Leylin stroked his chin and his eyes gleamed with traces of caution.
“Ha ha! Cyril, aren’t you embarrassed to bid so low?”
Another voice was heard from VIP lounge 2. Soon after, the screen refreshed to reflect a new price, “2 billion magic crystals!”
“Huh? This conduct, another Morning Star Magus?”
Leylin’s mouth twitched in a bitter smile, ”Trouble is brewing…..”
Even though he was confident in his wealth, he was not egotistical enough to compare himself to someone at the Morning Star realm.
Moreover, with these two Morning Star Magi nipping at each other, wouldn’t he be courting death if he were to get involved any further?
Yes, the astral stone was truly valuable and losing the opportunity of acquiring it was extremely unfortunate, but compared to his own mortal life, Leylin knew exactly which was more important. He sensibly gave up on contending for it.
On the other hand, Leylin did not lose all hope. There was still the anonymous barter that he was looking forward to after the auction was completed.
In VIP lounge 1, Cyril’s face hardened the moment he head the voice of the other party. “This voice… It must be Emma, that bitch!”
He may have been swearing at her, but his face was actually filled with endless fear.
Blood Duchess Emma, was well-known for her crazy and savage ways. The other party was too a Morning Star Magus, how could she not show him respect?
“Thirty billion magic crystals!” The astral stone was an important element in the current stage of his astral gate experiments. In the near future, there was a possibility that he could uncover the coordinates of the devils, hence his dire need for it. He knew he had to bid successfully for it, even if it meant paying a sky-high price.
As such, Cyril yelled his bid reluctantly, as if his heart was bleeding.
“Haha… Cyril, your pocket is as poor as your city of sins, I bid forty billion!” Emma, who was seated at the opposite side, had clearly received some unknown information, hence she was determined to not give in.
The price for this astral stone clearly surpassed its actual value, which made him reluctant to bid. Yet, he was evidently embarrassed by Emma’s mockery a moment ago.
“4.5 billion magic crystals!” Cyril immediately shouted out. Deep in his heart, he made up his mind that if the opposite party dared to bid further, he would give up. He would let her pay the unnecessary magic crystals for it.
“Haha… Cyril, do you think I am going to bid further? Wrong, this astral stone is not such a special item after all. It is no big deal if I were to let go and let you have it.”
Unexpectedly, Emma withdrew and stopped bidding, causing him to feel a rush of anger.
“Honestly, to spend 4.5 billion magic crystals on an astral stone… Cyril, where has your astuteness gone?” she ridiculed sarcastically, adding salt into his wound.
“This bitch! One day… ONE day…” Cyril clenched his teeth in rage, wisps of blood clouding his silver pupils.
The horrifying ripples had caused the other guests in other VIP lounges to feel uneasy.
“Emma, just you wait and see…” after tossing these last words at her, Cyril stood up and left in a hurry, not wanting to linger for another second.
Leylin, on the other hand, upon hearing the name, was slightly taken aback. ‘Blood Duchess? Isn’t that Freya’s mentor?’
Blood Duchess Emma was a Morning Star Warlock, the second elder of the Ouroboros Clan.
‘If it’s her, it’s no wonder she couldn’t see eye to eye with Cyril…’
Leylin drew a deep breath. ‘I didn’t expect someone of such status to be present here. I am sure she has just arrived, otherwise, the Sun’s child bloodline would not have been acquired by him…’
After the favourable harvest from the Quicksand pocket dimension some time back, Leylin and company had immediately relayed all specific details to Duke Gilbert.
Especially Leylin. With the presence of Cyril, they were sure they would never have the chance to step foot in the Forgotten Land again. Therefore, he laid out the route map clearly and specifically, paying special attention to the possibility that Quicksand Castle was the core of the pocket dimension.
His scheme was for the Ouroboros Clan to hanker after the Quicksand pocket dimension. In fact, if they were to successfully seize it from the hands of Cyril, Leylin would then have the opportunity to conduct deeper exploration.
One single pocket dimension would fail to stir the greed of the Ouroboros Clan. However, what if the location in question was an ancient pocket dimension with another pocket dimension in within?
Especially since this pocket dimension was built by Ancient Warlocks at a time where rare natural resources were scarce.
Other than the useful information, Leylin’s bloodline crystals and Blood Vulture egg, as well as Robin’s own harvest, had left Duke Gilbert delighted.
As such, upon his return, Gilbert immediately invited the other two elders in the hope of joining together to go up against Cyril.
According to rumors, after the showing of Ouroboros Clan’s power, not only had they shamed Cyril thoroughly, they also managed to be allocated a share of the pocket dimension, as well as priority purchasing power, amongst other benefits.
Hence, from here on, the relationship between Cyril and the three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks would naturally deteriorate.
In the past, when the 3 allied against Cyril, they had almost defeated him.
Due to this same reason, Cyril had never forgotten about Leylin or the other two Warlocks. In fact, he had even covertly issued warrants for their arrest.
This was one reason why Leylin had holed up in his territory bitterly for almost a century.
Learning of the positive outcome of the situation at the higher level, Leylin was truly relieved that he could attend the auction held the next day, plus the anonymous barter thereafter.
Otherwise, he would have given up on the idea of attending the exchange.
The frightening probing abilities of a Morning Star Magus could not be underestimated. If Cyril had been present throughout, there was no way Leylin could stay anonymous for long.
And once he was discovered by Cyril, he knew his life would be as insignificant as an ant, being crushed by with just a single finger.
Now, armed with the knowledge that Emma was here, Leylin did not have the slightest amount of intentions of acknowledging her.
If it were Duke Gilbert, he would have stepped up with warm greetings, in the hopes that he might, in a way or two, help Leylin to acquire some astral stones or such, but Emma? Forget it.
She might have been an elder of the Ouroboros Clan, but they were from different factions, which might make the meeting awkward.
His thoughts of Emma naturally led to those of Freya.
This female Warlock was indeed lucky. After the positive transaction of bloodline crystals with Leylin, she had successfully managed to save her family. And thereafter, there were rumours of her research in seclusion. It was as if she was attempting to break through the bottleneck to advance.
It was known that, once a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock was promoted to the rank of the Morning Star realm, their bloodlines would be purified. This method was naturally preferred compared to that of obtaining it through the easier method of having a pure-blooded Warlock join the family.
What was worth mentioning was the fact that, among the female Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan, Freya was considered to be one with discipline and self-respect. The only negative characteristic was her eagerness to be first.
Leylin stroked his jaw and pondered over the rumours about her decision enter seclusion. It was as if she was trying to stimulate and break through the Hydro Phase.
Due to this reason, Leylin was even more adamant about not revealing himself to Emma. He dreaded thinking about the possibilities of her forcing him to become a part of the family for the purpose of her advancement. How awful would t
hat be?
On the other hand, if he had been discovered by Cyril first, by hook or by crook, he would definitely seek Emma out and ask for help. Any terms and conditions then would have been agreed upon, as it was all worth keeping his life.
You could only have one life. Once that was lost, nothing else mattered. In such cases, Leylin’s integrity was relegated to the back seat.
With such misgivings, Leylin went low-profile once again. He made sure his spiritual force compression technique and transfiguration spells were in full operation, and made sure his energies were not discovered by the other two Magi.
Luckily, that fateful night, Leylin felt enormous energy undulations transmitted from far beyond Azure Mountain City. It was not only him, many Magi were distracted by it.
Although they were very far away, the energy undulations were frightening and caused Leylin to feel somewhat suffocated.
The lower ranked Magi felt nothing. Only those who were close to the Morning Star realm could notice and be mindful of that terror.
Soon after, Leylin received news of Demon Hunter Cyril and Blood Duchess Emma’s departure from Azure Mountain City. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
With such volatile elements, the fewer there were in his life, the better.
This was probably the similar mindset of the other Magi. Under such circumstances, in the presence of multiple Morning Star Magi, there was no way they could have acquired their desired treasures with their limited magic crystals.
What were they to do if one of the two-eyed what they wanted?
A stifled atmosphere had hung over the auction these past two days. The most dissatisfied of them all was the Oakheart Clan. With the intrusion of the law-breaking Cyril, their revenue had suffered a steep decline.
The third day, the auction erupted in full force, as if finally free of suppression and mounting pressures. The degree of liveliness far exceeded Leylin’s expectations.
WMW Chapter 459
Peeping
The third day of the auction commenced with much flair. The lower ranked Magi had been suppressing their enthusiasm and saving their magic crystals to the best extent of their abilities, hence once the pressure was diffused, they exploded into action.
Every item was sold for a high price, so much so that Leylin was quite surprised by the number of wealthy Magi that emerged. Some were in the VIP lounges, but there were also others amongst the crowd. It seemed like although he was very rich, he did not belong to the group of the most wealthy.
Leylin witnessed one of the Magi in the crowd buy a treasure for more than 100 million magic crystals nonchalantly. The cause for this transaction was the ever-so-common jealousy of a love rival!
When he began socialising with others, Leylin learnt that this young kid was the direct descendant of a Morning Star Magus who possessed a lot of resources and influence. It was natural for there to be a lot of magic crystals at his disposal.
However, he hadn’t dared to be arrogant in the face of the two Morning Star Magi present, and had hence only revealed himself now.
Leylin also saw Vance, the patriarch of the Rolithe Family, successfully buy a spell formation that was optimized to increase the chances of advancing to the Crystal Phase by 20%. At the same time, he’d also bought a lot of other supplementary materials for the process. It seemed like he’d reached the bottleneck and was ready to advance.
Leylin stole a glance at their party. According to the Coin of Destiny’s guidance, the item he needed to acquire now was probably in their possession.
The last great treasure up for auction was top-grade magic equipment— the Tri-Python Ring!
It was rumoured that the bodies and souls of three ancient cold pythons were extracted to cast this piece of magic equipment. Not only was its spatial storage boundless, it could even withstand three full attacks of a Morning Star Magus!
A full-power attack from an ancient Morning Star Magus was known to be able to kill anything under that level. Such spells had the ability to blot out all light; they could crush mountains and destroy rivers!
To possess the ability to withstand up to three such attacks, this Tri-Python Ring was undoubtedly the most precious treasure up for auction this time.
Even Morning Star Magi would be envious of its ability. This piece of top-grade magic equipment would be a great advantage in a battle between Magi of the same rank. It could flip the heavens and the earth for its user’s sake.
Its value climbed steadily up to the last bid of 8.6 billion by a Magus from a VIP lounge.
According to Leylin’s estimates, that party could be a Morning Star Magus. In fact, it might even turn out to be the Azure Mountain King.
In spite of the hiccups along the way, this Azure Mountain auction had concluded successfully. The emergence of the Tri-Python Ring had created strong waves that continuously spread even to the surrounding areas.
Some lower ranked Magi began to leave the city, heading back home to continue with their own research or embarking on another journey. With the decreasing number of Magi, the city seemed to have regained some order. The original chaos had considerably eased up, and the situation became peaceful.
Leylin and some other high ranked Magi, on the other hand, were waiting in silence.
To them, this auction was similar to an appetizer. The actual main course was yet to be presented.
On the surface, it looked like the Oakheart Clan had recalled their elite patrol. However, the actual fact was that the level of caution had increased threefold. It was only that the security concerns were now internal.
Everything was set up for the anonymous barter. The anonymity of the event meant that many Magi were now disposing of stolen goods. Hence, there were going to be many precious high-quality treasures offered for an attractively low price.
The Oakheart Clan would guarantee safety and confidentiality of both parties. On the other hand, they would not be held responsible for the consequences and disputes that would arise after a successful transaction.
In a room in a small hotel, Leylin who was in the midst of meditation opened his eyes. A flower-shaped secret imprint emerged from his contact book, bringing with it the voice of Serene. “Sir Blood Rogue! The anonymous barter will take place tonight. As for the venue…”
This woman had been attempting to rope Leylin into the Oakheart Clan, and had kept a close tab on his whereabouts. Still, Leylin would not let her have her way. Not only had his past been hidden flawlessly, his attitude towards her left him neither close nor distant, causing her great distress.
Finally, he had even changed his accommodations. The only way to contact him now was via the secret imprint, which left her helpless.
When night fell, Leylin changed his outward appearance once again. Following the directions he was given, he arrived at a spot outside Azure Mountain City.
Unexpected incidences were not rare at such private events. Even under the watchful eyes of the Azure Mountain King, the Oakheart Clan did not dare hold the event within the city, choosing an outside venue instead.
As such, even if anything were to happen, the damages would be reduced to a minimum.
‘Huh? There are other Magi too?’ After his descent, Leylin noticed another Magus who had also just arrived a step ahead of him, walking towards an unremarkable cave.
“Welcome!” Two old men wearing the Oakheart Clan uniform emerged. Without any questions, they handed over a black mask.
The Magus nodded his head without replying, accepted the mask, and headed in.
Without the need for a number, command, or even an invitation card, any Magus would be granted access as long as they knew of this entrance. In addition, they would be given items to help conceal their identities. It was this persistent and tight secrecy that allowed the anonymous barter to be successful for so long.
According to Serene, the entire location had been masked by a cover-up spell formation. With these matching face masks and their own identity concealment, even their
genders were difficult to make out. Even Morning Star Magi could not see through these disguises.
Leylin’s mouth curved into a bitter smile.
“In reality…” He stopped mid-sentence, and stepped over to take the mask from the old man before proceeding to head inside.
Both these old men were at the Crystal Phase, and yet were stationed to guard the entrance. The Oakheart Clan had indeed invested heavily into this event.
‘A.I. Chip! Mobilize the atomic microscope and begin scanning!’ Leylin commanded in silence.
[Beginning Scanning! Microscope engaged… *Beep!* Abnormality detected!]
The reply from the A.I. Chip was swift. Leylin noticed within his line of sight that on the black mask were innumerable ladybugs flooding the surface. These were the same creatures that he’d seen at the auction.
In fact, their numbers far exceeded what he had seen previously. They were even cautiously entering Leylin’s body.
‘Hehe… This is the true Oakheart Clan!’ Leylin shook his head.
The spell formation enveloping the entire barter was genuine. The concealment runes on the mask were also genuine. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have by-passed the inspection of the many Magi. However, the Oakheart Clan had secretly planted these ladybugs all over the event area, including on all the masks.
They hadn’t dared to tamper with the spell formation for fear of being discovered by Morning Star Magi. However, with these ladybug spies, which were ten thousand times smaller than a speck of dust, everything that every Magus did, and all other matters regardless of importance would ultimately be known by them.
‘I’m afraid even Morning Star Magi won’t be able to detect these… ’ Leylin sighed, and a layer of fine black powder appeared on his hand.
As if drawn by some unknown attractive force, the ladybugs advanced in the direction of the powder, and soon lumped together into a ball.
‘A.I. Chip! Begin imitation of the organism’s energy signature, issuing misleading information!’
Warlock of the Magus World 1-596 Page 321
