He watched on as yet another bidder examined the merchandise. He began to wonder if he should do the same. He was the only serious bidder left who hadn't made any attempt at appraisal by now. But then maybe it was too late. He had already made a significant escalation to the bid without examining her. He also had reservations about groping the unfortunate captive before an audience, and if he made an examination more related to her seemingly magical abilities, it could lead the others to suspect that he was the mysterious mage in their midst. It was a difficult situation.

The odds of his cover being blown only increased as the auction dragged on. "I need to end this soon. If I can make them think that I have enough money that I can best any bid without any serious deliberation, I might just win this.", he thought.

He took a step forward, and spoke in a monotone voice aiming to sound as emotionally withdrawn as possible, "Thirty million".