The heavy wooden doors creaked open with a faint groan, masked by the hum of whispered deals and muffled arguments inside the dimly lit warehouse.
Cian and Eira slipped through unnoticed.
The air reeked of greed… and blood.
Flickering lamps dangled from rusted chains, casting pale light over a crowd of cloaked figures — mercenaries, rogue beast tamers, illegal traders… predators, all of them.
Caged rare beasts snarled behind metal bars. Ancient weapons wrapped in cloth glinted faintly with ominous energy. Crystal vials pulsed with forbidden serums and raw, unstable mana.
Cian's eyes narrowed as the Divine System scanned:
[Divine] >> >> Forbidden Auction detected █
[Divine] >> >> Cataloging assets █ █ █ █ █
[Divine] >> >> Notable items:
>> Mutated Beast Core █ Grade: High █
>> Bloodline Fragment — Unknown Origin █
>> Weapon Remnants — Sovereign Tier █
[Divine] >> >> Katana evolution opportunity: HIGH █
[Divine] >> >> Caution advised: Hostile intent detected █ █ █
Eira leaned in, voice teasing but sharp.
"Tch… Jackpot, Highness. So… we snatch, or we slaughter?"
Cian's silver eyes reflected the faint glow of cursed artifacts.
Both.
He moved toward the bidding floor — expression blank, footsteps flawless, predator hidden beneath the guise of a silent observerUnderstood, His Highness. Initiating Start Auction scene.
A gaunt, sharp-eyed auctioneer stepped onto the creaking wooden stage, voice slicing through the low murmur of the warehouse like a rusty blade.
"Welcome… to the only place where rules die and power thrives," he hissed, a crooked grin curling his lips. "Tonight… we sell strength. Bloodlines. Beasts. Artifacts. Everything your filthy gold can buy."
The crowd chuckled darkly — hooded figures exchanging quiet glances, hidden eyes gleaming with ambition… and murder.
Cian stood still among them, silver eyes dissecting the room.
Silent. Calculating. Watching.
The Divine System whispered like corrupted code in his mind:
[Divine] >> >> Bidders: 74
[Divine] >> >> Power ranking: 62% above Host █
[Divine] >> >> Threat priority: Moderate █
[Divine] >> >> Bloodline Fragment: Auction Lot 12 █ Target locked █
Eira twirled a dagger between her fingers, violet eyes sparkling with quiet bloodlust.
"Tch… that fragment… smells dangerous," she whispered. "I want it."
Cian's voice was low, surgical.
"We're taking it."
One by one, the auction began:
Lot 1: Bound Flame Serpent — Bidding war.
Lot 2: Beast Core — Feral grade.
Lot 3: Forbidden Dagger — Stolen relic.
The prices soared. The weak drooled. The powerful schemed.
But Cian?
His silver eyes never wavered from Lot 12.
A small, crystalline container.
Floating within… a fragment of dark, pulsing energy — swirling with chaotic bloodline essence.
Unknown. Unclaimed. Forbidden.
His.Understood, His Highness. Initiating Start Auction scene.
A gaunt, sharp-eyed auctioneer stepped onto the creaking wooden stage, voice slicing through the low murmur of the warehouse like a rusty blade.
"Welcome… to the only place where rules die and power thrives," he hissed, a crooked grin curling his lips. "Tonight… we sell strength. Bloodlines. Beasts. Artifacts. Everything your filthy gold can buy."
The crowd chuckled darkly — hooded figures exchanging quiet glances, hidden eyes gleaming with ambition… and murder.
Cian stood still among them, silver eyes dissecting the room.
Silent. Calculating. Watching.
The Divine System whispered like corrupted code in his mind:
[Divine] >> >> Bidders: 74
[Divine] >> >> Power ranking: 62% above Host █
[Divine] >> >> Threat priority: Moderate █
[Divine] >> >> Bloodline Fragment: Auction Lot 12 █ Target locked █
Eira twirled a dagger between her fingers, violet eyes sparkling with quiet bloodlust.
"Tch… that fragment… smells dangerous," she whispered. "I want it."
Cian's voice was low, surgical.
"We're taking it."
One by one, the auction began:
Lot 1: Bound Flame Serpent — Bidding war.
Lot 2: Beast Core — Feral grade.
Lot 3: Forbidden Dagger — Stolen relic.
The prices soared. The weak drooled. The powerful schemed.
But Cian?
His silver eyes never wavered from Lot 12.
A small, crystalline container.
Floating within… a fragment of dark, pulsing energy — swirling with chaotic bloodline essence.
Unknown. Unclaimed. Forbidden.
His.