Now that all 9 spirit souls had been exchanged at the Magus Alliance headquarters, it was time to decide what to do with the last spirit soul. In the end, the group would receive 200,000 spirit stones and 2,500 alliance merits – the amount the Magus Alliance was willing to give for them.
However, if they handed over the spirit soul to the Alliance, they might not be able to open the magus storage ring. Alas, The problem lies in the layer of protection seal added to the ring.
The group walked out of the headquarters building and headed out to the next destination, a formation expert to check on the cost to break the seal.
From the Absolve potion to an unbinding of service of a peak stage elven magus by a formation expert, they found the cost to be a staggering 450,000 spirit stones.
However, that does not include the protection skill.
“This is a top-grade locking seal, making sure the ring stay closed even after the owner died.. must have been own by a royalty or something really valuable inside”
The cost of breaking such a protection seal would be 400,000 and the amount was not the main issue. Although it will be done by a grandmaster, there would still be a 50% chance of failure which ends with the storage ring being destroyed.
Both Emery and Klea heaved a sigh and decided to bring this information back to the others first.
As the issue of breaking into the storage ring could be set aside until they returned to the Terra Castle, the three made their way toward their next destination. Walking through the bustling street, the group headed towards the Golden City auction house.
Along the way, the group couldn’t help but notice that the people in the city were talking and discussing the upcoming Magus Tournament. This was a normal sight; the tournament, after all, was one of the most important events of the year.
“My money is on one that is known as the Sword Saint! That man can use time magic! Nothing can beat that!”
“Excuse me, Oliver has been beaten by my champion. Mahinder the monk!”
p “No! No! You’re all wrong! I personally think the genius of the Nephilim will be the champion! I recently heard the news that he has made a lot of progress in his closed-door training.”
“What about you? Who’s your favorite?”
“Anyone is good in my eyes. I just hope that neither of those half-blood wins.”
Hearing those words from a distance, Emery could not help but heave a sigh. It seemed that contempt directed at those of half-blood descent was still prevalent amongst the general masses.
Meanwhile, being a half-blood herself, Magus Shena kept glaring at the people until they were eventually pressured to leave.
Klea, on the other hand, grabbed Emery’s arm and said, “It’s a compliment I think; a price of popularity… Let’s just see what they will say when you win the tournament.” The girl winks at him and pulls him away from the scene casually.
The group soon arrived at the Golden City auction house. It was a magnificent structure made of white limestone that reflected the sunlight beautifully, the surroundings were filled with shady trees.
There were actually three auction houses in the Golden City, but the one they visited was the largest.
Just like what Emery had experienced in the Alpha Space Station, the group met with the auction house’s auctioneer and showed all the artifacts they planned to sell to the other party. The auctioneer brought with him an appraiser who seemed to be a professional as Emery saw the former entirely unaffected by the many artifacts he took out.
Before long, the 35 Tier 4 and 14 Tier 5 artifacts were all appraised and checked for their condition. From them, only 10 artifacts were deemed eligible to be placed in the auction. As for the rest, the group was given two options to choose from.
To sell the artifacts directly to the auction house or put them on display in the auction house. The former would obviously earn them money quickly but at a much lower price, while the latter could net them a higher selling price at the cost of paying a commission for using the service.
Even though both had their pros and cons, it was evident that the latter was the best option. The group therefore left the artifacts that were not eligible to be auctioned off at the auction house to get the best price.
“We will put it on display for 10 days,” said Klea to the auctioneer.
Now that they were at the auction house, Emery of course took advantage of the opportunity to take a look at the items currently showcased on their displays. Staring at the auctioneer, he spoke.
“I am looking for divine artifacts of Light Element. I wonder if your auction house has them in stock?”
“Of course sir,”
Ever since Emery had deepened his understanding of the light element at the Light Institute, he had been searching for divine artifacts that would be of use to him.
With his current strength, the only way for Emery to be able to use his [Fusion] skill was by sacrificing a divine artifact.
Unfortunately, instead of using his [Light Magic Staff] he ended up using his lightsaber instead, and with it, he needed a replacement.
They were led into a room where they were shown several displays, all light element weapons.
“Do you have a Lightsaber?”
“As a matter of fact, we have,” the man said.
After a few minutes of waiting, an auction house staff came into their private room with a short box. Opening the box, Emery could see a sword hilt lying within. It only looked similar to the one he had as it had a different guard.
Emery of course knew that he could get a new one at the Light Institute. However, a Lightsaber wasn’t something mass-produced and took time to build. Time that he didn’t have because the tournament was about to start soon.
“This was forged by a master blacksmith, using a light divine stone.”
Emery gives the sword a try and finds It was of a similar quality to the one given to him by Magus Urix.
The lightsaber sword was considered one of the most expensive Tier 4 artifacts and would cost him 80,000 spirit stones.
“I will take it”
“Good choice,” said the man with a smile
However after Emery makes the payment, the auctioneer smiles wickedly saying, “Actually if you’re interested, we do have the rare Advance Lightsaber, which will be up for sale in our auction three days later.”
This sentence quickly brought anger from Klea, “You should have told us this before we bought the first one!”
The man obviously was trying to trick him to buy more artifacts. However, knowing how hard it was to get a lightsaber, Emery calmed Klea down as he didn’t mind having an extra.
Even was certainly interested in buying the auctioned sword. An Advanced Lightsaber was considered a tier 5 artifact and one of the highest quality energy-based weapons one could find. It was known to only be made for the most honorable or captains of the light magus.
Although all lightsaber strength depends mostly on the user’s spirit core, the higher-tier saber would amplify the user’s spirit energy and lower the energy needed to maintain the sword.
“It will open at 100,000 a really good offer,” said the man further trying to convince him.
Recalling what kind of opponent he had to face, Emery certainly needed all the advantage he could get before the tournament began.
“Alright, We’ll see you at the auction then”
After leaving the auctioneer, Emery has one more place to go. To buy one thing that he believed could help him win the tournament.