On the auction stage.
Behind the soul bone display case.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Romanyak's forehead as he stiffly turned his head to look at Lord Xiao, the city lord.
He knew exactly who that man in black was!
But now Dales had stopped bidding!
The smile on Lord Xiao's face began to freeze. He awkwardly signaled Romanyak to strike the auction hammer—otherwise, the soul masters below might get riled up by that bastard Dales!
"One million, once!"
Romanyak struck the gavel heavily. The dull thud echoed across the entire Notting Square.
Ten seconds passed. No one else raised the bid.
"One million, twice!"
The gavel fell again.
Still, no one raised their bid.
Most of the soul masters below desperately wanted the soul bone, but they didn't have the money. One million gold soul coins was a fortune most of them wouldn't earn in a lifetime.
"One million, three times!"
Thirty seconds passed with no further bids. Romanyak knew he couldn't stall any longer and, with a heavy heart, struck the final blow of the gavel.
[Notting City is likely to fall into chaos for a while after this...]
Romanyak understood clearly—Dales wanted to stir up turmoil in Notting.
If Dales won the soul bone, it would at least mean a loss of wealth to avoid disaster. Afterward, he wouldn't be able to exploit it further.
But if Dales didn't get the soul bone, even if he couldn't confirm whether that man in black was under Lord Xiao's command, he would still spread rumors in secret—luring soul masters who came to Notting to investigate or even steal from the city lord's mansion and the Xiao estate.
Soul masters had been known to kill each other—even their own kin—over a soul bone.
That wasn't an exaggeration. It was the brutal truth of the soul master world.
[Tonight, I have to prepare to send Romantina out of Notting. Better she lie low than get caught in the mess.]
Romanyak sighed silently and ordered the next auction item to be brought out—a crystal rose necklace, said to be crafted by a master sculptor.
However, most ordinary soul masters had no interest in items that didn't enhance their strength. Only a few noble heirs and small family clans would buy such luxury items to connect with higher-status aristocrats...
After the auction ended, Zhou Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu collected their payment from the guild and finally met up with the late-arriving Romantina.
Xiao Wu handed her a pouch of gold soul coins and said, "We collected it for you."
"Thank you."
Romantina accepted the pouch, her mood visibly gloomy. Unlike her usual crazy and lively self, she now looked worried. "My dad's sending me out of Notting tomorrow. He said I can come back once this whole soul bone mess is over... Why don't you all come with me?"
Leaving Notting and staying out of the conflict was clearly the safest option.
But—
Zhou Qing hesitated.
If they left Notting, what would happen to him, Tang San, and Xiao Wu?
Although the Wuhun Hall-issued spirit certification granted them entry to elementary spirit academies, transferring to another region without following the proper school admission process would definitely raise suspicion.
Join Wuhun Hall?
Join a sect or clan?
He didn't want to choose either.
Perhaps it was his pride as a transmigrator.
Or maybe it was fear—
Fear of losing control over his own life.
Once inside those systems, he could be molded into something he currently despised. He knew himself well—if he became one of the privileged, would he really have the courage to speak of reform?
Tang San noticed Zhou Qing's hesitation again but didn't understand the cause, so he couldn't advise him. He simply resolved in his heart to finish preparing that special gift as soon as possible...
"Leave? No way," Xiao Wu shook her head. "I haven't even explored every corner of Notting City yet—how could I leave now?"
Tang San said, "I'm not leaving either. My home's in Holy Spirit Village."
It wasn't so much that Tang San missed his blacksmith shop, but more that Zhou Qing's forge was nearby.
Over the past couple of years before their spirit awakenings, he had grown close to the villagers in Holy Spirit Village. Leaving without a word just didn't feel right.
Still—
Tang San ultimately decided to go with whatever Zhou Qing chose. If Zhou Qing left with Romantina, he would follow.
"I'll stay."
After a long silence, Zhou Qing gave his answer.
He had temporarily convinced himself:
Since he wanted to change something about the Douluo Continent, he couldn't keep hesitating. He had to stand tall!
Dales? Just one man!
Even if he might bring unrest to Notting, if Zhou Qing backed down now, what kind of future could he hope for?
Besides, with his current strength, even Soul Elders would struggle to beat his first soul skill. Why should he cower?
"You want to abandon me?" Romantina abruptly changed her tone, her eyes welling with tears. "Don't forget the meat bug is still in my brain!"
Skydream Iceworm: "...Truly heartbreaking! You still won't call me Brother Tianmeng!"
"Hey! Don't hug me! People will think something's going on between us! Maybe you don't care about your reputation, but I do!"
Zhou Qing struggled to push Romantina off his leg, thoroughly speechless.
Her leaving was supposed to be a bittersweet moment... but who knew she'd switch personalities so suddenly?
They had only known each other for a few days!
At that moment—
The other adventurers in the Notting Guild began watching them, pointing at Zhou Qing, Romantina, Tang San, and Xiao Wu.
"These kids today... so scandalous!"
"Isn't that the deputy city lord's daughter? Someone actually dared to reject her? They've got a death wish!"
"Wait—doesn't that guy look even younger?"
"He's already a soul master though. Didn't he serve as a guard during the auction?"
"So young and already a heartbreaker... childhood friends on either side, and now he's entangled with Romantina too? Tsk, what a player!"
Tang San's face turned pale.
These adventurers really didn't filter what they said!
And he wasn't even a girl!
Zhou Qing broke free from Romantina and bolted out of the guild, unable to imagine what even more outrageous things the loose-lipped adventurers might say if he stayed.
Romantina's behavior was only mildly crazy, but among those adventurers, there could be real perverts—firsthand experience included!
"Wait for me!"
Romantina called out and chased after him.
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, then turned to face the crowd—seeing expressions ranging from teasing to admiration to amusement—felt their scalps go numb and quickly ran after them...
Behind the counter, Miss Elisse hadn't recovered yet.
She had witnessed the entire episode between Zhou Qing and Romantina—but how was she supposed to describe what she just saw?
So bizarre!
It was like smashing logic and art into pieces, kneading them with humor, steaming the mix with confusion, and serving a dish of one-third madness, five parts absurdity, and a final hint of psychological torment... and it wouldn't leave her mind.
"These kids really are lively,"
Su Yuntao, sitting at the counter, turned around and took a sip of the fruit wine Elisse brought him. Laughing, he said, "Reminds me of my own wild youth. I guess I was in Romantina's role back then."
"Same personality as Miss Romantina?" Elisse joked, noting how Su Yuntao's dark circles had faded.
"Of course not!"
Su Yuntao immediately denied it.
Not many people in Notting knew Romantina's true personality—but Su Yuntao and Elisse did.
Elisse, being observant, had noticed Romantina's pervy smirk while taking guild missions. And teams that had partnered with her before all cut ties afterward...
Though most gave face to Deputy City Lord Romanyak and stayed quiet, Elisse had heard the truth from one adventurer—
That adventurer was Su Yuntao.
Aside from conducting spirit awakenings once a year, he had a lot of free time and often took on jobs to earn money.
He was one of the few who had teamed up with Romantina, and after witnessing her wild behavior, kept his distance and warned others...
"Sigh, I wonder how many soul masters will flood into Notting in the next month or two." Su Yuntao's eyes dimmed slightly. "The City Lord's estate and Wuhun Hall are planning a joint patrol effort, and I came here to post a recruitment task. Wuhun Hall needs temporary soul masters to help patrol alongside city guards."
"Why isn't Master Maxino reporting to the sub-hall?" Elisse asked, puzzled.
There was already a rumor in the guild that Lord Xiao had bought the soul bone.
Whether it was a scheme to swindle Dales or a ploy to fool all soul masters who came to Notting, it didn't matter now.
What mattered was—the soul bone was still in Notting!
And that could bring chaos to this once peaceful city.
By protocol, Maxino should've reported everything to the Wuhun sub-hall. They would've sent help.
Why only patrol and not intervene?
Because Wuhun Hall couldn't interfere with internal affairs between cities under the two empires—they could only mediate soul master conflicts.
"It's because Lord Xiao is blocking it."
Su Yuntao sighed, "If our local hall reports to the sub-hall, and someone with ties to Notting's administration hears about it, Lord Xiao could be punished."
"Maybe he keeps his noble title, but he'd definitely lose his city lord position. If Notting fell into chaos, he'd be blamed for negligence."
"There are plenty of nobles in the Heaven Dou Empire, but few have real power. Nobles from other places are just waiting for small-town lords like him to slip up so they can pull strings and rise to power."
"But if this crisis passes and he handles it well, it becomes a stepping stone for Lord Xiao's promotion."
Unlike Wuhun Hall, official promotions in the Heaven Dou Empire were based on ability and achievements—not just strength.
Otherwise, the Emperor himself, Xue Ye, would be the strongest soul master in the Empire.
"Lord Xiao is just using the people of Notting as his ladder." Elisse pulled out a mission slip and began writing the recruitment notice. "If only Deputy City Lord Romanyak could take over."
"As Notting Guild's receptionist and controller of the soul coin machine, you really shouldn't say that," Su Yuntao teased.
"Just saying what I feel, Master Battle Soul. No need to get so serious." Elisse smiled as she handed the mission slip over. "Here, go stick it up yourself. I'm busy."
"Ah, guess I'm not welcome anymore!" Su Yuntao laughed, drained his last cup of wine, pinned the notice to the board, and walked out of the Notting Guild.
"Until next time."
Elisse watched his back, smiled faintly—and in her eyes, a flash of longing briefly flickered and faded...