The Transmigrator’s Revelation and the Rubysia Auction

“Izaloth, this is the Rubysia Empire.” Strolling through the exotic streets, Akareya eagerly introduced the empire to her companion.

“Mm!” Su Han nodded. In truth, she was already familiar with Rubysia; after all, her mage rank certification had been obtained at the Rubysia Mage Guild. However, back then, Rubysia had been sparsely populated, with only a scattering of beta testers roaming the streets, and most of the bustling crowd consisting of NPCs.

Observing Su Han’s composed demeanor, Akareya was momentarily surprised, then nodded with an appreciative gaze.

“Then, Princess, please accompany this young lady and explore for a while. I’ll return to the palace to report to my mother, and then send a carriage to collect you both!” With that, Locks spurred his white horse and galloped away.

‘I already said I’m not a young lady; your whole family are young ladies!’ Su Han thought, but she didn’t bother to address Locks. Instead, she turned to Akareya, who was leading a unicorn beside her, and asked, “Is that guy really so afraid of his mother? He couldn’t even spare a glance for you, his beloved?”

“Locks lost his father at a young age. His mother took over the imperial power and raised him herself, so she’s been incredibly strict with him. How could he not be afraid?” Akareya found an inn and sat down.

“Where’s your unicorn?” Su Han, momentarily distracted, suddenly noticed that Akareya’s unicorn was gone.

“I just put it into the Beast Dimension!”

“Ah, I see!”

Su Han had naturally heard of Beast Dimensions. Unlike storage rings, which were used for storing inanimate objects, Beast Dimensions were incredibly special magical artifacts, specifically designed for beast tamers to house and nurture their magical beasts.

As Su Han followed Akareya, wandering aimlessly, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is it really alright for us to just roam around like this? What if Locks can’t find us?”

However, no one answered her.

“Oh no! Have we gotten lost?!” Su Han glanced around, noticing that the crowds had thinned considerably. Without realizing it, she had wandered deep into the street and now stood before an ancient, unassuming shop.

Just as Su Han was about to turn and leave, a clear, melodious laugh suddenly drifted from within the shop.

“Oh, isn’t this my dear little sister? Haha, what brings you all the way here?”

Following the direction of the voice, Su Han realized that she and Akareya hadn’t gotten lost; Akareya had simply entered the shop. Su Han slowly stepped into the nameless, dimly lit establishment, observing a captivatingly handsome young man leaning close to Akareya’s ear, whispering something.

“You secretly snuck out of the palace this time, and Father is truly angry. If you don’t go back soon, you’ll probably be confined to your room, you know~!”

“Ah~! Brother, didn’t you say anything to help me?”

“Huh? Why would I need to say anything for you~!” Before the young man could finish, Akareya stomped on his foot. “Stop it, ouch, ouch, ouch! I’m sorry, isn’t that enough?!” he cried out, feigning pain.

“Hmph!” Akareya put her hands on her hips, looking defiant.

Su Han gazed intently. The young man appeared to be around seventeen, with a pair of purple phoenix-like eyes, features as exquisite as a painting, and seductive red lips. His long silver hair framed a face that exuded a faint, wicked charm, and his smile was both casual and languid. An undeniable aura of imperial dominance emanated from him.

“Ah, Izaloth, my dear sister, you’re here! It’s all my fault, I was so excited I completely forgot about you for a moment!” Akareya said with a playful stick of her tongue and an apologetic expression.

“Yes, yes, my little sister is the silliest!” The young man chuckled, delivering a playful chop to Akareya’s head, then whispered, “Little sister, quick, tell me, who is she?”

“She’s the little sister I met in the Darkmoon Forest~!”

“Good grief, she’s clearly about your age, isn’t she?” The young man couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Akareya, then turned to Su Han. “I am Akarod. May I know this young lady’s esteemed name?” His faint phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a wicked curve played on his exquisitely handsome lips, his smile laden with deeper meaning.

“I-Izaloth!” Under Akarod’s intense gaze, Su Han found herself inexplicably unable to meet his eyes. Facing such an enchanting man, she felt not a trace of jealousy! His every movement and gesture exuded an aristocratic elegance that left Su Han no room for rebuttal.

“Little sister, you can go to the auction through the back door first. I have some things to discuss with her.” Akarod waved a hand at Akareya.

“Why can’t you say it in front of me, hmph~!” she grumbled, “Oh, fine, fine, I’ll go in first then!”

Indeed, this nameless shop served as the back entrance to the grand auction. The main entrance to Rubysia’s triennial large-scale auction was always teeming with people, packed to the brim, so a discreet back door had been specially opened within this unassuming, ancient shop. Naturally, this back entrance wasn’t accessible to just anyone; one needed to be a prince, princess, or a scion of a major noble family to gain entry. Powerful individuals or those possessing rare and exotic treasures could also be granted special access. Thus, this back door was essentially a VIP channel, requiring a special guest pass for entry.

Meanwhile, Akarod placed an arm around Su Han’s shoulders and led her out of the shop, turning a corner.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re also a transmigrator, aren’t you?” Akarod asked, looking intently at Su Han, cornering her against the wall.

“Ah? H-how did you know?”

“Because we both possess a ‘system’ that no one else in this world has!” Akarod explained. “So, when I used my system to check your level, I noticed you had two extra words compared to everyone else: ‘Player’!”

“Izaloth must be your ID, then. Likewise, Akarod is my ID,” he continued. “As for my real name, I’m Bailuan. What’s yours?”

‘What? This person is also a transmigrated player, just like me?’ Though shocked, Su Han still replied, “I’m Su Han~!”

“Su Han? A nice name!”

“No, not Su Han, it’s Su Han!” Su Han corrected, pronouncing her name distinctly. Then, as if realizing something, she suddenly exclaimed, “Wait, you said your name is Bailuan? The legendary figure who defeated the strongest BOSS on the very first day of beta testing?!”

“Oh? Are you a beta tester too~?” Bailuan seemed genuinely surprised that Su Han had heard of him, and asked.

“Yes, I’m a beta tester too, though I was trash compared to you,” Su Han admitted. “Also, wasn’t Bailuan a female player???”

“That’s right, I was originally female. It’s just that after transmigrating to this world, I inexplicably underwent a gender swap~!”

“No way!!!”

“What? Don’t tell me you also…”

“Uh, yes, that’s right, I also gender-swapped. I was originally a boy…” Su Han trailed off. “Come to think of it, we really are in the same boat, aren’t we~!”

Just as Su Han was feeling overjoyed by this shared experience, she noticed the other party’s expression darkening. “Pervert, deviant, lolicon~!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself! I prefer queens or mature women, not lolis!”

“That’s good. I thought you were going to make a move on my cute little sister~!”

“No, no, no, how could I! I’m a big sister-con!” Su Han hastily shook her head.

“By the way, I wanted to ask, how did you manage to kill a ‘three question mark’ level Dark Demonic Dragon?” Bailuan asked. “Even a God-tier Mech Pilot couldn’t possibly do that!”

“Ah, you mean that. Well, I didn’t like games at all originally; my brother forced me to play,” Bailuan explained. “So he gave me some ‘three question mark’ level equipment and told me to just try it out~!”

“And then… I don’t know why, but fighting monsters in that world felt really good~ so I just got carried away~ and accidentally killed it~!”

Su Han naturally knew what “it” referred to. During the beta test of [The Other Shore], there were three bug-like, most powerful BOSSes. The “it” Bailuan was referring to was the strongest of the three, an invincible entity.

“Did you use cheats? You didn’t get banned? Can you even use cheats in beta?”

“My brother is the CEO of this game~!”

“You’re totally cheating, aren’t you?!” Su Han was overcome with extreme indignation and dissatisfaction. ‘How can the world be so unfair?’ she fumed inwardly. She had spent an incredibly long time cultivating to become a Great Mage of Level 37, yet Bailuan had instantly killed the strongest BOSS on the very first day. How was anyone else supposed to live? It was outrageous!

“Since you’re the creator’s sibling, why did you transmigrate too?”

“No idea~!” Bailuan shrugged, his face a picture of innocence.

‘Actually, I know, but I can’t say,’ he thought. ‘Although the [Other Shore] my brother invented was just a game, this world isn’t a game world at all. It’s a real world! A truly existing world!’

“Grrr,” Su Han grumbled, cursing under her breath. “You should have the Dark Demonic Dragon’s corpse, right? Can you share a bit with me, okay?”

“It’s gone. I converted it into a Dark God Mech~!” Bailuan, seeing the greed in Su Han’s eyes, emphasized, “Not a single bit is left! The crystal core was also used as a source of magic power, so don’t even think about it!”

“…” The sound of Su Han grinding her teeth was audible.

“However, I do have something good that can help you right now~!” Bailuan pulled out a black pill and handed it to Su Han. “But absolutely do not use it unless it’s a critical moment, or you’ll explode and die~!”

A short while later, Su Han and Bailuan followed, entering the auction house. Since they came in through the back door, they went directly to the second floor, allowing them a clear view of the bustling, noisy crowd on the first floor.

Bailuan led Su Han up to the third floor, arriving at private room 307.

“What were you two doing? Why are you so slow?” Akareya’s scrutinizing gaze made Su Han feel a little uneasy.

“Oh dear, little sister, don’t tell me you’re jealous~!” Bailuan teased. “Don’t worry, your brother will always be yours alone~!”

“Go away, go away~!”

Su Han, observing how quickly Bailuan had gotten into character, effortlessly immersing himself in his role, couldn’t help but feel admiration. The next Oscar for Best Actor surely belonged to him!

Suddenly, within the boisterous auction hall, the melodious and pleasant sound of a flute slowly began to play. The extremely noisy chatter in the hall gradually subsided.

“Well then, I trust everyone is aware that the triennial Rubysia Empire Auction has begun once more~, and I believe you’re all quite familiar with it~. So, I won’t waste any more time, lest I bore some of you distinguished gentlemen. Let’s get straight to it!” The appraiser, dressed in a black silk bunny girl outfit, announced from the stage in the center of the hall, her voice utterly captivating.

Gazing at the scantily clad appraiser, even the well-traveled Su Han was startled. Facing Su Weier in her bunny girl outfit, she couldn’t help but click her tongue.

“How could we? We’d be delighted if Miss Weier spoke a few more words!” a corpulent, squinting middle-aged man from the audience called out.

“Heh heh, this humble one truly couldn’t bear such praise~!” As an experienced auctioneer, Su Weier knew exactly what the true intentions of the men below were: to press her onto a bed and…

So, she rolled her eyes and wasted no more words, skipping the opening ceremony to begin the auction directly.

“I believe this year’s auction items will absolutely not disappoint any of you!” Su Weier clapped her hands, announcing in a seductive voice, “I declare the Rubysia Auction, now open!”

With Su Weier’s command, a dazzling flash of bright light suddenly erupted from the crystal stage in the center of the hall. After a moment, the intense light gradually faded. On the crystal stage, before Su Weier’s auction podium, a set of azure armor reflected a soft glow under the hall’s multicolored lights.

This was clearly a meticulously forged magical artifact!

“This set of armor is an excellent-grade item, entirely forged from Profound Ice Dark Iron, and perfectly inlaid with a third-tier ice elemental beast crystal core. Verified by appraisers, a normal person wearing it can completely negate spell attacks below that of an Advanced Mage. If worn by someone cultivating water or ice attributes, it can reduce damage from Mage-level spell attacks by forty percent, posing no problem at all. Esteemed gentlemen, if you are interested, please do not be stingy with your funds~, after all, preserving your life is paramount~! Money is precious, but one must be alive to enjoy it, no?” Su Weier turned to face the auction hall, blinking as she said, “The starting bid is forty thousand green crystal coins. Which esteemed gentleman requires this?”

[Ten thousand green crystal coins equals one purple crystal coin.]

“A magic weapon? At least a Fourth-tier Blacksmith would be needed to forge that!” Su Han remarked, gazing at the armor, though she wasn’t particularly interested. This set of armor could only defend against spell attacks below an Advanced Mage, meaning it was only effective against Intermediate Mages and below; it was utterly useless against attacks from Mech Pilots, Knights, or those cultivating bloodline systems!

[This kind of item is quite good for a regular Knight to use. For Mages, a magic shield is usually enough! After all, a Knight’s Battle Aura shield is weaker than a magic shield, so pairing it with armor is naturally the best!] While Su Han wasn’t interested, that didn’t mean others weren’t. If one were to face an assassin using spell attacks, this could certainly be considered a life-saving treasure.

After a few minutes of initial bidding, the armor was purchased by a young man for ninety thousand green crystal coins and given to the maid beside him. Watching the maid’s delighted expression, Su Han and Bailuan couldn’t help but feel a wave of nausea.