Chapter 91: Lynch’s Kind Smile Returns

In just one week, Wood had established a certain rapport with everyone here.

To become someone’s friend, you mustn’t be too foolish, but also not too shrewd.

Too foolish, and you become a tool for others to exploit. People don’t like befriending fools—what looks like friendship may not be genuine.

But being too shrewd is also problematic. Humans are inherently selfish; taking advantage of others is a common trait in society. While a few righteous people exist, most are ordinary.

Ordinary people like to benefit at others’ expense but hate being exploited themselves.

Wood handled this well. Richard and others often delegated the dirtiest, toughest tasks to him. After some reluctance, he would take them on and occasionally push back slightly, but overall, he met people’s expectations of a friend and became well-liked.

During this time, Richard often talked about legendary stories involving wealthy people—how some sold onions before becoming rich, or how others were mere salesmen who seized chances and rose to the top.

Richard also boasted most about his classic cooperation with Lynch, making hundreds daily, which fascinated the young men.

At first, people might dismiss such tales as falsehoods, but hearing them daily mixed with some well-known true stories made people subconsciously start to believe.

Wood glanced at Richard, relaxed and chatting happily with a few special clients in the front row. He sensed a whole new world opening before him.

Wood’s officer misread Wood’s momentary distraction as related to him. After writing a check, he quietly explained his reasons while passing Wood—he had his own needs.

His wife had long complained about their outdated multifunction stove—a unit with a built-in grill under the stove.

At purchase, both thought the design clever, imagining putting meat on the grill while cooking dinner so everything would be done simultaneously.

Reality hit hard. The grilling space was too small—even a regular chicken wouldn’t fit, let alone a turkey.

The grill was too short; grilling fish required cutting it into three or four pieces to cook separately.

Even worse, to heat a flatbread on the grill, they had to light at least two burners empty because the stove would shut off if left burning empty for over a minute unless a pot full of something was placed on it to prevent a gravity sensor from shutting it down.

In other words, to warm a flatbread, they had to boil water in two pots on burners just to keep the stove on long enough for a hot flatbread.

Charcoal grills were only usable outdoors unless they wanted to trigger the fire alarm.

Wood barely heard the officer’s complaint—his mind was filled with one thought: just now, doing nothing but standing there, he made over four Sol.

He looked again at Richard, who was joyfully chatting with clients—the smile on his face was proof.

Wood frowned, feeling a vague, indistinct thought stirring within him. He needed more time to explore it.

As the first stage of the auction continued, people gradually realized they had to act quickly; hesitation meant someone else could snatch the chance.

This was why Lynch put the buy-it-now style stage first—to amplify impulsive purchases.

Most items here had rigid demand, so selling wasn’t a problem, especially at prices far below market value.

Surprisingly, there were no faction-related items in this stage, which amazed the reporters witnessing the event—Ferrell was also wide-eyed.

He sensed Lynch was about to become famous again—not for bad reasons this time, but good ones.

The second stage began, and the first item caused an uproar.

At first, people didn’t realize how crazy they’d soon become. The auctioneer introduced an apartment near downtown on a commercial street, facing away from the sun.

The apartment’s drawback: limited sunlight—only two hours in the morning and late afternoon to early evening. It was dim and somewhat damp, but that didn’t matter.

Its last transaction price was 32,000 Sol.

No one was interested; if they could casually afford 32,000—or even 2,000—they wouldn’t be sitting here waiting for a possibly worthless belt after the event.

But when the auctioneer, his voice cracking with surprise, announced the apartment’s starting price…

“One Sol!” he waved his small card excitedly. Though no one could read it from far away, they felt his emotion. “One Sol—full ownership, starting bid is only one Sol!”

He had explained the second stage’s starting-price auction, so no one thought it could be bought outright for one Sol—but the crowd erupted in excitement.

Bids flew up fast—three thousand, four thousand, five thousand…

When it passed 10,000, bidding slowed.

Yet everyone realized the huge potential profit: buy for 10,000, sell for 20,000 or 32,000 later.

A quick flip could net thousands.

Most in the room never had such an easy chance to gain wealth, so despite exhaustion, no one wanted to quit.

Once involved, they couldn’t stop.

Then a card was handed to the auctioneer, who glanced at it and at Lynch standing calmly in the distance, reigniting the crowd’s enthusiasm.

He announced that Gatner Financial would offer a mortgage loan for up to 50% of the apartment’s final price.

If the highest bidder had only 10,000 for a 20,000 price, they could borrow the rest from Gatner.

After flipping the house, repaying the loan, they’d still pocket a profit—an irresistible temptation.

Indeed, the bidding jumped from 12,000 to over 24,000, leaving less than 8,000 to the top price.

A slight smile appeared on Lynch’s face. The secondhand real estate market in Sabin was lukewarm—not like the boom years when everyone wanted to move downtown.

Some areas had seen sharp declines in transactions, though some central locations still appreciated.

This apartment’s 32,000 transaction price was based on its last sale, but Lynch only paid 21,500 for it.In just a short while, he had already earned 1,250 Sol. Another 1,250 Sol… his gaze settled on a young man named Wood.

Wood’s face was flushed as he placed bids for his client, who seemed determined to win the house.

Watching these energetic young men, Lynch smiled encouragingly.