The auction process moved forward quickly.
One after another, strange and exotic collectibles were displayed, bid upon, and hammered off, with the crowd below bidding frantically.
Transactions worth hundreds of millions of jenny were completed with every strike of the auctioneer's gavel.
Some were determined to win, some felt regret after raising their paddles, and some never placed a single bid from beginning to end, simply watching quietly.
Finally, the female auctioneer's voice rose as she pointed to the center of the screen.
"Next up is today's grand finale—the legendary game, 'Greed Island'!"
Everyone's eyes focused instantly.
Those who had been whispering fell silent; those looking down at their phones looked up; those leaning back with their eyes closed snapped them open.
The entire venue fell silent for a moment, followed by a wave of irrepressible whispers.
"I believe our attentive guests have already noticed."
The auctioneer snapped her fingers, and a burly man with bulging muscles carrying a massive iron hammer walked onto the stage.
He was shirtless, his muscles gleaming under the lights, and every step he took made the floor vibrate slightly.
That iron hammer was bigger than his head, its head dark and shiny—clearly a solid, heavy piece of equipment.
"This game console requires no power source; it operates on an incredible power!"
The burly man gave a low growl, swung the iron hammer, and smashed it down toward the console on the display stand with a whistling wind!
"BANG—!"
A deafening roar echoed through the enclosed venue, and the audience in the front row instinctively leaned back.
The iron hammer struck the console and bounced back. The burly man stumbled back two steps to steady himself; the hammer's head was even slightly deformed, with tiny cracks appearing on the metal surface.
Yet that seemingly ordinary Joy Station console didn't have a single scratch on it.
It lay quietly on the stand, its screen still lit, emitting a soft blue glow.
The entire room erupted in an uproar.
"As you can all see!"
The female auctioneer's voice was impassioned as she pointed to the undamaged console.
"Under the protection of the game cartridge's mysterious power, it can resist any physical impact! As long as someone is 'playing' inside—"
She described the various magical aspects of the game in detail.
She spoke vividly, rendering every detail mysterious and alluring, fully whetting everyone's appetite.
"Starting price: one billion! Let the bidding begin!"
The auction gavel fell heavily.
The venue boiled over instantly!
Arms were raised everywhere, and various hand gestures representing bid increases rose and fell.
"1.1 billion!"
"1.5 billion!"
"Number 105! Double! Three billion!"
"Number 71 (Milluki)! Double! Six billion!"
"Number 16 (Battera)! Double! Twelve billion!"
The price shot up like a rocket; it took less than half a minute to go from one billion to ten billion.
Those billionaires worth a few billion didn't even have a chance to raise their paddles before the price was flipped to a height they couldn't reach.
Gon watched, dazzled, and whispered to Leorio beside him.
"Different hand gestures represent different amounts?"
"Right."
Leorio stared at the intense bidding, a thin layer of sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"The auctioneer judges the highest bidder instantly. See, like that thumbs-up Battera just did—it means 'doubling' the previous person's bid..."
"Like this?"
Gon only half-understood, and instinctively imitating the person in front of him, he curiously raised his own thumb.
"Number 201! Double! Twenty-four billion jenny!"
The female auctioneer's clear voice instantly rang through the hall!
The spotlight hit seat 201, illuminating Gon's face, which was still filled with curiosity, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Gon froze entirely, cold sweat pouring down as his clothes were instantly soaked through.
"You—idiot—!"
Leorio grabbed Gon's raised hand and forced it down, his face turning green as he growled under his breath.
"That's the gesture for 'adding the same amount as the previous person'! You were just called out! This isn't something you can just brush off by saying 'I raised the wrong hand'! How are we going to pay if we win?!"
Killua took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at Gon expressionlessly.
"Did you do that on purpose, or was it an accident?"
"I... I really didn't know..."
Gon's voice was trembling.
Leo, sitting in the corner, saw this scene and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
This silly kid was as naive as ever.
He smiled and just watched quietly.
Battera continued to raise the bid.
"Number 16! Twenty-five billion!"
"Number 71! Twenty-five point five billion!"
Milluki, in another corner, refused to be outdone. The bidding increments were getting higher and higher, but sweat was already starting to bead on his forehead.
The price seesawed between twenty-five and thirty billion; every bid felt like psychological warfare.
Battera's expression remained calm, while Milluki's face was written with struggle.
Finally, the gavel fell.
"Thirty point five billion jenny! Sold! Congratulations to Mr. Battera, Number 16!"
Thunderous applause filled the hall.
Battera stood up and nodded slightly to his surroundings, still wearing that calm, unruffled smile.
Milluki slumped in his chair, glaring at Battera through gritted teeth.
After the auction ended, inside the VIP lounge.
Battera leaned back on a comfortable sofa, holding a glass of red wine and gently swirling it.
Tsezgala walked in from outside. After seeing off Gon and Killua, the expression on his face was somewhat complicated.
"What is their true strength like?"
Battera didn't look up, his voice calm.
Tsezgala stood before him and pondered for a moment.
"Passable. Even if they go in, I'm afraid they'll just end up like many others before them, lost in the game world, let alone clearing it. It would be a pure waste of time."
Battera nodded and didn't ask further.
He took a sip of red wine, his gaze falling on the window.
Just then, the door was pushed open.
Leo walked in from the other entrance.
He walked with a composed stride, hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his face.
His white suit was particularly striking under the lights.
Battera's two bodyguards immediately became alert; one stepped forward, reaching out to block Leo.
"Sir, this is the VIP—"
Before he could finish, a faint killing intent emanated from Leo.
It wasn't heavy, like a gust of wind blowing past.
But the eyes of the two bodyguards instantly widened, their bodies stiffened for a second, and then they fell straight down, hitting the carpet with two muffled thuds.
They had only fainted.
Leo had shown mercy.
The wine glass in Battera's hand stopped mid-air. He looked at Leo in shock, then at the fallen bodyguards, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Tsezgala reacted faster, stepping in front of Battera in a flash. His body leaned forward slightly, Nen flowing over his skin, his eyes locked onto Leo.
He stared at Leo's face, feeling as though he had seen it somewhere before.
"Battera, I have a way to save your woman."
Leo spoke with a kind and friendly expression.