Chapter 96: Golden Fortune City II
The hall was a storm of whispers now.
"Three million? He’s insane!"
"No, he’s serious—look at his face. He’s not even flinching."
"Who the hell is that guy? Never seen him before..."
The Auctioneer looked like he’d swallowed lightning, his hand shaking as he steadied the hammer. "Three million! Going once—"
"Three-point-five!" The Iron Talons commander snarled, veins bulging at his neck. His officers paled, but none dared stop him.
Dawnlight’s leader slammed a fist against his seat rail. "Four million!"
The crowd roared. It wasn’t just about the fragment anymore—it was pride, territory, dominance.
Rhys didn’t even lean forward. His voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"Five million."
The silence that followed was different this time. Heavy. Sharp.
The Auctioneer’s hand trembled. "F-Five million gold! Current bid... five million!"
Some players laughed nervously, others cursed under their breath.
"Five million like it’s pocket change..."
"He’s not with any guild I recognize."
"Is he some hidden whale? A secret backer?"
"Or worse—a solo that doesn’t care about enemies."
The Iron Talons commander rose to his feet, eyes burning with rage. His lips parted—then closed again. He sat back down, shaking with suppressed fury.
Dawnlight’s leader’s hand hovered in the air, but his officers tugged at his sleeve, whispering frantically. His jaw clenched, then he lowered it.
They couldn’t go higher.
The Auctioneer’s hammer came down like thunder.
"Going once... going twice... SOLD! To... the anonymous bidder, five million gold!"
Bang.
The sound echoed through the chamber like a death knell.
[System Notice: You have successfully purchased the Sealed Akashic Fragment.]
[Item has been delivered to your storage.]
Puddle gasped, her rainbow-lit eyes wide. "Master... you did it."
Bounce huffed, lowering his massive head beside Rhys’s chair, golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Rhys leaned back, arms crossed, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Of course I did. That fragment never belonged to anyone else."
But even as the Auctioneer moved on to the next lot, Rhys sat back quietly.
The hall didn’t stay on him for long. A few players muttered or glanced his way, but with new treasures being revealed, attention quickly shifted back to the stage.
Nobody pressed further. Nobody asked his name. He was just another bidder in the crowd—one who happened to outspend the others this round.
Rhys ignored the side glances and focused on the items being rolled out.
The auction continued, rarities flashing across the orb one after another: enchanted armor sets, rare herbs, ancient crafting blueprints, beast eggs, scrolls of lost spells. Bids rose, voices clashed, fortunes changed hands.
Rhys didn’t stop after the Akashic Fragment. The auction pressed on, and while he ignored most of the noise, a few items caught his eye.
A [Mythril Inkwell – Legendary Crafting Tool] came up, and he lifted his hand. "One-fifty."
The bids climbed fast, but he claimed it at 220,000 gold—a small win compared to the earlier storm.
Later, a [Beast Egg – Wind Serpent (Epic → Potential Legendary)] appeared. Dozens of tamers went wild, but Rhys entered late, his calm voice carrying. "Four hundred thousand." The egg went to him for 480,000 gold after most guilds bowed out, unwilling to overspend. Puddle smiled faintly beside him, already planning names.
Piece by piece, he added to his haul—not flashy enough to draw attention like before, but enough to quietly stack rare treasures. A few guild officers threw him irritated glances, but nobody pushed too hard. His earlier victory at five million still hung in the air like a warning.
Then the orb above the stage shifted again, and the Auctioneer’s voice deepened.
"Our next item... a relic spoken of in whispers."
The projection above the stage shimmered, revealing a crystal vial filled with liquid that glowed like molten sapphire, swirling with faint lunar patterns. The air itself seemed to thrum with power.
[Lot #27: Blood of Lazulis, the Ancestral Dragon of Blue Moons]
— A vial of the last known Lazulis essence.
— Can be used to awaken dragon-bloodline evolutions, forge artifacts, or catalyze hidden legacies.
— Starting Bid: 3,000,000 gold.
The hall froze.
Every guild leader, every officer, every rogue powerhouse sat forward at once. This wasn’t just another rare item. This was history in a bottle.
Murmurs exploded:
"Lazulis? The Moon Dragon?"
"Impossible—those were hunted to extinction centuries ago."
"If that’s real, it’s worth more than kingdoms."
Rhys’s pulse quickened. This was it. Not the fragment, not the scraps of power—this was why he’d come.
The Auctioneer lifted his hand. "Three million! Do I hear—"
Hands shot up instantly. "Three-point-five!" "Four million!" "Four-point-two!"
The numbers leapt like fire catching dry wood.
Rhys leaned forward, eyes locked on the swirling blue essence. "Five million."
The hall shook with noise.
"Five already?!"
"He’s throwing gold like water!"
"That vial... it’s going to shatter records."
"Six million!" Dawnlight’s leader shouted, his face red, his voice cracking under the weight of desperation. His officers scrambled to keep up with him, pale but obedient.
"Seven!" roared the Iron Talons commander, slamming his fist onto the table so hard the wood splintered. He was breathing like a bull, veins bulging at his neck.
From one of the higher balconies, a velvet voice drifted out, calm and composed. "Seven-point-five." A hidden VIP. Their presence alone sent murmurs crawling through the hall.
The Auctioneer was practically glowing with sweat now, his hand shaking as he pointed across the sea of bidders. "Seven-point-five! Do I hear eight million?!"
Rhys didn’t hesitate. His voice rang clear, unhurried.
"Eight."
The number hit like a hammer. The crowd rippled, shocked laughter spilling out.
"Who is this guy?"
"Eight million without blinking..."
"He’s not with Dawnlight, not Iron Talons, not any of the big four. What the hell?"
Dawnlight’s leader grit his teeth, lifting his hand again. "Eight-point-three!"
The Iron Talons commander spat, his whole body trembling with rage. "Nine!"
The velvet voice from above followed smoothly: "Nine-point-two."
Rhys leaned back, eyes never leaving the sapphire glow swirling within the vial. His hand rose lazily, almost dismissive.
"Ten."
The chamber erupted into chaos.
"Ten million gold?!"
"No sane person would go that far—"
"That’s... that’s beyond guild treasuries!"
Even the Auctioneer faltered, his hammer trembling in midair. "T-Ten million... current bid stands at ten million gold!"
The hidden voice hesitated. The silence stretched, oppressive. Dawnlight’s leader lowered his hand slowly, his lips pressed thin as his officers whispered urgently in his ear. The Iron Talons commander glared like he could burn Rhys alive with sheer hatred, but he didn’t stand. He couldn’t.
And then—
The velvet voice returned, colder this time. "...Ten-point-five."
A gasp rolled across the hall. The hidden bidder wasn’t giving up.
Puddle clutched Rhys’s sleeve, whispering, "Master..."
Bounce rumbled deep in his chest, runes glowing faintly along his plated hide. His golden eyes were fixed on Rhys, waiting.
Rhys’s lips twitched. He raised two fingers.
"Twelve."
The hall broke. Gasps, curses, disbelief.
"Twelve million!"
"That’s... insane!"
"Whoever he is, he’s not just rich. He’s making a statement."
The velvet voice went silent. No counter. No ripple.
The Auctioneer, half-stumbling, raised the hammer high. "Twelve million! Going once... going twice..."
Bang.
"SOLD! To bidder #117! The Blood of Lazulis, Ancestral Dragon of the Blue Moons!"
The hammerfall reverberated like thunder.
[System Notice: You have successfully purchased the Blood of Lazulis.]
[Item has been delivered to your storage.]
The projection of the vial winked out, but Rhys could still feel its weight in his storage, thrumming like a heartbeat. Old power. Ancient power.
Beside him, Puddle’s voice was hushed, reverent. "Master... that is true dragon’s blood. You could change everything with it."
Bounce exhaled heavily, like a war-drum sounding. "You’ve drawn every gaze in this hall, Rhys. Some will covet. Some will fear. None will forget."
Rhys leaned back, calm, steady, as if twelve million gold wasn’t just burned in one stroke. His eyes closed for a brief second.
"This was worth it."
Rhys leaned back, calm, steady, as if twelve million gold wasn’t just burned in one stroke. His eyes closed for a brief second.
"This was worth it."
The Auctioneer barely paused before the orb shifted again, rolling out the final lots. Weapons, relics, rare mats—items that could sway smaller guilds, but after Lazulis’s blood, it all felt like background noise.
Rhys didn’t bother with most of it, but when something useful appeared, he raised his hand without hesitation.
A pair of [Advanced Sword Arts Manuals]—both focused on hybrid magic swordplay—went for 160,000 gold each. He claimed them without effort, already imagining how they’d mesh with his current skills.
Later, a [Skill Book: Arcane Shift] flickered across the orb, the description clear:
— Short-range instant teleport. Cooldown: 15s. Mana cost: 120.
Rhys’s hand went up. "Three hundred thousand."
The bidding barely lasted a minute before the book was his. Puddle’s eyes sparkled at the thought of him vanishing mid-strike.
Another catch was a rare [Summoner’s Codex Fragment], the kind of thing Mia would drool over for their guild’s long-term growth. He picked it up at 210,000, making a mental note to toss it her way.
Piece by piece, while the big guilds were still reeling from the earlier bidding wars, Rhys quietly stacked his haul. Nothing flashy, nothing insane—just useful, practical power.