“My wild monsters!” the announcer shouted, commanding everyone’s attention. He was great at his job. The entire square—the entire city—was riled up and hanging from his lips. He continued, “I present to you this auction’s sixty-ninth item. A broken Dao manual uncovered by one of our disciples in an abandoned ruin. According to our estimations, this manual was created by someone at least at the late Autarch level. However, due to its state of great disrepair, a more accurate judgment is impossible. While this manual cannot be used to construct a Dao path, it might be able to provide insights into the Daos of Space and Death. Bidding starts at one late B-Grade core, with a minimum increment of one middle B-Grade core.”
With an exaggerated flourish, one of the attendants revealed a black sphere with blue motes of light lazily swimming inside.
The crowd’s reaction was lukewarm. Space monsters were more gifted in the physical aspect than cultivators, but their Dao talent was relatively lower. Not many cultivated double Daos. Of those, the ones that happened to cultivate specifically Space and Death and also be at a high enough level to deconstruct this manual and salvage insights from the ruins… Well, suffice to say they were very few.
Jack, however, perked up. He’d been aiming for this item but hadn’t held much hope. Now, it turned out this was one of the cheapest high-end items in the auction. What was just one late B-Grade core? He had plenty! He’d even offer thirty times that price!
“Hey, bro,” Brock said, coming up to whisper in Jack’s ear. “I’m whispering now so that Crownbeast sees us. He knows you cultivate Space but not Death. In his eyes, this item is useful to you, but not ridiculously so. If he also suspects you’re just trying to make him waste money, he won’t bid too high.”
Jack nodded. “That was my plan as well,” he whispered back.
Rare bids came from across the crowd. While space monsters who cultivated black hole-related Daos were rare, the plaza was packed. There were bound to be some present.
“Three late B-Grade cores!” someone shouted.
“Four!”
“Four and two middle ones!”
“Two peak B-Grade cores!” Jack shouted. Silence came momentarily as all the bidders eyed the new arrival. Most hovered in the sky at the same level as him—B-Grades—but they’d witnessed his strength the previous day. Many grimaced and gave up. A few, however, persisted.
“Two peak and two late cores!” came a thin voice. Tracing the figure, Jack found a thin woman hidden under a massive straw hat. Magical shadows cascaded over her face, with only her pale jaw revealed. She seemed humanoid.
“Three peak ones,” Jack shot back.
“Three and two.”
“Four peak ones.”
“Four and two!”
Jack frowned. “Six peak ones!” he shouted.
Space cores multiplied in value threefold for every small realm and tenfold for every large one. There were three late B-Grade cores to a peak one, but ten peak ones to an early A-Grade core.
The woman paused. Jack saw her jaw tighten. Just as she was about to respond, a new voice washed over the crowd, stunning everyone into silence.
“One early A-Grade core.”
It was calm, yet resolute. It carried absolute belief in victory. Everyone looked up to find Elder Crownbeast hovering there, his yellow glare glued on Jack. “Well?” the Elder asked. “Are you going to keep betting, kid?”
“What a thoughtful way to spend your faction’s resources,” Jack shot back without missing a beat. “One A-Grade core, one Elder’s life, just to bully a junior. I’m sure your overlord would be pleased if he saw you right now.”
Crownbeast’s forehead wrinkled. “You may not refer to Overlord Fiend King.”
“Yeah, and you may not waste faction resources for personal benefit, but I guess we’re both at fault.”
“If you must know, this is my private wealth,” Crownbeast replied, rearing up his head. The entire crowd was watching. “I am saving the faction’s for when it is needed.”
“Everyone knows that’s not true. But, whatever. If you want to go bankrupt over this, I’ll accompany you. One early A-Grade and three peak B-Grade cores.”
“Hmph!” Crownbeast replied. “We both know it’s not worth that much. Let’s see who’s more wasteful. One and six.”
“See what you did!? Now neither of us is getting the manual!” a voice reached Jack’s mind. Surprised, he turned around to find the woman from before glaring at him. Green eyes glowed under her hat.
“Stay in your lane,” he replied, then spoke aloud. “Two early A-Grade cores!”
“Two and five,” Crownbeast replied.
“Three early A-Grade cores!” Jack gave Crownbeast a relaxed smile. “I can do this all day.”
This was actually the full extent of his wealth. He was bluffing.
Crownbeast opened his huge mouth which could fit a bus and laughed, shaking the earth’s foundations. “What a fool!” he shouted. “Only an idiot would spend three A-Grade cores on a broken manual. It’s a good thing you’re strong, otherwise I fear you’d have died back when you were still a pupa worm! Hahaha! Have your manual, stupid brat. That price was my disciple’s wealth. I hope you consider it well-spent!”
Speaking to that point, Crownbeast gave Jack an ugly smile. Jack tried hard to compose himself—it was hard not to react when you were actually the winner.
“It’s free money,” he replied. “If I can make you eat a small public loss, it’s worth it.”
Crownbeast laughed again. To him, this bidding war wasn’t a matter of resources. He certainly had more than Jack. However, if he spent a fortune to win a worthless item, he would be ridiculed. Even worse, Jack could keep betting blind after he ran out of wealth, and there was nothing Crownbeast could do about it.
He wasn’t as rash as his words made him sound. Stopping here was a calculated decision; a certain victory, compared to the risk of betting even more. Crownbeast would never suspect that Jack was actually perfectly suited for this manual, nor that he really didn’t care about this world’s currency.
Making him pay ten times the price was good enough.
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One’s man trash is another’s treasure, Jack thought. He barely held his smile as he flashed to the stage, exchanged the cores for the broken manual, then returned to his friends.
He couldn’t participate in the auction any longer. All he had left was Saturnsun’s peak B-Grade core. By any reasoning, this was the perfect time to flee the city, as Crownbeast—who might want to chase him—was still pinned down by the auction. Jack, however…had a plan.
He ignored the crowd’s confused looks as he settled onto the back of Dolly—who was only flying because he held her aloft. “See?” he told the straw-hat woman. “I did get it.”
Her head snapped over so fast it cracked. “It’s not worth that much, you idiot!”
He did not respond.
The rest of the auction flowed smoothly. Another thirty items passed, some more valuable than others. Fierce bidding wars erupted for each of them. The entire city was aflame with excitement. Even the common folk were perched on rooftops, eyeing the commotion. It was rare to see so many masters gathered in one place.
Merchants crossed the crowd, selling what looked suspiciously like gummy worms. The monsters above were risking their lives to escape with precious items, but the atmosphere below was one of celebration. Most D and C-Grades had come to watch the show rather than bid on items.
For the past few hours, however, the crowd had been slowly increasing. Even more people of all Grades had arrived. This province-wide celebration was reaching its crescendo.
“Everyone,” the mouth said. For the first time, it floated forward, reaching the edge of the stage. “So far, this Empty Star Auction has gone on for fourteen hours. We have sold ninety-nine mystical items to the highest bidders, accumulating a total wealth of three middle A-Grade, eighteen early A-Grade, fifty-one peak B-Grade, two hundred and thirty-six late B-Grade, five-hundred and forty-four middle B-Grade, and eleven hundred early B-Grade cores. Overall, that is the rough equivalent of two peak A-Grade cores. It is a tremendous amount of purchases, and we thank you all for your patronage.”
The crowd cheered wildly.
“However!” the mouth shouted, grabbing everyone’s attention. “As you all know, every Empty Star Auction sells exactly one hundred items. They are the hundred rarest, most valuable objects our faction has been able to acquire. So far, we have presented ninety-nine. That means there is one left. The crown of this auction. I present to you—the Overlord core!”
The crowd erupted. Shouts echoed over the buildings, washing over the city and the river around it. The water shook. Leviathans surfaced, offering deep roars to the sky before receding underwater.
Jack looked up. The two Elders were both standing at attention now. Neither looked at the other, but the tension was palpable. The air around them was shivering as if coming from an open oven.
The mouth raised its voice even higher. “The starting price is one late A-Grade core,” it said, “and the minimum increment is one middle A-Grade core. Let the bidding begin!”
Jack blinked in surprise. The most expensive item so far had been sold for a middle A-Grade core and two early ones—at its final price. The Overlord core’s starting price was almost double that. How precious was it!?
Elder Puerto laughed, a sharp but calm sound. “The Overlord has sent me here to acquire this item,” she said. “Since this is our territory, I hope Elder Crownbeast will show us some face.”
“Elder Puerto is surely joking. This is an auction. How could I not earnestly participate?” Crownbeast laughed as well. “Besides—what a coincidence. My Overlord also sent here to acquire this item. Shall we have a friendly competition, Elder Puerto?”
Both Elders smiled, but the smiles didn’t reach their ears. There was nothing friendly about this. They would financially grapple and try to rip each other apart.
“Allow me to begin, since we are the hosts here,” Elder Puerto said. “One late A-Grade core. The starting price.”
“Two late A-Grade cores.”
“Three.”
“Two peak ones.”
The bids had instantly escalated to peak A-Grade cores. Crownbeast’s current bid, which he nonchalantly made, was worth more than everything else in the auction combined. And this was just the start.
“I see you came prepared,” Puerto said. “Three peak A-Grade cores.”
“I offer four.”
“Then I offer five.”
“Hah! You’re prepared to bleed for this, Puerto, but so am I! Six peak A-Grade cores.”
“Let’s see who has more blood to give. Seven.”
“Obviously me—I’m so much larger! Eight.”
“Nine.”
“Ten!”
The crowd burst into waves of cheers. Jack felt his eardrums shake. The entire city rumbled as if caught in an earthquake. Ten peak A-Grade cores! What kind of concept was that!
Only now did Jack understand the true level of wealth in this world. The true difference. There were thousands of high-level monsters present, each able to rule their own corner of the world. Yet, none of them were able to produce a single late A-Grade core. All they could do was watch from below, like ants at giants, as the two Elders threw around obscene quantities of wealth.
Jack fantasized how, if he had all those cores, he could just hole up somewhere and reach the late B-Grade realm, maybe even the peak. He thought to the broken black hole manual in his space ring—it would be invaluable to his future progress, but right now, he couldn’t help but feel it was a bit cheap.
Ten peak A-Grade cores was already the monetary value of the Overlord core. Since Overlords weren’t truly in the next Grade, but only a half-step above the peak of the A-Grade, Jack suspected its value was even lower. However, that didn’t matter. A core’s actual worth depended on many more things, including rarity. Peak A-Grades cycled through the world—but how often was an Overlord born?
“Eleven peak A-Grade cores,” Elder Puerto shouted.
“Twelve peak A-Grade cores!” Crownbeast insisted. Both Elders seemed a bit strained by now. Clearly, this amount of wealth was too much for them. They were only early A-Grades. They’d probably never seen such money in their lives.
Why didn’t they send someone stronger to deal with these prices? Jack wondered.
“Thirteen cores!” Puerto declared. The moment she said it, she released a deep breath, as if she’d given everything she had.
Crownbeast didn’t reply immediately. He remained still and expressionless like a statue, struggling inwardly. Jack thought there was only one reason why he’d hesitate—the funds given by his faction had run out, and anything he said from here on out would weigh against his personal wealth.
“Fourteen cores!” he finally declared. “If you can go at fifteen, I’ll give up! This is just not worth it!”
Which meant, I don’t have that much.
Puerto smiled bitterly. “You were only given thirteen by your faction, Crownbeast. Did you really use your personal fortune as well?”
“For the glory of my Overlord, there is nothing I’d hold back. His favor is worth more than any core.” He turned his body completely, giving her a full glare. “What is it going to be, Puerto? Are you going to bid more or not?”
She shook her head. “I’m out,” she said, then disappeared in a puff of red smoke. Her aura completely dissipated as well—though Jack could sense it holing up in an estate at the far north of the city.
Crownbeast laughed in relief. The crowd roared and cheered for him. Jack, who had been absorbed by the excitement, resisted the urge to clap.
“Congratulations, Elder Crownbeast,” the mouth said. With the oaken box beside it, it slowly floated to the sky, coming to hover right before the Elder. It bent its body forward as the box floated over. “The Overlord core couldn’t have a better owner.”
Crownbeast laughed again. He seemed to be in a great mood. “There you go!” he said, flicking a finger and tossing out a space ring. “I included a small tip as well. Enjoy it!”
The ring stopped by the mouth, which shivered in surprise a moment later. “Thank you, Elder!” it said, true emotion sipping into its voice.
“I’ll stay in the city for a bit,” Crownbeast said. “Can your estate accommodate me?”
“Absolutely! Please, this way, sir.” The mouth respectfully led the way to the same estate Puerto had disappeared in, at the far north, and Crownbeast followed. The crowd was left hanging, still cheering and shouting.
“That’s it?” Jack said. “No closing speech?”
“Mouth bro gave the closing speech before the final item,” Brock said. “Maybe it thought there’d be a battle.”
“Hmm. In any case… Shall we return to our rooms? So many things happened, and we need to work out how to leave the city. I bet Crownbeast will try to follow us.”
“Right. Let’s go.”
Jack turned Dolly towards their inn and set off while most of the crowd was busy celebrating. Absent-mindedly, he spared a glance for the straw-hat woman from before…but she was nowhere to be seen.
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