Chapter 26 - 26: 26: “Baron Title” and “Fief” (Seeking Chase Reading)
Chapter 26: Chapter 26: “Baron Title” and “Fief” (Seeking Chase Reading)
Translator: 549690339
“100,000 gold coins?”
There was a brief pause in the auction house, until a tentative voice broke that silence.
“150,000 gold coins!”
“180,000 gold coins!”
From the moment the first bid was placed, countless other bids followed.
The majority of the frantic bidders were surprisingly from smaller families.
On the other hand, people from the Rose Family, who shared the second -floor private booth with Milton Cheney, were strangely silent.
For these petty families, a Breathing Technique could be a treasure. Even if it meant emptying out their coffers, it was paramount to acquire.
But for the larger families, it was not deemed as significant.
After all, many of the larger families already possessed Breathing Techniques, some even superior to this Frost Breathing Technique.
In the end, this Breathing Technique was sold for 280,000 gold coins to a member from a minor family.
The price was by no means small, but compared to the value it held for them, the cost was not as crucial.
Milton Cheney observed the ecstatic expression of the noble who won the bid.
The next item in the auction grabbed Cheney’s interest, albeit it held no real significant meaning to him.
“The ninety-ninth item to be auctioned, a Magic Potion — ‘Gargoyle’s Tears’.
This Magic Potion can assist an ordinary Peak Quasi-Knight in activating the Life Seed, but it drains all potential, halting their progress at the Official Knight Realm forever.
Its value is immense, and there’s no starting bid. The item goes to the highest bidder!”
A wooden box was presented by the auctioneer.
Upon opening the box, a transparent crystal flask was revealed to the gathering nobles.
It contained a pale yellow liquid, seemingly ordinary if observed superficially.
“A good find, but it doesn’t serve my needs much.”
Cheney thought to himself. This was his first time beholding such a potion in reality.
A single flask of this Magic Potion can transition a Peak Quasi-Knight to an Official Knight. Indeed, its value is beyond dispute.
Even if Cheney hadn’t become an Official Knight himself, he would still remain uninterested in this potion.
That’s because this potion achieves the Official Knight Realm by draining all of the user’s potential.
Moreover, an aspect left out by the auctioneer but known to Cheney was its side effect — it drains the user’s life force.
Therefore, even if Cheney desired it, Earl Arthur wouldn’t provide this to him.
But the fact that Cheney didn’t desire it, doesn’t mean others won’t.
An Official Knight can be considered a real Transcender. There were only a few in the entire Kingdom, and who wouldn’t strive to become one?
So, as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, countless voices erupted from the crowd.
Various expressions of desire, greed, and incredulity filled the room.
But Cheney noticed the thinly veiled disdain in Viscount Russell’s eyes, who he
suspected belonged to the Black Robe Seekers’ Club, as if he was indifferent to this Magic Potion.
A thought, and Cheney understood the reason for such disdain.historical
Since Viscount Russell was a member of the Black Robe Seekers’ Club, there must be some association with wizards.
As Magic Potions were concocted by wizards, he must be well aware of its effects and hence, his dismissal was reasonable.
People were scrambling to offer their bids, including those who knew they couldn’t afford the potion but gave it a shot anyway.
Even Viscount Russell, despite his indifference, placed a bid out of sheer pretense, only for his voice to be drowned out soon.
In the end, the potion was sold for 160,000 gold coins to a noble in the second-floor booth.
The closing bid for the potion was not as high as for the Breathing Technique but was still considerable.
After all, the potion could only be used once, whereas the Breathing Technique could serve as the family’s heirloom and passed on for generations.
Looking at the closing price for the potion, it was apparent how easy it was for a wizard or even a high-level Wizard Apprentice to earn gold coins.
However, Cheney understood that in the eyes of a real wizard, gold coins were mere figures. The currency in the Wizard Realm was not gold coins, but Magic stones.
All of these were things that the original owner already knew from his memories, and Milton Cheney was also aware that there were magic stones in the Golden Lion Family, though he had never seen one with his own eyes.
Compared to the items that had been auctioned off before, the last lot was the real main event.
Although Cheney knew this lot would fetch a high price, it didn’t really concern him.
Because he never could have imagined that this last item could be auctioned off before he saw the auction list.
“The one hundredth lot, a baron’s title and a piece of land. The land is located in the West Mountain Province, the land deed is complete, there is no starting bid, and the highest bidder wins!”
Yes, the climax of the auction was a noble title and a piece of land.
This was something Cheney never could have imagined before he saw the auction list.
He never thought that the Kingdom’s noble titles and territories could be sold.
It should be known that within the Frostwinter Kingdom, the ranks of nobility are very clear.
From top to bottom, it is King – Duke – Marquis – Earl – Viscount – Baron Knight.
Of which, the five ranks of Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron can be inherited.
As for the title of Knight, as long as one is an official knight, they can register for it within the kingdom. However, a Knight’s title can’t be inherited.
In other words, if an ordinary person purchases this title and land, they could establish their own family.
They could then inherit the title and there could be possibilities for promotion over generations.
Just like in the previous simulation, Milton Cheney led the Golden Lion Family to become a ducal family and even joined the Kingdom Parliament.
The noble title was like a stepping stone to nobility, so one can imagine how outrageous it was to auction off a noble title.
Actually, if this title and fief were not in West Mountain Province, and if it were not just a baron’s title, the Golden Lion Family would never auction it off.
After the auctioneer’s voice fell, rather than a large uproar in the auction house, it was silent as if in a library. Everyone was staring wide-eyed at each other as if doubting whether they heard it right.
What was this auctioneer daydreaming about? Selling a noble title and territory?
Some of them had participated in previous auctions of the Golden Lion Family and knew about their wealth.
But they never thought they could be this extravagant.
This wasn’t just being extravagantly wealthy anymore. They were insane!
However, when the auctioneer brought out a thick stack of contracts, they knew this was not a joke by the Golden Lion Family. It was real!
Cheney even saw Viscount Russell, who had been acting calm and composed throughout, now staring wide-eyed in disbelief.
No one understood better than him how difficult it was to obtain a noble title in the kingdom.
It wouldn’t be difficult for the wizard apprentices known to the public to obtain a noble title.
But the wizard apprentices of their Black Robe Seekers’ Club are all registered in the kingdom. How could the king possibly let them become nobles?
Furthermore, the Black Robe Seekers’ Club currently only has a pitiful few members, not even a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice.
Even their meditation techniques are the lowest grade, the kind that experimental subjects on the Wizard Continent wouldn’t even practice.
But although this was the case, it was still something they had personally gone to the Wizard Continent to learn.
You could say they were learning from their experiences and returning home, or you could say they were fleeing to their home like a runaway dog, too scared to stay on the Wizard Continent.
There had once been over a hundred of them who went to the Wizard Continent together to seek the Wizard Path, but only one-tenth of them returned.
You should know that even a Kingdom’s Attendant, whose status was equivalent to a Duke, was just a low-level Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.
Most of the noble titles and territories that the King bestowed upon them would be used up immediately after they were received.
After all, no one could resist the temptation to become a noble. As such, it goes without saying just how rare unclaimed noble titles and territories are.
“500,000 gold coins!”
Viscount Russell, who only made one bid for the entire auction, took the lead this time, his voice revealing a hint of determination to win.
Although he was already a noble, he could buy this title and sell it to other members of his organization.
Since he had encountered this, naturally he didn’t have the reason to pass it up.
ps: Thank you [Qu Xueheng, Xue Ye Feifeng] for the monthly ticket, love you-