Chapter 138

Chapter 138

Many items came up for auction, and their owners were decided.

Every item the White Bear Caravan presented possessed remarkable performance.

At those eye-opening effects, the eyes of each representative turned feverish.

The cool-headedness they had shown at first vanished, and they began bidding with eyes full of madness.

Naturally, the auction prices also grew exponentially.

It reached the point where one might worry that the finances of each district would collapse.

Pan Cheng-tian clicked his tongue at the madness-filled atmosphere.

‘They are insane.’

But he had no right to criticize others.

He, too, had been eroded by that madness.

When he first came to the auction house, he had intended to watch from a step back. But every item the White Bear Caravan presented was astonishing enough to turn one’s eyes, and even Pan Cheng-tian lowered his doubts and joined the auction.

He secured Astro’s Flame Sword, the Crown of the Old Serpent, and the Shield of the Fallen Star.

All three were items with special attributes, and depending on how they were used, they could become a major fighting force.

Borin, Cha Jin-cheol, Pan Cheng-tian, and Raven all actively participated in the auction and won items.

The Cloud Tree necklaces were also put up for auction.

Borin stepped forward aggressively and managed to win all the remaining necklaces.

After that, the auction continued fiercely.

“Wow!”

“I cannot believe items like that exist. This is insane!”

Briel and Levin kept exclaiming in admiration as they looked at the auction items.

Because they were young, they had almost never seen items excavated from dungeons. That was why the items the White Bear Caravan displayed looked fascinating to them.

Even then, Zeon only watched and did not participate in the auction.

The items up for auction by the White Bear Caravan were certainly worth their high prices. But they were not enough to satisfy Zeon’s standards.

Watching many items find their owners, Zeon thought,

‘It is too ordinary.’

Items emitted their own unique wavelengths and mana.

The higher the level of the item, the stronger the wavelength it released.

The items currently up for auction were also emitting their own unique wavelengths and presence.

But the wave Zeon had felt yesterday was not merely on this level.

Zeon vividly remembered that chilling sensation, powerful enough to shake his heart.

It was then.

“The item we will show you this time is called the Warden’s Binding Rope. It was obtained with great difficulty from Gehols’s Dungeon, and we have not yet discovered the purpose of the binding rope.”

Alexandro brought out the final auction item.

The item he presented was a rope used to bind prisoners.

Even Zeon had never seen an item of this form before.

The moment he saw the binding rope, a deep furrow formed between Zeon’s brows.

It was because he felt an ominous energy that could not be expressed in words.

‘What is it?’

Zeon stared intently at the binding rope.

But there was nothing he could discover simply by looking.

The additional effects attached to an item did not appear as precise numbers.

Its owner had to discover them by using it directly.

If it was an item from a dungeon, naturally, various options would be attached to it.

At that moment, Zeon saw Damian standing behind Alexandro.

Damian was smiling brightly, as if he found something very enjoyable.

Perhaps sensing Zeon’s gaze, Damian looked back at him.

Damian slightly waved his hand to acknowledge Zeon.

If someone who did not know Damian saw him, they might mistake him for innocent. But Zeon was not fooled by Damian’s outward appearance.

Damian was not a young boy.

Just as Zeon had grown while wandering the desert for eight years, Damian had also grown after experiencing countless things.

Eight years was a long enough time to turn a boy into an adult and an innocent child into a cunning man.

Only Damian himself knew what kind of adult he had grown into during that long time.

‘Damian!’

As if he had heard Zeon’s voice, Damian smiled even more innocently and nodded.

While Zeon was paying attention to Damian, the Warden’s Binding Rope fell into Cha Jin-cheol’s hands.

Cha Jin-cheol, who became the owner of the binding rope at the cost of a staggering ten tons of mana stones, had an eerie gleam in his eyes.

‘That is mine.’

From the first moment Cha Jin-cheol saw the Warden’s Binding Rope, he could not take his eyes off it. That was because he felt a strange pull from it.

It was the first time in his life he had ever felt such a sensation.

He was a confidant of Kim Hyun-soo, the ruler of the West District.

Naturally, he had received Kim Hyun-soo’s favor and replaced most of his body with machinery.

He looked like an ordinary human on the outside, but beneath his artificial skin, oil circulated and gears turned.

The only human parts remaining were his head and torso.

Since his limbs had been replaced with powerful machinery, he had no particular need for items.

Naturally, he had no reason to be interested in them.

But the Warden’s Binding Rope was different.

He did not know why, but from the moment he saw the Warden’s Binding Rope, he felt a powerful pull of the soul.

Though he wondered whether a human soul truly existed in someone like him, whose limbs had been replaced by machines.

At that moment, Pan Cheng-tian opened his mouth.

“Then have all the items prepared by the White Bear Caravan been exhausted?”

“Of course not. We still have many items left.”

“Why not release them all today?”

“If we released everything at once, it would not be any fun. Besides, the highlight still remains.”

“The highlight?”

At Alexandro’s answer, Pan Cheng-tian’s eyes changed.

Every item the White Bear Caravan had presented so far had been remarkable.

If there was an item even greater than those, it was only natural that his curiosity would be stirred.

Raven asked,

“What kind of item is it? Will that also be auctioned today?”

“Because it is such an extraordinary item, we intend to set a separate auction date.”

“Hmph! You are exaggerating. At most, it will not be far beyond the level of the items here.”

“Of course, every item here is excellent. We obtained them with great difficulty, and they are valuable enough to justify that effort. But I dare say the item on the fifth floor is not at this level. Whoever obtains that item will possess power on an entirely different dimension from before.”

At Alexandro’s words, the expressions of those attending the auction stiffened.

They did not know what item remained for him to boast so confidently, but if he was speaking to that extent, there was a high probability that it truly was not an ordinary item.

Borin said,

“If it is such an extraordinary item, I would like to see it once.”

“We need to confirm it with our own eyes so we can prepare how many mana stones to pour into the next auction, do we not?”

“Indeed! I would like to confirm it once.”

When Pan Cheng-tian and Raven agreed with Borin’s words, Alexandro shrugged.

“If that is what you wish, I will show it to you directly. The secret item our White Bear Caravan has prepared. Everyone, please follow me.”

Alexandro led those who had attended the auction to the fifth-floor warehouse.

Damian, who followed behind, secretly released the sealing magic circle.

The moment Alexandro opened the warehouse door, cracks appeared in the faces of the group.

“What is this?”

“Mm!”

“Fuck! What is that?”

Everyone’s complexion changed.

As expected of high-ranking Awakened, they had all reacted to the unusual energy flowing out from inside the warehouse.

Zeon’s expression also turned heavy.

The wave he had felt yesterday was flowing out from inside the warehouse.

Damian came up behind Zeon and said,

“Is it not incredible?”

“What is this item?”

“Hehe!”

Instead of answering, Damian let out a strange laugh.

At the center of the warehouse, a crown set with a blue jewel floated in the air without even a pedestal, emitting a mysterious energy.

Borin, Raven, Cha Jin-cheol, and Pan Cheng-tian were all captivated by the crown set with the blue jewel.

Among them, Borin’s eyes in particular were shaking violently, as if an earthquake had struck them.

“To think mana could have a scent like this......”

It was said that the elves of Kurayan could feel scent even from mana.

Because the energy was extremely clear and pure, and because the blessing of the World Tree had been added to it, they could sense fragrance from mana.

But the elves who crossed over to Earth could no longer smell the scent of mana.

That was because Earth had been ruined by the side effects of terraforming.

Mana of such high purity as in Kurayan did not exist on Earth.

Sometime in the past, the Ice Queen Serian had said it.

That she was sad because she could no longer smell the scent of mana.

At the time, Borin had not understood.

Borin and the other elves born on Earth had never smelled the scent of mana in the first place.

But now she felt she understood why Serian had said that.

A refreshing sensation deep in her chest, and the feeling that the crown of her head was opening wide.

No one told her, but she realized that this was the scent of mana.

Borin asked,

“W-what is this?”

“It is the Spirit King’s Crown.”

“The Spirit King’s Cr...own? Are you saying it is an item related to the Spirit King?”

“We do not know that either. The place where we obtained the crown was a dungeon called the Tomb of the Spirit King. Hundreds of Awakened lost their lives to conquer that dungeon. This is an item we obtained through such difficulty.”

“What is its effect?”

“We do not know that either. It has been sealed. Perhaps a true Spirit King may be sealed inside it.”

At Alexandro’s words, the room stirred.

Many things had crossed over from Kurayan.

Other races such as elves and dwarves, and even monsters.

But there was one thing that had not crossed over to Earth.

Spirits.

Earth had been ruined to the point that spirits could not survive, so spirits did not exist at all.

That was why elves born on Earth had no memory of ever encountering spirits.

‘A crown that may have the Spirit King sealed inside it. If the Spirit King revives, spirits may appear on Earth as well. If that happens, rebuilding Earth may not be merely a dream.’

Spirits fundamentally possessed nature-friendly attributes.

If spirits revived, nature would inevitably revive as well.

Borin felt her heart pounding.

‘If the Spirit King is truly sealed inside that, we must secure it at all costs.’

The Spirit King was both a blessing and a calamity.

If a good person contracted with it, it would be a blessing to Earth. But if an evil person contracted with it, a disaster on a global scale would descend.

Borin said,

“Are you truly saying you will put that up for auction?”

“That is correct.”

“Are you in your right mind, selling such a dangerous item at auction?”

“How can you be certain that it is a dangerous item?”

“What did you say?”

“It is an item that has not been used even once yet. Naturally, we do not know what abilities it has. To judge such an item as dangerous simply because of its name—I cannot understand it.”

“If that is truly related to the Spirit King, it must not be handed over to another district. It is proper that we elves manage it, so sell it to us directly.”

“We cannot do that. Our caravan has its own rules.”

“This will not be good for the White Bear Caravan either, if you act this way.”

“Are you threatening us?”

“And what if I am?”

“Then I imagine the others will dislike it.”

Alexandro smiled faintly and looked at the people from the other districts.

Only then did Borin realize her mistake.

She had revealed her true feelings too early in front of her competitors.

Raven and the others spoke.

“Rules exist to be followed. Surely you do not think elves are exempt from following human rules?”

“The Spirit King’s Crown, is it? I want it.”

“We must secure this.”

All of them revealed their greed.

The Spirit King’s Crown emitted a presence on a level entirely different from the items they had already secured.

They did not hide their greed.

They had never been collaborators to begin with, but competitors.

They did not know exactly what kind of item the Spirit King’s Crown was, but they could not allow the North District to take it.

‘Damn it!’

Borin bit her lip hard.

The atmosphere had already been ruined beyond repair.

There was nothing she could do in this state.

“You will regret this decision today.”

Leaving those words behind, Borin withdrew.

Zeon’s eyes sank coldly.

‘So in the end, the reason you held this auction was to show this to the elves.’

Only now did he feel he understood the picture Damian was drawing.