Behind these descriptions, there were several more lines of small text, each listing the items that would follow the first auction piece.
"...Now, please allow me to present the first item of this auction: a treasure from an alternate world — the Flame Condensation Crystal from the World of Flame!!!"
The host announced loudly as he lifted the silk cloth from a tray behind him.
Boom! In an instant, three translucent crystals appeared within
"A treasure from an alternate world!"
Numerous Wizards drew sharp breaths. The Blue Mountain Auction House had truly put in considerable effort to make a strong opening impression.
Clearly, this first auction item had exceeded the expectations of many Wizards.
At that moment, the host's voice carried on: "The Flame Condensation Crystal — a legendary treasure of the World of Flame, a condensation of countless fire-element particles. It can forcibly enhance the soul aptitude of a fire-attribute
But by now, very few Wizards were listening to the host. Their greedy gazes were all fixed upon the Flame Condensation Crystals on the stage.
Even Leylin felt a slight twinge of desire for the item, let alone the other Wizards.
Resources from alternate worlds, due to the nature of the Star Gate, were treasures that only Morning Star Wizards had a chance to obtain. For second and third-rank Wizards like themselves, they were things one could only dream of but never reach.
The effect of marginally improving soul aptitude alone was enough to drive countless Wizards into a frenzy.
"Very well. The bidding for the Flame Condensation Crystals now begins. Starting price: five million Magic Stones!"
The host announced the number, and was immediately drowned out by a torrent of bids.
On the central screen, dense rows of numbers appeared, updating the highest bid over and over again.
Leylin watched in speechless disbelief as the figure at the top of the screen soared upward, instantly breaking past the ten-million mark. It only began to ease off around fifty million. A bitter smile crossed his face.
"I originally thought the ninety million-plus Magic Stones I obtained from the Blue Mountain Auction House was a substantial sum. But looking at this now... securing the Star Gate Stone is still going to be incredibly difficult..."
Leylin suppressed the impulse to press the bidding device. Although he still had many items he could use to offset the cost, and obtaining the Flame Condensation Crystals wouldn't be particularly difficult, doing so would be far too conspicuous. Moreover, his limited funds had to be reserved for the battles ahead — he couldn't afford to waste them here.
Having already decided to give up, Leylin was able to settle his mind and watch with great interest as these high-ranking Wizards fought tooth and nail over the treasures, their eyes red with covetousness.
The rarity of treasures from other worlds had somewhat exceeded Leylin's expectations. Not only were the VIPs in the private boxes battling fiercely — even many of the Wizards in the ordinary spectator seats had started placing bids in the competition.
"The financial resources to compete for the Flame Condensation Crystals, yet choosing to slink around in the ordinary seats and squeeze in with those low-level Wizards — that's someone who wants to play the pig to eat the tiger!"
Leylin looked at a young man with fiery red hair in the spectator area and commented lightly.
"Bidding is now closed! The three highest bidders will obtain the Flame Condensation Crystals!"
The auctioneer standing at the central elevated platform had a flush on his face, clearly somewhat excited as he spoke.
At that moment, the massive array of data on the screens froze, and the highest bid had reached a staggering eighty-five million Magic Stones! The second and third place bids trailed the first by less than a million Magic Stones.
"Truly insane!" Leylin shook his head.
Clearly, this round of bidding had far exceeded expectations — even surpassing the auction house's original projections. The auctioneer composed himself and began introducing the next item: "Magical Artifact — the Apophis Scepter! Starting price: thirty-eight million Magic Stones or equivalent resources..."
A scepter of gleaming gold with an ornate, resplendent design immediately appeared in Leylin's line of sight.
At the top of the scepter, numerous golden tassels and streams of color formed the shape of a solar corona, continuously radiating light and heat.
"Forty million Magic Stones!"
"Fifty million Magic Stones, plus three Moonstones!"
Clearly, this magical artifact already held great renown among these Wizards. The bidders below had begun placing bids before the auctioneer had even finished speaking.
Leylin propped his chin on his hand, watching the scene unfold, and suddenly realized that he was actually still considered a relatively poor man.
Compared to the Wizards of the Central Continent — who occupied resource-rich territories and boasted ancient lineages — even after stripping an entire Dark World bare, he was only marginally better off.
If it hadn't been for his string of windfalls, and the fact that he was an Grandmaster Alchemist, he wouldn't have dared come to participate in the bidding for the Star Gate Stone.
Subsequently, the magical artifact known as the Apophis Scepter was purchased by a Wizard in one of the private boxes for a staggering ninety million Magic Stones, causing many of the Wizards to take careful note of that box's number.
True to its reputation as the preeminent power in this region, the Blue Mountain Auction House then unveiled a succession of rare Wizard treasures, advanced Meditation Method materials, and a wealth of precious resources, sparking frenzied interest among the assembled Wizards.
Among them were also the high-grade potions Leylin had sold earlier. Although only a fraction of the total, they still commanded an astronomical price — Wizards' hunger for high-grade potions could never truly be satisfied.
This left Leylin feeling both pleased and inwardly rolling his eyes.
He had originally thought that the Blue Mountain Auction House purchasing his potions at fair prices was already taking on some losses, but now it seemed that the deal had still earned them a handsome profit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today's auction is drawing to a close, and we at the Blue Mountain Auction House have made a special decision to offer the treasures of this auction at the very last moment!"
The host's next words piqued Leylin's interest considerably, his eyes lighting up as he fixed his gaze on the auction stage.
"This auction will span three days, which means there will be three extremely precious treasures up for bid! Opportunities are limited!"
A hint of temptation laced the host's voice.
"Now, please allow me to solemnly introduce the first treasure: an ancient supreme-grade Meditation Method — the Wings of the Sun!!!"
As his words echoed through the hall, curtains on both sides of the auction stage were drawn back, revealing a hidden exhibit behind them.
It was a broken sword. Its exterior was that of a common broad-hilted greatsword, its design brimming with the style of the ancient era. Across the middle of the blade, a clear fracture was visible — the tip had been lost entirely.
What struck Leylin even more deeply into a trance was a drop of golden blood upon the broken blade that seemed to possess a life of its own, swirling into a vortex and continuously scattering rays of light.
"As everyone knows, once a Wizard transcends the Morning Star rank and reaches a far more terrifying and unfathomable plane of existence, their very being undergoes a sublimation. Even a drop of blood or a single cell can contain the secrets of their power, even achieving the effect of regeneration from a single drop of blood..."
The host's voice carried a note of excitement: "And upon this broken sword, a drop of the ancient Sun Son's blood once fell! After our appraisers' examination, although the blood on the sword has completely lost its life force, within that very drop lies the essential essence of the Sun Son's Meditation Method!"
"The Sun Son!!!"
The moment the host spoke those words, Leylin was momentarily stunned.
It was extremely common for relics of ancient powerhouses to contain fragments of information — the snake woman's bone joint had even been able to catalyze an entire spiritual entity through its own radiation alone.
But for one to contain a complete Meditation Method's information was exceedingly rare.
In Leylin's estimation, this Sun Son must have sensed his own impending fall during battle and deliberately left behind his legacy as a transmission.
What truly surprised Leylin was that he had encountered yet another relic of the Sun Son from the Sandflow organization here.
In the depths of his intuition, he felt a sense that perhaps his fate with the ancient bloodline warlocks of the Sandflow organization was not so easily severed.
"We can guarantee that the Wings of the Sun Meditation Method is absolutely complete! An ancient supreme-grade Meditation Method — even if one cannot cultivate it, it serves as an enormous source of reference for us! Moreover, although the Sun Son's bloodline on it has completely lost its vitality, perhaps there exist certain Wizard arts that could restore its activity. If that were the case, the entire warlock structure of our Central Continent would be rewritten..."
The host did his utmost to entice the crowd: "This auction item's starting price — two hundred million Magic Stones, or equivalent resources!!!"
After the host finished speaking, the venue fell silent, falling into an awkward lull.
Numerous Wizards stared at the broken sword on the raised platform and the golden vortex above it, lost in thought.
"Phew..." Leylin let out a long breath. "If Teacher
Leylin was well aware that the auction would last a total of three days, with a precious treasure revealed at the end of each day. And this supreme-grade Meditation Method was actually the lowest in value among the three treasures.
The Wings of the Sun supreme-grade Meditation Method, like the Eyes of the Komoe Snake, was a Meditation Method tailor-made for warlocks. The entry requirement was possessing the ancient Sun Son's bloodline, and according to Leylin's intelligence and knowledge, ever since that ancient Sun Son of the Sandflow organization fell, no similar bloodline had ever surfaced across the entire Central Continent.
Therefore, the Wings of the Sun Meditation Method could at most serve as a reference for these Wizards, and its value dropped significantly.
Moreover, the blood on it had lost its vitality and could not be introduced into a Wizard's body as a bloodline inheritance. Though it appeared exceedingly precious, its actual value was not particularly high.
Of course, this "not particularly high" value was only relative to the other two treasures. For Leylin, the price of this treasure was still at a height he could barely afford.