Chapter 223 – Kelat Auction House (6)
The day of the 3rd auction for the tablet piece arrived, and it was at the center of everyone’s attention.
Although it was a secret auction done at the top auction house of the 9 sections, the building was bustling with people.
The West Wind Union only sent invitations to VVIPs, but they had received so many complaints after the 2nd auction that they ended up giving out more invitations this time. It was because they had to stay on the good side of the Large Clans.
And of course, the Large Clans wouldn’t send just one or two people.
Even though they only sent 5 representatives each, the seats were filled with the representatives’ guards.
And on top of that, the place was bustling with groups from the Magic Tower and high rankers, so it wasn’t really a secret auction anymore.
Because these players didn’t like noisy and loud things, they were blatantly frowning.
However, no one here was able to say anything to the Union.
Most of them weren’t actually invited, but they wanted to see the others who were competing to get the last piece of the tablet.
“Even the Elohim is weird. Four members from the Senate and one from the Consul? They’ve all gone crazy.”
“I see the head of the family of the ‘Family of Life.’ I heard he doesn’t leave the house often. I can’t believe he’s here right now.”
The head of the family of the Protogenoi species, Ione, was only known by his name, and he was famous for not going outside.
But he was here at the auction. Ione’s eyes flashed coldly from his first cla.s.s seat.
He was dissatisfied with all the good-for-nothings here. He wanted to auction to start now.
And those sitting on his left and right were those who ruled over the Elohim, the Senate and Consul.
One could easily tell that this auction would not go smoothly by just looking in that direction. But it wasn’t just the Elohim who were contributing to that atmosphere.
“Marquis Nageling and Marquis Sc.r.a.p from the Blood Land came. The person back there looks like…..Duke Ardbad.”
Of the four Monstrous Power War Spirit guardians who protected the Gluttony Emperor, he was the man who symbolized ‘Power’.
He was renowned for his sword skills, which were rumored to be able to cut through oceans, and everyone knew that the Gluttony Emperor rarely let him leave unless it was for something important.
Seeing him here showed how interested the Gluttony Emperor was with this auction.
“And it seems the 4th and 5th Bishops from the Devil Army came, too.”
“The Sea of Time? They’re here, too? Crazy. Everyone’s crazy about this auction.”
On the right, there were two people who were sitting isolated from everyone else.
Their black hooded robes made it hard to discern their ident.i.ties, but the demonic energy that was exuded from them made it obvious they were from the Devil Army.
But there were some who attracted more attention than them.
The five people who were sitting near the Devil Army didn’t care about their surroundings. They occasionally yawned and pulled out books to read as if they were bored.
No one was able to approach them, like they were sectioned off.
The Sea of Time.
It was the most mysterious clan out of the Eight Large Clans.
From the beginning of the Tower, there had been an old wives’ tale.
‘They are everywhere and nowhere.’ It was an aphorism to describe the Sea of Time.
They were famous for not revealing themselves. Nothing was known about how many members they had or where their headquarters were.
They should’ve been treated as nothing more than a secretive clan, but every time they showed themselves, their contribution was shocking.
The most astonis.h.i.+ng incident was when they sent Allforone back to the 77th floor when he was active.
The Red Dragon, who was thought to be the only group who could stop Allforone, was greatly shocked.
From then, people began to say that the only clan able to stand against the Red Dragon was the Sea of Time.
But of course, there wasn’t anyone stupid enough to say it out loud.
Nonetheless, because of such incidents, the Sea of Time was one of the most powerful of the Eight Large Clans and an unignorable force.
Other than them, there were clans that were not in the Eight Large Clans but had the potential to be because of the new spot created by the collapse of the Cheongwado.
Iron Lion Clan, Stray Children, Magic Tower, etc…..
Because all the current leaders of the modern age were here, the auction house was filled to the brim with a nervous aura.
However, even in such an atmosphere, there was an arrival that pulled everyone’s attention.
Creak—
A group of players marched in through the slightly opened door in an organized but dry manner.
“They’re finally here.”
“The Red Dragon…..”
It was the arrival of the Red Dragon.
Even though the Sea of Time was thought to be their equivalent, the Red Dragon always ruled supreme in the past and in the present.
It was further proved by the fact that they defeated the Cheonghwado, a group that was thought to be equal to them, and still functioned normally.
The people walking down the carpet all had sanguineous auras.
The Delusional Ghost, Garavito.
The Chancellor of Blood and Iron, Bismarck.
The Old Sword, Hanan.
The Lionheart, Richard.
The Venomous b.u.t.terfly, Danghee.
The Murderer Twins, Jack and Ripper.
The Hawk Eye, Troy.
They were part of the famous 81 Eyes.
They were also known to cruelly crushe anyone who dared to stand against the Red Dragon.
But when they pa.s.sed and the last person entered, people were shocked even more.
A handsome man with a sculpture-like face and cold eyes entered.
These were the 9 children that the Summer Queen transfused her ‘Dragon Blood’ to, the Nine Dragon Sons.
Of them, the one who just walked in was the youngest, Tom, the Beginning.
As the leaders of the 81 Eyes, the Nine Lives Dragon Sons were probably the ones who ruled over Red Dragon.
Since someone like that had brought 8 of the Eyes, obviously everyone would be tense.
But Tom laughed sardonically, not caring about the looks he received, and he sat down in the seat reserved for him and crossed his legs.
And just when the tension was thick enough to be tangible—
“I’d like to thank everyone who came to this lowly place.”
Atran stood on the podium, scanning the VVIPs, and politely greeted them.
“Since everyone is busy, we’ll begin the auction right away. Here is the third piece of Trigmegistus’s tablet.”
Atran powerfully pulled back the curtains. As he did, the tablet that was kept in a gla.s.s box was revealed.
Silence descended upon them.
But there was a heat swirling around in the room. The eyes of everyone looking at the piece were the same.
Greed.
It wasn’t just the Red Dragon who knew that the piece and the Philosopher’s Stone were related.
Even if they didn’t connect it with the Philosopher’s Stone, most of the Large Clans and high rankers realized that it could create an extraordinary organ for magical power, and there were fights happening all over the Tower to get the item.
The tablet was at the center of attention of the Tower, creating enough of a stir to cause wars.
In their heads, there was only one thought.
-I have to have that, no matter what!
Even if they bankrupted their clan or fought wars to get it, they had to have it.
Atran was extremely pleased with the atmosphere in the auction house. The greater their greed, the more his name would be known. If that happened, it wouldn’t be long until he owned the West Wind Union.
There was a danger that there would be a fight after the auction, but it wasn’t his problem. All he had to do was sell it at a ridiculously high price.
“Alright, then let’s…..!”
Before Atran began the auction, Tom, who had been quiet all this time, spoke in an annoyed voice, raising his bidding panel.
“Elixir.”
“…..!”
“…..!”
“T, That c, crazy…..!”
“Red Dragon! What are you doing!”
The faces of the high rankers all crumpled. A few of them shot up and shouted.
But the Red Dragon didn’t seem to care.
They even set pointed looks at Atran, as if asking why he wasn’t continuing with the auction.
Atran, who had been frozen, began to tremble with shock.
Elixir.
The G.o.dly medicine that you couldn’t buy with all the money in the world.
It was something that Heaven Wing Cha Jeong-woo had been critically injured trying to get, and the price of the Elixir was as high as the Philosopher’s Stone.
Offering this G.o.dly medicine that could treat all illnesses meant that the Red Dragon was warning others not to touch the piece.
However, Tom and the Red Dragon didn’t care about the Elixir. Even if it was a panacea, if it couldn’t help their queen, its value was nothing more than a pebble on the street.
“I thought we could pay with items instead of money. Did the rules change?”
At Tom’s growling voice, Atran barely got himself together. His voice was shaking as he spoke.
“We have the E, Elixir. I, Is there anyone e, else who’d like to bid?”
Urgency filled the faces of the players. However, of course no one had an item like the Elixir.
Even the high rankers who brought their life savings couldn’t do anything but sit still.
“I, If there isn’t anyone else who’d like to bid, we’ll start counting down. 10, 9…..”
“Of course there won’t be anyone. There are only blind bats here who don’t have the eyes to see its worth.”
Tom scoffed after hearing the count.
Just then, Duke Ardbad from the Blood Land burst up and spoke with a face that was as red as a tomato.
“Red Dragon! You’re the same as ever. Do you think you can take that?”
Duke Ardbad knew that he was making an unreasonable statement, but he didn’t care. It was more important to stop Red Dragon’s iron-fist ruling than for his reputation to be hurt.
If the tablet piece went into their hands, there was no telling how much they would grow.
The other players silently agreed with Duke Ardbad.
Everyone was exuding violent auras.
They were all ready to raise their swords if the piece went to the Red Dragon.
Kas.h.i.+ng!
Troy and the rest of the Eyes all slowly pulled their swords out.
Kwakwakwa—
A threatening tension began to build up.
“6, 5…..”
Atran continued to count in a trembling voice. He was confused as to why the Bureau wasn’t interfering yet.
Why weren’t they here? Was it because the fighting hadn’t begun yet? But the Bureau was extremely strict in its management of the Kelat Auction House. Something had definitely gotten in their way.
“4, 3…..”
Suddenly, Tom laughed coldly and spoke to everyone who was glaring at him.
“I think everyone’s mistaken about something, so to be clear—what we want isn’t just that.”
He amusedly emphasized his next words.
“It’s all the pieces.”
Just when the players were about to ask him what he meant, the faces of the representatives from all the clans crumpled. News of what was happening outside was being relayed to them live.
The leader of Golden Studies from Magic Tower jumped up with a flushed face.
“Just what are you doing, Beginning! How can you…..how! Betraying us like this!”
“It’s not enough to raid the magnate’s safe and the Magic Tower, but you’re even after the dealing area of the auction house! Red Dragon! Have you finally gone crazy!”
“Are you trying to go to war with the Tower?!”
People began to shout everywhere.
At this moment, the Red Dragon was attacking different places in the Tower.
They had struck the magnate Croy’s estate and killed him, and a few of the Nine Dragon Sons were ma.s.sacring the Golden Studies group in the Magic Tower. On top of that, a few of them had even attacked the secretaries of the dealing area in the Kelat Auction House.
Atran’s face paled.
To attack the secretaries meant that they were trying to identify the seller of the tablet by looking in the records.
Then that meant that his job as a merchant was on the line. Hic. Hic. At the continued hiccups, he forgot the counting.
Tom smirked and got on the podium.
No one thought of stopping him because of the unforgivable act of the Red Dragon.
Shatter—
Tom lightly broke the gla.s.s box and gripped the piece inside.
“Finally…..!”
The answer that would heal his mother and make the Red Dragon the ruler of the Tower was here.
***
“It must be a madhouse right now.”
On the 21st floor, in the Demons’ Forest, Brahm laughed his head off looking at Yeon-woo.
Thinking of the auction that must’ve begun already at the Kelat Auction House, he couldn’t help but laugh.
The stage that Yeon-woo set up was elaborate enough that almost no one who lived in the Tower would be able to avoid it. It was extremely tight.
The greedy Red Dragon would try to find the seller to h.o.a.rd the Philosopher’s Stone for themselves, but they wouldn’t be able to find anything.
They would only discover that the seller’s ident.i.ty was unknown. They had already wiped all traces from the database.
“They’re probably not gonna know, huh—”
Brahm curved a corner of his mouth. In fact, there was a crafty trick inside the tablet that no one would be able to figure out.
“ That the formula for Devil Poison is inside it.”
The Summer Queen would realize that something was wrong after making the Philosopher’s Stone. However, by then she would already be poisoned, and her body would be destroyed.
The condition of her body, which was already ruined from the collapse of her Dragon Heart, would worsen. It would be a fatal injury since demons were natural enemies of dragons.
Where would the anger of the Summer Queen be directed at?
It was obvious.
It would be targeted at where the tablet came from.
And the Red Dragon would probably find out through their thousand-year-old network of resources that the original tablet was the Emerald Tablet, and it was from the Walpurgisnacht.
The night of the witches would end there.
“This won’t be needed anymore.”
Yeon-woo burned the remaining part of the tablet with Holy Fire. They had prepared it in case the Tower’s reactions weren’t as well-received they hoped, but there wasn’t a need for that anymore.
The dark ashes fluttered away in the breeze.