The moment Xyla finished speaking, the entire hall erupted.
Unlike skills, equipment was classified into seven tiers: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Divine.
Equipment was far more valuable than skills. Only forging related professions that reached S rank or higher were capable of crafting equipment at all.
Life professions progressed very differently from combat professions. Combat classes only needed to survive and keep hunting monsters to level up steadily.
Forgers were another matter entirely.
The forging path was divided into Apprentice Blacksmith, Journeyman Blacksmith, Master Blacksmith, Grandmaster Blacksmith, Forging Sage, and the legendary Godsmith.
Advancing meant burning money endlessly. Repeated forging, practice through sheer volume, and massive material consumption were the only ways forward. Ordinary people could never afford the resources required to raise a forger.
Even across all of Old Shipyard Port, the highest level blacksmith was only a Master Blacksmith. That meant locally produced equipment capped at the Advanced tier, and even then, success rates were abysmal.
Rare tier equipment could only be forged by a Grandmaster.
Which meant one thing.
The Imperial Dragon Ring in front of them had been forged by a Grandmaster Blacksmith.
Even Zayne could not help twitching slightly at the corner of his mouth.
A single ring that increased Spirit by 30 percent.
Equipment bonuses were terrifying.
His Forbidden Spell Infernal Overdrive doubled Spirit at the cost of burning life itself. But if a wealthy combatant equipped six Imperial Dragon Rings, that alone would grant a staggering 180 percent Spirit bonus.
No life burning required.
No wonder a fully geared combatant could crush ten equally leveled opponents with ease.
Of course, the price was just as terrifying.
The starting bid was 8 million.
And based on how earlier skill scrolls had gone, the final price would not be lower than 15 million.
Fifteen million.
Zayne silently did the math. He would need to sell roughly 777 kidneys to afford that sum.
Even for someone with an immortal body, that number was absurd.
Fortunately, he had Francis.
"9 million."
Blake was the first to bid, raising the price by a full million instantly.
That amount barely fazed the crowd.
"9.2 million."
"10 million."
"12 million."
Bids came rapidly.
Everyone understood how rare a Rare tier piece of equipment truly was. In Old Shipyard Port, this was something money alone normally could not buy.
There were no Grandmaster Blacksmiths here.
Blake raised his hand again.
"15 million."
A wave of shock swept through the room.
The price jumped by 3 million in one move.
It was obvious. Ward Group intended to secure this ring no matter the cost.
There were still bids, but far fewer now.
When Blake pushed the price to 18 million, the hall fell silent.
Eighteen million for a Rare tier item was reasonable. Any higher and the value curve collapsed.
Blake smiled faintly.
Eighteen million to secure his son's future at a top tier academy was worth every cent.
He only had one son. If he did not spend his money on him, who else was it for?
Even if the ring was technically being bought for Zayne, a Forbidden Spellcaster did not live long. When Zayne eventually died, the equipment would naturally return to Francis.
"18 million, once."
"18 million, twice."
"18 million, three times. Congratulations to Ward Group—"
"20 million."
The lazy, arrogant voice cut through the hall like a blade.
Gasps erupted.
Bidding was normal. Sniping at the final second was not.
This was a direct slap to Ward Group's face.
Everyone turned to look.
Blake's expression hardened instantly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.
Then the room froze.
A heavyset man with slicked back hair stood calmly, a gentle smile on his face.
"The underground king. Dano."
"He did that on purpose."
"Ward Group and Dano were never even in the same circle."
"This is bad."
Whispers spread rapidly.
Dano might have been quiet in recent years, but everyone knew the truth.
There was only one king of Old Shipyard Port's underground world.
Blake was completely confused.
He had never offended Dano. They had barely crossed paths.
What was this supposed to mean?
"Mr. Dano," Blake said carefully, forcing a smile. "May I ask how Ward Group has offended you?"
"Offended me?" Dano chuckled warmly. "This is an auction. Highest bid wins. I like the ring too. Is that not allowed?"
As he spoke, his eyes casually swept across Zayne.
Inside, his thoughts were cold.
So Ward Group was still pretending.
Zayne was standing right behind him.
Zayne studied Dano as well. If no one had told him, he would never have guessed this smiling man was the underground king.
Their gazes met across the air.
Cold, sharp, and hostile.
Only Blake remained trapped between them, utterly lost.
"21 million," Blake said after a pause.
The pattern repeated.
Just as Xyla prepared to confirm the bid, Dano spoke again.
"22 million."
Blake's heart sank.
This was no coincidence.
Dano was targeting Ward Group.
"Mr. Dano," Blake said solemnly. "If we have wronged you, please make it clear."
"Make it clear?"
Dano's smile vanished. He leaned in close and whispered into Blake's ear.
"You killed my people and still want clarity? You have guts. I accept your challenge. I swear I will leave your family ruined."
Zayne had burned his farm and dozens of men to ashes.
Minutes later, Francis personally escorted him away.
Dano would never believe Ward Group was uninvolved.
To him, Blake's confusion was pure provocation.
Blake's mind went blank.
Challenge?
Since when did he issue a challenge?
But one phrase cut through everything else.
Leave your family ruined.
Blake's expression turned ice cold.
He had yielded again and again out of courtesy. Now Dano was threatening his family.
If he backed down now, he would be nothing but a coward.
Ward Group was not something to be crushed at will.
"Then we will follow the rules of the auction," Blake said flatly.
"30 million."