Soon, as more and more people arrived at the auction, it officially began after about half an hour. Although the initial items for auction were rare and valuable collectibles not commonly seen at regular auctions, Wu Hao wasn’t interested and simply sat quietly at his auction seat.

The seat prepared for him by the smart brain was just a standard seat in the auction hall, not in the VIP area above. Of course, this auction was not a public one, so even the standard seats were not accessible to just any wealthy person.

The people in the private boxes, on the other hand, were all tycoons from around the world, including representatives from some special government agencies. In short, those who could enter the VIP boxes were all very prominent figures. This was why the smart brain couldn’t fabricate a VIP identity for Wu Hao and could only place him in a standard seat in the main hall.

However, the standard seats in this hall were quite spacious, and it did not feel crowded at all.

Time passed quickly, and as the items that would normally be saved for the grand finale at other auctions were claimed by their respective buyers, the final few grand items of this auction began to appear.

“Next, we will auction the grand finale item of this auction. Please welcome our first grand finale item.” With the host’s announcement, several stunningly beautiful foreign female attendants wheeled the first item onto the stage.

The item was a jade compass shaped like a piece of jade, about palm-sized, with a somewhat ancient appearance. It was carved with many patterns of mythical beasts, giving it a mysterious aura. However, there was a round groove in the center of the compass, making it appear somewhat incomplete.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the item coming up is provided by a seller from the East. The specific function and origin are unclear, but according to our organizers’ appraisal, the jade used in this ancient jade compass is of the highest quality. Additionally, this ancient jade compass has the unusual ability to absorb gemstones. The following video is a record of our verification of the compass,” the host introduced, and a video played on the display above the auction stage.

The video was indeed unusual. It showed the ancient jade compass being placed on a tray, and then someone placed a gemstone, matching the size and color of the groove, into the compass’s groove. After about a few seconds, the originally transparent and extraordinary-looking gemstone gradually became dull and eventually cracked into powder.

The guests from around the world were astonished. If this video wasn’t created with computer special effects, then this compass was truly remarkable.

Although the origin and function of this compass were unknown, its use of the highest quality jade and its peculiar ability to turn gemstones into powder were enough to amaze people. Furthermore, everyone present knew that this ancient jade compass was definitely not a complete item; a complete compass would certainly have a very special gemstone in that central groove, but the current gemstone was missing.

It seemed that ordinary gemstones could not integrate with this compass; the fact that the gemstone turned into powder was the best evidence of this.

Wu Hao, who had been quietly waiting for the meteorite to appear, became interested after seeing the unusual compass. He immediately used his spiritual sense to probe the ancient jade compass on the stage. Although Wu Hao’s spiritual sense could detect any item, he didn’t get much useful information about the ancient jade compass. He could only determine that it was made of top-quality jade and knew nothing more.

This situation was similar to when he probed the black meteorite, though the black meteorite’s structure was even more peculiar.

“Alright, the basic information and introduction of this item are now clear to everyone. Let the auction for this item officially begin. The starting bid for this ancient jade compass is 1 billion USD, and each bid must not be lower than 50 million USD,” the host said, and then struck the wooden gavel, indicating that bidding for this item had started.

Indeed, despite the unknown function and origin of this ancient jade compass, many people showed interest. Bidding quickly started in the auction hall.

“1.1 billion USD! Bidder number 38 offers 1.1 billion USD.”

“1.2 billion USD, bidder number 56 offers 1.2 billion USD.”

“1.25 billion USD, bidder number 25 offers 1.25 billion USD…”

In a moment, as people continued to bid, the price of the ancient jade compass quickly soared to 1.5 billion USD.

To put it into perspective, this was 1.5 billion USD, not 1.5 billion RMB. The things 1.5 billion USD could achieve were considerable. This amount of money was enough to build a landmark skyscraper. For example, the current tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, cost around 1.5 billion USD, and other buildings in the top ranks cost similarly.

Yet, this ancient jade compass, with its unknown origin and function, had instantly risen from a starting price of 10 million USD to a staggering 1.5 billion USD, and it was clear that this 1.5 billion USD was not the final figure.

Because Wu Hao had not yet placed a bid! Although Wu Hao’s purpose for attending the auction was the black meteorite, the ancient jade compass also greatly piqued his interest. Even though he did not know the function and origin of the ancient jade compass yet, it did not diminish his enthusiasm to acquire it.

After a while, as the price climbed to 1.75 billion USD, fewer people continued to bid. Wu Hao saw that it was time for him to make his move.

He quickly input his bid into the equipment at his seat.

“2 billion USD, bidder number 66 offers 2 billion USD. Is there a higher bid? 3…2…1, sold. Congratulations to bidder number 66 for winning this item at today’s auction.” The host, having observed the bidding situation, knew that after Wu Hao’s bid of 2 billion USD, no one else would likely bid further. After all, when the price was 1.75 billion USD, there was already limited competition, and raising it to 2 billion USD naturally made other interested bidders give up.

After all, although these wealthy guests from around the world were extremely rich, spending 2 billion USD on something with an unknown origin and function was a step too far for most.

Meanwhile, the tycoons in the private boxes above had a clear target: the black meteorite, the final grand item.