again.

Twice in a row, he won the auction items at completely unreasonable high prices.

This behavior caused everyone present to secretly marvel. They wondered, "What on earth is this Mr. Sylvie doing? Is he crazy?" It seemed the Silver Star Chamber of Commerce had truly thrived in recent years. Could they possibly be so financially stable?

"Hey, Lor, what the hell are you doing?" Isabella couldn't help herself and urged, "Explain it to me quickly!"

"I'm just establishing my character." Lor winked at her quietly and smiled.

First, buy the first few items at an obviously unreasonable high price, so as to plant the impression on everyone -

"Mr. Sylvie has a lot of money to burn. If he sets his sights on something, he'll buy it even if it means losing money. So it's best not to compete with him."

This is an auction strategy that only Lor, who has a large amount of money and does not care too much about the gains and losses of each item but looks at the overall situation, will adopt!

14. A lot

Lor did not bid for the next few items.

He deliberately acted listless, as if he had no interest in these things.

Until a servant came with a jewelry box wrapped in red cloth and placed it on the display stand.

"The next auction item... cat's eye gemstone!"

The host untied the red cloth, carefully picked up the jewelry box, opened the lid, and introduced it:

"This is a unique emerald with a naturally formed vertical stripe inside. The thickness of the stripe changes with the light, just like a real cat's eye. It's truly a rare treasure!"

"Starting price: 700 gold coins!"

...coming.

This is what one of the "clients" wanted, and the commission price was 600 gold coins.

Lor immediately perked up.

At the same time, bids began to come in one after another:

"I'll give you seven hundred and fifty." "Eight hundred!" "Nine hundred!"

Prices are gradually climbing upwards, but not too aggressively.

The host on the stage couldn't help but wonder, something is wrong... I feel like the guests' reactions aren't very enthusiastic?

You know, this gem is a rare treasure with only one in the world!

The Duke originally bought it for 1,300 gold coins. With a little speculation, the estimated value could be several hundred gold coins higher!

Logically speaking, the guests present today are all people who have seen the world and it is impossible for them not to see the investment value of this thing.

But why are there so few bidders?

He had no idea that among the thirty or so invited guests present today, one-third were Luo Er's "clients." They had handed over their bidding funds to Luo Er and would not personally bid on any items.

There were no less than ten other people who were hinted at by Isabella.

In other words, in this auction, Lor's potential competitors can be counted on one hand.

"I'll bid 1,800." At this moment, Lor smiled and raised his own number plate.

The price was raised significantly in one breath!

"One thousand eight hundred gold coins...deal!"

The host swallowed hard, and seeing no higher bids, he banged the gavel. He wondered, what's going on? Tonight's auction is almost becoming a one-man show for Mr. Sylvie to flaunt his wealth!

At the same time, other guests except Lor's "clients" began to whisper and talk to each other.

All told, Mr. Sylvie had already spent three to four thousand gold coins tonight... This amount was equivalent to the entire fortune of a lower-class noble! Yet, Mr. Sylvie hadn't even blinked, remaining completely nonchalant.

How much money did he prepare?

It's absolutely terrifying!

To be honest, spending 1,800 gold coins to buy the cat's eye gem was a bit of a loss for Lor. After all, the client's commission price was 1,600.

But in this way, my image as a "rich and wealthy" persona has been completely established.

I believe that in future auctions, as long as I make a move, it is unlikely that anyone will be so stubborn as to compete with me... After all, after several prior operations, I don't have many real competitors left, only a dozen or so.

Besides, the items auctioned tonight are mainly jewelry, antiques and artworks, and the guests are attracted by their investment value. Few people are obsessed with getting a certain item.

All in all, these two hundred gold coins are worth the loss!

...When this thought came to his mind, Lor himself was shocked.

It turns out that my concept of money is no longer normal.

You know, my real identity is just a grassroots exorcist with a weekly salary of one gold coin... Oh, no, now that I have been promoted to the second level, my weekly salary has increased to one gold coin and fifty silver coins, which is 1.5 gold coins.

The total amount of funds I am handling now is more than I can earn in several lifetimes through normal means!

After helping all my clients secure their bids and getting the "Skull of Temptation," if there's any remaining funds, will they all belong to me? Oh, and the cup and portrait I bought earlier are also worth quite a bit!

"Making money using information asymmetry is so easy..." Luo Er couldn't help but feel secretly happy. "This is much more exciting than leveraging the stock market."

During the following auction, Lor successfully bought almost all the items entrusted by customers.

Whenever he raised his number plate, few people would bid higher. Therefore, most items were ultimately purchased by Lore at a price lower than the original estimated value.

All that’s missing is the “temptation skull”.

According to the information obtained in advance, this item will only appear at the end of the entire auction.

"So, you've got everything your clients want, right?" Isabella counted on her fingers, doing a rough calculation, but still couldn't figure it out. "...How much money do we have left now?"

"A lot." Lor smiled crookedly.

"Hmph, you're keeping me in suspense again!" Isabella punched Lor's shoulder with her little fist.

……

at the same time.

The Duke of Campbury, who was observing the entire auction process with great interest, gently twirled his slightly gray beard.

"This Mr. Sylvie is truly courageous... Tonight's auction has become his own stage for stealing the show." He narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly. "Haha, it's truly eye-opening."

"Your Excellency, I think he's gone too far." Trevant frowned. "I find this whole thing very strange! That guy must have been doing something behind the scenes... Even whether he's really 'Mr. Sylvie' is questionable!"

Little did he know that the reason why the situation became so strange was largely due to him.

But then again, it's no wonder that Trevante was so indignant.

On the surface, Lor made money from tonight's event, his clients also made money, and everyone was happy... So far, if there is anyone who has suffered losses, it is the host of this auction, the Duke of Campbury.

After all, many auction items eventually fell into Lor's hands at prices far below the estimated value.