Chapter 211: Ch 211- The Mysterious Black Stone

The host slowly lifted the red cloth covering the tray.

A strange stone appeared before everyone’s eyes. It was about the size of a human head and its entire surface was made of a pitch-black material.

It didn’t shine under the lights, nor did it reflect any light. Instead, it seemed to swallow the light around it, making the stone look even darker.

The host picked it up carefully and showed it to the audience.

"Everyone, this is the next item in our auction. It was discovered during an expedition into a dangerous region. Our experts have examined it several times but unfortunately, they haven’t been able to identify its material or discover its purpose."

She paused before continuing.

"We don’t know whether it is a rare mineral, a special treasure, or something else entirely. However, we can confirm that it is extremely difficult to damage. Since our experts haven’t been able to uncover its secrets, the James Family has decided to put it up for auction and let its next owner investigate it."

The audience began whispering among themselves.

"Even the James Family’s experts couldn’t identify it?"

"What kind of material is that? I’ve never seen anything like it."

"Perhaps it’s an ancient treasure. Otherwise, why would it be so difficult to damage?"

The host waited for the discussions to quiet down before announcing, "The starting price for this mysterious black stone is one million yuan!"

At the back of the hall, Mo Yuan’s expression suddenly changed.

The moment the stone appeared, he felt a strange reaction from his Copy and Paste Talent.

It was urging him to buy it.

Mo Yuan stared at the black stone, his eyes narrowing slightly.

’What’s going on?’

The only time he felt this feeling was when, he saw primordial qi stone for the first time and this time the urging was even more urgent.

’Copy and Paste, why do you want this stone?’

He waited for a response.

However, nothing happened.

There was no message in his mind and no information about the stone. The only thing Mo Yuan could feel was the persistent urge to obtain it.

’You can’t even tell me why you want it?’

Mo Yuan felt a little speechless.

Still, he didn’t hesitate for long. If his Unique Grade Copy and Paste Talent was reacting this strongly, then there had to be a reason behind it. Who knew maybe it would help him upgrade him Copy and Paste talent once more.

Meanwhile, the bidding had already begun.

"Five million!"

"Ten million!"

"Twenty million!"

The price climbed rapidly. At first, only a few people were interested but as the bids increased, more guests began joining in.

Although nobody knew what the stone was, its mysterious nature made it difficult to ignore.

Soon, the price passed five hundred million yuan.

Mo Yuan finally raised his bidding device.

"One billion!"

His voice immediately attracted the attention of several people nearby.

However, the stone was still attracting plenty of interest. The price continued rising until it reached ten billion yuan.

By then, many bidders had already given up. Spending such a huge sum on an unidentified object was far too risky.

It might turn out to be a priceless treasure but it could just as easily be a useless piece of black rock.

Even so, a few wealthy cultivators remained determined to obtain it.

Among them was a young man who looked around eighteen years old. He had black hair and wore expensive clothes. His expression remained calm as he continued raising his bidding device.

Mo Yuan’s gaze briefly fell upon him but the young man didn’t even look in his direction.

’Another rich young master.’

Mo Yuan didn’t pay him much attention and continued bidding.

As the price increased, more and more people began watching Mo Yuan. Nobody recognized him, yet he kept raising his bid without the slightest hesitation.

Twenty billion.

Thirty billion.

Fifty billion.

The price continued climbing until it finally reached one hundred billion yuan.

An old man sitting near the front slowly lowered his bidding device. He was an Early Origin Lord Realm cultivator and even he couldn’t justify spending so much money on an unidentified stone.

He sighed and shook his head.

"I’m getting too old for this."

With that, he leaned back in his seat and gave up.

Now, only two people remained.

Mo Yuan and the black-haired young man.

The entire hall had become much quieter. Everyone wanted to know who would win this strange contest.

Mo Yuan raised his bidding device.

"One hundred and one billion!"

The young man immediately responded.

"One hundred and five billion!"

Several guests exchanged surprised looks. Four billion yuan was an enormous increase, yet neither bidder seemed particularly concerned about the money.

Mo Yuan continued without hesitation.

"One hundred and ten billion!"

The young man’s expression finally changed. He glanced at Mo Yuan, his eyes carrying a hint of irritation.

"One hundred and fifteen billion!"

"One hundred and twenty billion!"

The young man gritted his teeth as he raised the price again.

Mo Yuan didn’t even pause.

"One hundred and twenty-one billion!"

The hall fell silent.

The young man stared at Mo Yuan for several seconds before suddenly standing up.

"Can you give me some face?" he asked, his voice carrying clear displeasure. "I’m John, the second young master of the Mavericks Family."

As soon as he announced his identity, the audience erupted into whispers.

"So it’s John from the Mavericks Family!"

"I heard he’s very arrogant and causes trouble anywhere he goes."

"The Mavericks Family has a Sovereign Realm expert backing them. No wonder he dares to bid so aggressively."

Several people turned toward Mo Yuan, curious to see how he would respond after learning John’s identity.

However, Mo Yuan simply looked at him.

"I’m sorry. I want this stone too."

John’s expression darkened. He clearly hadn’t expected someone to refuse him so directly, especially after he had revealed his family name.

For a moment, it seemed as though he wanted to continue bidding. However, he eventually clenched his fists, gave Mo Yuan an unhappy look and sat back down.

He didn’t raise his bidding device again.

Seeing this, the host quickly announced, "Sold! The mysterious black stone goes to our guest for one hundred and twenty-one billion yuan!"

Mo Yuan finally relaxed slightly.

’Good. I thought he might keep going.’

He had enough money to pay the price but wasting more than necessary was still unpleasant.

An employee soon approached and politely invited him to a private room to complete the transaction.

Mo Yuan stood up and walked toward the backstage area. As he passed John, he could feel the young man’s angry gaze following him but he paid it no attention.

After completing the payment with his bank card, Mo Yuan received the black stone from the staff.

The employees treated him with great respect throughout the transaction. After all, someone willing to spend 121 billion yuan on a single item was not an ordinary customer.

Once he was alone, Mo Yuan carefully examined the stone.

It felt cold against his palm. Its surface was completely smooth and even after inspecting it with his Origin Sense, he couldn’t discover anything unusual.

Strangely, the moment he obtained the stone, the urge coming from his Copy and Paste Talent disappeared.

Mo Yuan frowned.

’That’s strange. Now that I have it, why isn’t Copy and Paste reacting anymore?’

Unfortunately, he still had no answers.

He stored the black stone in his storage space as this wasn’t the right place to investigate it and he didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention.

After making sure everything was settled, Mo Yuan left the private room and headed toward the elevator.

Soon, he exited the James Family building and returned to the busy streets of Frostwind Base.

He had originally come to the auction simply out of curiosity.

Yet now, he had spent 121 billion yuan on a mysterious black stone that even the James Family couldn’t identify.

Mo Yuan looked toward the distant buildings and shook his head.

’Copy and Paste, you’d better have a good reason for making me spend this much money.’

With that thought, he continued toward the Beast Association, he still had to meet Louis and copy that space and soul talent.