The auction had reached the middle section.

The gathering square’s ambience was growing warmer and warmer.

Under three magic light beams, the auction master took out the next item from a flat box.

When the box was opened, the item’s workmanship aura leaked out.

Everyone’s mind was shaken upon suddenly realizing that this was a gold level treasure.

“How many gold level alchemy items are there?”

“I have participated in five of Two Eyes Island’s auctions; this is absolutely the biggest one I’ve ever attended!”

“Even in imperial metropolis, such an auction is not commonly seen.”

“Hun Tong has truly proved his skill. The influence of this auction will inevitably raise Two Eyes Island’s business status once again!”

Many people present gradually realized that after this auction finished, Two Eyes Island’s fame would be elevated substantially.

The auction master began his presentation, “Noble customers, this is a classic treasure.”

“It comes from the Piggy Bank Alchemy Workshop.”

“Eight centuries ago, an alchemy item was produced, and through minute improvements, it reached its final form a century ago.”

“That’s right, it is the Balloon Knapsack!”

Everyone gazed at it with rapt attention and saw that in the auction master’s fingers, there was a thin cloth bag.

The cloth bag was shaped like something between a balloon and a shoulder knapsack.

Its materials seemed to be frail and crude, however, the surface was very brightly colored and looked like multicolored weaved squares and triangles.

“Honored customers, perhaps you are unconvinced, don’t worry, this treasure is at its smallest when it is empty.” The auction master continued his presentation, “The more stuff we store inside it, the bigger its bulk. Everyone please watch the demonstration patiently.”

As the auction master said this, a few fighters were moving twenty casks.

“These are empty casks.” The auction master opened the first ten casks.

Each cask was half a person’s height. 

Everyone saw that the casks were indeed empty, nothing was inside them.

The auction master walked to the side of a cask, then pulled the knapsack’s zipper before everyone.

After the knapsack was unzipped, a light leaked from within it.

The white light looked like fog, and within the fog, specks of crystal light glittered like shiny diamonds.

The white diamond lights cascaded down and covered the entire cask.

When the fog light pulled back into the knapsack, the entire cask subsequently disappeared from where it stood.

It was evident that the cask had been stored away.

But the knapsack’s size only minutely changed, almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Then after the auction master stored all ten casks, the knapsack got a bit bigger.

“Next will be casks full of fresh water.” As the auction master said this, some people carried over ten water casks.

The auction master stored all ten water casks into the knapsack.

The knapsack grew bigger, becoming a bit bulgier. The dragonman youngster couldn’t help but associate it with Zi Di’s small waist handbag filled with medicinal bottles. 

“These ten casks are filled with large amounts of Brain Pebbles.”

Another ten casks.

They were opened, allowing the audience to peer in and see that they were indeed filled with Brain Pebbles.

These white pebbles had strands of bloody wisps, like a person’s brain. They were a type of alchemy material with many uses.

The ten casks were filled with Brain Pebbles, five of them were filled with bronze level ones and the other five were filled with silver level ones.

The auction master first stuffed the five casks of bronze level Brain Pebbles into the knapsack.

The Balloon Knapsack swelled even larger and seemed to be the size of a normal inflated balloon.

The auction master then put the other five casks of Brain Pebbles into the knapsack, causing the Balloon Knapsack to inflate to the size of a normal knapsack. After being packed with silver level alchemy materials, it had swelled to its biggest size yet.

From this, it could be seen that an item’s workmanship had an immense effect on its deformation!

The auction master put the knapsack on his back and raised his voice, “Please witness everyone the Balloon Knapsack’s greatest merit: it can store a large number of things while still being relatively light.”

“Right now, I feel it is effortless to carry.”

“Of course, I am a iron level cultivator. Therefore, we specially arranged to have an ordinary person for this.”

A common youngster came on stage, and with all of the cultivators watching him, he appeared somewhat nervous.

He placed the Balloon Knapsack onto his own back.

His shoulders consequently sank slightly, but the burden was not strenuous.

Next, he slowly paced around, then walked quickly, then ran and jumped, all of which appeared fast and nimble. The knapsack on his back influenced his movement negligibly.

“Honored guests, your eyes see the truth – an ordinary person can carry this Balloon Knapsack!”

“Of course, this is not without cost. The knapsack must be imbued with battle qi beforehand, and only by expending battle qi can its weight be lowered.”

“Battle qi can be used; magic power will work too. Even some stored magic power crystals or elemental crystal stones in the knapsack can imbue it with energy.” 

“At present, this mystical storage equipment is far from reaching its limits.” 

“We can still put more things into it!”

Following that, the auction master placed even more things into the Balloon Knapsack, their quality ranging from ordinary to silver level.

The total amount of items in it was now ten times more than previously. 

The Balloon Knapsack grew even more in volume.

The balloon gradually grew from the size of a human child to the size of a human adult, then to the size of the horse, until finally, it had the bulk of an adult elephant.

The elephant sized balloon floated on the auction stage. The bag strap had also become taut, like a strand of hemp rope. One end of the “hemp rope” was connected to the multicolored Balloon Knapsack and the other was held gently by the auction master.

The auction master tugged on it from time to time, causing the Balloon Knapsack to softly sway accordingly.

The auction master then said, “Those familiar with this alchemy treasure should know that it can become even bigger. It can grow to the size of a carriage, and even a house with no issues.”

“As you can see, even though there is so many things loaded into it, it is still very light and portable. I can pull it with one hand.”

“Everyone, this gold level Balloon Knapsack has outstanding storage capabilities!”

“With it, we can store ever more things and pull it ever longer distances.”

“We can store food and water, the most basic insurance of survival while sailing the seas.”

“Think about it everyone, it isn’t easy to run shipping routes, there are many risks! There are pirates, ocean monsters, nasty tempests, and many other innumerable troubles. Our ships are finite, our hold space is finite, and we can only load so much merchandise. With this treasure, we can load so much more! What two voyages could transport can now be completed in one! That is an immense improvement!”

“You won’t regret purchasing this Balloon Knapsack, a gold level Balloon Knapsack.”

“Right, now the auction will begin. The starting price is 1000 gold, and every price increase must be no less than 80 gold.”

“Let the auction begin!” The auction master’s small hammer fell with a crack.

“1,200 gold!” The Flint Merchant Alliance representative bid soon after.

The auction master’s words simply drove themselves into his heart. In this respect, he wanted it quite exuberantly.

“1,400 gold.”

“1,500 gold.”

Quite quickly, the five great merchant alliance representatives acted in succession.

As a pirate commander, Dian Wan was unwilling to be left out, “1,600 gold.”

This time, his first mate didn’t object.

They were pirates, they needed such storage devices. Pirate ships emphasized pursuit speed and agility compared to trade ships, ensuring military strength by sacrificing storage space.

Often when the Lightning Pirates were looting, merchant ships sank, and they didn’t have surplus space to stow the spoils of war. They had no choice but to resign themselves to what treasures they could take and abandon most of the merchant goods, taking only the most valuable things.

With the gold level Balloon Knapsack, they could maximize the profits of each piracy.

Therefore, this time, the first mate supported Dian Wan.

Dian Wan’s bid was the prologue of pirates joining the “war” in increasing numbers.

Very quickly, Stench, Applause, and other pirate commanders all joined the price competition.

Not long after, Qi You’s voice transmitted from room 3, “2,500 gold!” 

The Flint Merchant Alliance representative who had always been in contention didn’t back down as he yelled, “2,600 gold.”

Currently, the auction price was still below his bottom line.

The Flint Merchant Alliance primarily excavated and mined ore, along with transporting ore and metal, all of which were both numerous and heavy. The Balloon Knapsack storage device agreed well with the Flint Merchant Alliance.

The Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance representative followed up serenely, “2,800 gold.”

The Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance’s main business was food and cloth, both of which were rigidly in demand. None could run away from these two requirements, therefore of humanity’s six great merchant alliances, the Clam Cloth was the biggest and had very substantial financial resources.

As for the Treasure and Secret Medicine Merchant Alliance representatives both had withdrawn from the competition.

They were both refiners, one refined alchemy treasures while the other made and sold magic potions. Both these types of products had small quantities and high quality. Therefore, their requirements were far less intense than the Flint and Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance’s.

The playing card magician Shi Fa, the treasure hunter Hong Zhu, the dwarf Men Shi, the gunman Mei Ban, and the other lone figures watched the competition play out from the side lines.

The Balloon Knapsack’s price constantly rose. When it surpassed 3,000 gold, the bids began to become sparse and less frequent.

There were ten competitors left, the most powerful of which were the Flint Merchant Alliance representative, the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance representative, as well as the Ten Touch Pirates.

After a violent battle, the Ten Touch Pirates were the last one standing.

“Room 3, 3,200 gold, going once.”

The Flint Merchant Alliance representative hesitated.

“Room 3, 3,200 gold, going twice.”

The Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance’s representative’s forehead was already layered with beads of sweat, he sighed and chose to give up.

Just as the auction master was about to pound his hammer, Hun Tong’s voice transmitted from room 1, “3,280 gold.”