Chapter 191: Auction [3]
Although the question about Rose and Elena's prowess, and even his own prowess, attempted to plague his mind, he decided not to linger on it for too long.
This was the kind of mystery he knew he couldn't solve no matter how deep he thought about it. He simply didn't have the worldly knowledge to do so. Perhaps, all his questions could be answered as he climbed up the stages of power.
Still, the difference in power between 3rd class existences on the different planets or even continents that he had been to had been duly noted in his mind. He had to make sure he didn't take his experiences in one world's power scale to define his universal power.
Who knows, there might even be a world where their normal 3rd classes were comparable to the 4th class existences he'd met so far.
Well, besides Tian Yang. The feeling of pressure and fear he felt from only a portion of Tian Yang's aura that day still haunted his mind. It was a clear wall he could see. A denominator between him and true power.
But no matter how high the wall seemed, it didn't seem impossible. He was glad he was given a goal to surpass.
As Damien submerged himself in his thoughts, the seats of the pavilion were completely filled and light whispers of conversation were spread throughout its area.
At this time, the lights in the pavilion dimmed, highlighting the stage that was still brightly lit.
A young woman entered the stage, her every step exuding grace with a slight touch of seduction. Her long blue hair flowed down her waist and her emerald green eyes were calm as a spring breeze. This sort of ethereal presence immediately captured the audience's attention.
"Isn't that Fairy Lin?"
"Indeed, it has to be her. There is none other who can match her beauty."
"What bullshit are you spouting? Fairy Tang is much more beautiful than her!"
"Hah? You dare insult my goddess?"
All sorts of murmurs were spread through the crowd as this Fairy Lin sauntered up to the podium in the middle of the stage.
Even Damien's eyes were attracted to her demeanor. Although it wasn't the same idolization the men from the crowd were feeling, he was still interested. He truly had to commend her ability to command attention.
Still, he made sure not to stare too hard and to make his honest intentions clear, since he could clearly feel the piercing cold gaze coming from his side, sending waves of shivers down his spine."
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to this humble auction. Although this one cannot guarantee her experience as an auctioneer, she can guarantee the veracity and quality of items up for auction today." Fairy Lin started, panning her gaze across the crowd.
"I hope the honored guests will enjoy the proceedings today. Without further ado, I shall present the first item."
Two female attendants entered the stage carrying a small tray covered in cloth. Damien sent his awareness towards it to see the item hidden underneath, only to find himself blocked.
'They truly have their guards raised high for this event.'
Even if it was merely this piece of cloth that concealed the item before it was revealed for bidding, it was enchanted with the ability to block anyone's senses trying to intrude. It was clear how much preparation was put into the auction.
When the attendants finally reached Fairy Lin, they took the cloth off, revealing a sleek black pair of throwing knives, shaped similarly to kunai.
"These throwing knives are called Shadow Edge. Make no mistake from their stature, these are peak SSS grade artifacts, capable of sneakily penetrating the defense of even an experienced Core Formation realm cultivator if they are caught off guard. The bidding will start at 10,000 spirit stones."
"10,000 spirit stones!"
"12,000 spirit stones!"
"15,000!"
The audience in the normal seats went crazy. There were many present who were at the early stages of 3rd class, and even some still within the boundaries of 2nd class. This kind of weapon was a huge boon for them.
However, the bidding didn't last too long. Not many were interested in such an item, but were more intrigued about its significance to the auction. If the very first item was an SSS rank artifact, they could only imagine what would come late.
The bidding soon finished at 30,000 spirit stones before the auction continued. And as expected, Chaos rank artifacts began to show themselves after the 5th item.
Damien didn't pay too much attention to the auction, knowing he had to save money for the final item. Instead, he immersed himself in thought about the discoveries they made in the last month.
Besides the things he already knew, Damien actually didn't end up learning much. The actions of these devil worshippers almost marched the actions of the dark imps on earth to the T.
The experiments weren't even that different, with the same black substance being injected into victims and similar harrowing results in the end. Even after an entire month, Damien hadn't witnessed a single successful injection.
He was also able to learn that rather than a direct connection to the Nox like Niflheim had, these devil worshippers were even lower.
They were subordinates of the subordinates. Most low-rank devil worshippers even assumed that those at Niflheim were the so-called Lords everyone kept praising.
He could only disdain the foolishness of some of these people. Well, then being foolish was a given considering that they succumbed to their thirst for power and traded their home world in return.
Still, to not even know the source of their power? To not even understand the murky and tumultuous waters they were willingly jumping into? Contempt and disdain were all Damien could feel no matter how much of an open mind he tried to keep.
If there was one thing he gained during this time, it was knowledge of the item termed as the Death Seed.
This seed...it wasn't necessarily correct to call it as such. Rather, its name had been altered to appeal to those who didn't know any better. Specifically, those who were now occupying the private rooms.
From what he gathered, this Death Seed was actually a living being. It was something that devil worshippers who gained Inheritor status would gain access to, granting them a stronger connection to the Nox.
However, he couldn't glean much else. The level of those attending this convention openly naturally wasn't high in the hierarchy. Otherwise, they wouldn't even have reason to be here.
The reason he and Ruyue attended the auction was also for the Death Seed. Regardless of what it was, they couldn't allow it to fall into the hands of any of those Sect Masters of the wicked sects.
Imagining a figure with such power and influence becoming the dog of the Nox made Damien shudder. That kind of development would surely spell the downfall of the world.
Anyway, the auction continued without a hitch, with rarer items coming out one by one. Even Damien couldn't completely hold himself back and decided to buy some things.
They were 3 Chaos Rank artifacts. A shimmering crystalline bracelet, a pair of beautiful sapphire-esque earrings, and a jewel-encrusted ring with a magnificent ruby-colored stone adorning it.