The Auction’s True Treasure

“And now, for the grand finale of our Luxivia Auction, the ultimate treasure among our concluding exhibits!” The auctioneer’s voice boomed, rich with anticipation. It was an orange-red flame, dancing within a translucent jade vase and radiating a vibrant glow. The moment it appeared, a wave of intense heat, subtly imbued with a delicate fragrance, spread throughout the hall, causing everyone present to stir with anticipation.

“Indeed, your eyes do not deceive you. This is a living flame, a vibrant ember!” the auctioneer announced, her voice swelling with excitement. “I trust you are all familiar with the concept of Heavenly and Earthly Anomalous Flames! These extraordinary flames are categorized into four distinct tiers. The magical flames wielded by mages are the lowest-ranked Spirit Flames; only a Legendary Mage can imbue a Spirit Flame with sentience, bringing it to life. Above these are Earth Flames, forged within the depths of thousand-year-old volcanic mountains, born with innate sentience and immense power. Ascending further, we find Heavenly Flames, said to be born from the souls of deceased legendary powerhouses. Their destructive capabilities are catastrophic, possessing independent consciousness and the ability to recognize a master. The apex of all flames, however, is the Divine Flame—a primordial anomaly, conceived by the heavens and earth, existing since the very dawn of chaos. Even legendary beings can be incinerated to ash by its might, for it possesses wisdom far surpassing that of humanity. No more than three Divine Flames are believed to exist, and none have ever been wielded; they remain purely within the realm of legend.”

“However, even Heavenly Flames are merely rumored to have been possessed by one or two legendary figures. As for Earth Flames, I believe no more than ten currently exist on the entire continent of Aelta. Therefore, let us not even dream of acquiring those three superior types of flames!” She paused for dramatic effect. “Now, let us speak of this particular ember. It is a flame that exists between a Spirit Flame and an Earth Flame. We discovered it within a rift in the abyss, and after verification by our esteemed Guild Master, we can confirm that with sufficient magical energy to nurture it, this flame will evolve into an Earth Flame within seventy years!”

“As for its specific effects, I’m sure many of you have already heard whispers, so this humble one shall not elaborate further,” she said, a playful lilt in her voice. “The true experience, esteemed sirs, is for you to discover firsthand!”

“Very well, let the bidding commence for this evolvable Spirit Flame!” she declared. “The starting price: three million!”

“A Spirit Flame?”

“A Spirit Flame? Tsk, tsk, tsk… how infuriating!” Bailuan clicked his tongue. “This is clearly the Nine Netherworld Flame, the foremost of the three Divine Flames!”

“What? A Divine Flame?” Su Han whispered urgently into Bailuan’s ear, careful not to let Akareya overhear. ‘Why keep it from her? He couldn’t be bothered to explain it all again.’ “That’s impossible! How could they have captured a Divine Flame? Even an Earth Flame can incinerate anyone below the Super-tier Archmage level, and a Heavenly Flame can eradicate anyone below the Legendary rank. A Divine Flame, though, is a being capable of slaying gods!”

‘Of course, such devastating power only manifests if the flame is perfectly attuned to its master, and even then, these claims are slightly exaggerated.’

“Can’t you tell?” Bailuan countered. “This Nine Netherworld Flame is currently in a weakened state. What does that imply? Divine Flames possess intelligence far superior to humans. It had already devoured the other two Divine Flames and was preparing to attempt evolution after digesting their power. It was precisely during this evolutionary process, when it was at its most vulnerable after absorbing their strength, that someone discovered it and imprisoned it within that jade vase. Consequently, its entire evolutionary journey was ruined, and everything must start anew. Its current strength is merely that of a Spirit Flame. Whether it can even recover is debatable, let alone evolve further.”

“The precise circumstances must have been something like this: the Divine Flame was undergoing its transformation, enduring the eighty-one tribulations of heavenly lightning. Just as it was about to complete the eighty-first trial, at its most vulnerable, it was interfered with,” Bailuan elaborated. “Then, it suffered a backlash, regressing into the lowest-tier Spirit Flame, and was subsequently captured.”

“How do you know all this?”

“May I decline to answer?”

“…”

While Bailuan and Su Han conversed, the bidding in the hall had already commenced in earnest.

“Four million!”

Archmages lived for over two hundred years, making a mere seventy years of nurturing with magical energy a perfectly acceptable wait for most. Once it evolved into an Earth Core Flame, Super-tier Mages and Sky-rank Knights would be mere trifles! Thus, no one could resist its allure. Su Han sat quietly in her chair, listening to the incessantly climbing prices, yet made no move to compete. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to vie for it; rather, she possessed no funds whatsoever—not a single coin to her name!

As time slowly passed, the rising price thinned out the number of bidders. Eventually, only three individuals remained in contention. By then, the price had soared to approximately twenty-two million.

“Twenty-five million!” Just as the price seemed to stagnate around twenty-two million, a languid voice finally broke the silence. Su Han knew Bailuan was interested—this fellow clearly intended to win!

The sudden surge in price caused the brows of the three remaining bidders to furrow involuntarily. Twenty-five million was a sum that could equal a large family’s annual income! At such an exorbitant price, Su Han had assumed no one would dare to bid again. Yet, to her surprise, another voice chimed in. From Private Room 306, right next to theirs, came a bid of “Twenty-eight million!”

“Thirty million!” Bailuan countered, raising the price once more.

“Fifty million!”

Bailuan had already pushed the price to thirty million, yet the other party refused to yield, instantly escalating the bid to fifty million gold coins—a jump of twenty million in one go.

‘Could the other party also have discerned the true origin of this Nine Netherworld Flame?’ Su Han wondered aloud, a hint of suspicion in her tone. While Bailuan, as a prince of the Arcadian Empire, was certainly not short on money, such lavish spending could still deplete fortunes. Just as Bailuan was about to raise his bid again, Su Han stopped him, shaking her head to signal him not to continue.

“What? Are you underestimating me?” Bailuan scoffed. “This prince can afford it; a mere fifty million is nothing to me.” Su Han, of course, knew Bailuan was merely being stubborn. Fifty million would require drawing from the Arcadian national treasury’s gold bricks, and if his father found out, he’d surely be beaten to death!

“Well then, if you’re truly not short on money, you can just give that fifty million to me!” Su Han retorted. “We’re not bidding on this one; let him have it!”

“Why?” Bailuan asked, puzzled.

“Have you never heard the phrase ‘murder for treasure’?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, truly worthy of this prince’s discerning eye!”

“Let’s go first,” Su Han proposed. “Given that they’re in a three-story private room, they must be a VIP guest. VIPs usually conceal their identities, and since they’re a VIP, they definitely won’t use the main entrance. So, let’s hurry to the back entrance of that shop and intercept them!”

“Hmm,” Bailuan nodded slightly. “Little sister, you should head back first! Father will send someone to pick you up!”

“Ah! Why do I have to go back?”

“I’m telling you, Father is truly angry!”

“Alright then!” Akareya pouted, her small lips pursed. “But what about Sister Izaloth?”

“That’s none of your concern!”

Bailuan led Su Han out the back door and around to a corner of the shop. From this vantage point, a low-level Clairvoyance spell would grant a perfect view of Private Room 306’s entrance. Within Private Room 306, a woman in a green dress exited through the back door and approached the shop’s entrance. Su Han took a closer look, surprised to find she was a young elf! Clad in a light green gauze gown, her pointed ears were strikingly prominent. Her large eyes were gem-green, and her delicate, cherry-like lips were so alluring one might be tempted to taste them. Her golden hair shimmered with light. Truly, this elf was exceptionally beautiful!

The young elf stepped out of the shop and walked towards the bustling street. Bailuan, however, clearly wouldn’t grant her that opportunity. After casting a stealth spell, he began to discreetly approach her.

“Who’s there? Come out!” The young elf drew a bow and an arrow from her spatial ring, nocking the shaft and firing it in the direction Bailuan was stealthily moving. Bailuan had forgotten that elves excelled at nature magic, and nature magic’s forte was stealth. Especially during forest warfare, an elf with a stealth spell and a crossbow could decimate a human army, sending them fleeing in disarray. For Bailuan to use a stealth spell in front of an elf was akin to ‘brandishing a large sword before Guan Yu’—a futile display that had backfired spectacularly.