Darkstone Code-Chapter 795 - 0793 1 million

"First time..."

"Second time..." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Third time, congratulations... sir, you’ve won this item!"

The auctioneer’s gavel quickly and precisely sealed the deal; charity fundraisers are quite different from formal auction house sales.

Generally, during a charity auction, except for a few people who might be unfamiliar or attending such an event for the first time, nobody actually competes over the bidding of a certain item.

Everyone would donate an item for the auctioneer to sell and later bid for it themselves. There’s no competition involved, so the auctioneer doesn’t need to fire up the crowd, they just need to wrap it up fast.

Penny watched pieces, that might be valuable or appeared not-so-valuable to her, being sold at astonishing prices, gradually realizing the knack behind this.

"Is this how you guys usually do it?" she whispered.

Today Lynch brought her to attend this event, truly broadening her horizons. Beyond meeting some hard-to-see people, this unique charity auction felt quite novel to her.

Lynch ignored her as she talked all night long, resembling a curious baby, asking why this and why that.

Initially, Lynch could answer her inquiries, but soon enough he grew tired of it.

Because once he answered one question, she had another ready.

The auction started from the rear and gradually moved forward, weighty figures often set for the final moments.

Soon it was Lynch’s turn, and the attendant holding a red velvet tray stood beside Lynch.

Lynch pulled a lighter from his pocket and placed it on the tray, briefly explaining its function, value, and some features; the attentive attendant quickly left.

"I thought you guys would be prepared in advance." Penny remained curious as ever, "What if someone forgot to bring anything?"

"Would someone send over prepared items, like some paintings?"

"Real estate is actually quite suitable..."

Lynch sighed and glanced sideways at Penny, "At the very least, you wore shoes, right?"

Penny pouted, utterly unable to grasp what these big shots were thinking. To her, such an event deserved serious participation, with careful preparations done days or even weeks ahead, everyone eagerly anticipating the occasion.

But... the excitement she initially felt quickly cooled down when she saw nobody bidding seriously; it was less an auction and more like an ordinary and dull donation drive.

This was different from what she imagined!

In fact, Penny fundamentally misunderstood these charity events; it’s neither the auction nor the charity in the spotlight - it’s all about the fundraising.

How funds are raised isn’t the biggest deal; what’s crucial is making sure the money is in place.

Preparing in advance and doing it too thoroughly is almost pointless, better off as it is now - casually "donating" a personal item and then buying it back, saving everyone’s time and energy.

As to why they don’t directly fundraise, instead opting for an auction route, it’s because of different tax exemptions!

Indeed, the President and the First Lady are so thoughtful - while taking out money from everyone’s pockets to boost their own reputation, they ensure everyone gets more tax exemptions.

"This is a fine lighter donated by Mr. Lynch, handmade by a famous master, crafted with high-grade brass inside, making it strong and corrosion-resistant; its casing is pure gold with eighty-eight embedded jewels of various colors."

The auctioneer continued, lighting the lighter, a metallic "ding" audible throughout the venue!

A decent lighter, at least from the auctioneer’s introduction and its display, it seemed so.

"The original price of this lighter is around fifty thousand Federation Sol, starting bid at fifty thousand, feel free to bid..."

Penny sat aside, sticking her tongue out briefly; her pale little tongue disappeared instantly between her lips, surprised by the high price of merely a lighter!

Gosh, the price for acting in a movie she starred in barely equaled this amount; knowing Lynch has multiple similar lighters, she felt slightly dizzy just pondering over it.

She questioned herself - why are you working so hard?

Wouldn’t it be better to win without trying?

Of course, nobody could answer this dilemma to her satisfaction, nor could she herself; sometimes winning without effort is harder than it sounds.

Lynch raised his hand, "One million..." a gentle smile adorned his face, "This lighter has accompanied me for a long time; I hold a special sentiment towards it, while applauding Mrs. Barbara’s initiative; indeed, we should engage in societal deeds within our capability; please refrain from bidding against me, thank you!"

He spoke those words partly to create a mood, but also as a measure to avoid any disturbance.

At such an auction, there have been instances of people causing trouble, for example, someone might want to flatter Lynch, or have a favor to ask of him, and they would donate the money on Lynch’s behalf.

Spending fifty thousand to buy this item in exchange for a favor from Lynch is clearly a worthwhile deal!

The purpose of Lynch speaking up was also to prevent such situations from occurring.

If someone really did that, competing with each other, it would actually be quite embarrassing.

Fortunately, no one wanted to spend a million to test Lynch, as none of the attendees were poor. After the auctioneer’s quick three-count, the gavel fell.

Lynch had already prepared a bank draft. When the waiter returned his lighter, he placed the draft on the red velvet tray.

A one-million bank draft, issued by Golden Exchange Bank, which can be exchanged for a million in cash at any bank.

And the bank draft is one of the most commonly used financial instruments by capitalists apart from checks.

Here, the auction price suddenly increased significantly. No matter what the people behind did, they couldn’t offer a price less than Lynch’s.

The President glanced over at Lynch and nodded slightly, Lynch understood his meaning, it was to thank him.

Raising a million is fundraising, raising ten million is also fundraising. If the First Lady can’t raise a big figure, the President’s reputation would also suffer.

Even if those following were stuck at a million, this auction could raise almost twenty million, enough to greatly enhance the reputation of the President and the First Lady in the media.

Some people in the front row also turned to glance at Lynch at this time. Compared to Lynch’s previous bids of tens of thousands or thirty thousand, Lynch had increased the price several times over in one go.

Compared to everyone’s fairly normal glances, the looks from the two young members of the Duncan Clan were less polite.

"He raised the price too high, it’s beyond our plan!"

Speaking was one of the outstanding young members of the Duncan Clan. After withdrawing his indifferent gaze from Lynch’s face, he complained softly to his elder brother next to him.

Their original plan was to donate fifty or sixty thousand, which would be sufficient; now it seems it must be at least over a hundred thousand.

As one of the most powerful families in the Federation, the Duncan Clan’s family honor does not allow them to be lumped together with those "lower families."

If Lynch donates a million, they must donate one and a half million or even two million to demonstrate the Duncan Clan’s status and aura.

The young man next to him, whom he referred to as "elder brother," wore an inscrutable smile. "It’s not a lot of money, just donate it."

He glanced sidelong at the young man beside him, "A great family must have the demeanor of a great family, let’s donate two million then..."

The young man nodded, no longer speaking.

The auction continued at this pace, Mr. Wardrick donated his tie clip, then spent one hundred and twenty thousand to buy it back, Lynch had set the prices too high, he hadn’t originally planned to spend so much.

Mr. Pato donated Anna’s diamond hairpin, similarly buying it back for one hundred and twenty thousand.

Everyone adhered to a set of rules that needed no discussion. In high society, such rules are pervasive; many people, fortuitously entering the upper echelons, find themselves unable to truly participate.

It’s as if an invisible wall surrounds them, tightly restricting their actions. This is the disadvantage of lacking heritage, unable to grasp even the most superficial rules.

Ultimately, the normal charity fundraising concluded with the Duncan Clan spending two million to buy a watch, bringing it to an end. The First Lady announced the total amount raised with some excitement, which was an astonishing figure.

At least more than double what she had expected, and all this was due to Lynch’s chaotic bidding. He directly disrupted the price ascension order, forcing those behind to offer more money.

One donation of two million equaled the donations of over ten people before.

The First Lady knew who to thank, but she didn’t express it immediately; excessively thanking Lynch now or focusing too much on him would only attract some potential hostility.

After the event concluded successfully, as the President and First Lady bid farewell to the guests, a specific conversation occurred when they reached Lynch.

"In a couple of days, on the weekend, I hope you’ll be free. I’ll be holding a barbecue party in my backyard, can you come?"

Lynch had done a great favor for the President and First Lady; it was only appropriate for them to reciprocate somehow, perhaps by obviously trying to foster a closer relationship and discuss future benefits distribution.

"It would be an honor, I’ve just acquired some excellent wines, I’ll bring them along." He agreed readily.

The President extended his hand to Lynch again, "Then I’ll expect you, come early so we can chat!"

"Certainly!"

After saying goodbye to the President and First Lady, just as they walked out, they encountered Mr. Wardrick.

He was chatting quietly with two others, and upon seeing Lynch approached, ended his conversation with them to look at Lynch, "Shall we chat?"