Transmigrated To Ancient Time: Thrive With An Auction System!-Chapter 272: Sky-high Price Sauce ( 8 )

Most people came today for the rare sauce, so the price of the first batch was not high. For the second batch, the items’ quality was better. There was even one pair of glass beads being auctioned.

Due to the rarity, the price of the glass beads reached 25,000 taels of silver and was bought by a merchant from the capital.

When it was finally time for the last item, the sun had risen above their heads. It was almost time for lunch, and everyone was feeling hungry.

Standing at the center of the stage, the Host wiped her sweat and said, "Everyone, now it’s finally time for the last item—a rare sauce named spicy chili crisps!"

Hearing this, the merchants’ eyes lit up instantly. As for others, they only looked with curiosity and didn’t plan to join the bidding.

After the Host’s introduction, 10 earthen jars were carried to the table placed at the center of the stage. The jars were sealed. Besides the jars, the servants also carried a plate of boiled pork and a small bowl of reddish sauce.

The moment they saw the meat and the sauce, everyone was burning with curiosity.

When they had set up everything, the Host finally said, "Everyone, this sauce is made from a spice called chili pepper. This spice’s origin comes from lands across the sea."

"Besides this spice, it also uses ginger, garlic, and oil made from plants. No one has ever tried this spice before. Today, we will invite 10 lucky guests to come up and try the sauce personally."

"Guests, please check the circle behind your plate. Those holding the golden dots, please come up to the stage!"

As soon as the Host said this, everyone checked their plates.

Ten minutes later, 10 guests stood on the stage. Out of the 10 guests, only 3 were merchants sitting in the private rooms. The rest were either children from wealthy families or relatives of officials.

After a while, the Host invited a renowned physician to check the sauce. This physician had a good reputation in Luo City and the nearby areas. With him testing for poison, everyone was at ease.

"This sauce is safe for consumption," the old man said and showed the clean silver needles.

"Thank you, Physician Wen," the Host bowed to him, and a servant led him off the stage.

"Now, let’s start the tasting!" the Host said as she clapped her hands.

Soon after, several servants walked over and divided the sauce into 10 portions and handed them to the guests. Only the merchants checked the sauce carefully before they took a sniff and tasted it.

As for the other guests, they picked up the boiled pork and dipped it into the sauce before eating it. Although meat was delicious, eating boiled or roasted meat every day would make people tired of it.

Everyone didn’t think much about the sauce. But when they tasted the meat, they couldn’t help but take sharp breaths.

They were hit by the burning pain inside their mouths for a moment before they finally tasted the complex flavor of the sauce. Although their mouths were numbed from the spiciness, they couldn’t stop themselves from reaching for more meat.

When everyone saw these young masters and wealthy men acting as if they hadn’t eaten for months, they couldn’t help but wonder if they were bribed by the auction house to pull off this fake advertisement.

The Host watched with a bright smile on the sideline and said nothing. It was only when the big plate of meat was gone that she said, "Guests, how does it taste?"

"Delicious!"

"It’s indeed a rare cuisine! I have never tasted anything as delicious as this!"

"This Young Master always dislikes the smell of boiled pork, but after I dip it in this sauce, not only is the smell gone, it even enhances the taste! I will definitely buy all of this sauce today!"

Hearing their words, everyone broke into commotion. The Host gestured for them to step down from the stage.

After they returned to their seats, the servants served them a bowl of milk to reduce the burning pain in their mouths and to prevent them from having a stomachache.

"Everyone, today we have a total of 50 jin of these spicy chili crisps, totaling 10 jars! Each jar contains 5 jin, with a starting price of 50 taels of silver. Each bid cannot be less than 5 taels of silver."

"Those who already get the sauce cannot join the next round! Now, let’s start with the first jar!"

The moment everyone heard her words, they were unhappy since they couldn’t buy all the sauce. But thinking about the chance of getting any, they felt that this rule was good. Even if they couldn’t get it all, they still had 10 chances to buy the sauce.

As soon as the Host beat the gong, people raised their plates and shouted their prices.

"55 taels!"

"60 taels!"

"80 taels!"

"100 taels!" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"...."

The price continued to shoot up until it reached 200 taels of silver. At this point, only the wealthy merchants were left. Since this was the first jar, most of them let it go and gave face to the Xue family’s steward.

"200 taels, once! 200 taels, twice! 200 taels, thrice! SOLD! Congratulations to the guest in private room number 5!" the Host shouted excitedly.

After the first jar was taken away, the second jar was placed on the stand. Everyone thought that they would be able to bid at the same price. But the Host’s next words caused them to regret not fighting for the first jar.

"The starting price of the second jar is 200 taels of silver. Each bid cannot be less than 10 taels of silver!"

As soon as she said this, everyone took a sharp breath. Finally, understanding the rules, no one cared to give face to anyone anymore.

They bid fiercely until the price reached 500 taels of silver. This time, the sauce was bought by distant relatives of the Empress Dowager.

To secure this jar, the buyer even brought up the Empress Dowager’s name, pressuring the others to give up the bidding.