The auction had gone on for a while now, but Alister hadn’t attempted to buy anything. He watched calmly as various rare and powerful items were presented. The room was filled with the sounds of excited murmurs and the voices of attendees as their bids were being shouted.
Lady Zhang Lian, seated beside him, observing curiously how he seemed to be uninterested couldn’t help but ask.
“What exactly are you after, Mr Spade?”
“Why haven’t you tried to bid on anything yet?”
Alister turned to her, his voice sounding nonchalant.
“As I mentioned earlier, I’m after something specific.”
Lian’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, that again?”
“You don’t have to act so cold, you make it seem like I’m after your life or something.” she said mischievously.
Before Alister could respond, the auctioneer’s voice echoed, drawing the attention of the entire room. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for one of the top items on our list today.”
A member of the Reaper Guild emerged from the side of the stage, pulling along a creature in chains. The creature was humanoid, with pointy ears, ash-colored skin, silver hair, and yellow eyes, it looked male.
Scales showed up randomly on its skin. It looked beaten, wearing ragged clothing and showing clear signs of being starved, a clear attempt to make it more obedient.
The auctioneer’s voice took on a dramatic tone. “What we have here is a remarkable find-a creature unlike any we have seen before. Not only is it more human than all the other monsters we encountered in the past, but it also appears to possess high intelligence.”
“Our guild encountered a group of these beings in the wilderness during one of our clearing missions.”
Lady Lian leaned forward, her interest piqued. “Interesting,” she mused, her eyes scanning the creature.
“I thought we humans were the only intelligent race that inhabited our world. I’ve only seen intelligent monsters in dungeons, but they are usually only boss monsters, but from what the announcer is saying, there could even be a society of these creatures out there.”
“Perhaps when the apocalypse occurred hundreds of years ago, some other intelligent races invaded our planet as well.”
She turned to Alister, a sly smile on her face. “Or what do you think, Mr Spade?”
But Alister was preoccupied. The system had suddenly flared a notice in his mind, it’s white text appearing before his eyes:
[Congratulations to the player for completing a hidden quest: Where Are They Now? (1/30). Requirement: Find a member of a Dragon kin race.
Reward: Ring of Focus made from a shard of Aloria’s Heart Stone (B rank).]
A hidden quest? It was the first Alister had ever heard of it, the system didn’t even tell him such quests existed when it first explained its mechanisms to him.
To be given a reward for finding a monster, it was clear the system was silently telling him to search for this race, and from the bracket besides it it could be a chain quest. Meaning more rewards, but at the moment Alister couldn’t care less.
‘Three quests in a single day, Dragonforge is really going haywire. I’m glad this one is more of a reward though.’
Alister let out a sigh, his shoulder slumping slightly, he couldn’t help but feel relieved, if a quest popped up asking him to save that strange creature he would turn it down no questions asked. He wouldn’t want to make an enemy of all the city’s elite gathered here, there was no need to.
Lady Lian’s voice brought him back to the present. “Are you alright? You seem lost in thought.”
Alister pushed aside his momentary distraction. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Aliayer couldn’t help but notice it seemed like lady Lian was talking to him more often, so he couldn’t help but ask.
“Why the sudden interest in me, Lady Lian?”
“Are you always this interested in the matters of total strangers?”
Lian chuckled, a playful glint in her eyes. “Forgive me if I seem overly inquisitive, Mr Spade.” “I just can’t help but wonder what a hidden master such as yourself would hope to gain here.” “Hidden master?” Alsiter asked, clearly confused, it was the first he had heard of the term. “Oh come now sir, don’t play dumb with me, I’m well informed, that marking on the forehead of the mask you are wearing. I’ve heard it once belonged to an old guild that disbanded.” “Most of its old members are believed to have gone missing, but sometimes you could find them wearing a mask like that.”
Before Alister could bring up something to disprove her point Lian spoke up again.
“And that soft yet bright gleam it seemed to have can only belong to a certain old metal that would cost millions now.”
“So I am certain you are one of those said guild members.”
Alister’s thoughts raced.
‘Is this an attempt at humor from Master Yuuto? Why does he keep handing out priceless treasures?’
‘Well, not like it matters now. If he’s willing to lend a piece of his history to benefit me, then I don’t see a problem with it.’ ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Alister simply stared at her, offering no response.
Lian sighed, a touch of exasperation in her voice. “It seems your cold shoulder means I’ve nailed the nail to the head.”
Ignoring her, Alister turned his attention back to the auction stage. The bidding for the creature had finally ended, the hammer falling with a loud clang.
“And the creature goes to…!” The auctioneer’s voice boomed through the room. “For the
price of five million Union credits! Congratulations!”
As the creature was led away, the auctioneer’s voice rose again.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the crown jewel of this auction. A treasure beyond compare!”
‘This must be it.’ Alister thought, tensing up slightly,
A velvet-covered box was brought to the stage. With a calm simple motion, the auctioneer lifted the lid, revealing a small, vial-like container filled with a green liquid that seemed to
sparkle.
“This, my friends, is sap extracted from a root of the still yet to be found World Tree. A substance with unmatched healing properties and invigorating effects.”
As he spoke, a green talent window materialized with the item’s information.
[Item info window:
Name: World Tree Sap
Rarity: S-Class
Description: A vial containing a small amount of sap extracted from the root of the legendary
World Tree, a mythical entity believed to exist beyond the known realms. The sap emits a faint green glow, and its liquid seems to shimmer.]