The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Because he saw a faint flame suddenly appear in the dark sky.

"...My God, by the God of Light, by the God of the Sea, am I seeing things? That's... a whale candle!?!"

"The whale candles in Box Six have been lit!!!!"

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Wisdom of All-in Betting

On Earth, in the card game known as Texas Hold'em, there is a variation called "Showdown".

The intention is that no matter what cards others play, I will bet my entire fortune and gamble until the cards are revealed.

This tactic can sometimes be used to bluff, and it can also put significant pressure on the next player who is not confident in the strength of their hand.

Upon first seeing the "Whale Candle" feature, aside from the servant's explanation that it was used to win a lover's smile and to fight a bloody battle with a mortal enemy, Ella's first thought was "all in".

Although the rules of auctions and card games are different, Whale and All-in have one thing in common—they can be used to apply pressure.

The fact that the person in VIP room number two only added a fraction of the 402,000 gold coins already indicated that they were short of funds.

But on the other hand, it also shows that this guy really desires this merman.

In a one-on-one situation, if you know that the other person has less money than you, and you are determined to win the item, is there any way to spend less money?

Ella's idea was to light whale candles.

As the bidding continues, the other party may gradually descend into irrational frenzy, even selling off some of their core assets to keep pushing the price up, thus gradually incurring sunk costs—"I've even sold land that brings in hundreds of thousands a year, how can I still not be able to acquire this damn thing!?"

But once the whale candle is lit, the other party will likely calm down.

Is it necessary to sell off assets with potential for appreciation and bear substantial hidden losses in order to try and extinguish this whale candle?

If it doesn't die out, what about the losses caused by selling and converting those assets?

The other party will be faced with a one-time, bottomless pit of funds. They will start calculating costs and considering losses... and ultimately, they will start to back down.

Of course, there are strategies, but the main reason is... I don't know why, Ella just finds it fun.

"Five hundred thousand... six hundred thousand... Damn it, why won't his light go out?!"

"Your Highness, it's about time to stop here."

In the second VIP box, the old man advised Prince Aslan, "If you keep raising the price, even if you succeed, the price you pay will be too high."

"I'm not reconciled..."

Prince Aslan bit his lip until it bled. "They've clearly used all the gold coins they have. Just what's the deal with that VIP room number six?!"

"But you have suffered no loss, Your Highness,"

The old man reassured her, "Since the money hasn't been spent, and your estate and manpower haven't been damaged, you won't lose anything. That's it."

Prince Aslan sat back on the sofa, touching his forehead.

Yes, the old man is right. This isn't gambling; if he doesn't buy anything with the money he bids, it still belongs to him.

But if he wants to keep raising the price, he will have to start selling off his mortgaged assets and handing over the certificates to the auction house... Not to mention whether he can do these things in time, the losses incurred will be considerable.

Auction houses are not some all-powerful superpower. Even if the land deed is handed over directly, the other party would not dare to actually fly to Aslan to take over the land of a prince.

Therefore, these items must be converted into circulating gold coins or corresponding merchant checks before the other party can accept them.

As a result, the hidden losses he would incur from selling land and people would be enormous. For example, the land tax generated from the transaction of a manor would amount to 10% of the transaction amount going into the national treasury. If the auction failed, he would lose hundreds of thousands of gold coins. This does not even take into account the appreciation potential of the land itself. He might not even be able to buy back a high-quality manor after selling it.

After calming down, these chaotic considerations intertwined in the prince's mind, making the wooden plaque in his hand feel increasingly heavy.

...We can look for other solutions later. At least we have a way out now, so there's no need to take such a big risk for a chance of winning that we can't see.

Upon realizing this, Prince Aslan finally released his grip on the wooden plaque with a somber expression.

At the same time, the auctioneer on stage brought down the gavel, announcing that the item "Mermaid" had been sold.

The second prince lost his temper, and no one else bid.

Three hundred thousand or more is basically beyond the maximum amount of funds they can offer, let alone six hundred thousand.

Even with the flickering flame of the whale candle visible, no one else could raise the price.

Ella simply leaned lazily against the sofa, her legs crossed, one hand supporting her cheek and the other playing with a gold coin between her fingers, her expression unchanged.

The mermaid was the final item up for auction, and the auction concluded after it was sold.

Nearly a million gold coins seemed like a lot, but when actually stacked up, Ella found that a large sack would be enough to hold them all.

Only then did she understand why Castor had such a shocked and bewildered expression when he saw the golden waterfall falling from the portal.

Because of her contributions to the family, her duke father gives her gold coins every day; Isaac and the second princess in the Loren royal family also keep giving her gold coins; the Loren Sanctuary is also giving her gold coins, and recently the new player alliance in the royal city, led by the Grizzly Guild, is also giving her gold coins...

Ella had never had the time to manage her own treasury; she simply had Marilyn, who lived at the mansion, help with the accounting.

After all, she always participated as an RPG player rather than a farming player, so she never really had a very intuitive understanding of her own wealth level.

But after this round of bidding at sea, she began to realize that it was a waste to keep so much money in the vault without doing anything with it.

Ella flicked the gold coin in her hand into the sack in an arc, pondering whether she had any suitable candidates among her subordinates to help her with business.

"dong dong dong"

A knock sounded at the door, and the Templar Knight guarding the door opened it, revealing Castor standing respectfully in the doorway.

"I apologize for disturbing you, esteemed sir."

Duhar placed a large sack of gold coins on the ground in front of Castor with his sword sheath. However, Castor did not send anyone to move it. Instead, he rubbed his hands and said apologetically, "Sir... the guests in the other private rooms asked me to pass on a message that they hope to meet with you. What do you think?"

Dujar turned his head toward Ella, who was leaning back on the sofa, as if to ask for instructions.

Ella paused slightly, then let out a soft laugh. "Sure."

She wanted to see what these people planned to do with the merfolk.

"The order of the meetings..."

"Let them all come together,"

Ella waved her hand.

"Forehead……"

Castor glanced around the room at the dozen or so expressionless but imposing attendants, swallowed hard, and nodded in agreement, "Yes, sir, please wait a moment."

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Transaction

Prince Aslan from Box 2 was naturally among those who wanted to explore Box 6.

He arrived at the door of VIP room number six with the elderly man accompanying him, and unsurprisingly, they ran into several other guests who also wanted to see Ella.

A man dressed in a luxurious merchant's cloak, yet with a rugged and tall build, was accompanied by a refined-looking assistant wearing glasses and a towering, burly man.

Although Prince Aslan had never met these people before, the moment he saw them, an almost instinctive sense of vigilance gave him a premonition that these people would be his enemies.

Sure enough, the next second, the man dressed as a merchant looked at the prince and said with a smile, "Hehe, Your Highness, we are merchants from Box Number One. It seems you also want to have a word with this person in Box Number Six?"

Prince Aslan narrowed his eyes slightly. He was not wearing Aslan's royal attire but rather a more common naval uniform. The other party had revealed his identity as soon as he opened his mouth, clearly wanting to show off his skills.

"Since you know me, you should understand that it's best not to block my way."

"Alas, Your Highness's reputation is known to all on the high seas. How dare I, a mere maritime merchant, obstruct Your Highness's path?"

Unexpectedly, the other party replied in a gentle tone, taking two steps back, "Since Your Highness is willing, please go first."

After saying that, the man raised his hand towards the door of VIP room number six.

Prince Aslan memorized the merchant's unshaven appearance, then walked straight to the door and pushed open the door to the private room.

As soon as the door opened, a dozen or so muscular guards stood ramrod straight, their solemn and imposing gazes fixed upon them.

The prince paused in his tracks upon seeing this display of strength. He could easily tell that the guards and attendants were all at the proficiency level, comparable to ordinary guards of the Aslan Royal Guard.

There are more than a dozen well-trained guards stationed here. Who is this guy?

The prince's gaze fell on the petite girl sitting in the center of the room. Although a hooded cloak with cat ears and a thin veil covered most of her features, the captivating red eyes under the brim easily reminded the prince of the most sought-after Holy Maiden of Light from the neighboring empire.

But would those fanatical and arrogant churchgoers stoop to such a smoky and chaotic island cave?

Prince Aslan hesitated. If it weren't for the fact that even merfolk didn't bother coming to such a desolate place, why would the pampered Holy Maiden of Light come here?

Could it be that he deliberately dressed up in this way to create the wrong association?

Ella was unaware of the jumbled thoughts running through her mind. In reality, her concealment was merely a means to ensure that her actions did not outwardly represent the name of the Holy Temple.

As for her true identity, it doesn't really matter. If it's been deduced, so be it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out with a group of Templars and acted so ostentatiously.

"Greetings, Miss Noble. To be honest, I'm here for the last item in the auction, the one called 'Mermaid'."

The prince simply nodded and gave a curtsy. Given the pride of the Aslan royal family, this was the highest form of courtesy they could show to a foreigner. "I am well aware of your wealth and have no intention of continuing to bid with you here. I simply wish to make a deal with you."

"Oh? What kind of deal?"

Ella asked with great interest.

Upon hearing Ella's melodious voice, the prince paused for a moment.

With such a melodious voice, the face beneath the veil must be exceptionally beautiful.

Looking into those rosy, slightly alluring eyes, the prince's initial annoyance and hatred towards the owner of VIP room number six unexpectedly dissipated considerably.

“I think your interest in merfolk may just be out of curiosity and collection, but I have a very important need for this monster.”

"Therefore, I would like to ask this wealthy and beautiful lady if she could rent this merman to me for three months. I will use the gold coins you paid to buy this merman as collateral as a rental certificate, and I will also pay an additional 150,000 gold coins as rent."

It must be said that the terms Prince Aslan offered for renting for three months at 150,000 were actually very generous.

While Ella was still pondering, the merchant from Box Number One, who had been observing from the doorway, stepped out and walked to Prince Aslan's side. "Hehe, Your Highness, this young lady across from you is clearly not short of money. You think you can just give her 150,000 gold coins? You're overthinking it."

“Oh, forgive my intrusion, Your Excellency, let me introduce myself first. I am Edward, the president of the Westwind Merchant Guild.”

Then, the merchant Edward bowed deeply to Ella, speaking with great gentlemanly manners, "To get straight to the point, I want to make the same deal as this prince, but in addition to the 150,000 gold coins, I can also add this. Wu He, bring out the weather compass for Miss."

The bespectacled, refined-looking man beside him stepped forward shakily and presented a box.

The box was opened, revealing a compass engraved with various cryptic texts.

"This is a treasure I obtained during my earlier travels, containing the power of special runes. By infusing it with magic, it can influence the weather in a small area."

Ella's eyes lit up; this thing was quite interesting. But before she could speak, Prince Aslan spoke again.

"You think your piece of junk deserves to be called a 'rune treasure'?"

The prince scoffed, saying that the royal family of the Aslan Empire was famous for its mastery of ancient rune magic, and that the other party dared to boast about the word "rune" in front of him even though he knew his identity.

"Madam, if you are interested in runic treasures, I must tell you, what I have here is an arcane ring specially forged for the Aslan royal family, engraved with ancient runes that can summon lightning..."

"You dare to put your royal family's mass-produced enchanted products on the table to rip people off? Wu He, bring out the mermaid cloak..."

"You call that tattered cloak that's been worn by who knows how many people it is a treasure..."

"Um, gentlemen, perhaps we could stop for a moment?"

Ella's lips twitched. If she didn't stop the two of them, they might argue all night. "Regardless of whether it's a deal or not, I want to know, what is your real reason for wanting this merman?"

Upon hearing this, both of them fell silent.

The room was quiet for a moment, and finally, Prince Aslan spoke, "The merfolk are said to be a race of monsters who have guarded the Fountain of Youth deep in the Magala Sea for generations. If you want to find the legendary Fountain of Youth, the merfolk are indispensable."

Even if you keep it a secret or make up other lies, given the strength the other party has shown, they will eventually find out about the obscure legends circulating on this sea. It's better to be honest.

Furthermore, if the other party is also interested in the Fountain of Youth, Prince Aslan would consider whether to take the opportunity to cooperate.

Regardless of the method or who his partners are, finding the Fountain of Youth is the key for him.

"Fountain of Youth...?"

Ella raised an eyebrow; she felt like she'd heard that word somewhere before.

It seems that earlier, when Chloe, a priest who wanted to be an adventurer, was on a mission in the sanctuary, the girl mentioned that the "Fountain of Youth in the Magala Sea" was one of the landscapes she dreamed of seeing.

"A miraculous spring that, as its name suggests, can prolong life and cure all diseases for those who drink it."

Prince Aslan explained, "Although it may sound like a legend, it is recorded in some ancient texts that this spring is real."

Prolonging life, curing all diseases... Ella immediately lost interest upon hearing this.

She holds the power of the god of life in her hands, so things like prolonging life and curing diseases are of little significance to her.

"I see... Well, um, if I were to sell this merman now, would you two be interested?"