The numerous First-Tier Wizards on the hall's ground floor filed out one after another, exiting through the doors on either side.
Though they knew nothing of what was happening, a heavy atmosphere had begun to suffuse the hall ever since the announcer spoke, pressing down on their hearts like a colossal boulder.
Whoosh!
The crowd departed swiftly, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Only a scant handful of First-Tier Wizards remained, scattered sparsely across their original seats.
Not a single wizard in the VIP rooms on the second floor had left.
Bang! The great doors slammed shut, and the atmosphere in the hall grew unbearably tense.
"Hmm? Is it about to begin?"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Leilin's mouth as he surveyed the center of the arena with the look of someone settling in to watch a good show.
"Very well! I'll start from here!"
A mechanical, genderless voice — clearly and heavily disguised — drifted from the VIP room farthest to Leilin's right.
"I have a vial of Heart of the Ocean potion here, and I'd like to trade it for three Fire Earth Scorpion hearts or a Lava Tyrant core! Anyone interested?"
As the words were spoken, a projected image of the potion materialized for all the wizards in the hall to see clearly.
"I have two Fire Earth Scorpion hearts. The remainder can be made up with Magic Stones — how about six million?"
A hoarse, elderly voice rang out.
"No! I only need fire-attribute materials! But I can buy those two Fire Earth Scorpion hearts from you — name your price in Magic Stones..." Unfortunately, the offer was rejected by the previous wizard. The two then began conversing through their communication devices, out of earshot of everyone else in the hall.
The announcer on the raised platform had already stepped entirely to the side, leaving the floor to the Second-Tier Wizards.
Leilin waited in silence, watching as all manner of rare and precious items were offered for trade. His expression remained as calm and still as a leopard before the kill, quietly waiting for the prey to take the bait.
Through his earlier conversation with the Iron Crown's emissary and his own judgment, Leilin was now certain that today's exchange had been arranged by the Iron Crown or the White Wizard faction as a trap to lure Ailister in!
And what they had put forward was something the current Ailister could not refuse.
At that moment, something that made Leilin's eyes light up was displayed in the hall.
"An advanced alchemy journal, recording terrifying knowledge from the Abyss. Those with insufficient Spiritual Power may experience hallucinations when reading it. Its previous owner went completely mad and died from the experience — buyers, please take caution..."
Along with the announcement, a projected image of a journal appeared — black on the outside, with a blood-red eye at its center.
The journal was already quite battered, its corners chipped and frayed, but the blood-red eye at its center was startlingly vivid. Even as a projection, Leilin felt as though that eye was staring directly at him, sending a chill down his spine.
Moreover, on the surface of the black notebook, Leilin noticed something unusual.
Surrounding the blood-red eye were countless blood vessels and black runes, twisted into shapes that resembled writhing black serpents.
"This is..." A flash of silver light flickered across Leilin's palm as the Book of the Great Serpent, previously stored in his spatial pouch, materialized in his hand of its own accord.
Several runes on the surface of the Book of the Great Serpent bore a striking resemblance to those on the notebook.
"The Crimson Grand Wizard! This is very likely a journal left behind by the Crimson Grand Wizard..." Leilin murmured softly, a blood-red gleam flashing in his eyes.
At the same time, a burst of blood-red light suddenly erupted from the crystal on Leilin's wrist.
"Warning! Warning! Subject's adrenaline secretion is excessive — there is an 89% probability of nerve ending stimulation, resulting in adverse mental effects!"
The Chip also flashed a line of blue text before Leilin's eyes.
"This is... this is... such a troublesome thing!" Leilin growled under his breath, unhooking a black water skin from his belt and taking a deep, desperate gulp.
The water, mixed with a Calming Potion, steadily soothed the surging impulses within him.
Just then, bids rang out one after another from outside. Clearly, this journal containing knowledge of the Abyss had captured the interest of many Second-Tier Wizards.
After advancing to the Second Tier, many wizards without advanced Meditation Methods had completely lost their direction of progress. As a result, they were extremely keen on studying various ancient records and knowledge from other planes, hoping to find a path to further advancement.
The Abyssal aura emanating from this journal was so dense that even Leilin's expression shifted slightly.
It was precisely for this reason that the alchemy journal had drawn such fervent attention from the assembled Second-Tier Wizards.
"I'm very interested in this journal. What do you want for it?"
Leilin connected to the wizard selling the journal through his communication device and asked in a low voice.
"What can you offer?"