Adam led Nami around to tour the massive ship while mentally chanting to himself.
“System, place the three items from my inventory into the auction hall and display them.” After sending the command in his mind, Adam didn’t pay any more attention to it and led Nami slowly toward the auction hall.
While pretending to be naively amazed, Nami was swiftly scanning every corner with the corner of her eye.
She was evaluating possible escape routes and the locations where valuables might be stored.
Before long, the two arrived in front of the auction hall doors.
Pushing open the two heavy wooden doors inlaid with gold trim and intricate carvings, the view before them suddenly opened up.
The auction hall was vast and magnificent, laid out in a semicircle, with a total capacity of nearly a thousand people.
The dome was high and wide, painted with classical mythological murals, and several massive crystal chandeliers hung in layers, each crystal refracting brilliant light under the soft illumination, lighting up the entire space like daylight.
The floor was covered with a dark red carpet embroidered with gold patterns, making footsteps silent.
The audience seats were arranged in a fan-shaped, tiered formation, upholstered in deep purple velvet, elegant and comfortable.
The most eye-catching feature was the second-floor area high at the back of the hall, which was neatly surrounded by twenty-four private boxes.
The outer walls of each box were crafted from dark, precious wood and inlaid with glazed window panes; the window surfaces shimmered with a faint light, clearly having undergone special treatment, allowing those inside to clearly overlook the entire hall while making it difficult for those outside to peek at what was happening within.
The outside of the boxes also featured independent corridor entrances, ensuring that VIPs could enter quietly without passing through the general seating area.
At this moment, there was no one else in the hall, making it appear even more spacious and solemn, as if it were quietly awaiting the start of an important auction.
Adam guided her toward the light pillar area in the center of the hall.
“Miss Nami, please look.” “These are the three treasures on display this time.” He walked to the first display stand.
The surface was made of a transparent material, and a primitive scroll floated within it, with faint silver electric arcs jumping across its surface.
“The first item, the thunder magic inheritance scroll.” “By using it, you will directly inherit the complete magic legacy of an ancient thunder mage and instantly master the mysteries of powerful thunder magic.” As Adam’s voice fell, the light pillar of the display stand seemed to be injected with energy, its light flowing slightly.
Just under Nami’s surprised gaze, an incredibly clear, oppressive three-dimensional image appeared out of thin air in the center of the main hall, as if it were immersive!
In the image, a figure draped in deep blue mage robes stood alone atop the clouds where the wind howled, with the boundless, surging sea below.
He was seen slowly raising his staff, and dazzling thunderous light erupted around his body.
The sky instantly became covered with dark clouds, and lightning snakes danced wildly!
“Roar!” A dragon’s roar, seemingly from the ancient past, shook the soul!
Endless thunder and lightning energy gathered frantically, actually transforming into a terrifying thunder dragon a hundred meters long, with its scales clearly visible!
The thunder dragon was wrapped in destructive plasma, its huge dragon eyes like two blinding thunderous suns, carrying the power to crush everything as it roared and dived down from the clouds!
Just as the thunder dragon was about to reach the sea surface, it suddenly opened its massive mouth, and blinding, suffocating thunderous light gathered within it!
The next moment, a pillar of thunderous light with a diameter of dozens of meters erupted from the dragon’s mouth, like a sword of divine punishment, instantly piercing through the heavens and the earth!
“Boom!!!” The pillar of light struck a massive reef island on the sea surface with precision!
“Boom!!!” Amidst the earth-shattering roar, the entire reef island split apart in the incomparable thunderstorm, instantly vaporized and dissociated, turning into countless charred fragments.
A huge depression was blasted into the sea, and monstrous waves spread outward, as if the ocean itself had been torn open.
Just then, the scene changed again.
The mage pointed his staff at the sky, his voice like thunder: “Descend!” In an instant, ten thousand bolts of lightning fired simultaneously, countless thick bolts of lightning like spears of divine punishment, completely leveling and melting a vast expanse of mountains below!
The thunderous light was like a curtain of destruction, as if the apocalypse had arrived!
Nami’s pupils dilated to the limit, her breathing had long since stopped, and her face was pale.
Her heart was beating wildly, almost threatening to burst through her chest.
This world-destroying power completely shattered all of her perceptions!
Arlong?
Fishman?
In the face of such a natural disaster, they were as insignificant as dust!
An incredibly burning thought, like that world-ending thunder dragon, slammed violently into her mind.
If, if I could possess this power…
Watching Nami, who was still in shock and hadn’t recovered, Adam timely pointed to the second display stand.
A blue potion floated within the stand, with starlight seemingly flowing within the liquid.
[spiritual power potion].
“And spiritual power is the energy required to cast ‘magic’; the stronger the spiritual power, the more powerful the magic you can cast.” In the third display stand was a book with a primitive cover and mysterious patterns.
[Aether Meditation Method] “It can teach you how to perceive, absorb, and temper spiritual power.” Adam’s voice was calm and powerful: “It is like the key to opening the door to magic.” If the [thunder magic inheritance scroll] is the thunder of destruction.
The [spiritual power potion] is the fuel.
Then this [Aether Meditation Method] is the furnace that creates and controls this power.
Nami’s gaze moved rapidly between the three treasures, her breathing became rapid, and her face was filled with desire and shock.
She asked with a trembling voice: “These items…
what is the price?” Adam quoted the price: “Because this is the first opening of this auction house, all items are 10% of the price!” “The inheritance scroll is 100 million Berries, the potion is 80 million Berries, and the meditation method is 100 million Berries; miss this time, and there will never be such a low price again.” Upon hearing the prices of the three items, the desire on Nami’s face instantly froze.
Even with the 90% discount, the money she had saved over the years was only enough to buy one bottle of spiritual power potion.
And she simply couldn’t afford the most important ‘thunder magic inheritance scroll’ and ‘Aether Meditation Method’.
A sense of immense loss and powerlessness almost overwhelmed her.
She suppressed her emotions, raised her head, and said in a hoarse and difficult voice: “Mr.
Adam, I really want these items; besides Berries, is there any other way?” Adam was stunned and immediately called out in his mind: “System!
Do you accept other payment methods?
For example, working off the debt, or mortgaging other things?” [Ding!
The ‘Contract Mortgage’ program can be activated.
The target person can use their ‘freedom for a period of time in the future’ as collateral, which will be converted into Berries to make up the price difference.
However, the target must be completely voluntary, and after the contract is established, any breach of contract will be subject to system rule sanctions.] Adam was shocked inside and said to Nami in a serious tone: “Yes, you can sign a contract, using five or ten years of future labor as collateral, to work for me and offset the price difference.” “But once the contract is signed, you cannot go back on it, or you will face consequences more severe than you can imagine.” Nami’s expression stiffened, and she struggled violently within.
She had just touched upon the hope of breaking free from Arlong, but now she had to mortgage her freedom to someone else…
The word “freedom” was exactly her deepest fear and hope.
She looked at those three items, thought of her village and Nojiko, and the struggle in her eyes was intense.
After a long while, the struggle in her eyes gradually faded, turning into exhaustion and helplessness.
She forced a smile and whispered: “I’m sorry, this decision is too significant; I need time to consider.” After saying this, she didn’t dare to look at the treasures again, turned around, walked away quickly, jumped onto her small boat, and rowed toward the shore.
Her back was filled with loss, struggle, and confusion.