Chapter 286 Auction Begins

Chapter 286 Auction Begins

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and all indigenous species of our humble universe. My name is Connor Baines, and this is my beloved wife and partner, Elizabeth Baines. We will be your hosts for this special event that shall occur very, very infrequently within the years to come, the Grand Universe Auction!" nOVe/lB-1n

Connor spoke softly and elegantly, but his words were easily transmitted throughout the large venue and even to the homes or workplaces of various watchers using technology.

"However, before we begin, I would like to inform you of some very important things. Firstly, if you successfully win a bid for any item that is sold today, you are automatically agreeing to the terms that were publicized a few days ago."

Connor looked at the crowd pointedly, with a slight smirk. "I'm not going to be vague for the purpose of legality. I'm specifically referring to the clause that any party that makes a purchase of things sold by universe-renowned powerhouse, Dante Alighieri, would be required to enter the First Gate for at least a year."

When Connor said this, there was a collective groan as many parties hoped that this matter would have been dropped or was just a joke or something. Hearing that Dante was actually serious about it made many faces become ugly.

However, they lowered their heads as a light of cunningness flashed in them, thinking of various ways to deal with this problem efficiently. Connor glanced at the crowd and laughed softly.

"Of course, I know this requirement is not desirable for all parties, but the seller has put this forth, so what can one do? Also..."

Connor's eyes narrowed. "I know many have ideas right now, from various methods of cleverly sidestepping the task or trying to use loopholes, to outright planning to take the goods without heeding the requirement."

As he said this, the lips of everyone twitched slightly as they knew they had been seen through. Their hearts sank because this meant that Connor - through the source that was Dante - would definitely place safeguards against such things.

And their worst fears came to light as Connor continued. "In the end, contracts and agreements are only considered binding if they can be enforced. The agreements we have with you are enforced by the strength of Dante and his allies, including Portia Portinari and Beatrice."

"If you feel your fist is as strong as theirs or even stronger, you can freely ignore all terms stated and do what you want because you can weather the consequences. If you don't have equivalent strength and still dare to do so, you should not be too surprised when your entire lineage is destroyed." Connor concluded with a slight bow.

The atmosphere in the avenue became tense as many faces hardened in response to Connor's words. After all, this was a threat, a blatant and unconcealed threat, but as Connor himself stated, the stakes were too high.

"We are willing! May we know what item we possess that interests you?" The Patriarch quickly replied while placing a palm on his restless son's head to calm him down.

"It is the Ancient Demonic Sword," Connor said simply.

Hearing this, the faces of the Loncano family changed greatly. If it weren't for the venue, they would have stood up and roared their disbelief because this was their clan's deepest secret that they had never revealed since inception.

In fact, not everyone in the family knew,?as that was reserved for the main line and elders only. If they didn't know that they were a relatively small clan even among the top factions and had never leaked their secret, they would begin to suspect that they had a traitor in their clan.

"Is there a problem?" Connor asked knowingly, smiling pointedly.

Patriarch Loncano's face settled as he smiled bitterly. "None whatsoever."

At this point, he had to trade even if he didn't want to. Now that Dante knew he possessed this item and wanted it, who knew what he would do to get it if he was refused here and now? Rather than court death or disaster, it was best to give up that troublesome and unruly sword for something that could change their family's fate forever!

The more he thought about it, the more Patriarch Loncano felt like his reaction was foolish; he was the one winning out from all angles, trading a rare but useless item - to him and his family - for something that was more than useful.

Most importantly, if this had been a normal auction that required monetary bidding, he would not have been able to outbid more powerful clans and factions. It could be said that his family had been the direct beneficiary of this strange auction.

Soon, the next item was brought up, and it was another legendary sword from mythology that was swiped from the quantum worlds and replicated to be usable in reality by Dante.

The auction went on like this, with Connor representing the goods, taking the names of those willing to bid and passing them to Dante, with Dante also taking them and inquiring from Levi as to which bidder had what he needed most.

Upon getting the details, he would relay it back to Connor who would announce the details to the crowd and inquire from the bidder if they were willing. If the bidder agreed, it was all roses and peaches, but if they refused, the item would be moved down to the second best bidder.

Of course, like Patriarch Loncano, most forces chose to trade because they realized that Dante having knowledge about these things and wanting them might lead to disasters, so it was better to trade it off. Besides, what they were getting was in no way worse and in some ways, was even far better.

Of course... there were some who were oblivious to this fact and actually refused head-on.