Chapter 478: Mystery
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Two thousand dollars was the low price which Li Du assigned to the first storage unit. Even though the toilet bowls in the storage unit seemed to be luxurious, they were broken, and the cost to fix them would be very high.
His willingness to pay this price was for the fourteenth box. Inside were some unopened items for daily use and he would earn a profit selling them to general stores.
The number of people that attended this auction was not a lot because there was another auction going on in Phoenix. There were also a few companies organizing auctions in Tempe, so the treasure hunters were distributed.
Additionally, a few of them did not see the inside the storage units, so the competition for the first storage unit wasn't intense.
Ferris bidded with resolution and ultimately managed to snag the storage unit at a low price of 2,000 dollars.
The treasure hunters from Flagstaff did not compete—that was the main reason he managed to snag it.
After successfully bidding, Ferris broke into a satisfied grin. He locked the unit up and said, "Guys, when I earn some money, I'll buy the drinks for our next party."
"Deal—I want golden tequila."
"F*ck you!"
The atmosphere around the Flagstaff treasure hunters was great; with the leadership of Li Du, they were confident with their loot. Even if they didn't manage to bid for a storage unit, they had still been treated to a grand meal.
The treasure hunters from other areas were unhappy and someone asked, "Did they form an alliance? Do they share the profits?"
Olly smiled. "No, it's just that we aren't interested in this first storage unit. Let's go and head to the second storage unit for our battle."
When the doors opened, Li Du still stood last. Those who had tried to compete with him for it before mostly retreated.
However, some were still determined and stood behind him. "He'll see our true colors today—I want him to know that the people from Scottsdale don't give up!"
Li Du heard this and smiled without saying anything.
Those that were in front finished inspecting and all eyes were on him; he playfully glimpsed at those behind him and took a few steps forward.
The envious people who hated him began laughing mockingly. The man directly behind him crossed his arms with a heroic aura, as though he'd done something great.
Li Du ended up not entering the storage unit; he walked to the auctioneer's chair, carried it over, and sat on it.
As the treasure hunters inspected the storage units, the auctioneers didn't have much to do, so they brought their chairs and mugs over for a rest.
The viewing session was about to end and he stood up to prepare for the auction to start.
After seeing Li Du sit down, Hans smiled and shouted, "Big Quinn, bring a bottle of beer over."
Big Quinn, who was sitting in the shade and chatting with Godzilla, quickly brought him over a bottle of beer.
The auctioneer signaled to the guards to close the door and the treasure hunter behind Li Du became anxious. He wanted to see what was inside but was unable to cast aside his ego.
The unit was bought for 2,500 dollars and the treasure hunters from Flagstaff did not end up getting it.
When the doors to the third storage unit opened, Li Du once again stood last in line. This time, everyone stood in front of him.
Someone teased, "Niko, my old pal, why did you line up here? Aren't you the unyielding man of Scottsdale?"
Niko replied unpleasantly, "I'm unyielding but I'm not crazy—I don't compete with crazy people."
The treasure hunters went through and viewed the unit. At his turn, Li Du leisurely strolled up, gave it a slight glance and left.
A treasure hunter from Phoenix asked, "Hey, Big Li, why don't you give it greater attention? Do you know some insider information?"
"No," Li Du replied lazily, "I don't know any information. I'm just not stupid. These storage units belonged to the same hotel, and the hotel's abandoned storage units won't be valuable."
After listening to him, the treasure hunters nodded in agreement.
By the fifth storage unit, Li Du had just been casting bored glances into the units and did not show any interest in them. The treasure hunters observing him lost interest.
But those treasure hunters from Flagstaff were still active and had successfully bought these three storage units. The prices weren't that high—the most expensive sold for 1,500 dollars.
At the sixth storage unit, Li Du once again walked past and shook his head at Hans. Hans understood and when the auctioneer shouted the price, the two of them didn't bid.
Li Du was fully regarded as the lead in this auction and many people responded to his attitude, including the auctioneer. Li Du had a well-known reputation throughout Arizona.
Upon seeing his disinterest, the auctioneer lowered his starting price. "I believe you all can tell it's quite a mess, so the price I will start at is 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars…"
A frail white man raised his hand. "Two hundred dollars, okay!"
The treasure hunters glanced over and some of those from Flagstaff were taken aback. "Hey, Max Conrad, buddy, you shifted from trading old goods to auctions for storage units?"
"Address me as Lu Guan," Conrad replied sternly. "If you don't make noise, I'll be willing to teach you."
The auctioneer wasn't interested in their conversation and raised his hand to continue reporting. "Now it's at 200 dollars. Anyone interested at 300 dollars, 300 dollars, 300 dollars?"
"Okay!" One treasure hunter nodded his head.
"Okay, 300 dollars, 300 dollars, 300 dollars. Anyone willing to pay 400 dollars, 400 dollars, 400 dollars?"
"Yes," another treasure hunter nodded.
Lu Guan raised his hand. "I'll offer 500 dollars."
The price started to rise and quickly went from 500 dollars to 1,000 dollars.
The auctioneer shouted, "1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars. If there aren't any higher prices, 1,000 dollars once, 1,000 dollars twice…"
"One thousand one hundred dollars!" Lu Guan shouted before the final price was called, but there seemed to be hesitation in his voice.
The treasure hunter who had offered 1,000 dollars still wanted to compete, but his partner shook his head and the two of them started whispering. He did not continue biding.
For 1,100 dollars, Lu Guan successfully bought this storage unit.
At the seventh storage unit, Li Du discussed things with Hans. The treasure hunters from Flagstaff gathered around. Li Du instructed them for a bit and they nodded their heads.
The other treasure hunters were interested and stared at them. They didn't know what Li Du and Hans were discussing or what Li Du was instructing the rest, but it was related to the auction for sure.
The auctioneer saw this and he guessed that Li Du was interested in this storage unit. He shouted, "This storage unit seems to have something different, so the starting price will be higher at 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars!"
Hans nodded and said, "1,000 dollars. I'll buy."
The rest of Flagstaff's treasure hunters stood behind the crowd and did not take part in the bidding.
At this instant, the treasure hunters guessed what Li Du had told them: not to compete with him.