301-310

Chapter 301 - Demonstration. Part 1

"Imperfect of course since I have no one sided interest in the Sheik." Hal said.

Lucile turned away and made it obvious that she was working hard to ignore him completely, but the mere fact that she had not tried to intimidate him with her cultivation base or even make mention of the organization she belonged to told Hal she was not as opposed to his company as she looked.

"Gentlemen and Lady, might we adjourn to the Arena where the presentation will take place." Gavin completed his announcement and speech and walked off the stage to the curious mumbling of those in the hall.

They followed after the Sheik and Gavin who led the way and headed to where Hal had Rune dueled Master Fenrir who was most likely not present that night because he was tending to injuries or mild psychological trauma.

The Sheik and Gavin sat below the honor tent with the Gaug brothers and Lucile. He also insisted Hal sit there as well while other guests sat close together on one side of the arena spectating seats.

Once everyone was seated, the Sheik raised his hand,

"Bring them in" he said and within the combatting ground of the arena, gates opened, and out of it walked guards who led two chained and fit men.

Then they unlocked their chains and stepped back and out of the gates while Hal and everyone watched from above.

Hal's astral perception was out and was scanning around in preparation for the eventual arrival of the supplier but then the Sheik gave Gavin a signal with what was threatening to be a permanent smile on his face.

Gavin stood up and out of his spatial ring, he retrieved a small scroll before he began,

"For reasons, he would not share, the supplier of the mutating technique has decided not to show up personally until the auction tomorrow but he gave us this demonstration scroll that is not only mediocre in quality and only worth one use but will also expire by midnight if not used.

However, he has assured us that this will be enough for an outlook and enough to show-off its potential.

And so without further ado, let's introduce our test subjects.

These two men are both in the same cultivation realm, at the mid-stage of the cosmic phenomenon realm and also in similar physical conditions but an acute observer will notice one is frailer than the other.

It is to him that we will bestow the mutation"

Balancing the scroll, on one hand, Gavin carefully performed several hand signs while reciting them below his breath. Obviously, he had been carefully instructed and was trying to be very accurate.

Once the last sign was completed, the scroll shone a grey color as a beam of the same color targeted the slightly weaker of the two men and merged with his body.

Hal's eyes narrowed at the beam which he could tell were of demonic origins or more accurately, definite dystopian origins.

This had been done with the use of Demonic spells.

The one targeted by the beam began his mutation which started with blowing up his physique to times two of what it was before and then stretching his height a whole two feet and his clothes shredded off. However, before his privates could be viewed, they were covered with a thick grey crust that also proceeded to cover every inch of his body.

Hal sighed because he could tell it was very similar to what Arya had done with the Plebeians back at Salmon city.

The crowd watched on in admiration as the transformation told of good things to come.

But the transformation was obviously merely the first part of the demonstration as the monster turned his beady eyes on his partner who looked on in fear.

At least he did so at first before he gulped and folded his hand into a fist and condensed a cosmic attack but did not direct it at the monster before him but at the Sheik looking down on the scene.

Barely sparing the attack a glance, the Sheik touched the platform in front of him with a finger and released an immense amount of cosmic energy that activated the array of rune circles drawn all about the inside walls of the combatting area of the arena.

It created a dome that became transparent the next second, only being visible at the point the attack hit.

"You might want to focus your aggression on the eight Feet tall monster in front of you.

It's just a suggestion in case you want to live" the Sheik said in a lazy voice and so many on the scene chuckled.

Lucile glanced sideways at Hal and noted him staring intensely at the monster as though seeing through it's whole make-up and mutation process.

There was also something else about his gaze.

It was familiar, almost as though he had experienced something of this sort before.

Hal turned towards her suddenly and faster than she could look away. He held her gaze for a second before winking at her with a smile and returning to gaze at the monster.

It was true that he was trying his best to see into the mutation process of the monster and he had noted many differences and similarities with Arya's flame demonification.

Differences; there were changes in physical structure in this case whereas Arya's flame demons only got covered in dark crusts and did not grow more robust or taller.

Also, there was no evidence of Combustion.

As for Similarities; the mutation was clearly going to cause an increase in physical prowess just like Arya's flame demonification.

Also, the ability of rational thought was most likely lost in both cases.

*Roarrrr!!!*

Case in point, the monster let out a gruff and angry sound after no clear indication before dashing towards his one-time partner who took the Sheik's advice and condensed a second Cosmic attack which he tossed towards his attacker.

*Boom*

*Roar!!!*

It barely took a second before the monster was dashing out of the cloud of detonation with no obvious physical damage to his body.

The man's eyes widened and he did what made sense to him which was to leap out of the monster's trajectory.

*Bang!*

He did it at the last possible minute and thus the monster slammed into the arena wall but turned back immediately without any sign of disorientation before dashing towards it's prey.

"Note the resilience and its focus on its target. Right now, it is going after an obvious target but that is only because the technique is merely a sample, and the manner in which to control the creation as well as to give it targets has not been handed over,

But clearly the worth speaks for itself" the Sheik said with his ever-present smile.

At that time, the monster was bearing down on the man once again and he made the split-second decision to summon his bleak spear cosmic armament that was surrounded lightly by a Cosmic phenomenon.

Once his attacker was on him barely a second later, the man was stabbing at the monster's torso, only for said monster to grab the spear and stop him from pulling it back.

Then it raised its large fist and struck down on the prone man, however before his strike could connect, the Cosmic armament in the monster's grip exploded and tossed both it and it's prey far apart from each other.

*Bang!*

*Crack*

So hard-hitting was the contact that the wall cracked under the monster's weight.

The man had obviously timed the explosion and also taken precautions to protect himself with Cosmic energy.

Now he shook off the cobwebs and stood to his feet shakily.

Maybe now he had a chance.

Maybe now he could turn the tables after his well-timed explosion.

But then the monster's figure vanished from where it had lain and then...

*Bam*

...it was punching the man in the face and sending him flying into the arena wall with a blood spurt and cracked ribs.

Chapter 302 - Demonstration. Part 2

"Ack" the man groaned and many of the spectators called out in amusement.

Clearly they were enjoying the show.

The monster had surprised them sufficiently by being capable of moving at such high speeds.

It was definitely a plus.

Hal had his hands clasped in front of his mouth as now he was no longer watching the monster because he felt there was nothing more to see, however, the broken young man on the ground was a different matter altogether.

The monster moved towards his prey slowly in no rush whatsoever which told Hal that even without the ability to think rationally, the monster could still be complacent.

When close to the man, the monster grabbed his neck and pulled him up to view his face with his eyes closed and breathing slowly and weakly.

*Snort*

The Monster breathed into the man's face when said man's eyes opened and he summoned his spear Cosmic armament in a second and stabbed upward into his assailant's eye.

"Roarrrr!!!" The monster let loose an angry sound and released the man from his grip but before the man could even think to rejoice, the monster was kicking him in the back...

*Bam!*

*Crack!*

... and thus snapped his vertebrae. Leaving him alive but in perpetual agony.

The monster raised his leg and stomped his prey's head so that it burst and flooded the area with blood and brain matter.

"Ohhhhh!" Exclaimed those in the crowd but not in a disgusted manner.

The sound was made out of enjoyment of what had happened and it was followed by their loud applause while their eyes glowed with the possible implications of such a technique in a controlled situation.

If they had the complete versions then the possibilities of hegemony were practically endless.

Of course, none of them had it in mind to go after the imperial family because even with the technique, that would still be suicide.

However, success in their chosen fields was well within reason.

Lucile however shook her head at how they were all practically salivating. Although she admitted the technique was impressive, however, she felt they were all neglecting one key matter which was the continent's hatred for this sort of means since they told of Dystopian origins.

She looked over to Hal again and found he was looking in her direction as well with a smirk before he mimed the words,

"You just can't get enough of me, can you"

Lucile rolled her eyes and mimed,

"Get over yourself" then she stood up and addressed the Sheik,

"My lord, I will like to take my leave now. I find that I am tired and would rather spend the rest of the night cultivating" she said with a low bow that teased the Sheik with a view of her cleavage.

It was not clear if it was intentional or not.

The Sheik smiled widely,

"Of course, we will continue our conversation tomorrow" he said.

Hal saw Lucile make a slight gesture of disbelief but cover it up with a smile before she left the arena.

Or at least she made to leave when the monster roaring inside the domed combatting area leaped upward and slammed against the Dome, only to be smacked back down.

But it did not stop and slammed against it again...

*Bang*

... and again...

*Bang*

... and again.

Now that his prey was dead, he was picking the next obvious target which was the first person he could see clearly which was Lucile who was now standing.

"Sorry about that" The Sheik said and deactivated the dome to take care of the monster now harming itself against the dome to get to her.

It was actually making progress and the Dome's integrity was lessening the longer the self-harming went on.

Once the Dome was deactivated and the Sheik made to attempt quelling or putting down the beast, Lucile turned around and stretched her hand to the monster just as it leaped up towards the seating area.

Her amber eyes glowed and her multi-colored Aurora was summoned with the unmistakable sound of a cat's meow before it slammed against the monster's chest as fast as lightning and soft as a cat's landing.

The attack seemed to have no effect for a second before...

*Boomm!!!"

... the monster imploded and every part of it was incinerated into ashes.

Not just Hal but everyone on the scene including the Sheik's eyes widened at the swift execution.

From the Sheik's expression, it could be surmised that he either did not know Lucile was stronger than him or that he had known but had not suspected it was by that much.

Hal's eyes widening however had nothing to do with her strength, even though it was undeniably impressive. It had more to do with the cat's meow he had heard and had definitely amplified the attack.

He reevaluated her battle prowess to be much more than he had earlier thought.

"I'll leave now" Lucile said with a light and satisfied smile which showed how much she had enjoyed destroying the monster.

She left soon after to the stunned silence of the audience.

...

Eventually, the effect of Lucile's act wore off and they all returned to the party hall where many began to plan their bid for tomorrow.

Even though once in a while, conversations still broke out about that impressive act of hers.

Hal was trying not to be disappointed by the fact that he had not been able to get things over with in regards to the supplier.

However, the good news was that in his annoyance, he had downed so much alcohol infused with cultivation resources that he could finally feel an impending breakthrough.

While he knew he could not have it done right now, he knew another orgy with his ladies would get him over the edge.

It looked like tonight would be another marathon.

The Sheik took him around the party which seemed to be a sort of projection of his attention since Lucile was now gone.

He took Hal around and usually introduced him as Master Klint, a genius Runemaster who can put on a good show.

When Hal asked him casually why he did not introduce him as 'Master Hal', the Sheik replied that it was an attempt to make his last name famous.

Hal nodded appreciatively while rolling his eyes mentally.

Any attempt to leave the party early was futile as the Sheik always kept him close.

It was only past midnight before Hal managed to finally exit the hall after a goodbye to the Sheik and make his way to his hotel.

However, before he could even make it past the courtyard, he met someone waiting for him with her arms crossed beneath her large breasts.

"Lady Lucile, were you waiting for me all this while. You could have just come inside the hall and with there, you know." He told the amber-eyed lady.

Lucile snorted,

"Don't be ridiculous, I wasn't waiting for you. At least not out here. I live here so it wasn't difficult to know when you were leaving." She said.

Glossing over the fact that she just admitted living with the Sheik must have invited her as a further attempt to woo her,

Hal smiled,

"Impressive perceptive range" he said.

"Thank you for the compliment, now come with me" she said and turned away towards an inner part of the residence.

"Wait what?"

Lucile turned back with her brow raised,

"What, Does it make you feel embarrassed to be invited into a room by a lady?" She asked with a smile.

Hal's eyes widened mockingly,

"Oh, we're going into a room? No, no, No, I've heard what goes on in such places and I don't want to lose my virtue. I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Your virtue? *snort* I suspect it's too late for that. Now come along, I don't have all day"

Hal chuckled and hurried to walk to her side,

"It's just past midnight, so technically, you do have all day."

"Ugh, just keep quiet and walk"

Chapter 303 - Giving Something In Return.

Beautiful as Lucile, Hal was not willing to let his guard down around her and so while he smiled as he walked behind, her, he was also amassing all of his trump cards to survive an attack from her should it come.

He was quite ready to attempt another use of {Network of Souls} which although more powerful now that it would harness all the soul power of everyone in Sapphire city, there was no guarantee that it would be enough.

That said, it would be well worth should the situation call for it.

But he was getting ahead of himself and there was the very likely possibility that Lucile was inviting him inside his room to get some alone time with him.

Narcissistic as that seemed, it was quite likely.

The walk was anything but short but eventually, they arrived and she led him inside before turning to him with narrowed eyes,

"Sit" she said and Hal decided not to argue.

He sat at the edge of her bed and smiled up at her just as she pulled the chair in front of a make-up mirror to sit right in front of him and lean forward in such a way that Hal was treated to a nice view of her cleavage.

This time, it was undoubtedly intentional.

And Hal did not show any shame or sense of propriety as he stared unabashedly at the deep valley between the two mountains that was her bosom.

"Hey, my eyes are up here" she said and snapped her fingers at him.

"Yes, I know that, but the view here is so much better" Hal said.

Lucile shook her head with a light smile,

"Do those lines actually work on anyone?" She asked.

Hal sighed,

"I wouldn't know since you are the first I've ever tried them with. And also, it was not a line." Hal said and looked up into her feline amber eyes.

"Beautiful as your eyes are, I prefer to stare a bit further down. I'm only trying to be honest." Hal said.

Lucile's lips twitched as she leaned closer to him until their faces were barely inches apart,

"There is something about you"

"Something undeniably irresistible?" Hal asked with a would-be humble expression.

Lucile shook her head,

"No, something dangerous. I first felt it during that duel you had with Master Fenrir. From that thin energy thread, you attacked him with.

Something in that attack raised a flag in my mind"

If she had really sensed something dangerous from his thin Devil strand attack, the Hal commended her ability to remain almost completely normal afterward.

She gave no indication that she had sensed anything.

However, if Hal was worried, it did not show in his expression as he continued to smile up at her,

"Really, do I scare you?" He asked and there was a hint of teasing in his voice.

Lucile could tell it was an attempt for him to make the whole situation trivial and she was not having that as she returned his smile,

"No, you don't. When you attacked Fenrir, I sensed your cultivation, and at the Cosmic phenomenon realm, dangerous or not, you do not pose a threat to me.

However, I am now more convinced than ever before that you are not here for the auction.

Or more accurately, you are not here to participate.

More importantly, I am now convinced it involves the mutating technique"

She said with her hand trailing the front of his robes.

Hal's lips twitched,

"Why do you seem so involved? Could it be that you are the supplier? Of the mutating technique, I mean"

Lucile shook her head,

"I have no interest in that technique whatsoever and believe it or not, I don't care either way, I came here only to find an investor" as she said it her hand went to her neck, and ale rubbed it lightly.

The look on her face told Hal she was feeling an ache right there and he smiled as he might have finally found a way to touch Lucile without the risk of having his arm ripped out or cut off.

"An investor, huh? Tell me what your investment is... No wait, you don't have to tell me. Just let me know the amount of wealth you need" Hal said.

Lucile paused with one hand still on her neck before she burst into boisterous laughter,

"Hahaha, I doubt you have the resources to help me and even if you did, why would I want your help" she said and covered her mouth with the hand that had been on her neck while she placed the other on Hal's chest.

Hal smiled because he knew she was most likely right. His funds were far from being sufficient enough to help her from whatever predicament she was in that caused her search for an investor.

After all, he was only really rich in gold.

And the less than two hundred thousand blue gems he got from Glenn were far from being enough either.

"You are right. I am nearly destitute and that was my desperate attempt to impress you. I'm guessing it did not work" Hal said.

Lucile shook her head,

"No, it did not." She said with a smile.

"I managed to amuse though, I take that as a win"

Following his words was a short moment of silence in which Lucile simply watched him and then took a deep breath and lowered her voice to a bare minimum,

"You are getting mixed in something you should not be mixed with. I suspect this is not your first time seeing such a mutation. I caught that much from your expression while watching the demonstration.

If you are on some kind of a mission for revenge for someone who met their end by means of this sort of circumstance, I advise you to let it go." She said.

Hal was a little surprised to see where her findings and discoveries got her but he decided to neither deny nor concur to her statement.

Instead, he grinned,

"You sound like you are worried about me. I was under the impression that you disliked me. It seemed I was thoroughly wrong." He said.

Lucile shook her head and her hand returned to the neck which she rubbed slowly,

"I not worried about you and frankly, I could not care less if you live or die. However, I saw it fit to play nice and advise you. Whether you heed it or not really does not concern me.

When the day breaks and the auction eventually begins, we will be complete strangers again." She told him and there was a coldness in her tone and expression as she said it.

Hal shrugged,

"Fine, but you gave me advice and it would be wrong for me to leave without giving something in return."

"Oh, and what would that be?" Lucile asked with skepticism which was most likely born from Hal not having anything that could remotely interest her.

"I would like to relieve you of the ache you are feeling." He said and he eyed her hand on her neck.

"I want to give you a massage"

"Is this a joke?" She asked.

Hal shook his head,

"Of course not. I am dead serious and I hope you at least allow me to give you this gift. It is, after all, all I can offer."

Lucile was quiet for a while while she rubbed her neck to ease the ache that had never left since she started worrying about getting an investor.

"If you try anything, you will regret it" she said and stood up from the chair to sit on the bed beside him.

"I won't. You have my word" Hal said.

"My clothes stay on" she said.

"Why would you even think of taking them off?" Hal asked in a teasing tone that caused Lucile to glare at him before she said,

"Well, get to it. Let's see what you can do"

Chapter 304 - It's Not My Fault.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't think I quite like the skepticism in your tone" Hal said as knelt behind her on the bed.

Lucile raised her brow quizzically,

"What? Let me remind you that you asked to do this" she told him.

Hal sighed,

"While that is undeniably true, you agreed to let me do it and for that reason, I feel it would be best we trust each other. At least in regards to this situation. You doubting my abilities really cramps up my style and the work I will do is bound to be sub-par"

Lucile groaned,

"Will you just get it over with? It's just a massage for heaven's sake" she complained.

"Fine, I'll try to forge on ahead. Let's begin" Hal said and with that, he placed his hands at the base of her neck and began to work his magic with the healthy mix of his strong (by virtue of his bloodline) hands and the lowest administration of {Erogenous Touch}.

Finding the balance between the two was the key with which he could be tender as well as firm as he began to relieve Lucile of her tensions.

Much as he was an amateur in the act of actual massage as opposed to the sensual and eventually sexual massage he was usually well versed in, he could still feel the areas where her tensions had created knots in her muscles.

His hands went from her neck down to her back which he knew must be an affected area. He did not dare to amp up {Erogenous Touch} to the point where Lucile would suspect you play.

For one thing, she was more than strong enough to shrug off the effects should she decide to, and also he felt this far from being the time for such.

He would do her the favor just as he said.

But nothing more.

Okay maybe with a little bit of shenanigans...

"Mmmh" Lucile moaned as Hal's firm hands worked down her back and relieved the tensions he felt underlying her muscles.

'Wow, he's good. If not that I am feeling it right at this moment, I would have sworn this was a dream. I've only known of massage places in Doxon having such prowess with their hands. Hmm, could that be the secret he's hiding? That he's from Doxon?. But why would he want to hide...'

"Mnnngghhh" A particularly pleasured feeling interrupted Lucole's thoughts and she could not help but moan out loud.

"Are you alright? I thought that moan was louder than the one before" Hal said with wide eyes and in an innocent sort of voice.

Lucile turned a fraction in his direction and glared at him,

"Shut up!" she said.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Again with the tone. You can just admit that you are enjoying it. There's no shame in that. After all, I am enjoying it a lot as well." He said with a light smile.

"What did you say?!" Lucile asked and her feline amber eyes flashed.

"I said you should admit you're enjoying this" Hal said with wide-eyed innocence.

"After that" Lucile said through gritted teeth, partly because she was angry at Hal and partly so she could suppress a moan since Hal's hands never stopped working throughout their conversation.

"I said nothing. You must be delirious from the pleasure. I'll be quiet now. A total professional" He said and his hands went from her back to her shoulders, the muscles of which he began to manipulate tenderly.

Even with the dress between him and contact with her actual skin, Hal quite enjoyed the feel of her body or more accurately, the parts of her body he dared and was allowed to touch.

Slowly, the longer the massage went on the more Lucile leaned into it and lost herself to his touch or at least almost completely with the 'almost' being that she remained very much alert.

However, Hal never tried anything out of place, and from all outlook, he looked to really be trying his best to be professional.

He never tried to get her aroused and only focused on relieving her tension.

If she now got aroused regardless, that was not his fault and should be taken as a disclaimer.

And with that disclaimer out of the way, we proceed to the peculiar behaviors Lucile began to showcase as the massage continued.

One of them being her discontent whenever Hal's hands left her body. She never wanted to be free of that feeling and every attempt of Hal's to stop was met with a glare of discontent and every return was rewarded with a very cat-like purr.

At some point in the night, Lucile began to feel a tingling in her nethers and that first raised a flag but she decided to ignore it in hope that it would go away which was naive thinking, especially since It did not go away but only intensified.

She could already feel the tiniest bit of moisture begin its exit out of her pussy and yet somehow... She was fine with it.

In fact, she longed to do something she had never done before,

She longed to gratify herself.

To plunge her fingers into her untainted pussy and please herself to climax.

'Wait what?' She questioned her body's reactions with rational thought and fought hard to keep it under control.

Including the use of an immense amount of Cosmic energy to jeer her back to reality and out of the perverse dreamland Hal's wicked clutches were pulling her into...

"Done" Hal announced suddenly and pulled his hands off her body.

Not just that, he stood up from the bed altogether and began to perform some stretches so as to get his body limber, most likely in preparation for a quick getaway.

Fun as it was to touch and massage Lucile, Hal also knew when to stop so as not to cross the line she had drawn long before this session of theirs started.

And that line was slowly getting crossed as her arousal increased.

With Lucile's ego, Hal knew she would not be able to accept that the situation was not exactly his fault.

"T-that's it? Lucille asked and turned around to look at him, faintly noticing that her ache was gone.

"I'm sorry but that is all that time permits us. I should get going now, it's really getting late" he said with twitching lips.

Lucile was still suffering withdrawal from the lack of his touch and had not really processed the situation with the moistening of her thighs but she was slowly getting back in the right frame of mind.

Now when she felt the ache, she clamped her thighs and glared at Hal who immediately raised his hands as a show of innocence.

"You can not blame me for that"

"Oh really, I can't?" Lucile's amber eyes were slowly coloring with misdirected rage.

"Come on, is this really how you plan to show your gratitude? I would have thought you were much more reasonable than that" Hal said and Lucile paused.

At that moment, Hal crossed over to her door and pulled it open,

"Think about how to better your appreciative skills and I will see you tomorrow" and with that, he walked right out and closed the door behind him.

As soon as the door was closed, Lucile whispered,

"Thank you"

Only to hear Hal whisper back right through the closed door,

"I heard that and you are welcome."

Lucile groaned and flopped on the bed in annoyance. How could she have been so careless and not inspect with her perception before giving her subtle thanks?

Oh well, at least, that ache was gone and hopefully, tomorrow she would have the investor she wanted.

Chapter 305 - Opposite Of Holy.

When Hal left Lucile's room, he immediately turned invisible and took care to walk only around those whose cultivation fell within the range he could hide from which were two realms ahead of him.

Even while he did that, he did not fail to notice that the Shek's party was still in full swing and the sound of enjoyment still rang out in the hall clearly.

Once back in his room, Hal did the one thing that felt right which was to head into his Harem space and farm essence for the progress he was already feeling coming.

All he needed was to arrive in the mansion and all the ladies immediately left what they were busy with while Hal noted an increase in all of their cultivation.

Marla was already attempting the construction of her cosmic armament while also solidifying the Awakened Mastery of her Divine Physique and honing it even further for an eventual breakthrough.

Rita had completed her advancement to the Cosmic Phenomenon realm and was glad to have finally caught with Melinda who was also at the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.

Hal, who detect her thoughts more or less and did not quite share the sentiment as he was almost totally certain that Melinda would have advanced by now even without his presence for Dual cultivation.

All of the ladies in the Harem space had advanced their cultivation and further honed their skills since the Mansion was fitted to fit their every need, they had arenas to practice duels and in the cases of the semi-succubi, they had been taking target practices with their skills with Lust flames.

Most of the time, they practiced the use of the flames against each other and things had a tendency to almost get out of line.

'Almost' because Rita always eventually got involved and got them settled.

She was head succubus of their little lust Demon club and the only one they deferred more respect to other than her was Hal and Melinda.

Although to be fair, the harem was not yet that large.

A situation they were all convinced would not remain so for that long.

Especially considering their man's promiscuity.

Anyway, Hal conducted another Orgy in which they were all eager to get into most especially because they wanted more of that wonderful essence that was limitlessly improving their constitution and cultivation.

After several hours after which he left them all lying in the hall, now dubbed 'Orgy Hall' due to its wide space capable of occupying them all, with satisfied and fucked silly expressions on their faces which showed their deep content and also an evidence of how powerless they were in the face of Hal's boundless stamina and libido.

Hal did not get up from the heap immediately and found himself lying with his head on Rita's bosom as she slumbered while he reveled in the pleasure he just experienced as well as anticipation for future sessions.

When he did get up, he cleaned himself up, and with one last smile at the view of the multiple pussies filled to the brim with his perverse seed, he retreated to the outside where he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

He refined all the essence he had gotten and did not divert any of it anywhere besides his cultivation.

Much to the disappointment of the two Demons within him.

'You should focus a little more on your Bloodline.' Tiberius said in a gruff voice.

'The Mid-world Devil is just the beginning. Surely you understand how paramount it is for you to advance and eventually have access to the Primeval Devil Armament.' Myra said.

Hal sighed,

'I will advance my bloodline but right now, my cultivation is more important as it is the one I can usually let loose discriminately without worrying about someone trying to get me.

As advantageous as my Devil bloodline advancement is bound to be, without being able to let it out, it becomes a hindrance.' He told them and the two became quiet as they saw the sense in her words.

With that, Hal completed his advancement, and with it came the release of a cosmic phenomenon around him which was clearly thicker than before.

The advancement was anything but underwhelming and Hal could feel a substantial increase in his strength and speed as well as the volume of Cosmic energy he could hold in his body.

However, while Hal reveled in the increment, he was more interested in the number of stages ahead he could battle.

Without the complete use of his bloodline in which case he would rely more on his cultivation, he could battle and very likely defeat anyone in the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.

As for a cultivator at the early stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm, he could most likely end it in a stalemate.

When his bloodline is an active factor, however, he was quite confident in battling it out with someone at the Mid-stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm.

Any more ahead of that becomes uncertain and a defeat was a more than likely outcome.

There were still hours before noon when the auction would finally take place so he decided to sit cross-legged and cultivate in the conventional sense.

Slowly absorbing Cosmic energy from the surroundings and finally getting a sense of the wide gap he needed to traverse before an advancement to the late-stage...

....

Hours later...

Hal opened his eyes and the first words that came to his mind which he then spoke out was,

"Holy fucking shit!"

Once he had said it, he had a change of heart...

"Oh wait I'm a Devil. Unholy fucking shit!"

... Sort of.

'That's the best you could come up with? 'Unholy?'' Grimoire poped.

'Yes, Grimmy. It was the best I could come up with. The opposite of holy is unholy, it's not rocket science.'

'Fair enough'

Hal's exclamation was born of his frustration that even after several hours of cultivation, the advancement he experienced was abysmal at best.

The gap truly was immense.

He could not help but think to the ladies in his Har space who although would notice a significant decrease in their cultivation would not really experience the gap as he had since he was a regular supply of prime essence which had undergone pseudo-refinement through his experiences.

He sighed and stood from the bed to stretch while showcasing his disgust for this sort of cultivation and by extension, its speed.

"Maybe after this mission and an eventual visit to Doxon, I search for resources that can truly boost my cultivation." He mumbled as he began to freshen up for the auction.

His preparation did not last long and soon he was in a mildly casual attire that was good enough for the auction.

However, when he was out of his room, he met an equally well dressed Ehrlich out there, and on his way out,

"Where are you off to?" Hal could not help but ask.

Ehrlich raised an eyebrow,

"Is that not obvious? I'm going to the auction"

"What?" Hal said with wide eyes.

Ehrlich smirked,

"Why does that surprise you? This could be the moment you finally discover the supplier's identity and not to mention that you are only to do reconnaissance after which I will take care of the rest, you forget that I am still your supervisor and I need to keep an eye on you." He told Hal.

Hal shrugged,

"I just hope you realize it does not matter how long you watch me, I will not be interested. I just don't swing that way."

Ehrlich's eyes narrowed,

"Get it into your head that this is a mission for me as well which means the princess got me an invitation to the auction. Also, it is not a mission I particularly enjoy, you damn narcissist." He snarled.

Hal was not bothered by his retort or tone as he walked past him and down the stairs,

"Okay then, if you say so. Don't stay so close though, It's creepy"

Chapter 306 - Elsa.

The Hall that had been chosen by the Sheik to be the Auction venue was a part of his residence and another testament to the size of said residence.

When Hal arrived, the hall was already filled with dignitaries and many of them had bright eyes filled with anticipation for the auction.

Or more accurately for the mutating technique.

Hal was quite sure that many of those in the crowd would have sent word back to their bases after the demonstration all so that they could have enough blue gems for the auction.

He could understand the lure even though he had no interest whatsoever in that technique.

It did not take long for him to locate the Sheik who had two men and one lady beside him. The men were his advisor Gavin and his new resident Runemaster, Fenrir.

The lady as you must have guessed by now was Lucile.

There was a frown on her face and Hal also noticed a small movement in her legs which eventually pointed to her tapping them against the ground.

She was impatient and more than a little frustrated.

After a glance behind him at Ehrlich who had just walked in, Hal made a beeline to the Sheik and his company.

After all, it was a prestigious location to be and a location he knew the Sheik would want him to be.

"Master Klint" The Sheik said in a loud, booming, and carrying voice that was heard by a majority of those on the scene.

Clearly, it was another attempt to promote Hal and he was not averse to it. Especially since it caused Ehrlich's head to swivel in his direction while his eyes widened at the almost familiar manner in which Hal and the Sheik were now conversing.

And it truly was familiar.

Hal could give a theory as to why it was so and it was that the Sheik saw him as an age mate. Someone he could possibly build a friendship with.

Hal on the other hand did not really think of the Sheik as a friend but more as a means to an end.

When Hal told this to Grimoire, the book joked that if the Sheik ever found out Hal's callous thoughts, it would break his heart.

And although Hal knew it was not being serious, he agreed that if the Sheik should find out, it could result in a major falling out.

Oh well, at least he never would.

Hal took a seat with the Sheik in the honor row and sat by Lucile's side with fellne eyed lady making a point to look away from him with her nose in the air.

Hal chuckled,

"You look so cute right now" he said.

There was a clear coloring in Lucile's cheeks as she looked into his eyes and frowned in an attempt to keep her emotions hidden.

She opened her mouth as though to say something but then seemed to think better of it and look away from him again.

He then looked over to the Sheik who was grinning ear to ear.

Most people would have found the Sheik's inability to contain his excitement as a nuisance, and an act not worthy of a leader but Hal gave it a thumbs up in his mind.

There were moments when poker face was essential, but in a situation where the work had been done and all that was left was to reap the results, then he saw no reason to be solemn.

Speaking of solemn expressions, Gavin's expression was the picture of it and while Hal would have at first thought that it was the more experienced man attempting to keep his joy for his lord private, a more intense inspection made Hal think that that might not be the case.

There was just something about that expression of Gavin's that did not sit right with him.

With a little bit of effort, Hal looked away from Gavin and his eyes fell on Master Fenrir who must have sensed something as he looked over at Hal.

When their eyes locked, Hal smiled and waved but the poor Runemaster looked frozen in fear as he looked away quickly.

A detail, Lucile who had just glanced in the direction of the Runemaster did not fail to notice.

She frowned but let it go.

The auction was starting and someone was walking over to the stage.

It was a scantily dressed lady with silky black hair and loose bangs that covered her right eye and further enhanced the sultry factor of her whole form.

Immediately, all eyes turned in her direction and the intensity was as though to burn a hole right through her clothes.

The lady felt those gazes and she took it in stride. In fact, she thrived in those looks.

She loved how much attention she was garnering.

This was her stage to shine.

"Oh my gods, she's hot" said someone among the crowd.

"After this, why don't you come over to my room" yelled another.

Hal looked over and saw it was a portly man with abysmal cosmic energy which meant he was mostly just a merchant and not devoted to the path of cultivation.

The lady turned to him and bent a little, in the process showing more of her cleavage, as she blew the portly man a kiss.

Then she straightened up,

"Maybe I'll entertain that offer. You'll have to impress me today though.

My name is Elsa and I will be your auctioneer for this evening."

Applause met that introduction and when it died down, murmurs broke out and the excitement in the crowd increased even more.

Lucile looked from the lady to Hal who was watching the auctioneer with a light smile and she rolled her eyes at what she called 'the simplicity of men' in her mind.

It was not only Lucile who noticed Hal's interested expression,

"Master Hal, are you interested in that auctioneer? Would you like me to set up a meet?" He asked.

Hal turned to him and asked a question of his own which was born of a feeling he was having about Elsa,

"Where is she from?"

The Sheik smiled proudly. Hal's question must have stoked his sense of achievement,

"She's from Doxon."

Hal's eyes widened and at that moment, Elsa's eyes trailed the honor row and when her eyes met his, she grinned.

'I don't like this' he thought.

The Sheik continued,

"Doxon ladies hardly ever come to the Silva Duchy or any other Duchy for that matter. I believe it's a law to keep some Doxon secrets within Doxon territory. It's a little paranoid if you ask me.

Anyway, I had someone go over to Doxon and try to hire me someone for the auction. After all, Doxon has so many sexy ladies who are always eager to dress scantily.

However, it would be a mistake, a deadly one, to assume that it makes them cheap or easy to bed.

My messenger nearly gave up on the task when he was unsuccessful before Elsa approached him and volunteered to do it. For a substantial fee of course."

Hal was liking this less and less the longer it went on,

"I haven't seen her since I've been in Black lagoon. She wasn't even at your party last night"

The Sheik nodded with a smile,

"She left Black lagoon and only just returned this morning. Specifically for the auction."

"Does your messenger know why she decided to volunteer for a job no one else wanted to take?" Hal asked with a furtive glance at Elsa who was now getting ready to begin the bid for the first item.

The Sheik shrugged,

"Apparently, she was heading into Silva Duchy anyway and decided she might as well take the job and make some extra money"

Hal's eyes narrowed as his and Elsa's eyes met again, but this time she winked.

'Yep, I definitely don't like this.'

Chapter 307 - The Dagger And The Fan.

Elsa looked away from the honor table after a respectful bow to the Sheik and then looked back down on the first item up for auction.

It was lifted and dropped on a stand in front of her on the stage; a rusty dagger.

Or at least, at first glance, it looked rusty but looking even closer, an observer will note that what was on it was not rust exactly. Or more accurately, it was not just rust.

It was rust mixed with dried blood.

Dried blood that Hal could see had assimilated with the Metal of the blade,

"This is a nameless artifact which for the purpose of this auction and taking note if its features will be called the bloody dagger. This small looking and decrepit weapon is a low-grade Phenomenon rank artifact." Elsa said and with that discussions filled with disbelief broke out.

And they could not be blamed.

None of them had expected the dagger to have such a rank especially considering how it looked which even Elsa declared as decrepit.

From that moment on, their expressions changed from apathetic to interested. After all, a Phenomenon rank artifact could very well make the difference in battle.

Elsa continued,

"I do have to tell you though that since the weapon was used to kill the one who imprinted on it and whose blood now caked the blade, it is said to be cursed.

As for how it became a property to be auctioned. I'm sure you all know better than to ask. If you came to Black lagoon to shop, then you were obviously not doing it for legitimate goods." She said with a smile that drew chuckles from the crowd.

She was right of course and none of them could care less how the weapon or any other thing up for auction was gotten and it could very well have been stolen.

What mattered was that it was up for sale, all imprints and channels of track had been broken (which was a guarantee they had from the Sheik) and they could get it.

Hal nodded in admiration at how Elsa was presenting the dagger as though she had all knowledge of it when she had only read and memorized what the Sheik had written down for her.

Sort of like a script and she was an impressive actress.

That said, memorizing things was not exactly difficult for cultivating experts whose senses have been heightened.

And Elsa was definitely an expert.

He could not detect her cultivation which meant she had taken precautions to hide it unless she deliberately let it out.

"So with that warning, and with its a decrepit condition in mind, the bidding starts at 5000 blue gems or its equivalent in gold coins."

Elsa had not even completed her words that the first bid rang out,

"5100 Blue gems!" The bid was made by the portly merchant who looked totally enchanted as he stared at her.

The man sitting at his right with a leaner physique and muscular build snorted,

"5200 Blue gems!" He called out.

The portly man looked over at his neighbor and sneered but before he could place another bid someone else spoke out.

"5203 Blue gems" Hal called out with a slight frown.

Everyone turned to the honored seat and looked over at the sapphire blue-eyed young man who just interjected himself in a budding bidding war by adding a mere 3 Blue gems to the previous bid.

Seeing as the whole scene was suddenly quiet mostly because of how young he was and the surprise at his bid, Hal raised his brow,

"What, too much? Fine, 5201 Blue gems!" He said.

Elsa cleared her throat and looked to Hal with a light smile,

"I'm sorry sir. You can not decrease your bid once it's been called." She told him politely

Hal grinned but the sentiment did not touch his eyes which were still being shrewd at her,

"Oh is that so? I lost myself a little. 5203 it is"

The portly man glared at Hal for a second before he hurried to bid again.

Looking closely at him, Hal could almost see him as a dog wagging its tail,

"My goodness, get a hold of yourself man" he said in a low voice that only Lucile by his side heard.

She turned a fraction in his direction,

"Is that not how you are. How do you think you looked when staring at my chest?" She asked with her brow raised.

"Like a cute puppy" Hal replied without missing a beat and whether or not Lucile knew what a puppy was, the fact that 'cute' was part of that sentence told her that Hal was being narcissistic again.

"No, you were anything but cute. You were lewd"

Hal widened his eyes in mock surprise,

"Really?" He asked.

"If you are not going to take me seriously, I'll just stop talking to you" Lucile said and turned away.

Hal chuckled,

"Oh come on. I was kidding. Besides you keep dredging up the past. After all, I apologized already. And I was honest" he said with an attempt at making his eyes limpid.

'No you weren't' Grimoire piped and Hal ignored it.

"No you weren't" Lucile said.

'Would you look at that? Your new prospect and I are in sync' Grimoire gloated.

'Do not make this weird' Hal cautioned.

Then he sighed out loud,

"It's my curse for being so out of this world. So awesome that all my words are misunderstood. One day, I hope you can look past the exterior. I really don't want to peg you as such a shallow lady. Especially since you are so beautiful" he said.

"That statement is shallow" Lucile said and stopped Hal's tirade.

He shrugged,

"Agree to disagree. 6001 Blue gems!" He called out.

The bid for the dagger seemed to be heading towards a conclusion and Hal decided to make an input.

Much to the annoyance of the portly merchant who seemed to have finally pulled ahead in the bidding war with his neighbor.

There were two reasons Hal was making such bids;

The first was simply to at least show a semblance of participation and the second was that he wanted to study the dagger. He was curious if it truly was cursed.

However, he was not so desperate to have it.

Hence the small additions.

That said, he found it a little amusing that the merchant would want to purchase something he could not use on account of his small cultivation base and could not sell on the open market because of both the dagger's possibly dubious origins and plain terrible marketability.

If he let it go, Hal was ready to take it off his hands but if he stuck to bidding, then he might just win.

"6300!"

"6301"

"6400!"

"6401"

"6600!"

"6601"

The portly man swelled and his face turned red as he yelled his next bid,

"I bid 8000 Blue gems!"

There was a brief silence before Hal shook his head,

"I give up. You win" he announced and slumped back into his seat as though truly disappointed.

Gavin looked over at Hal,

"My lord, Don't you think he's being a nuisance" he said and the Sheik turned to eye him,

"Nonsense, Gavin. He's just bidding just like anyone else. I found the whole event entertaining. And in case you did not notice, he just bumped up our profit by having the dagger go for 8000 blue gems"

"8000 going once, going twice, sold" Elsa announced and smiled up at the merchant who looked like he had died and gone to heaven.

The next item was wheeled in and it was a beautiful white and gold-colored fan.

"This is mostly for ornamental purposes but it is also of good quality and sturdy enough to be used as a weapon. We can put its rank at the phenomenon as well but at the mid-grade.

It's a family heirloom that the supplier has decided to pawn off in urgent need of gems. It's the perfect example of elegance and lethality. It would be a beautiful present for a special someone."

'I agree' Hal thought 'I'll gift it to Melinda. Come to think of it, I've never given her anything as a fiance'

'I truly pity her. So neglected' Grimoire said.

'Shut up' Hal retorted.

"The bid starts at 2000 Blue gems"

Before anyone could place a bid, Hal spoke first...

"2001 Blue gems"

... and filled the heads of all those present with Black lines.

Chapter 308 - The Supplier.

"4001 Blue gems going once, going twice, sold" Elsa announced as Hal became owner of the golden fan.

It truly was a picture of elegance.

"So, who is the fan for?" Lucile asked in a would-be casual voice.

Hal narrowed his eyes with a smirk,

"Why? Are you curious?" He asked and Lucile shook her head,

"I'm not. Forget I said anything" she frowned.

Hal chuckled,

"What if I told you the fan was for you, Would that make you smile?" He asked.

Lucile snorted,

"I don't need you buying something for me. I can carry my own weight." She said just as another item was rolled out and the bidding began again, this time with Hal being uninterested.

"I'm sure you can a carry your own weight. That's why it would be a gift. A gesture" he said.

Lucile looked away and remained quiet.

"The fan isn't for you but I can get you something. Something special." Hal said with a smile.

Lucile looked over at him again,

"I don't want it."

"Okay then" Hal said and returned his attention to the auction.

Lucile's eyes widened slightly as she noted how easily he stopped pestering her.

She found she was annoyed but could not really pinpoint the exact reason for that feeling.

Meanwhile,

More items were brought out and they continued to get bidded for with the consequence being the presence of a bright and wide smile on the Sheik's face.

Now Hal was having a lookout and although futile, he was doing so to find the supplier of the mutating technique.

It was during that look around that he spotted someone familiar among those in the crowd.

It was the brown-haired man he had seen in the Black pub when he was sourcing for information. The only one in the room at that time who he had been wary of.

Since he had been drinking in the pub, Hal had not put him as part of the dignitaries that were in Black lagoon for the auction but since he doubted somebody else pulled his exact same stunt, this man must have been invited as well.

Or maybe he was a supplier...

At that time, the next item was wheeled out onto the stage and it was a flower glowing a faint blue color.

Elsa pointed at it and began her description but from the expressions of many in the crowd, Hal knew the flower was not that obscure.

He could have checked inside Grimoire for the information but found it unnecessary since Elsa was about already explaining what it was,

"This is a gem flower. Its name comes from its similarity with the Blue gems. The similarity being its very violent energy which is only a few degrees milder than the blue gem but should still not be absorbed by anyone.

So you might ask, why is it out in display to be sold.

Well, the sale is mostly directed to the alchemists in the room as well as those with access to alchemists because with the proper supplements and diluting agents, it can be used to create an entire batch of breakthrough pills essential for breaking through bottlenecks.

The bid will start at 20000 Blue gems."

Hal then checked within Grimoire for the flower itself but found that the description was all the Artifact contained.

He was not discouraged though because he would not require purchasing any other supplements or polluting agents since he was more than sure his body could refine the energy within that flower.

He smiled brightly as his eyes twinkled,

"Now this, I want" he said just as the bid began but he was in no hurry to jump in.

There were Alchemists in the room who wanted the gem flower and there also many others who were ready to pay alchemists for the creation of the pills they needed.

Needless to say, pending the eventual rollout of the mutating technique, this was the hot commodity.

"22000 Blue gems" called a bidder but he did not get the chance to relax at all as someone else placed a bid,

"24000 Blue gems!" Called the deep voice and Hal's head swiveled over to see it was none other than Ehrlich.

This was his first bid if thee night and from the way his eyes shone, Hal knew it was not to maintain a cover but because he wanted it.

The price continued to climb and before long, the flower was valued at 35000 Blue gems.

At this point, many were already giving up. After all, if they spent that much on a single ingredient, they would still need to purchase the rest.

The bidding crowd was thinning and it was boiling down to the ones who wanted it the most.

However, right before the end, there was a late interjection by none other than the young man everyone had noticed for his frustratingly small addition to bids,

"35001 Blue gems" and immediately, no one wanted to bid anymore.

Well, almost no one,

"36000 Blue gems" Ehrlich called out.

Hal sighed and decided his style of frustrating his bidding opponent might not work this time around, so he might as well get serious,

"36500 Blue gems" he said and the surprise was clear in the eyes of the crowd.

So, he could bid like someone reasonable, they thought.

Meanwhile, Ehrlich glared at Hal as the bid reached 40000 blue gems and he wondered why Hal had so much and if this was really about maintaining his cover as having come there for the auction.

Whatever it was, Ehrlich was already feeling close to his limit and made one last play which was to catch Hal's attention and mouth for him to 'let it go'.

Hal's eyes widened and he nodded while making a gesture to tell Ehrlich to remain calm which he did before Hal yelled out his next bid,

"45000 Blue gems!" He said and Ehrlich gaped while he wondered what the hell was going on.

Hal then raised his hands to show him a subtle thumbs up that had the man nearly clawing at his hair.

'You just outbid me and you give me a thumbs up as though you misunderstood my request which I know you did not. What a shameless bastard!' He exclaimed in his mind while Elsa began,

"45000 going once, going twice, sold"

With that, the flower was wheeled out of sight and put along with other purchased materials to be picked up and paid for after the auction.

After that, despite Ehrlich's disappointment and Hal's satisfied expression, the auction continued and other items were brought out until eventually, after three hours since the auction started, it was finally time for the main event.

It was time for the mutating technique and as a chest was wheeled out to the outside and opened to show a scroll, someone else joined Elsa on stage.

Someone Hal recognized as the brown-haired man who had drunk in the pub.

He looked over to Ehrlich who sat up and shrugged off his disappointment as this was what he was here for.

He had finally found out who the supplier of the Mutating technique was and it was enough to rejuvenate him.

Hal sighed and shook his head at this anti-climatic end to his mission. He was a little peeved as his input seemed unnecessary now.

Now that he thought about it, since the Princess was capable of getting Ehrlich invited, then she must have been able to take care of it all without him.

This was first and foremost a test to gauge his capabilities and while it ended without him actually giving the information of the supplier, he hoped it still counted as his win.

Ehrlich stood up suddenly and retrieved ready drawn runes from his spatial ring.

Runes Hal recognized as having being drawn by the princess herself and had been the type used to restrain and knock him unconscious.

She must have done something to it though because Hal could sense it was already active with Astral energy and would not require Ehrlich to activate it with Cosmic energy which would have been impossible for him with his cosmic Aurora realm cultivation.

A part of Hal wondered how she had done it and still kept the runes in stasis despite being activated.

Anyway, it was clear Ehrlich was not interested in waiting for the end of the auction to capture the supplier or whatever they planned to do to him.

Ehrlich was going to take action now.

Chapter 309 - Out Of The Hall!

Many eyes turned towards Ehrlich and the look in those eyes told Hal they thought Ehrlich might be insane and to be fair, the way he was looking at the supplier was so crazed that Hal opted to agree with the crazy assessment.

He looked to the supplier and was a little surprised to see that there was not even a hint of worry or fear in his expression. In fact, the slight smile on his face told Hal he saw this as an opportunity.

"This can't be good" he said in a low voice that Lucile caught and looked over at him.

She said nothing though. As though she agreed with his words.

Meanwhile, the Sheik sat up in his chair just as Ehrlich leaped away from his seat and towards the supplier on the stage.

At this moment, Elsa had already moved away from the supplier and was watching the proceedings like a bystander with nothing to do with what was happening. Which was accurate.

Ehrlich tossed the runes he held at the supplier and while he tossed it, he sent cosmic attacks ahead as well so as to give the supplier nowhere to run.

The cosmic attacks however were unnecessary as the brown-haired man did not make an attempt to defend himself even as the cosmic attacks hit his surroundings.

*Boom!!!*

While the wind pressure of the cosmic attack was still moving the clothes of the supplier violently while he stood as stiff as a statue, the runes attached to his body and froze him in that position as stiff as a board.

Ehrlich then landed in front of him with a satisfied smile on his face.

Hal on the other hand felt it happened so easily and once again reiterated what he had said earlier said about how this could not end well.

The Sheik made to move, after all, what else was he to do when an insane fellow leaped out of the crowd and towards his most lucrative sale of the day.

However before he could take action, the brown supplier looked up and locked eyes with him before shaking his head.

Clearly, he felt he had things handled.

Ehrlich sneered,

"You will be coming with me and no one can save you" he said and his voice was dripping with confidence.

Ehrlich had been given a lot of runes drawn personally by the princess and he did not fear anyone in the room.

He was absolutely sure he could get the supplier out of here without anyone being able to stop him and that included the Sheik and his advisor who were at the Cosmic Aurora realm.

Also, he did not fear those few in the crowd (mostly Lucile whose cultivation and identity he knew) who were already at the Cosmic Pagoda realm.

He had been graced by the princess and there was no way he could fail.

Or so he thought.

The brown-haired supplier suddenly chuckled,

"I don't need anyone to save me." He said before looking up at the crowd who mostly wondered what the hell was going on?

"You have all seen what the mutating technique can do to those you decide to use it on. But you have not seen what it can do to you. Let me demonstrate" he said and closed his eyes.

Ehrlich realized something dubious was about to happen and burst out his early stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm cultivation but it was of no consequence.

A grey fog suddenly seeped out of the scroll which contained the mutating technique and merged with the brown haired man.

The supplier's right hand suddenly became encrusted in thick grey hardening while its size doubled and it kind of pulsed with power.

After that, he let out his peak stage cosmic phenomenon realm cultivation which he somehow merged with his monstrous arm's power. Thereby boosting the two.

And then...

*Bang!*

... one loud sound later and he was free of the runes to the widening of Ehrlich's eyes at how impossible this was.

"What the...? That's a Rank 7 rune. How could you free yourself?" He asked with incredulity coloring his voice.

The brown-haired supplier shrugged,

"Simple. I borrowed a little of the power that makes runes useless against a cultivator. You know the power I refer to don't you?"

Ehrlich's eyes narrowed,

"The power of a semi-saint" he said.

Once at the Semi-saint realm, direct contact with runes no longer affect cultivators, and the mode to battle at that time will be to use the runes to manipulate surroundings.

"Exactly" the supplier said with a smile and nodded before blasting Ehrlich with his pressure.

Ehrlich leaped back fast enough to evade the pseudo-attack. Moving quite fast despite his large frame.

He frowned but did not take the opportunity to make a quick getaway. It was clear that he had not given up on his plan to capture the supplier.

The supplier grinned and followed after him with his monstrous hand raised for an attack. An attack Ehrlich knew with certainty would be dangerous if it made contact.

His instincts took over and he successfully avoided getting hit while also blasting against his opponent with cosmic attacks and phenomenon.

The stage had been damaged so much by the less than successful hits and even though he had not managed to land any solid hit, the supplier was smiling.

In fact, he occasionally played to the audience who clapped appreciatively at what they now considered as part of the show.

This must be another planned demonstration just like the one at the Shek's home the day before, They thought.

Hal on the other hand frowned at what was happening and sighed as he predicted the winner.

There was no way Ehrlich could come out on top anymore. Especially not now that he had lost the element of surprise.

This was an assessment Hal felt Ehrlich was not too dumb to know about.

He must have realized how slim his chances of victory was so why was he not trying his best to escape.

To that question, Hal could only think of one answer which was that Ehrlich must have something more up his sleeve.

He had just thought about this when Ehrlich retrieved a token from his spatial ring and injected cosmic energy into it to activate its effects.

Suddenly, a pressure blasted out of the token, a pressure that terrified Hal immensely despite him not being close to the token itself.

*Bang!!!*

The supplier who felt the brunt of the token's pressure found himself blasted far away from Ehrlich and for the first time since their battle began, he seemed to be taking things seriously.

"That..." The supplier began as he sat up.

Ehrlich took a few seconds to gloat with the token still in hand,

"It's the harnessed pressure of a Cosmic Semi-saint" he said with a grin.

Hal's eyes widened as this confirmed his thoughts on how strong the princess was even though he had long guessed since when they first met, Grimoire had told him in the forest that she and the elder were past the realm of power that could be affected by runes.

The princess was a Semi-saint!

With this trump card, Ehrlich was finally ready to put an end to all this.

He no longer planned to capture the supplier, mostly because he had no assurance of being able to leave with him now that this token had been used, when he attacked next, it was to kill.

The supplier smiled,

"So what? Haven't you been listening? This arm borrows the power of a semi-saint, surely you did not expect that to end with just breaking the hold of Runes." He said and stood to his feet before dashing right towards the token's pressure.

His monstrous arm was pointed right at it and he broke through the pressure with it and...

*Bam!*

... he smacked Ehrlich's hand away before sinking his hand into his midsection and releasing the height of energy the arm held...

*Bam!*

*Bang!*

*Boom!*

The attack sent Ehrlich flying away from the stage and the auction Hall altogether as he broke through the ceiling to land in the Sheik's compound!

Chapter 310 - Beldar The Dystopian.

Hal placed a hand on his face and shook his head at the unproductive (for Ehrlich) battle.

For the supplier, however, the value of his mutating technique just shot up and if there was anyone excited about this, it would be the Sheik.

He stood up suddenly once Ehrlich had been punched right out of the auction Hall,

"Guards, seize that man who dared to attack someone in my home. What galls!" He roared and it was even louder since he infused his voice with cosmic energy.

All guards across the residence rushed towards where Ehrlich had fallen in hopes of capturing him but they were only met with a cracked courtyard floor.

Although the attack by the supplier had been painful, Ehrlich was actually glad he had been hit right out of the auction Hall.

After all, the hall was where the most powerful of the Sheik's forces, namely he and his advisor, were. It would have been difficult to escape after causing that much ruckus.

That said, Ehrlich gritted his teeth in anger and frustration because he knew why he had failed to defeat his opponent and at the top of his list of mistakes was that he had underestimated the power of the mutating technique.

He had been confident, NAY, overconfident in the fact that the princess had bestowed him with a token that held her harnessed and weaponized pressure.

Oh well, broken as he was, he could still make it out of the Sheik's residence without getting caught and for now that was paramount.

Not to mention that he also needed to regroup and figure out his next move...

Meanwhile...

Inside the hall, there was a buzz of excitement as everyone on the scene now wanted to acquire the imitating technique. The excitement of the night before was nothing compared to this.

Even Hal was more than a little intrigued by the technique but had no interest in bidding for it, especially since the technique value must now surpass all that he had with him. Even before he made his two purchases.

The supplier's hand returned to normal just as a grey fog exited his arm and returned to the scroll.

Elsa walked back onto the stage and offered to auction the scroll, after all, it was her job but the supplier shook his head.

"I'll do it myself" he said and Elsa shrugged in a 'suit yourself' manner and made her way towards the honor row the Sheik was seated in.

The Sheik welcomed her arrival with a respectful smile, harboring no thoughts whatsoever that he had any right on her despite him hiring her.

"Lady Elsa" he said to her and actually stood up when she was close to him.

Elsa smiled sultrily and looked over at Hal whose eyes were trailing her delectable figure,

"I'd like to sit beside him" she said and pointed towards Hal.

The Sheik nodded,

"If that is what you want, then by all means" he said and Elsa walked away from him without a second glance in his direction to take the seat beside Hal.

Throughout it all, Hal never stopped looking at her and it was clear that Elsa loved the attention. Even then, she decided to use it as an icebreaker and conversation starter.

"Haven't you stared enough?" She asked with a smirk on her bright red lips.

Hal shrugged,

"Honestly, no I haven't but I'll stop if it's making you uncomfortable" Hal said and true to his words, he did not look over at her again.

Elsa pouted at him making a point to ignore her. However, she said nothing and contented herself with staring at him instead.

Hal could feel her eyes on him and even though he had many questions to ask her, he also felt this was not the time.

Lucile looked over at Elsa and the eyes of the two women met, with Elsa grinning at her before going back to staring at Hal.

Lucile's eyes narrowed as she felt almost as though the sexy lady was messing with her.

She was not sure how to feel about that.

However, it did please her that Hal was ignoring Elsa and looking at her with a teasing smile.

It pleased her in a way she was not entirely sure she liked.

Anyways...

The supplier waited for the crowd to settle down and eventually, once it was noted that he was still being quiet, the crowd slowly quieted down.

And then the supplier began,

"My name is Beldar and I am a native of Dystopia. I will not be hiding my identity from you all because I highly doubt any of you will decide not to bid because of where I am from.

In fact, many of you would have suspected my identity already but wanted to live in denial. Well, I will not have that.

I am a Dystopian and I am proud of it.

My reasons for selling this mutating technique will remain mine and I will not entertain questions or suspicions.

The same goes for how I arrived in the Haron continent.

You have seen what this technique is capable of and I have also demonstrated how it renders runes powerless.

With the mutating technique, you will be unrivaled on the martial path and even those pesky Astral runes will not be able to stop you. You can also use it to mutate subordinates. Whether partially as you have seen me do just how or completely as the Sheik already demonstrated"

What Beldar said caused eyes to widen all around as many understood the implications of his words which was that what he had displayed was merely the tip of the iceberg.

The transformation of one arm had been so powerful, how unrivaled would the transformation of the whole body be?

This was the interpretation those in the bidding crowd gave Beldar's words but Hal narrowed his eyes as he felt it was a wrong interpretation.

He felt and was almost completely certain that the only thing a full body transformation would do was to give all-around protection but would not result in even more powerful feats.

The power that had been witnessed with the transformation of one arm was quite certainly the power that would be witnessed by full-body transformation.

Also, when the technique had been used to transform the servant in the arena, the power while impressive was nothing compared to what Beldar just displayed.

Although it could be argued that the one at the arena was merely a demo, Hal felt it was simply the situation where the one truly in control of the technique was more powerful than his/her mutated subordinates.

It was the classic case of the master being more powerful than the underlings.

Before, the Sheik had only been interested in making money off this technique's sale but he was now starting to feel interested in it himself.

He would not bid for it of course, but he was now considering asking Beldar for another copy of the technique which he was sure the Dystopian native must have.

Beldar continued,

"There is no reason to waste any more time, the starting value of the mutating technique is 400,000 Blue gems." He said and folded his arms as he waited for the bidding war to begin.

"450,000 Blue gems!" Called a voice out of the crowd and the one who had spoken was trying his best to keep his excitement under control.

Especially since he knew this was not the end and someone else was bound to bud higher soon.

And sure enough.

"460,000 blue gems" called someone else but he did not even have the time to savor his bid as someone outbid him almost immediately,

"470,000 blue gems"

As the bidding continued, Hal began to eye all those in the honor row and found the Sheik's advisor, Gavin's face bright with excitement as though he was close to winning the technique.

But that made no sense since just like the Sheik, he was not bidding...