Chapter 72

"According to the administrative officer, the 28th terrarium has been damaged to the extent that the power of the World Tree's branch has weakened. It's so bad that it can't even bear fruit. It will require a significant amount of funds to restore it and bring it back to normal orbit. Right now, it's like a fire in a fireplace. We need to keep adding a lot of firewood to keep it from going out."

Go ahead. If you don't bid, I'll throw diamonds. He was standing confidently with his wallet, when one of the people sitting in the meeting room spoke up. He showed a cautious attitude, as if evaluating a product.

But no one knows exactly what happened in the 28th terrarium.

"However, the location in the 20s will play a significant role. Although it's in the past, it was a place where immortal diamonds were produced. So there's still potential. Additionally, the commercial areas of the neighboring terrariums are developing, and the number of visitors is gradually recovering."

The administrative officer rebutted.

"Mr. Jay, would you like to take a seat? It seems the discussion will take a while. The people here have come to bid for the ownership of the 28th terrarium. They have been eagerly waiting for your arrival."

I should have arrived a bit later to make them anxious. How dare they try to outbid me.

"The final auction price, minus the commission, will all go to Mr. Jay. The commission will be taken by the 18th terrarium, which has been authorized by the Central Administrative Department of the 1st terrarium to manage this. It will be beneficial for both parties if these people offer a high auction price and take the 28th terrarium."

No, I will own it.

"According to the report, the number of fire entities in the vicinity has exceeded the danger level. It's not a suitable place for low-level druids. This means that the products that need to be sold using such druids will be blocked from the start."

"Then, the problem can be solved by hiring high-level druids to clean it up."

"Of course, that will also incur costs. Oh, there are so many holes that need to be filled with diamonds. It's a terrarium with very low value in many ways."

Don't insult my terrarium. I've been taking such good care of it. I've been feeding it diamonds to the point of bursting.

"Didn't your 32nd terrarium rush here first? Your administrative officer must have his eyes on fire. He has always dreamed of expanding into the 20s. But can you afford the restoration costs? If you use all your diamonds in the auction, it will be obvious which terrarium will collapse next."

The person sitting opposite started to provoke him. Watching the man's face turn red, I suddenly found it amusing. I leaned my chin on my hand and watched the people argue.

"Didn't you criticize this place from the moment you arrived, saying there were swamps and no fertile land? A gemstone shop that has nothing to do with agriculture! You must be after the immortal diamonds that can be obtained from the 28th terrarium!"

"Of course, immortal diamonds are extremely rare gems, but the probability of them being produced again in the 28th terrarium is also very low, right? Perhaps they won't be produced again."

"Yet, I know you've already finished your marketing preparations? I also know you've cleaned up a few businesses to acquire the 28th terrarium."

"Those are rumors. Or, where did you hear such things?"

After that, I heard a long discussion about plausible business plans using the 28th terrarium and criticisms from other terrariums trying to take it over.

Among them, a person with a poker face stood out, sitting quietly as if waiting for the right moment. He didn't participate in the debate, showing an attitude that there was no need to artificially lower the value of the terrarium to cut the price.

He seemed to be the only one who could be a match for me. There was a sense of ease that comes from having something. I wondered what kind of person he was.

I looked at the clock in the meeting room. A considerable amount of time had passed. I needed to find a wasp before midnight.

"Can we start now? I have something to do."

At my words, everyone stopped arguing and looked at me. I felt a sense of determination, like soldiers preparing to enter a battlefield. They all seemed to have a strong will to acquire the 28th terrarium. In the end, they were all my enemies.

"What do I need to do?"

"We need to determine the initial auction price."

"Didn't you know that?"

"We can't easily know the economic situation of other terrariums. We only know that Mr. Jay has a 100% stake."

Their gazes changed. They saw me as a novice in management, someone they could beat.

"To determine the amount you acquired, we will connect the branch of the 28th World Tree with our 18th World Tree's branch. Based on the information from the branches, let's determine the initial auction price."

As soon as he finished speaking, a leaf pattern appeared on the large table in the meeting room. Then, like the USB cables I saw in the 28th terrarium's orchard, stems crawled out from everyone's seats like snakes.

"Regardless of the amount, your efforts will be appreciated, and you will receive a satisfactory amount of diamonds."

If more diamonds appear here, the dwarves will hate it.

While connecting the stem to my phone, I asked the administrative officer.

"How do I participate in the auction?"

"It's not difficult. If Mr. Jay participates, the costs currently being used to manage the 28th terrarium will be automatically added to the initial auction price. If the acquisition cost is 100 and the management cost is 20, Mr. Jay will participate in the auction at 120. You can gradually increase the amount through your wallet. The people here will try to win the branch's favor by offering more diamonds to the World Tree's branch. Are you really going to participate? It's also fine to just take the diamonds and leave."

The leaf pattern began to glow brightly. I saw the people in the meeting room plug the stem-like cables into their wallets.

It was a bit absurd, but it seemed like a normal auction, except that we were trying to get the World Tree's branch to choose the hand with the most treats. Hey, good boy. Come on, woof woof.

Numbers started to appear one by one on the glowing leaf pattern. I looked at the participants, ignoring the 28th World Tree branch's number throwing, which kept increasing without stopping.

The higher the number, the more bizarre the expressions became, eventually turning pale. Even the person who maintained the same posture from the beginning, whom I had been watching, lost his poker face.

"I will, of course, participate in the auction."

With those words, the numbers skyrocketed. Do you have better bones? Our World Tree branch seems to like the treats that have emptied our dwarves' carts several times.

It seems the game was never a match from the start.

"Rather than that, let's talk about something else. A few businesses here might be very interesting to our boss. He's looking for investment opportunities because he has a lot of money left over."

Seeing people gasping for breath and rubbing their eyes as if they were hallucinating, I realized how much the 28th World Tree branch was eating and how much it was an unreal amount of money. It was also an amount that I, as an individual, could never pay alone.

The amount was too... enormous... for us dryads to just let it slide. I needed to find a non-existent boss again.

I laid some bait, and they bit. The 28th terrarium was no longer their goal. When asked about their affiliation, I said it was a secret. I wasn't sure what organization would give the impression of having a lot of money.

"Of course, not right now. I'm a bit busy. If you send me the business plan, I'll review it carefully. Let me see... where should I send it to..."

"I'll gladly act as an intermediary."

Not only the participants but also the administrative officer of the 18th terrarium bit the bait, probably hoping for a commission. Since no one bid, the auction was over, and the commission was irrelevant. The administrative officer, calculating, offered the use of the meeting room, a VIP hotel, and attendants. I declined the attendants but accepted the VIP hotel, as Kalong had recommended a good one.

As I was about to leave, I saw everyone urgently taking out their phones. The buzzing sound suggested that it might be related to the wasp I was looking for. However, I couldn't ask them.

I was unsure where to find the information.