The auction hall had grown louder.
What had begun as polite bidding and restrained competition was slowly transforming into something far more chaotic. Wealthy nobles leaned forward in their seats. Merchant representatives whispered among themselves while scribbling numbers onto jade tablets. Servants moved carefully through the aisles carrying trays of wine, their steps cautious as though they were navigating a battlefield rather than a marketplace.
Lux sat inside his iron cage beneath the stage platform.
The metal bars were thick and cold, yet the openings were wide enough for him to observe the room beyond—torches burned along the walls, casting warm light across polished stone floors and rows of extravagant seating.
He could see them all.
Nobles wrapped in silk robes.
Merchants adorned with rings and jade ornaments.
Cultivators whose presence alone made the air feel heavier.
Lux exhaled quietly.
So this is how power looks in this world.
The thought carried no envy.
Only observation.
Beside him, the other slaves sat in their own cages, some trembling, others staring blankly into the distance as though their minds had already accepted whatever fate awaited them.
One young man whispered hoarsely.
"Do you think anyone decent will buy us?"
No one answered him.
Lux closed his eyes briefly.
Decent buyers.
That was an amusing phrase.
He doubted such people existed here.
Above the cages, the auction platform remained brightly illuminated. A woman stood at the center of it, dressed in elegant crimson robes that clung to her figure like flowing fire. Her smile was flawless, her voice smooth and practiced.
She was the auctioneer.
"Honored guests," she said warmly. "Thank you for your patience. Our next item is something quite unusual."
A ripple of curiosity spread through the hall.
Two attendants emerged from the side corridor carrying a long wooden chest reinforced with iron bands. Even before the chest was opened, Lux noticed something strange.
The air around it felt sharp.
Not oppressive like the Rank One cultivator seated somewhere in the hall.
But dangerous.
The attendants placed the chest on a stone pedestal.
The auctioneer lifted the lid.
Inside lay a broken blade.
Gasps spread across the hall.
The weapon was clearly damaged. Half of the blade was missing, and deep fractures ran through the remaining steel like frozen lightning. Yet even in its ruined state, the weapon radiated a chilling aura that caused nearby servants to step backward instinctively.
The auctioneer allowed the silence to stretch before speaking.
"This weapon," she said slowly, "is the shattered fragment of a Rank One armament."
The hall erupted.
Even the calm nobles in the upper seats leaned forward.
Rank One.
That was a realm most people would never even glimpse.
A weapon forged for someone at that level carried unimaginable value.
The auctioneer continued.
"Although the weapon is broken, the material itself remains extraordinary. Any weapon refined using fragments of this blade will surpass even a peak Rank S weapon."
A wave of murmurs swept across the hall.
Lux watched carefully.
So even broken things have value here.
He glanced down at the chains binding his wrists.
Interesting.
A fat merchant near the front row raised his hand immediately.
"Twenty spirit stones!"
Another voice followed.
"Thirty!"
A noble with silver embroidery on his robe spoke calmly.
"Forty spirit stones."
The bidding war ignited instantly.
Lux listened quietly.
Spirit stones.
So this is the real currency of power.
Within moments, the price soared.
Fifty.
Seventy.
One hundred.
Lux leaned back slightly against the bars of his cage.
The hall had turned into a storm of greed.
Even some of the calmer cultivators began whispering to their aides as though reconsidering whether to join the competition.
Finally, the weapon fragment sold for 230 spirit stones.
The gavel struck.
The audience applauded politely.
Lux exhaled slowly.
That broken blade just sold for enough wealth to feed a city.
And I am about to be sold like livestock.
His lips curved faintly.
What a world.
The auctioneer gestured gracefully.
"Now then, let us move on to something a little more... entertaining."
The tone of the hall shifted immediately.
Lux knew what was coming.
Servants rolled one of the slave cages onto the stage.
Inside it sat a young woman with long black hair and delicate features. Her clothing was simple, but her beauty was undeniable.
The audience began murmuring.
The auctioneer smiled knowingly.
"Our next item is a rare slave with exceptional beauty and excellent health. Perfect for companionship or... more private uses."
Several nobles laughed openly.
The girl trembled inside the cage but said nothing.
The bidding began quickly.
"Ten spirit stones."
"Fifteen."
"Twenty."
A middle-aged noble raised his hand lazily.
"Thirty spirit stones."
His eyes traveled across the girl with open interest.
"If she pleases me tonight, perhaps I will keep her longer."
The hall chuckled.
Lux felt his jaw tighten.
Beside him, another enslaved person whispered bitterly.
"That is her life now."
Lux did not respond.
He simply watched.
Up in the VIP balcony, a young woman observed the scene with a faint frown.
She wore the Lancelot family's emblem.
Lady Aurelia Lancelot.
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly as the noble continued laughing about how the girl would warm his bed before sunrise.
Disgust flickered across her expression.
"Animals," she muttered quietly.
Beside her, an older man chuckled softly.
"Do not look so surprised, child. Nobles have always been hypocrites."
Aurelia snorted but said nothing further.
The girl sold for forty two spirit stones.
Servants dragged her away while the noble who purchased her laughed loudly with his companions.
Lux watched her go.
Another piece was removed from the board.
Then the auctioneer clapped her hands lightly.
"And now we have a curious item."
A small wooden box was brought forward.
It was simple.
Almost disappointingly ordinary.
When the lid opened, the audience leaned forward slightly.
Inside lay a dull black stone.
No aura.
No glow.
Nothing remarkable.
The auctioneer hesitated.
"Unfortunately, the origin of this object remains unknown. It was discovered in the ruins of an ancient battlefield."
The hall quickly lost interest.
A few nobles shrugged.
One merchant laughed.
"If you do not even know what it does, why bring it here?"
The auctioneer maintained her smile.
"We believe it may contain hidden value."
Silence answered her.
No one cared.
Below the stage, Lux suddenly froze.
Beneath the skin of his palm, the Omnimage mark pulsed violently.
A surge of heat spread through his hand.
His eyes widened slightly.
What...
The mark throbbed again.
Not painfully.
But urgently.
As though something inside it had awakened.
Lux slowly turned his head toward the stone.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Above him in the VIP balcony the elderly Lancelot elder stiffened.
The bloodline detector resting on the table beside him flickered faintly.
Aurelia noticed immediately.
"Grandfather?"
The old man leaned closer to the artifact.
For a brief moment, a faint red glow appeared within the crystal.
Then it vanished.
Both of them fell silent.
The elder narrowed his eyes.
That was not a coincidence.
Below, the auctioneer cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Opening bid... ten spirit stones?"
Silence.
Then a bored voice from the back.
"Five."
Laughter followed.
Lux spoke quietly under his breath.
"I hope someone buys it."
Another slave beside him scoffed.
"You worry about rocks when your own life is being sold?"
Lux shrugged.
"One should maintain hobbies."
The slave stared at him like he was insane.
In the VIP balcony, the elder raised his hand.
"Fifty spirit stones."
The entire hall turned to look.
Fifty spirit stones for a useless rock?
The auctioneer blinked in surprise.
"Sold."
The gavel struck immediately.
Lux leaned back in his cage.
So the Lancelots noticed something too.
Good.
Very good.
The auction continued.
Another slave was brought forward.
This is a muscular man with scars covering his chest.
He sold quickly.
Then another.
The tension inside the hall slowly built.
Lux could feel it.
The moment was approaching.
Finally, the auctioneer raised her hand once more.
"Our next item is something quite rare."
A heavy iron gate opened behind the stage.
Chains rattled loudly.
Four handlers dragged a massive creature forward.
Gasps exploded across the hall.
The beast resembled a wolf but stood twice as tall as a horse. Its fur was silver white, and its eyes burned with feral intelligence.
"A Frostfang cub," the auctioneer announced.
Chaos erupted.
Even the calm nobles could not remain composed now.
A Frostfang beast had the potential to grow into a Rank One monster if raised correctly.
The bidding war began instantly.
Hundreds of spirit stones.
Then thousands.
Lux watched quietly.
Power.
Everything in this world revolved around power.
Eventually, the beast sold for an absurd price, making the hall buzz with excitement.
Then the auctioneer's gaze shifted.
"And now," she said slowly, "our final slave for tonight."
The cage beneath Lux jolted as attendants began pulling it forward.
Lux stood.
The chains on his wrists clinked softly.
One of the guards whispered.
"Try not to look terrified. Nobles like confidence."
Lux smirked.
"I will do my best."
The cage rolled onto the stage.
Lux stepped out as the door opened.
A wave of whispers spread across the hall.
He was tall.
Lean but well built.
His face carried an unusual calmness that contrasted sharply with the fear most enslaved people displayed.
Several female nobles leaned forward immediately.
One giggled.
"Oh my."
Another whispered to her companion.
"He is handsome."
Lux raised an eyebrow slightly.
This is getting strange.
In the VIP balcony, Aurelia laughed softly.
"Oh, this will be interesting."
Beside her, the elder watched silently.
Then the bloodline detector pulsed again.
This time stronger.
Both of them froze.
The crystal glowed faintly.
The elder's eyes widened.
Aurelia leaned closer.
"What is it?"
The old man spoke slowly.
"There is something in that boy."
Below on the stage, Lux lifted his chin and spoke calmly.
"So."
The hall fell quiet.
Lux looked across the sea of nobles.
"I assume one of you intends to purchase me."
Several people blinked in surprise.
A slave speaking so casually was unusual.
Lux continued.
"In that case, I would appreciate a buyer who feeds his investments properly."
Laughter erupted across the hall.
The auctioneer smiled brightly.
"Opening bid... twenty spirit stones."
In the balcony, the elder whispered.
"We will watch."
Aurelia's eyes gleamed.
"Yes."
Her smile widened.
"This boy might be far more entertaining than the rest."
And beneath Lux's skin...
The Omnimage mark pulsed again.
Stronger than ever.
Something had awakened.