30 million!
The moment the price was called, the entire hall exploded into shock.
A rare grade piece of equipment selling for 30 million was nothing short of outrageous. Add a little more, and it would have been enough to bid on a lower tier epic item.
Yet Blake showed no reaction at all. When it came to raw financial power, had the Ward Group ever been afraid of anyone in Old Shipyard Port?
So what if Dano ruled the underground? In terms of money, even two Danos combined would not necessarily outmatch the Ward Group.
"Fine. Thirty million."
Dano's gaze turned icy. Spending 30 million on a rare item made even his heart ache.
This was an auction hosted by Auction House 13. Even for him, openly manipulating bids here was not an option.
Once Blake made that move, the feud between the Ward Group and Dano was firmly set in stone.
In the end, the Imperial Dragon Ring was successfully secured by Blake.
"Damn it. Has Dano lost his mind?"
Blake frowned deeply, no trace of joy despite winning the auction.
"When did I ever kill any of his people?"
Offending Dano in Old Shipyard Port was no small matter. Worse, Blake had never intended to provoke him at all. Dano had charged in like a mad dog from the start.
"Mr. Ward, when someone wants to make a move against you, they can always find an excuse," Zayne said calmly. "Even a missing soldier is enough. Whether Dano's people actually died is entirely up to him."
Zayne spoke with composure, careful not to let Blake realize that Dano's hostility was actually aimed at him. Otherwise, he would likely be thrown out on the spot.
"Dano has always wanted to wash his hands of the underground and become a legitimate businessman," Zayne continued. "But the market in Old Shipyard Port is already saturated. There is no room for him to enter. If he takes down the Ward Group, though, he gets a ready made enterprise."
Blake fell silent. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
The more he thought about it, the colder his spine became.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his forehead.
If Dano was only pretending to be reckless while secretly setting his sights on the Ward Group, then once he made a real move, it would be devastating.
Without preparation, the Ward Group would be caught completely off guard. In terms of manpower alone, they truly could not match Dano.
"Zayne, thank you," Blake said seriously, looking at him with gratitude. "I was too close to the situation. If you had not pointed this out, I would never have considered it."
"It's nothing, Mr. Ward," Zayne replied with a bright smile. "You are Francis's father. Francis is my brother remembers that. Naturally, I consider you family too."
Blake froze for a moment. Looking at Zayne's sincere expression, a trace of guilt surfaced in his heart.
"You have had a hard life," Blake said softly. "If you don't mind, you can stay at the Ward residence permanently from now on."
"Thank you, Mr. Ward," Zayne said with a nod.
At that moment, an attendant delivered the Imperial Dragon Ring. The ring lay quietly on the tray, engraved with intricate dragon patterns and glowing faintly, as if concealing endless secrets.
"Take it," Blake said with a smile. "See if you like it."
Zayne slipped the ring onto his finger. A strange yet comforting power flowed from it, warm and soothing, like sinking into a hot bath in the dead of winter.
[Imperial Dragon Ring]
[Grade Rare]
[Attribute Spirit increased by 30 percent customizable]
[Skill Dragon Might Possession]
[Effect Increases luck by 10 percent]
Zayne's heart skipped a beat.
Luck was an abstract thing. Someone lucky could fall off a cliff and find a legendary manual. Someone unlucky could get accused of nonsense just riding public transport.
You could not see or touch luck, but having it was always better than not. On top of that, the spirit percentage boost alone fully justified the rare grade.
"Thank you, Mr. Ward," Zayne said earnestly. "Even if I have to carry him, I will make sure Francis gets into a top tier academy."
"We are family," Blake laughed warmly. "No need to say things like that. If you see anything else you like, just tell me."
That was exactly the answer Blake had been waiting for.
From the side, Dano watched the two of them chatting happily. Cold light flickered in his eyes. He was now certain that the deaths of his subordinates were connected to the Ward Group.
The rest of the auction continued.
No more rare grade items appeared. Most of the remaining lots were high grade equipment, with a small number of mid grade pieces mixed in.
No matter the item, whenever Blake bid, Dano followed. Blake often had to raise the price by more than fifty percent to secure anything.
Dano's malicious bidding infuriated Blake, but the auctioneer Xyla showed no intention of intervening. Higher prices only meant more profit for Auction House 13.
During the process, Blake secured several more items for Zayne.
[Heavenly Thunder Ring]
[Grade High]
[Attribute Spirit increased by 15 percent customizable]
[Skill Thunder Enhancement]
[Effect Increases lightning skill damage by 20 percent]
[Life and Death Bind Bracelets]
[Grade High]
[Attribute Spirit increased by 40 percent customizable]
[Skill Yin Yang Twinbirth]
[Effect When both Life Bind Bracelet and Death Bind Bracelet are equipped, rapidly regenerates the wearer's injuries]
[Blazing Moon Necklace]
[Grade High]
[Attribute Spirit plus 200 customizable]
[Skill None]
All of these items boosted spirit. Combined with the Imperial Dragon Ring, Zayne's total spirit amplification now reached an astonishing 85 percent, along with a flat bonus of 200 spirit.
This meant that even without activating Infernal Overdrive, his spirit stat at level 16 had already soared to 1098.
Zayne gently rubbed the Life and Death Bind Bracelets. Although they occupied two equipment slots, this was the item he was most satisfied with.
With it, his rapid recovery now had a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Zayne," Blake said with a chuckle, "for the last slot, you should choose something defensive. One of the final three items is a soft armor with extremely strong protection. I think it suits you."
All five of Zayne's current items enhanced offense. Without a defensive piece, he would be far too easy to assassinate.
After all, only the living could deal damage.