Undercurrents

Having presented items as illicit as military repeating crossbows and magic-infused armor—contraband punishable by decapitation—the auction’s atmosphere had successfully reached a fever pitch.

Many who had been thwarted in earlier bidding rounds now fixed their reddened eyes on Miss Fairy, their gazes as intense as those of ravenous beasts. They seemed desperate to reclaim their prowess in the upcoming auction.

Noticing their eagerness, Miss Fairy’s smile deepened, becoming even more captivating. With a gentle clap of her hands, a new selection of items was presented.

Yet, this time, the items were not carried by the usual scantily clad, alluring maidens. Instead, a brawny man, clad in heavy black armor, stepped onto the stage.

He held a cylindrical metal container, intricately covered in arcane runes, as if sealing something formidable within.

“Ladies and gentlemen, next, we present one of the grand finales of this auction—”

Miss Fairy’s delicate hand brushed lightly over the metal container. The mysterious runes flickered with a faint glow, followed by the sound of grinding mechanisms.

The metal container slowly opened, first revealing a narrow, dark slit.

Instantly, everyone in the hall felt a terrifying pressure. It was as if a monstrous, grotesque beast had broken free from the container, roaring furiously at them all.

“This is…”

In his private box, Ewan, too, was overwhelmed by the suffocating aura. His body instinctively pressed against the sofa, and a fine sheen of cold sweat quickly broke out on his forehead.

Through the window, he imagined the creature casting a gaze upon him, as though he were a mere ant.

But in a sudden realization, there was no monster at all. Only the unassuming metal container slowly opening further, revealing the artificially sculpted, crystalline jewel within.

The crystal encased a swirling red liquid, shimmering like amber in the sunlight—a beauty both breathtaking and alarming.

“What this is, I believe all you well-informed connoisseurs will recognize at a glance, so I will not elaborate further.”

Miss Fairy smiled faintly, observing the stunned expressions of the audience.

She recalled her own astonishment when her employer first unveiled this item. Hadn’t she been just as surprised as them?

“—Ten drops of Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood! Starting bid: one million. Let the bidding begin!”

As Miss Fairy’s words resonated, the entire auction hall fell silent for a fleeting moment.

It was the calm before a storm.

Then, thunder erupted as promised!

“One million one hundred thousand!”

“One million two!”

“One million three!”

“Two million!”

The impatient, fervent bids threatened to tear the roof off the auction house. The price, as if struck by a burst of explosive magic, skyrocketed at an insane pace!

“Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood, truly?”

Ewan’s eyes gleamed as he watched the crimson liquid swirl within the crystal.

‘Who said my luck was bad?’

‘Isn’t this good fortune right here?’

However, Ewan was in no hurry to bid. He knew very well that those currently shouting bids so eagerly were likely swept away by the atmosphere and the inherent rarity of the Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood.

Those with true power to contend for the heart blood were probably still observing coldly.

‘No rush.’

Ewan swirled his glass of red wine, sipping the expensive vintage, patiently awaiting the storm’s passing.

Only after the tempest subsided would those truly qualified to reach the other shore reveal themselves.

****

“An…Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood?”

Watching the magnificent liquid swirl in the crystal, Ariel nearly spat out the free, low-quality coffee she had received.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Ancient what? Dragon what? Heart what? Blood what?’

‘I didn’t mishear, did I? Is this something that should appear at an auction of this caliber?’

‘They were just peddling vulgar contraband, and now, suddenly, the scene shifts to such a sublime treasure. Has the style changed too quickly?’

“Buy it, you absolutely must buy it!”

Her master’s excited voice rang in her ear: “Ariel, if you buy this, not only will your martial artist realm perfectly advance to the third stage, but your physical body will also be greatly enhanced!”

Ariel’s mouth twitched. Listening to the price instantly surge to an astronomical three million, she couldn’t help but look despairing.

“I understand all that, but…”

“But where would I get that much money?”

“…” Her master fell silent for a moment.

“How about selling your Blazing Sky Greatsword instead?”

“…Get lost.”

****

“Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood?”

In a corner seat of the main hall, a figure whose graceful physique could not be entirely hidden by a large black robe toyed with bidding paddle number fifty, muttering to themselves in confusion.

“Oh my, it feels a bit odd.”

“If an item of this caliber is being auctioned, why wasn’t the news released earlier to attract bigger fish?”

“At least if they knew about an auction item of Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood’s quality, some truly wealthy and influential magnates might not have been able to resist.”

Their gaze swept around. Under deliberate manipulation, the fervent storm came quickly and subsided just as fast. When the price reached around three million, the number of bidders had already dwindled significantly.

After all, the level of clientele here was limited; only a few among them were truly wealthy!

“Could the auction’s mysterious owner naively expect a golden turtle to emerge from this crowd of paupers who can’t even afford jewels?”

“Or does this auction itself have an ulterior motive?”

****

“What is the meaning of this!”

In another secluded private box, a fierce-looking man roared furiously at a waiter: “Didn’t your boss promise to hand over the Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood to our Crimson Fire Gang? Why is he auctioning it off? This is a breach of contract, a blatant breach!”

“My boss says he has not breached the contract.”

Even with the man spitting in his face, the waiter remained impeccably polite as he explained: “The Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood inherently belongs to you; my boss has no dispute with that. However, for an item like Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood, conducting the transaction through normal channels would reveal too much. Given these special times, with strict scrutiny from above, my boss could only use this method to deliver the goods into your hands.”

“So, the ‘delivery’ means putting the item out there for us to bid on ourselves?”

Lorenzo chuckled mirthlessly.

“If all I had to do was attend this auction, then what was the point of the enormous price I paid and all the benefits I gave your boss previously?!”

“Everything naturally has its purpose.”

The waiter remained unperturbed, as if wearing a cold mask.

“Before this auction began, we revealed no information about the Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood. Therefore, everyone believed this was just an ordinary black-market auction, and the items up for bid would likely be, as usual, merely contraband unsuitable for open market circulation.

Thus, no one came here specifically for the Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood, and naturally, no one prepared specifically for it.

Except for… you, who brought money specifically to purchase the Ancient Dragon’s Heart Blood.”