The catalog's description of the map fragment was exceedingly brief, and the lines of the map itself were so blurred that no one knew what the thing was meant for. If it was an antique, then where was the certificate of appraisal? It did not even state when it had been made. And if it was not an antique, then it still failed to explain what use it had. It looked little different from one of those hand-drawn maps bandits in the old days used when heading into the mountains, and this one was only a fragment at that.

In practical terms, the thing had no value whatsoever. It might pass for something worth selling to the uninformed in an antique market, but displayed at an auction, it seemed distinctly out of place.

Still, auctions were bound to produce a few oddities. Many of them went unsold in the end, but every year there were always a few such items.

In truth, even the auctioneer had no idea what this map fragment was. He had no explanation to offer and could only repeat the brief description in the catalog: this was a peculiar parchment map, perhaps a treasure map leading to some vast hidden fortune.

Of course, he had emphasized the word "perhaps." There were countless things that were perhaps possible. If you wandered down the street at random, you might even stumble across a million yuan. No one was going to believe such fanciful nonsense.

The scions of the great houses and the wealthy merchants who had come to the auction were no fools. They had come for things that could benefit them. If something was useless and they had no desire for it, they naturally could not be bothered to take part.

An auction was not a market stall. Once you joined the bidding on something you did not want, you would still have to buy it if you won; you could not simply change your mind. And so, for a useless map fragment like this, not a single person made an offer.

The auctioneer had encountered such situations before. Unsold lots were nothing unusual, and one more made no difference. He cleared his throat and said, "Lot number three, a parchment map. Is anyone interested in bidding?"

"Ha! One hundred and ten thousand!" Lai the Fatso raised his paddle. "This thing might really be a treasure map. I may as well buy it and take it home for a little research!"

Lai the Fatso's words drew countless suspicious and contemptuous looks. To find a treasure with a battered map like that, one would have to be possessed. And Lai the Fatso looked exactly like a nouveau riche with money to burn. Those who knew him were baffled. He was usually a shrewd man, so why was he buying this piece of junk? Was he simply trying to show off? Those who did not know him assumed he had more money than sense, a complete idiot with nowhere else to spend it.

"One hundred and ten thousand. The gentleman with paddle number one hundred and eighty-three has bid one hundred and ten thousand. Is there a higher offer?" The auctioneer was slightly taken aback, but a bid was a bid. Even if it was only one hundred and ten thousand, the auction house would still receive a twenty percent commission. A mosquito might be small, but it was still meat.

"One hundred and ten thousand, going once... One hundred and ten thousand, going twice..." The auctioneer looked around the room, hoping someone might raise the price a little. Unfortunately, no one did.

The scions of the great houses were no fools. They would never bid on something useless, especially when doing so might earn them an enemy in the process. Everyone who had made it into this auction put profit first. No one was willing to do something that harmed others without benefiting themselves.

If something was of no use to you, you simply stayed out and left it to whoever wanted it. But if it was useful to you as well, then you would fight over it until your face was flushed and your neck bulged with veins. Deliberately disruptive bidding, however, was rare unless the two bidders already had a grudge against each other.

In a corner of the auction hall, a man heard someone enter the bidding, and his expression tightened at once. Speaking into the earpiece at his lips, he asked, "Uncle, should I raise the price?"

"The other party seems cautious as well. I cannot tell whether he actually wants it or not." A middle-aged man's voice came through the earpiece. "Raise it by ten or twenty thousand as a token gesture and see what happens."

"Understood!" the man replied. When the auctioneer called, "One hundred and ten thousand, going for the third time," he raised his paddle and said, "One hundred and twenty thousand!"

"Oh? Looks like it really is something good. Then I cannot very well refuse to raise the bid!" Lai the Fatso cast a somewhat surprised glance at the bidder. Before the auctioneer could say a word, he rose to his feet and called, "One hundred and twenty-five thousand!"

"What?" Everyone in the hall froze. When they saw someone else enter the bidding, they had begun wondering whether the parchment map might actually be something valuable. But after hearing Lai the Fatso's bid, they understood. The way he was bidding made it obvious that he was not determined to win. Who bid like that otherwise? It was practically the behavior of a shameless troublemaker.

Although the minimum increment for an item with a reserve price of one hundred thousand was five thousand yuan, few people actually raised the price by so little. Most increased their bids by ten thousand at a time. Lai the Fatso's manner could only mean that he was indifferent toward the item. If someone competed with him, he would raise the price symbolically. The moment the other bidder went too high, he would simply let it go.

Thus, no one else had any interest in joining in. To do so now would be tantamount to making an enemy. They might as well sit back and watch the two of them perform.

"Uncle, what is he trying to do?" the man with the paddle asked hesitantly.

"I do not know. Raise it another five thousand and see what happens. If he raises again, give up," the middle-aged man replied.

"One hundred and thirty thousand!" The man raised his paddle.

"One hundred and thirty-five thousand!" Lai the Fatso swayed his ample backside and raised his paddle.

"Give up!" the middle-aged man ordered. "Have someone investigate his background!"

"Understood." The man lowered his paddle and made no further bid.

"One hundred and thirty-five thousand, going once. One hundred and thirty-five thousand, going twice. One hundred and thirty-five thousand, going for the third time. Sold!" The auctioneer brought down his hammer with a decisive crack. Those who had been waiting for a spectacle were somewhat disappointed.

The man who had bid against Lai the Fatso had clearly only been playing around. He had never intended to take the map home. Lai the Fatso, too, had probably been bidding for amusement.

No one therefore imagined that the map fragment could be anything valuable. When Lai the Fatso won the lot, he showed not the slightest sign of delight, which only confirmed that he had been bidding for fun rather than determined to obtain it at all costs.

"Congratulations to the gentleman with paddle number one hundred and eighty-three on purchasing this parchment map for one hundred and thirty-five thousand yuan. A member of our staff will contact you shortly to discuss payment and delivery." With that, the auctioneer began introducing the next lot.

Lai the Fatso's purchase of the parchment map was nothing more than a minor interlude. No one paid him any further attention, except for the man who had bid against him earlier.