American Comics: Tales of Cultivator

Chapter 56: Auction Four

The beautiful auctioneer raised the small square hammer with her delicate hand and brought it down with a 'snap'.

"Congratulations to this gentleman for successfully bidding on this auction item!"

The enormous snake belly skin certainly startled everyone present, but for tycoons, who, having grown tired of planes, yachts, beautiful women, and luxury cars, often seek excitement.

Bungee jumping, skydiving, surfing, wingsuit flying – many participants in these activities are often tycoons with considerable assets.

While many ordinary people hustle for their daily meals, they have already grown tired of the life most people only dream of, turning instead to seek higher levels of excitement.

Hunting is even more commonplace for many Federation tycoons. They routinely take private jets from the Federation to the African Savanna, hunt a few male lions, have a professional photographer take some retouched photos, spending no more than a few hundred thousand US Dollars.

They then post on Twitter and Moments, as if doing so proves they have conquered these fierce beasts.

This has spawned many side professions in the African Savanna. When experienced hunters find rare prey, they often don't kill them directly.

Instead, they mark its location, find clients, and let the clients experience the thrill of personally capturing the prey.

This earns much more than simply selling the prey.

Near the hunting grounds, some people will turn the prey captured by these tycoons into specimens for them to take back to their Villas and Manors as collection items.

It can be said that in the African Savanna, a complete industrial chain has formed around the tycoons who come to hunt.

Lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinoceroses – these rulers of the African Savanna are merely collection items for many tycoons, used to prove their strength.

A unique giant snake belly skin is undoubtedly the best collection item for them, something they can hang in their reception room to show off.

This is much more prestigious than any lion skin or reindeer head.

One after another, the wealthy businessmen raised their paddles. The auction price of the giant snake belly skin rose steadily, climbing from a starting price of 2 million US Dollars to 175 million US Dollars. Reaching this price immediately deterred many people at the auction.

At a price of 100 million US Dollars, buying a snake skin purely for decoration is a luxury, even for billionaires.

Finally, this snake skin was acquired by an Arab with a white cloth wrapped around his head for the price of 175 million US Dollars.

Many people cast glances filled with envy and accustomed regret.

"A cloth on the head, the richest in the world."

These oil tycoons who made their fortune buy things lavishly all over the world. Others work hard their whole lives, yet don't earn as much as they do digging a few shovelfuls.

There's no comparison, and you can't compete.

...

"Boss!"

Skye moved closer to Tang Song, holding his arm, a little curious. Tang Song had clearly shown great interest in the snake skin just now, yet he hadn't participated in the auction for it.

Others might not know, but Skye knew her Boss's net worth.

If you were to calculate cash flow, her Boss could easily take out hundreds of millions, even over a billion US Dollars.

He wasn't afraid of this Arab at all.

Tang Song was naturally interested in this snake skin. He had inspected it with his divine sense, and its toughness and degree of integration with heaven and earth essence qi were both good.

It could definitely be used as material for refinement into a magic tool.

In his memory, the materials used for several powerful magic tools and magic treasures were the skin of exotic beasts and monsters.

Especially one of them, the Five Yin Pouch. He had always wanted to refine one to carry things with him. He had spent half a year in New York collecting most of the substitute materials.

Some time ago, he had even obtained an essence soul of a variant Blood God.

To substitute for life defiled blood.

What he lacked now was a main carrier, and this snake skin was perfect to serve as the pouch body.

(The Five Yin Pouch, ranked seventeenth among the seventy-two techniques of the Heshan Scripture, is adept at storage and nurturing a stream of Five Yin Black Fiend specifically for capturing flying swords and magic treasures from both righteous and evil factions. It can also refine all living being's flesh and blood.

The more living being's flesh and blood it refines, the greater its power and the vaster its internal space.)

The Five Yin Pouch can be said to be a magic tool with significant growth potential. Most importantly, it is also a storage magic tool.

This snake skin was practically an opportunity delivered right to his hand, so Tang Song naturally couldn't miss it.

The reason he didn't bid was naturally because he was certain this Arab wouldn't be able to take this snake skin away.

Tang Song's divine sense had been locked onto the young Arab, dressed like a dumpling wrapper. Seeing that he had no intention of leaving the venue, he then turned his attention to the auction stage.

Items successfully bid on at an auction are usually handed over after the auction ends.

Of course, if a guest wishes to leave early, they can pay the full amount to the organizer beforehand, and the organizer will permit them to take the auction item and leave early.

...

"The next auction item is a serum. According to the seller, this injection of serum can significantly enhance the user's body functions and extend lifespan!"

On the auction stage, the beautiful auctioneer entered a password and opened a silver briefcase. From inside, she took out a glass test tube containing a shimmering green liquid, distributed in a spiral shape within the tube.

"Secondary Super Serum, starting price 5 million US Dollars!"

Hearing the beautiful auctioneer's words, there was an uproar below the stage. For wealthy people, only longevity allows them to continue enjoying their current life of riches.

Just like kings throughout ancient dynasties sought immortals and asked about the Tao in pursuit of longevity.

Today's tycoons spend large sums of money investing in biotechnology, all for the sake of extending their lives.

From organ transplant surgery for heart and lung replacements, to injecting young people's spinal fluid and the research and development of cryogenic hibernation technology, it can be said that the current technological level and methods are enough to leave those ancient kings dumbfounded.

The driving force behind all this are the increasingly aging vested interests. Those at the top of the pyramid want to remain there forever.

However, time is often the fairest thing; it treats everyone equally.

Even billionaires cannot escape the law of nature regarding birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Fear of death is human nature.

A serum that can extend lifespan – as soon as this auction item appeared, many people below immediately raised their bidding paddles.

"10 million!"

"15 million!"

"25 million!"

"40 million!"

...

The sound of raised paddles was incessant. The price of the serum soared, quickly rising from the starting price of 5 million to 60 million, and at this price, there were still over a dozen people bidding.

The auctioneer didn't even have time to call out "first call," and the current price was immediately surpassed, quickly reaching 80 million US Dollars.

"Hill, can this kind of serum really increase human lifespan?"

In the northeast corner of the auction venue, a burly white man looked curiously at the woman beside him.

The man had short reddish-brown hair, slightly longer arms than average, and his suit jacket could barely conceal the muscular lines of his back.

"I don't know. I haven't been injected with this serum. Director Fury has been injected with it, you can ask him!"

The woman the man called Hill was wearing a high-necked blue-grey jacket. With brown hair, a heroic face, and a pair of sapphire-like eyes, she was particularly striking.

"Forget it then!" The man spread his hands, "Just pretend I didn't ask!"

The man knew very well what kind of person his superior was – the King of Agents who suspected everything.

He didn't want his past, which had been secretly investigated, to be dug up again.

"Director Fury isn't the only one who has been injected with this Secondary Serum. As far as I know, there are over a dozen people!"

Hill's gaze was fixed on the exhibition stand at the auction, and with the corner of her eye, she glanced at Magneto nearby.

That was their mission target this time. Of course, the order given by Director Nick Fury was merely to secretly monitor and investigate.

"This serum is a replica of the Super Serum Captain America used back then. This serum can slightly improve the physical attributes of normal people."

"However, the effect is much weaker. Although the side effect isn't significant, an injection of a stabilizer is needed periodically, otherwise the serum's effect will fade!"

Hill's lips parted slightly, and she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper:

"According to experiments by the Science Division, this serum does not have the effect of extending lifespan. On the contrary, by stimulating the regeneration of human body functions, it actually affects cell vitality!"

(Thanks to everyone . I want to write more too, but as soon as the baby cries, I have to change diapers and feed him. I'm really squeezing out every bit of time, writing little by little on my phone.)

(end of chapter )