Suspicion

Hearing Hans' disdainful words, Aeron's face flushed. If not for his self-restraint, he would have attacked that VIP room without hesitation. 

Even then, his expression gradually changed and cold energy quietly sprang out from his eyes, trying to penetrate see through who was on the side of that wall. 

He wanted to see who this man is and why he is also interested in an old book. 

However, a strange thing happened. Despite having used his prized skill, it couldn't pierce through the glass wall. It's as if his senses bounced back like a light reflecting in a mirror. 

This immediately put him on guard. 

'What happened?' 

The corners of Hans' lips curled up. Aeron's energy wasn't visible but with Hans' 'Mana Controlling Technique', his sensitivity to the slight change in the mana roaming in the air is leagues above. 

Thus, using his [Rebound (B) skill to the walls, any magic would just bounce back unless the caster used a high amount of mana. Aeron could have put much more effort but he couldn't do that due to the risk of being noticed. 

Meanwhile, Aeron sat back in his seat and whispered to the man beside him. As if they reached an agreement, the man raised his hand and bid. 

"3,000 Diamonds." 

Hans smiled and raised the price. 

"3,500 Diamonds." 

He has 1 Emerald in his pocket. 3,500 Diamonds are like a drop of a bucket in a large pond. 

Aeron's face grimaced. His father is rich but their money is not infinite. His father is a merchant and he needs to roll the money to earn profit. Now, if he raises the price even further, it will be a huge cost.

Even then, Aeron's pride didn't back down. With an uncertain tone, his voice rang once again. 

"3,700 Diamonds!" 

"4,000 Diamonds."

"4,2—"

The fuming Aeron wanted to follow the bid but the man beside him grabbed his elbows and whispered something to his ears. 

"If we bid for the 2nd item with this much price, we wouldn't be able to explain to your father. Besides, there are eight other items left and they might be more valuable than this old book. You're just wasting money."

Aeron exhaled heavily. Even the hand which was about to raise dropped back to the armrest. 

4,000 Diamonds is a lot but it's not enough to make his father angry. However, if he found out that he used such a large amount of money just for an old book, he wouldn't be able to explain it. 

Sensing Aeron's hesitation, Hans' lips beamed in delight. The old book might contain clues about the Ruined King and 4,000 Diamonds is already very cheap. 

Even if it's 1 Emerald, he'll pay for it. 

Unfortunately, no one seemed to realize the value of this book other than the frail guy on the ground floor. 

[What if it doesn't have any useful information in it?] 

'That's life. You either win or lose.' 

If it's useless then he can't do anything about it. It is what it is.

'It's time to wrap this up.' Hans thought. 

He briefly glanced at the fuming Aeron before quickly losing interest. Then, his eyes shifted back to the auction platform. 

"Auctioneer Garrett, it seemed like no one wanted to bid higher." 

On the auction stage, Garrett, who was displeased by Aeron's attitude, heard Hans' words. His face flushed in embarrassment and with a slight bow, he spoke. 

"Cough—, I'm sorry for the delay but since no one wants to bid higher than VIP 25, then this book is sold to him!" Garret looked at the audience and turned back at Hans. He continued, "One of our staff will deliver the item to your room. Again, we apologize for the delay."

Garrett bowed his head and even the auction house owner, Lady Emilia, glanced at Hans' VIP room and slightly bowed her head. 

Of course, they know that the buyer inside was the one who sold the wyvern's body. Just that reason alone is enough for them to treat with the utmost respect. 

What's more, they might potentially lose the opportunity to befriend such a powerful man. 

Although their auction house was the most popular, it wasn't always like that. With the rise of other competitors, it's hard to know when they could maintain the prestige they are having right now. 

Therefore, having a powerful ally could ensure that they could still oppress others and maintain their throne at the top. 

Call them desperate but it's their only option. 

Hans did not respond but Garrett nodded. There are still 8 items left and they shouldn't delay it for a little inconvenience. 

Watching the book finally get sold to Hans, Aeron's heart became heavy. He felt as if he lost his only chance to recover from the overbearing toll of his power. 

Unknowingly, killing intent surged in his heart but he quickly suppressed it before others could even notice. He doesn't want to cause trouble or problems with the auction as his father often visits here for transactions. 

Lady Emilia glanced at Aeron's location and observed the young man's movements.

Despite the slight humiliation he received, the young man did not create any stupid moves and kept his head cool. 

'Sigh—, thankfully, it did not escalate.' 

The auction staff pushed another table toward the stage and the spotlight brightly beamed on it. 

Everyone immediately forgot about Hans and Aeron's exchange of words and their eyes were glued to the next item. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our 43rd item is a space ring containing research about blacksmithing. The seller added that the highest grade of techniques inside could even make a 5th-Tier Blacksmith cross to the 6th-Tier!" 

At Garrett's splendid introduction, the crowd became noisy. Everyone eyed each other, trying to borrow money so they could bid when the auction started. 

"The starting bid is… 500 Diamonds!" 

With that, everyone raised their prices. 

"500 Diamonds!!!" 

"600 Diamonds!!!" 

"I'll bid 1,000 Diamonds!" 

"Just a thousand? 5,000 Diamonds!" 

Then, from another VIP room, a rough but deep voice rang out. 

"Poor kids… 1 Ruby!" 

In an instant, the crowds bidding from the lower ground fell silent. They couldn't afford to raise the price due to not only having enough money but also because they recognized the voice. 

One of the Heads of the 4 Royal Houses, Claus Calixto. 

They are a house famous for producing elite craftsmen and Claus himself is a 5th-Tier Blacksmith. Fighting with him in terms of money would be brutal as this man seemingly has infinite wealth in his bag. 

Garrett raised his eyes and glanced at the VIP rooms one by one. 

"1 Ruby going once… 1 Ruby going twice…"

At that moment, when he was about to Slam the hammer on the wooden board…

"2 Rubies!"

It was a charming voice of a woman. Everyone turned their heads in her direction and realized who she was. 

However, their faces were full of bewilderment. 

After all, in their knowledge, the crown princess is not a blacksmith but rather an alchemist specializing in concocting power-enhancing potions. 

Even then, their eyes were full of anticipation and excitement as they watched another battle of financial power unfold. 

Claus sneered and casually raised the price. 

"4 Rubies." 

"5 Rubies."

"7 Rubies!" 

"10 Rubies!" 

At that moment, the people who had their jaws almost dropping to the ground sucked their tongues. 

"Man, crazy…" 

"That's like 10, 20—100,000 Diamonds!" 

"Rich people are really a different breed."

Hans was also amused by the current showdown. Although he had no idea about a 6th-Tier Blacksmith, after judging the crowd's reaction, this stage must be pretty high. 

However, even after 2 minutes of the price changing simultaneously, no one wants to give up. 

"97 Rubies!" Claude yelled. The previous calm tone has now become panic. 

He didn't want to increase the price anymore but at the same time, he also does not want to let it fall through the crown princess' hands. 

Ninety-seven Rubies are already worth 970,000 Diamonds. It was already far from the starting price of 500.

But contrary to his expectations, the crown princess also felt like not giving up. 

"100 Rubies!" She bid. 

This time, Claude slumped to his chair and his shoulders fell. Although he wanted to get that item, he also felt that it was not worth 100 Rubies anymore. He could just buy 6th-Tier materials and practice and they are like 100 Diamonds per piece. 

Even though it might take years to break through, it won't be as bad as having to take out 100 Rubies for this.

"I give up. Congratulations crown princess." Claude spoke to the nearby VIP room. 

Garrett nodded and swept his gaze around the other VIP rooms. 

"100 Rubies going once… 100 Rubies going twice…" 

Seeing no other bid, he quickly slammed the wooden hammer on the table. 

Bam—

"Sold! Congratulations Crown Princess."

Hans briefly glanced at the Crown Princess VIP room and used his [Primeval Eyes] to peek. Unlike other eyes, this trait of his is always active just like a passive skill. 

However, unlike other skills, the [Primeval Eyes] only consumed one mana. That's like nothing in comparison to the mana circulating in the air. 

Thus, this is hard to notice and Hans already confirmed it with his battle with Count Vlad back then at the Baru Empire. 

Shu—

Like a predator hunting for prey, Hans' eyes penetrated that wall and he saw several masked figures lurking in each corner. 

'Are they bodyguards?' Hans asked. 

When she first appeared earlier, her bodyguards were surely wearing a knight's uniform. 

[Perhaps, they are assassins?] 

'Then they should have moved now if they are planning to kill.'

Due to their unmoved expression and almost no hostility towards the crown princess, Hans deduced that they may be her bodyguards. 

[Would you hire an assassin as bodyguards?] 

'Uhm… no.'

[Then don't you think that's strange?] 

Hans's eyebrows scrunched together as he answered Plundy. 

'If she dies then what does this have to do with me?' 

[Well, I just thought she's really pretty.]

'You better stop being a perv.'

At that moment. 

Stare—

Hans' eyes met the crown princess'.

"!!!" 

An immediate surprise donned in his heart but he suppressed it to avoid being suspicious. 

'She's staring at me right?' 

Hans didn't know if this woman was truly staring at him. Maybe it's just a coincidence that she looks in his direction. 

[Did we get caught?!] 

'No, not yet.'

By flawlessly averting his eyes, Hans made his escape natural. From others' perspectives, this felt like Hans just glanced in the crown princess' direction but quickly averted it away. 

Hans' eyes were already focused on the auction stage but he could still see the woman's gaze from the corner of his eyes. It's as if she could really see here. 

But since there was no change in her expression, it seemed like she was just staring at it but couldn't really see the inside.

With that conclusion, Hans felt his heart finally calm down. 

Hopefully, the crown princess just coincidentally looked at his VIP room and wasn't looking at his eyes at that time. 

Time passed by and many great items were auctioned to different owners at a sky-high price. 

The highest bid was 1,000 Rubies which was used to buy a pair of boots that allows the user to walk through the air with little consumption. 

It was a great item as this could be used even if the user is weak.

However, the rest of the items didn't catch Hans' eyes. After all, he wasn't really here to buy but rather, to find an item that could potentially lead to a clue about the Ruined King's Tomb. 

"And now, for the main item of the evening…" 

At that moment, several staff pushed a seemingly heavy cart toward the center of the stage. 

.... 

The Crown Princess, Adeline Loswarth, sat motionless on the couch as her eyes stayed on the VIP room 25. 

Her expression was cold like a red lotus who had seen the cruelty of the world yet her eyes emitted a certain warmth just like a ray of hope in the morning sunshine. 

Her palms sweating and goosebumps crawled on her seemingly flawless skin. Her eyelashes quivered in uncertainty, looking straight at that place without regard for her surroundings. 

Slowly, her closed lips opened. Her serene voice echoed.

"Why can I sense the aura of our ancestor in that place?"