"Don't be rash—" Before Orion could finish, Lily had already called out her bid. He could not stop her in time. Only now had he noticed the fine print beneath each auction item, and his blood ran cold. His earlier anger had turned to creeping dread. Orion could only pray that Aria had not noticed the rule details and that his fears were unfounded. Yet at that moment, Aria spoke with perfect composure, "Seven silver dollars." "Seven? Can bids be in odd numbers?" "Weren't all bids supposed to be even?" While some remained confused, others' expressions had already shifted. The auctioneer continued steadily, "Seven silver dollars, going once, seven silver dollars, going twice..." "What should we do? Should we bid?" "How can we? We only have eight silver dollars total!" "Then let it go. Wait for the next item." "But it's a phone. What good is a phone mount without a phone?" "Maybe the next item will be better." Amid the murmurs, the auctioneer tapped his gavel. "Quiet,
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