Chapter 950: Claiming the Throne of Frost?

The starting bid for the Throne of Frost wasn't as high as the Everblaze Sunflower. This wasn't because the throne was inferior, but rather because the Everblaze Sunflower had broader uses and appealed to a greater number of races. The difference also reflected the gap between the two sellers. After all, how could the Ice Maiden clan compare to the Blazing Sun Flower Nymph clan? In fact, the value of the Throne of Frost surpassed that of the Everblaze Sunflower, especially for cultivators attuned to ice.

Staring at the Throne of Frost displayed on the crystal screen before him, Tang San couldn't help but feel sorrow, as though the throne carried the helplessness and grief of the Ice Maiden clan.

Sighing softly, Tang San pressed the button beside him.

"VIP Room Eight, nine hundred amethystine coins," announced the auctioneer promptly.

Seeing Tang San's bid, the elders proceeded to ignore it. If the clan leader wanted something, then he certainly had something in mind. Only Jin Miaosen looked puzzled. "Big Brother, what are you doing? It's ice-attribute. What's the use for us?"

Tang San replied calmly, "Don't worry, I have a use for it."

In truth, he actually had a need for elemental artifacts like this one. The Everblaze Sunflower from earlier would have also suited him, but he couldn't bid recklessly—especially since it was clear that the Undying Demon Emperor had intended it for Mei Gongzi. Thus, Tang San had avoided participating. But this Throne of Frost was a different matter; he was determined to obtain it.

With this artifact, not only could his eldest senior brother greatly enhance his power and purify his bloodline, but it would also help humanity establish and stabilize a proper Elemental Sea rather than the ice pool they had right now, and that would significantly increase the chances of humans awakening an affinity for ice control.

Ordinary bidders didn't know the identities of those in VIP Room Eight, only that it belonged to one of the city lords. But the stronger figures were aware. Many found it puzzling that the Blue Gold Tree clan suddenly became interested in the Throne of Frost. What use could the Blue Gold Tree clan have for an ice-attribute artifact?

Nevertheless, the bidding continued.

Evidently, Tang San wasn't the only one interested. Some other people had also been eagerly awaiting this moment, and they immediately started bidding.

The Throne of Frost was perhaps the strongest ice-attribute artifact that existed on the Daemon Continent. Although none of the clans with Emperors specialized purely in ice, both the phoenix and dragon races had clans with ice-attribute bloodlines.

Soon, more bids appeared. Yet compared to the intense bidding for the Everblaze Sunflower, prices climbed far more modestly, mostly in increments of ten amethystine coins.

"Nine hundred sixty amethystine coins."

"Nine hundred eighty amethystine coins."

"One thousand two hundred ten amethystine coins."

"VIP Room Eight, fifteen hundred amethystine coins."

When Tang San offered this new price, a brief silence fell over the auction hall.

He'd raised the bid by close to three hundred amethystine coins at once. Considering the Throne of Frost's value, this price was actually not unreasonable—although, at the same time, it was a far cry from what the same auction house had once evaluated it for. It was just that ice-attribute artifacts generally appealed to a smaller pool of bidders. If it were a fire-attribute artifact of equal level, the price increase would have been far more dramatic.

"VIP Room Ten, fifteen hundred and ten amethystine coins!" The auction attendant's voice announced yet another bid from the dragon race, but this time, it felt rather different. Compared to their earlier respectful bids against the Undying Demon Emperor, adding only ten coins against Tang San's bid clearly carried a hint of provocation.

Tang San simply smirked, then pressed the button next to him once more.

"VIP Room Eight, two thousand amethystine coins."

Once again, the entire hall went silent. Raising the bid by five hundred coins? What was this madness? Even for an auction of this magnitude, wasn't this rather excessive?

Inside VIP Room Ten, the atmosphere was pretty heated.

"Is he insane? Is that Blue Gold Tree clan brat out of his fucking mind?!" roared Tang Mohuang, the Fire Dragon, who had been very excited just a minute earlier due to winning the Everblaze Sunflower. He was confident that the artifact would significantly boost his chances in the upcoming competition for Emperorhood.

Xu An'yu frowned deeply. Beside him, a slender man also frowned. "Brother Xu, I absolutely must have the Throne of Frost. Ice-attribute artifacts are incredibly rare, let alone one of this level, and the Ice Maiden clan never fully utilized its potential."

Xu An'yu said quietly, "There are two possibilities for their aggressive bidding. Either they genuinely possess ample resources, or they're intentionally driving up the price to drain our finances. But either way, two thousand amethystine coins already exceed the item's market value even by the most positive estimations."

The slender man, obviously an Ice Dragon, shook his head firmly. "Maybe for you, but not for me."

Without even waiting for Xu An'yu's response, he immediately pressed the button.

"VIP Room Ten, two thousand and ten amethystine coins," came the immediate announcement.

To other bidders, it seemed VIP Room Ten was now in a heated confrontation with VIP Room Eight. At this price level, everyone else had already backed out. As valuable as the artifact was, very few could afford this amount, and among those who could, those who needed the throne were fewer still.

Clearly, the dragon race in VIP Room Ten was among those few. As for why the Blue Gold Tree clan in VIP Room Eight was so adamant, no one could guess.

"VIP Room Eight, two thousand five hundred amethystine coins!" The attendant's voice rose slightly, betraying astonishment.

Even during the earlier bidding involving the Undying Demon Emperor, the increments hadn't been so aggressive. Yet now, VIP Room Eight was increasing the bid in leaps of five hundred amethystine coins! Just the raise itself, under normal circumstances, could buy a high-class divine artifact!

Inside VIP Room Ten, the Ice Dragon slammed the table angrily. "Ridiculous!"

"Are they insane? I'll go see what's wrong with them." Tang Mohuang stood abruptly, but the next instant, he was stopped in his tracks.

"Sit the hell down!" Xu An'yu barked. "Do you want every clan here to mock us? When will you ever control your impulses? Didn't you already offend the Peacock Demon clan?"

His voice carried clear displeasure.

Tang Mohuang shrank back into his seat without further complaint.

Xu An'yu then turned to the Ice Dragon, but this time, his tone was far calmer; he was merely advising his peer. "They're obviously driving up the price. This might even be a scheme by the Solstice Empire to deplete our resources early so we can't compete for the better items later. You should think carefully."

The Ice Dragon frowned deeply. He could handle two thousand amethystine coins, and for him, the amount was barely justifiable for this artifact. But two thousand five hundred was genuinely excessive. Although he was a peak eleventh-order expert, Ice Dragons were rare, and his clan's resources were somewhat limited compared to other dragon clans. If the opponent was simply inflating the price, he'd become a fool for following suit.

"Two thousand five hundred amethystine coins. Any further bids?" The auctioneer's voice carried clearly across the venue. This amount significantly exceeded the auction house's initial valuation of the Throne of Frost, which had been roughly 1,800 amethystine coins, even accounting for the special circumstances of this event.

The Ice Dragon couldn't resist looking at Xu An'yu. "Brother Xu, could you..."

Though he did not finish his sentence, Xu An'yu nodded. "If you're determined to do this, I can lend you some."

The Ice Dragon took a deep breath.

"Two thousand five hundred going once..." the auctioneer continued.

The Ice Dragon glanced at Xu An'yu. "Brother Xu, then I must trouble you. I genuinely need this artifact to improve myself."

"Alright," Xu An'yu replied helplessly. "But if they significantly raise the bid again, I don't recommend you continue. We must preserve resources for later items."

"Two thousand five hundred going twice."

At this point, the Ice Dragon no longer hesitated. Quickly stepping forward, he pressed the button again, though he only added ten amethystine coins. This time it was no longer to provoke Tang San, but due to genuine financial constraints.