The board froze on his number, the glow of five hundred million burning across the display like it had been branded into the air. The hall went dead quiet. Every bidder who had been tapping furiously just moments ago sat frozen in their seats, their pride swallowed under the weight of that number.
The auctioneer grinned so wide his mask looked like it would split in half. He raised the hammer, voice booming through the chamber. "Five hundred million… going once… going twice… SOLD!"
The hammer cracked against the podium, and the room erupted. Some gasped in awe, others muttered curses under their breath, and a few stormed out in silence, their pride too bruised to stay.
The crystalline egg flickered brighter on the display for a moment before dimming back down, sealed back into stasis as staff prepared to transport it.
