The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

But at this moment, everyone was immersed in that touching story that brought tears to their eyes, so no one noticed his gaffe.

The host knocked the gold-edged wooden gavel in his hand and said excitedly to the guests below the stage in a high-pitched voice.

"A bid from the esteemed Mr. Colin, two thousand gold coins once! Any higher bids?"

"Two thousand five hundred!"

The bidder this time was also a servant of a noble, and judging from his arrogant demeanor, his master's status was likely high.

Recalling Lord Colin's instructions, Punk kept his composure, ignoring the provocative gaze of that insolent fellow.

His goal was to seize the first and last bids, not to squawk around the venue like a parrot just learning to talk.

Seeing that Mr. Colin's servant did not respond to the challenge, the noble's servant wore a slightly disappointed expression, as if his punch had landed on cotton.

But he did not remain complacent for long.

Because it wasn't just his master who wanted to make an impression in front of the Princess, the entire venue was filled with the same intent.

The host hadn't even had time to knock the gavel again when another servant, regaining his senses, raised the bidding paddle.

"Three thousand!"

The atmosphere in the venue reached a peak, and the host excitedly knocked the gavel, shouting in a passionate voice.

"Baron Amante bids three thousand gold coins! Three thousand! Are there any gentlemen or ladies willing to bid higher?!"

In just three rounds of bidding, the price had tripled!

Many of the guests present were slightly moved, and some young gentlemen and ladies couldn't help but hold their breath.

That was three thousand gold coins!

Not silver coins, much less copper coins!

On the Aus Continent, most of the gold mines were controlled by the Empire that monopolized the colonies, so even though the Empire constantly harvested wealth worldwide with gold coins, the purchasing power of gold coins remained astonishing.

Most of the time, the nobles on Aus Continent primarily used silver coins for daily transactions, resorting to gold coins only for large payments or estate calculations.

Don't look at how the citizens of Thunder City fought fiercely over a few mattresses; the highest price reached only 20 gold coins.

Compared in modern terms, think of 21st-century high-end graphics cards and Audis versus Santana cars and color TVs in times of scarcity.

A 200,000-copper-coin mattress surely had a premium, but for the citizens of Thunder City, such a premium was acceptable. After all, people in this world didn't have short clips to browse or much gossip to discuss—the biggest entertainment scene was in bed.

As for the pocket watch worth a house in the Queen's District...

Its value could no longer be described with a premium; it could be simultaneously worth nothing or everything.

After all, those qualified to bid at this auction did not need to synchronize their schedules to every minute and second to fit others, making a precise pocket watch needless for them... only those who served them needed such things.

Conversely, the fact that this pocket watch could be so precise was because Thunder City's clock tower followed the pace of its owner.

This kind of significance couldn't be measured with money.

However, not many people could see this point, as among the guests present, those who didn't care for a pocket watch were abundant, but those who "owned everything" were rare.

Baron Ges, hesitating several times as he considered joining the fun through his servant, ultimately restrained himself.

The annual revenue from Silver Pine Town brought him only a few thousand gold coins; he truly had wealth, but the daily expenses weren't small either. It wasn't worth paying the price of a house in the Queen's District just to gain favor with the Princess.

Besides, the real ruler of the Campbell Duchy was Duke Edward; currying favor with Princess Erin wasn't as cost-effective as aligning with the Andes Family. He must consider whether it's worth it.

The same went for other nobles.

Especially those of higher status showed even less interest in participating; it was mainly smaller nobles and untitled wealthy individuals competing.

But for Princess Erin, this was enough.

As the price rose from three thousand to four thousand gold coins, the increase intervals began to slow, shifting from four-digit raises to three digits, even two digits.

Yet even so, this price far exceeded Princess Erin's expectations because, according to her original calculations, a one-pound loaf of bread only cost 5 copper coins.

She had specifically instructed her trusted aides to conduct serious interviews and investigations on every street in Thunder City, confirming that this was the city's general price, with only minor fluctuation of one or two copper coins based on the region.

Three thousand gold coins equaled six million pounds of bread, enough to feed the refugees outside the city for a year, with surplus!

And now, the price of this pocket watch was approaching five thousand gold coins!

How many loaves of bread did that translate to?!

"This is wonderful, Theresa! With this huge sum, we can definitely ensure the refugees outside survive this winter safely!"

Looking at the ever-increasing price, Princess Erin, sitting in the box, showed a delighted expression, unconsciously reverting to her usual self.

Before tonight, she had been a bit anxious, worrying that no one would support her idea, but she hadn't expected a single auction item to achieve her fundraising goal for the night.