A moment too late, Su Cheng let out a low gasp of shock.
Maintaining an expression of astonishment and bewilderment, she stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, seemingly completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Furthermore...
Applause rang in her ears.
Along with the familiar praise of a certain deity.
...Truly art.
It was as if someone was laughing right next to her ear. The laughter was full of amusement, like a predator that had just caught its prey, or a spectator enjoying a flawless play.
Su Cheng stiffened.
She could almost feel warm fingers brushing past her hair, grazing the soft flesh of her earlobe.
Then, it felt as though someone leaned down and embraced her.
Su Cheng smelled the scent of ink, reminiscent of melting wax. In a daze, she sensed countless sheets of paper fluttering toward her, emitting cheerful trills in the wind.
Then, everything faded into nothingness.
Your Highness...
Su Cheng quickly adjusted her expression. I was just saying that casually...
The Prince looked equally surprised.
The headless corpse swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
I actually think, Aquila mused, he probably did not tell anyone voluntarily, otherwise he definitely would not have sworn an oath. But if someone left some kind of magical mark on him, they might be able to hear our conversation from elsewhere, without Leo himself knowing about it.
Su Cheng immediately feigned panic. So someone else knows? Can our plan still go forward?
What are you panicking for? the Prince said impatiently. There are many magic arrays in this box, it was originally...
She suddenly stopped, as if a thought had crossed her mind.
...The Olu family, Aquila sneered. It seems I still underestimated them.
Su Cheng silently lowered her head.
The royal Princes all possessed true power, as they enjoyed access to the best resources, whether it be magic or battle aura manuals.
As long as they were not fools, they could not be too weak. After all, for these people, magical talent could be engraved, and battle aura could be enhanced through potions.
In terms of direct combat strength, she certainly could not defeat Aquila. This woman was at least thirty years old and had practiced battle aura for over twenty years.
Even if her power was spoon-fed to her through various top-tier pills, and even if she might not be able to defeat an expert of the same tier who trained on their own...
That was only in comparison to others of the same tier.
Against a lower-tier warrior, it would be an absolute massacre.
The Prince dared to let her in so boldly and discuss these matters with her simply because she relied on her own abilities, unafraid that Su Cheng could pose any threat.
I helped Leo evade his pursuers before, Aquila stood up and paced. He promised to help me here for a while.
Su Cheng frowned. Your Highness, to be honest, I just found him very irritating because the way he looked at me was disgusting. That is why I deliberately provoked him.
Aquila: ...
She could not exactly say that it was because he knew I would silence you sooner or later.
Distinguished guests, the next auction item is enough to drive any mage, warrior, craftsman, or collector mad...
The host on the stage suddenly raised his arms and shouted, From the Lightless Ruins, that distant lost plane, the land where thousands of black dragons once soared...
Su Cheng could not help but turn her head to look.
A pitch-black vertebra, about the length of two arms, had its surface covered in twisted, blood-red patterns that seemed to still be writhing slowly under the lights.
Judging from the cross-sections at both ends, it was clearly not a complete bone, but rather a severed piece.
Placed inside a crystal box covered in magic arrays, it drew the gazes of countless people throughout the auction house.
From the Profound Singer Gorgos, the loyal retainer of the Black Dragon King!
We all know the power of the ancient dragons. This will be an unparalleled forging material. Hah, depending on your intended use, of course, it could also serve as an essential artifact for casting some profound and mysterious magic!
The host introduced the dragon bone with impassioned fervor.
The entire venue below erupted into a commotion.
...Starting price, one hundred thousand gold coins!
Box number nine bids one hundred and five thousand gold coins!
Seat number thirty-seven bids one hundred and twenty thousand gold coins!
The moment the bidding began, the auction house boiled over from top to bottom, with at least dozens of guests fighting for it.
The host announced the bids one after another. If he did not have such a nimble tongue, he probably would have bitten it by now.
Su Cheng looked back. Aquila was sitting to the side, deep in thought. Meeting her gaze, she simply shook her head and told her to wait.
...One million seven hundred thousand gold coins! Going thrice! Sold! To guest number eighty-five!
The host grinned from ear to ear. Next, still a dragon bone, but this time it is a finger bone...
Another crystal box was brought up to the high stage. Inside floated a piece of bone enshrouded in gray mist. It was about the same length as the previous item, but much thinner.
Belonging to the Withered Wings Niphant! A great first-generation ancient dragon...
Su Cheng rested her chin in her hand, watching the fiery bidding below.
Relax, Aquila suddenly walked over, casting a disdainful glance at the auction floor. These are all just gimmicks.
Su Cheng was a bit confused. What do you mean? They are not dragon bones? Are they fake?
They are real, of course, but as for which specific ancient dragon they belong to, that is hard to say.
Aquila sneered. The Lightless Ruins contain the remnants of the ancient dragons' palaces. Those who know what they are doing might be able to find fragments of text in the ruins to determine whose palace it is, but the corpses inside are not necessarily the masters of those palaces. They could just be other ancient dragons who happened to die there.
The Prince paused as she spoke. These bones are extremely valuable. They cannot destroy a complete dragon skeleton, and due to various restrictions, they cannot take a whole one away either. Therefore, they can only wander around picking up these scattered fragments.
After several rounds of bidding, the lights in the venue suddenly went out.
A beam of deep blue light fell onto the high stage. The host slowly backed away, as if making room for something larger.
This is the most intriguing moment of the night...
He spread his arms wide. You have all witnessed the remains of many ancient dragons. However, the next auction item may belong to a true sovereign.
The auction house instantly erupted into a commotion. Some gasped, others whispered in doubt, and the murmurs, both high and low, swept across the room like a tidal wave.
Yes, the supreme ruler of the dragon race, a legend and miracle from the ancient era, a mysterious existence that vanished into history. It is said that they fell in battle against the evil gods of the outer void...
The host lowered his voice as he narrated.
But his voice, amplified by wind magic, was loud enough to reach every corner of the auction house.
Su Cheng instinctively tensed up as well.
But she could not show too much interest, so she tried her best to look merely curious.
We cannot verify His identity, for there are no clear records of it, nor are there any true witnesses... unless we could find someone from tens of millions of years ago.
A massive crystal box suddenly appeared in the center of the high stage.
Its shape looked just like a giant coffin.
Layers upon layers of interlocking magic arrays and runes sealed the entire box.
Placed inside was a segment of bone over four meters long. It appeared to be a fractured sternum connected to a portion of the spine, and its entire body exhibited a profound, dark hue.
Its surface was covered with fine, rune-like natural patterns. The bone was as smooth as obsidian, gleaming with a cold, metallic luster under the lights.
"It refuses to be appraised—"
The host sighed. "We invited experts in the Dragon Language and even Dragonborn forging masters. They are absolute authorities in their respective fields, yet none of them could reach a conclusion using any means."
He paused for a moment. "So, unlike the ancient dragon remains presented earlier, for which we could provide proper certification, this piece of bone is a mystery. It is a gamble. If your luck is poor, it might just be the remains of some rare hybrid sub-species. But if you guess right, it might belong to a supreme being. Their names carry immense power, so I cannot mention them casually, but I believe anyone interested in this auction item knows exactly what I am talking about."
The host tapped the crystal box, and a low, resonant hum echoed faintly from the bone inside.
The sound reverberated through the grand, hall-like venue, carrying an unimaginably powerful sense of oppression. Many guests on the lower floor even covered their ears.
"...Ah, what fascinating power."
A deep male voice rang in Su Cheng's ear once again.
The voice was magnetic and pleasing, tinged with a hint of joy and intoxication. The distinct amusement in his tone seemed to declare his delightful mood.
At the same time, a profound and formidable force drove into her cochlea like an iron nail, sending a bizarre tremor rippling through her cervical spine and backbone.
She began to feel a fleeting dizziness. The surrounding air rippled, and the burnt scent of ink and paper permeated the space.
Su Cheng: "..."
No way!
A few seconds later, her mind cleared a little, and she could not help but look back.
A tall, muscular figure stood quietly behind her, arms crossed, looking down at the auction floor with great interest.
Su Cheng: "?!?!"
The man withdrew his gaze and looked at her with a smile.
"And your performance was also wonderful, my dear."
He tilted his head slightly. Raven-black hair fell across his forehead, complementing his flawless, honey-brown skin. A lazy smile hung on his handsome, deeply contoured face.
That smile was incredibly gentle, softening the aggressiveness brought about by his sharp brows and eyes, making one helplessly want to approach and trust him.
He wore a revealing, one-shoulder robe. The heavily draped, off-white fabric looped over his shoulder, cutting diagonally across his broad, robust chest.
It was tightly cinched at his side by a waistband adorned with gold and gemstones.
Half of his chest, both arms, and a portion of his lean waist were exposed as a result. The full contours of his muscles rose and fell with his movements, brimming with wild tension.
A rose gold chest chain looped over his heart, with a vivid ruby standing out prominently.
Su Cheng's gaze involuntarily drifted downward, suddenly realizing that his navel piercing was covered—though, of course, this physical shell was merely a manifestation, so it might not even be there.
Her eyes swept over the sturdy thighs faintly visible beneath the hem of his clothes, and then her chin was suddenly caught and lifted.
Su Cheng looked up and met those demonic, enchanting eyes.
Countless dense, silver-white runes seemed to be spinning within the deity's eyes.
They spread across the radial patterns of his dark irises. Innumerable letters were melting, recombining, and merging into one another on their own. Some were pushed into rotation by new symbols the moment they were formed, flowing and congealing in the folds of his eyeballs.
Deep within those pupils, some kind of power seemed to be faintly writhing, as if it would burst forth like a broken dam in the very next moment.
Su Cheng froze.
Her fingertips curled up as if stung by an invisible thorn. The alarming, stimulating sensation of her cognitive framework being torn apart made her hair stand on end and her stomach tighten.
Yet, as those eerie characters spun and flickered, there was a strange, non-human beauty to them, like gazing up at unreachable stars, or witnessing the very laws of reality.
"...Your Highness."
It took Su Cheng a long time to find her voice. She tilted her head slightly and cast a glance to the side.
Aquila was still sitting on the sofa, seemingly completely oblivious to the commotion over here.
Clearly, the deity had used some sort of trick.
She immediately stopped allowing herself to be distracted, steadied her nerves, and said, "I suppose... I probably do not need to apologize for killing your blessed one, do I?"
