While waiting for the auction to start, Neo’s mind wandered.
‘The Senate wants me to spread my bloodline.’
‘On the other hand, Zeus Clan wants to kill me.’
‘Is it safe to say Zeus Clan is moving alone, or are they trying to use a smokescreen to hide their true intentions?’
Whatever it was, Neo had no intention of marrying or having a kid.
It was clear Zeus Clan bore ill intentions against his bloodline.
They would go after his wife or child, too.
It was an unnecessary burden for Neo.
“Welcome to the Hargraves Auction, dear guests!”
Neo looked down over the auction hall from the VVIP room on the second floor when he heard the auctioneer.
Wealthy patrons wearing tailored attire sat in rows of velvet seats.
Their eyes gleamed.
Their faces revealed the anticipation they had for the auction as they murmured among themselves.
The air was thick with expectation, and the soft rustling of fabric filled the silence between their hushed conversations.
The golden chandeliers above cast a warm glow over the room, highlighting the gleaming jewelry and intricate designs of the attendees’ clothing.
The auction started.
Weapons, ores, spell books, incantations, mythical beasts.
Highest quality of exotic items were put on the auction.
Neo watched the proceedings.
At last, the host on the stage announced the final item of the auction.
“Dear guests, it’s time to reveal the item all of you have been eagerly waiting for!
“The True Soul Weapon Series!”
The audience clapped.
Neo stared at the stage silently.
A warhammer.
A bullet.
A longsword.
Three weapons were displayed on the stage.
“Please note, the Auction House does not take responsibility if the True Soul Weapon refuses to form a bond with you.”
The auctioneer began to explain the information about True Soul Weapons.
“Finally, the True Soul Weapons change their shapes depending on their user’s preference. So please don’t worry if you aren’t a swordsman, but a spearman!”
The audience chuckled.
Neo placed his hand on the Obitus hilt as he stared at the True Soul Weapons.
“The Weapons of Apocalypse,” he muttered.
God Slayer Weapons all belonged to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Obitus originally was supposed to be owned by the Apocalypse of Death.
The other three weapons belonged to Apocalypse of War, Apocalypse of Famine, and Apocalypse of Conquest.
“I didn’t stop the auction,” Neo muttered. “Was this the right thing to do?”
The Apocalypse, while dangerous, were not villains. Not exactly, at least.
They were something like a ragtag bunch of overpowered vigilante demigods.
Still, there was a reason why they were called Apocalypse.
Neo watched the auction carefully.
“Did the Apocalypse of Death come?”
Neo didn’t know the identity of Apocalypse of Death, unlike the other three.
His plan was to use the auction as a way to find his true identity.
“First, we will be auctioning the Warhammer! The bids will start at 500 million!”
“1 billion!”
“1.5 billion!”
“3 billion!”
“10 billion!”
The audience became quiet.
They stared at the VVIP room where the owner of the 10 billion bid sat.
“Is there anyone who wants to increase the price?” the host asked. “10 billion, once! 10 billion, twice! 10…”
“15 billion!”
“17 billion!”
The bidding continued to go up.
“Sold to Senator Abrahim for 80 billion!”
The first True Soul Weapon was auctioned successfully.
“It’s the same as in the novel.”
Neo frowned.
“Where is the Apocalypse of Death? Did he not come to the auction?”
“We will start the auction of the second True Soul Weapon! Starting price is 500 million!”
The auctioneer pushed the bullet forward to show it to the audience.
Another heated bidding took place.
“Sold to Gideon Everhart for 100 billion!”
The price of the second soul weapon jumped by 20 billion.
The auctioneer hid his immense happiness behind a perfect business-like smile.
“Mars family bought the second weapon.”
Neo’s expression was not good.
He hated letting his friend have a weapon that was bound to the fate of calamity.
But it was the only way for his friend to grow stronger.
Besides, Neo himself was using Obitus.
If he told others not to use True Soul Weapons because they were dangerous, it would just make him a hypocrite.
“This is the last remaining True Soul Weapon!
“Don’t let go of this chance, dear people! A True Soul Weapon is invaluable compared to money!
“It can grow stronger with you and strengthen your primary elemental control! It will work even if you become a Paragon Demigod or an Exalted Demigod!”
The auctioneer did a short marketing pitch before starting the bidding.
“We will start at 500 million!”
By now, Neo was standing in front of the glass wall that showed him the auction hall.
His hand held the railing tightly.
“Come out. Come out, fucker.”
Neo had no lead left if he failed today.
The Apocalypse of Death was a mysterious being.
He was strong, rich, and – according to the Apocalypse of Death himself – a student in the demigod academy in the same year as the main cast.
Neo had gone through the student list of the academy five times.
He even mobilized the power of the student council.
Yet he was unable to find anyone who could be suspected of being the Apocalypse of Death.
Today was the only chance he could find him.
“Where are you, Death?”
The auction ended.
“Congratulations to Charlotte Fontaine, the principal of Demigod Academy, for buying the third True Soul Weapon!”
Neo clicked his tongue.
He left the room with a frustrated expression.
“The weapons were sold to the same people. It’s clear the future didn’t change much. Why did only he disappear?”
There were a lot of mysteries around the Apocalypse of Death.
“Dammit.”
The trip back to the mansion was uneventful.
The butler passed him a few documents.
“What are these?”
“The prospects who came to meet you today for marriage contracts.”
“…”
Sighing, Neo flipped through the file quickly.
He stopped at a particular page.
“Why is Morrigan’s name here?”
“The Zeus Clan seems to have sent her with a marriage contract.”
Neo frowned.
“Isn’t this too much? The Zeus Clan abandoned her because she lost her position to me.
“But giving up a genius like her for a connection to another family sounds like a stupid decision.”
“It’s how the Zeus Clan works, young master,” the butler explained. “They want talented soldiers who listen to their orders without questions. Not geniuses who act on their own or failures who are useless.”
Neo nodded.
The Zeus Clan had a twisted ideology.