At this moment, the gazes Francis friends directed at him were filled with envy.
A level sixteen SSS rank Forbidden Spellcaster willing to risk his life to help Francis grind levels. What kind of absurd stroke of fortune was this?
From thinking Francis had lost his mind at the start, they had now reached a point where they genuinely believed he had chosen his boss far too well.
If it were not for their pride getting in the way, some of them would have already asked whether Zayne needed any more followers.
Going from level seven to level ten just by acknowledging a boss. Who would not want a deal like that?
"Boss, wait here for a bit. I need to talk to my dad first about this."
Francis walked over to Blake. With so many heavyweights gathered at the auction dinner, there was no way he could secure anything worthwhile on his own.
After receiving Blake approval, Francis confidence visibly rose.
"Relax. It is settled. Whatever equipment you like tonight, I will make sure you get it."
Zayne nodded. A Transcendent could equip up to six items at the same time, with no restrictions on type.
As long as you wanted to, you could wear six rings at once or carry six swords. That was entirely up to you.
For ordinary people, even assembling six pieces of equipment was nearly impossible, let alone finding six that actually suited them. That was why being a Transcendent burned money at an insane rate.
Those without money could only work for those with it. They still stood above ordinary people, but in essence nothing changed. They simply went from regular laborers to high end laborers.
With Francis around, at least for now, Zayne would not need to worry about equipment.
Click.
Suddenly, all the lights in the hall went out. The entire venue was plunged into darkness.
Yet there was no panic. Everyone seemed accustomed to this, quietly waiting.
A single beam of light illuminated the central stage. At some point, a stunning woman with a voluptuous figure was already standing there.
She wore light makeup, breathtakingly beautiful. Every smile and glance seemed capable of stealing hearts, and greed flickered in the eyes of many men.
"Good evening, everyone. I am tonight's auctioneer, Xyla. On behalf of the Thirteenth Auction House, I welcome you all and wish you success in securing your desired items tonight."
She bowed slightly, her curves impossible to ignore. Many men stared openly, yet no one dared to act out of line, not even with a teasing remark.
The Thirteenth Auction House was no easy target. It was the largest auction house in the Alliance, with branches in nearly every city.
The annual auction dinner was always hosted under its banner.
Provoking Xyla meant offending the Thirteenth. Everyone present was a figure of influence in Old Shipyard Port. No one would do something so foolish for a woman. With their status, women were never hard to find.
"Without further ado, as in previous years, there will be one hundred items in total tonight. The first fifty are skill scrolls, and the latter fifty are equipment. Let us begin with the first item."
Xyla smiled faintly and clapped her hands. Soon, a bundle of skill scrolls was brought up on a tray.
"Our first item is an Epic rank skill scroll. A fire element skill suitable for mage type classes. The starting bid is five hundred thousand dollars. Each raise must be no less than ten thousand."
As soon as she finished speaking, the venue erupted.
Skill ranks were divided into Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. Epic skills were already extremely scarce.
Opening with an Epic skill scroll made it clear that the Thirteenth had come prepared this year.
A Transcendent could only equip six pieces of equipment, but there was no limit to the number of skills they could possess. This was another reason why Transcendents were so expensive to maintain.
Wealthy Transcendents had better gear, more skills, and higher ranked skills. Naturally, their combat power was far superior.
Experts had once tested this. At the same level, a fully geared Transcendent could easily defeat ten equally leveled ones with no equipment. Taking on ten was not just talk.
"Five hundred and ten thousand."
"Five hundred and fifty thousand."
Bidding quickly began among the major figures present. The price of the Epic scroll soared, breaking past one million in no time, leaving Zayne astonished.
Here, money felt like nothing more than a number.
Fortunately, his class was Forbidden Spellcaster. He did not need skill scrolls at all. As long as he leveled up, he would unlock new spells. Otherwise, life would be far more painful for someone as broke as him.
Of course, his class could not even use skill scrolls. A Forbidden Spellcaster could only cast Forbidden Spells.
In the end, when Astrachior called out three million dollars, the Epic scroll was claimed by him. No one else made another bid.
First, three million was already an extremely high price. Second, in Old Shipyard Port, unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to offend Astrachior.
"Congratulations to Astrachior on acquiring the Epic skill scroll. Next, we present our second item. A Rare rank skill scroll containing a sword technique, suitable for sword related classes. Starting bid is one hundred thousand dollars. Each raise must be no less than ten thousand."
Xyla smoothly congratulated Astrachior before introducing the second item.
Although its rank was lower than the first, the fact that it was a sword technique instantly drew interest. In the end, the final price settled at eight hundred thousand.
After watching several items, Zayne lost interest and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
The first fifty items were all skill scrolls. Even if a Legendary appeared, it had nothing to do with him.
During this time, Francis successfully bid on two skills he liked. His class was A rank Shadowblade Swordsman, and the second Rare scroll was won by him.
"That concludes the auction of all fifty skill scrolls for this year. Those who did not obtain one need not be discouraged, because next we move on to the equipment auction."
Xyla smile turned alluring. With a clap of her hands, the first piece of equipment was brought out.
It was covered in a red cloth, its shape hidden. Judging by the size, it was likely a ring, necklace, or bracelet.
Everyone craned their necks in anticipation. Xyla did not keep them waiting. With a graceful smile, she pulled away the cloth.
"Our fifty second item tonight is a Rare rank piece of equipment. The Imperial Dragon Ring. Effect: increases Spirit attribute by thirty percent and grants a passive skill, Dragon Presence. Starting bid is eight million dollars. Each raise must be no less than one hundred thousand."