A magnificent, golden hall.
A giant chandelier adorned with crystals hangs high overhead, illuminating the surrounding stained glass windows. Pristine white pillars and sculptures in various poses are arranged in an orderly fashion on both sides of the hall, supporting the semi-circular dome.
Many elegantly dressed people moved back and forth around the dessert table, chatting and laughing softly to each other.
A melodious tune rose in a corner of the hall. The conductor, with his eyes half-closed, stood straight in front of him, waving his baton with emotion and elegance, letting the notes flow with the gentle breeze to everyone present, making the overall atmosphere soft and elegant, yet not lacking in nobility.
Looking around and carefully avoiding the people walking towards me, I followed closely behind the waiter leading the way, still feeling a sense of awkwardness as if I didn't belong here.
"Straighten your back, don't be shy."
A slight thud came from her lower back. She turned her head with the least amount of movement possible to avoid attracting attention. From beneath the half-hidden fiery red feather fan, Gray whispered, "Senior, you are now entering the auction house of the largest merchant guild on this continent, which has the most stringent security."
"Although this is just a branch, I can still say with great confidence that you will never see so many precious auction items or such a grand gathering of celebrities from all over the world anywhere else."
I nodded slightly, as if to agree with her words.
Indeed, it seemed so. A quick glance around revealed the figures of what appeared to be the city lord and his wife among the many guests not far away. In another corner, a young man radiating dazzling light was surrounded by people, engaging in friendly conversation.
Who is that?
Led to a corner on the right side of the middle of the hall, I thanked the waiter who led the way, turned around and looked at the young man with an unusually strong presence, and asked a question in a low voice.
At this point, there were still more than ten minutes before the auction officially began. Apart from a few young people who didn't like to move around and chat, there was only our group of five sitting at a table. Professor Adrian was also seated nearby. After confirming his seat, he excused himself by saying he had drunk too much water before leaving the hall and temporarily left.
Gray and her two followers showed no intention of leaving. Gray calmly sipped her sparkling water, while Sue and Mira stood beside her, constantly scanning their surroundings, wary of any unexpected events that might occur. Hugh, who had been closely following the three, was suddenly called away by a middle-aged man who emerged from the crowd. He was dragged by the ear to an empty balcony and berated in a low voice, seemingly his father.
Grey glanced at the young man, a knowing look on her face: "Oh, he's a young master from Qingyuan City. Their city center is said to have a spring that can heal all wounds. It's rare and extremely precious. It's also the closest city to the water source in the southwest. Basically, all the downstream cities need water, which often causes disputes with other downstream cities."
At this point, she exclaimed, "Although I have indeed heard that he prefers to roam the continent as a mercenary, what is he doing here today? There aren't any particularly valuable items in this city that need to be publicized for auction recently."
"Perhaps it was just a coincidence?"
I replied casually, turning my gaze naturally to Adrian, who was returning from the outside, trying to keep my brow from furrowing.
Although it was very faint and had been treated, there was still a trace of magical energy fluctuation on Adrian's body that hadn't been there before.
"Huh? Yumi, why are you staring at me?"
Adrian noticed my gaze, smiled, and approached to ask, "Is there something on my face?"
“No, Professor Adrian,” I replied. “Your appearance is impeccable, without a single imperfection. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen a professor like this outside of school, so I couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.”
He nodded, then turned to other things: "Just now, while I was traveling outside, I happened to meet the Demon Tower Master of the Frost Tower from the northern snowfields."
"You may not have heard of it, but although there is still a tradition of apprenticeship factions centered around the Magic Tower, which are divided into different levels and are wild mage factions that have not yet been incorporated into the academy faction, the current Magic Tower Master of the Frost Tower is indeed a talented mage who has improved the Frost Tower's operating rules and made great efforts to resist the extreme cold winds that come from the far north every winter."
"Why would someone as powerful as the Lord of the Demon Tower come to a place like this?"
Grey asked with some doubt, while gesturing for everyone to sit down, "That's not right. If there really was something at this auction that would compel such important figures to attend in person, I couldn't have missed it."
"Did you have something to take care of and just happened to be passing by?"
Adrian nodded slightly, still answering every question: "It is said to be one of the cores of the Frost Tower. The [Heart of Frost] was stolen by an unknown entity. After searching for it, it was discovered that it might be in the southern region, so we wanted to try to find it."
"Did he find it?"
Grey set her sights on the mango and grape tarts in front of her, picking up several and placing them on her plate: "Let's eat something first, we're just here to watch the fun anyway."
A clear, melodious bell rang out in front of the stage, and the lights overhead dimmed and went out one by one.
The number plates glowed with a clear digital light, and in the center of the round table, an alchemical candle, encased in a transparent glass container, seemed to burn indefinitely. Moderate light diffused through the smooth surface, illuminating only the surface of each table.
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