「The following night.」
Outside the banquet hall at the ship’s bow, the sea wind howled.
The dark silver metal doors stood open, a soft glow spilling out from within. It carried the faint scent of incense, the bitter tang of potions, and dozens of auras of varying strength.
Ian stood at the entrance, the hem of his deep grey long robe stirring slightly in the wind.
On his shoulder, Gaga huddled deep inside his hood, revealing only a pair of small eyes that warily surveyed their surroundings.
He gripped the passenger token in his hand.
The crystal stone at the center of the token grew slightly warm, projecting a line of pale blue, glowing words.
Access: Middle Level Cabin. Passage permitted.
Ian stepped inside. The view opened up before him, and the clamor from within rushed to meet him.
The banquet hall was several hundred meters square, with a high, domed ceiling inlaid with thousands of tiny, glowing crystals arranged in a slowly rotating star map.
A soft, moonlight-like glow cascaded down, illuminating nearly a hundred figures below.
Level Two Wizards gathered in small groups, occupying the most comfortable high-backed armchairs in the center.
Most of them wore opulent or specially embroidered robes with various badges, conversing in low voices and occasionally raising crystal glasses to take a sip.
The Crystalization Force Fields they naturally emitted formed invisible ripples in the air around them.
The Level One Wizards stood in the slightly outer areas.
Most of them kept their heads down and their eyes lowered, not daring to look around freely. When they did whisper, they kept their voices extremely low.
The few High Level Apprentices who had come with their masters could only huddle in the deepest corners, their faces tense, breathing cautiously.
Ian swept his gaze over the room and, with Gaga, walked toward an inconspicuous corner on the left.
There were a few empty low stools there, near a porthole.
Outside the window was the pitch-black night sky over the Endless Sea. Occasionally, a glowing deep-sea behemoth would streak past, leaving an arc of faint blue light in its wake.
"So many people, gaga," Gaga transmitted through their Soul Link, his small claws tightening on the collar of Ian’s long robe.
"Mm." Ian sat down, his gaze sweeping lightly across the entire hall as his Spiritual Power quietly spread out.
He didn’t probe in detail, merely sensing the general distribution of auras.
The pressure from the two Level Three Great Witches was like two invisible mountains looming over the high platform of the banquet hall.
They hadn’t appeared, but everyone could clearly feel that vast and heavy presence, and no one dared to act recklessly.
In the central area, there were over a dozen auras of Level Two Wizards.
Two of them were exceptionally solid, likely Level Two Late Stage, or even close to the peak.
"Everyone."
At the front of the banquet hall, a Level Two Wizard in a silver-blue uniform with a refined face walked to the central high platform.
It was Derek, one of the supervisors for this voyage from the Giant Sail Alliance.
Derek surveyed the hall, his voice gentle and clear, cutting through all the whispers.
"The Skybound’s first exchange will now begin. The rules are simple: round-based bidding."
"Sellers will come to the stage to present their items and state a starting price. Buyers will bid, and the highest bidder wins."
"The Giant Sail Alliance provides the venue and acts as an arbiter, taking a ten percent commission on the final sale price."
"I must warn you all: false reporting, forced sales, malicious price inflation, and similar behaviors are forbidden. Violators... will be expelled from the ship."
He spoke the last four words very softly, but the temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
Everyone’s heart went cold. To be expelled from the ship over the Endless Sea meant certain death for anyone below a Level Two Wizard.
"Now, the first round begins." Derek finished speaking and stepped aside.
A short, stout Level One Late Stage Wizard in brown leather armor walked quickly onto the stage, took out three deep red potions from his Dimension Bag, and placed them on the black velvet-covered display stand.
"Heart Fire Potions, Tier One Top Level," the stout Wizard announced in a resonant voice.
"For half an hour after consumption, the power of Fire Witchcraft is increased by thirty percent, and physical resistance is slightly enhanced."
"The starting price is eighty High Level Magic Stones each, or materials of equivalent value."
As soon as he finished, several bids immediately rang out from below the stage.
"Eighty-five!"
"Ninety!"
"Ninety-five!"
Ian watched quietly, making no move.
’The Heart Fire Potion’s effects are decent, but I have no use for a Tier One Potion now. Besides, its effect is temporary, not a permanent boost.’
In the end, the three potions were bought by a red-robed Witch for the price of one hundred and ten High Level Magic Stones each.
The transaction was completed. An attendant in a silver-blue uniform came forward to collect the potions and Magic Stones, recording the sale. The process was clean and efficient.
The second round was a batch of Water of Life with nearly thirty percent purity. The third round was five complete hides of Molten Fire Lizard leather.
The fourth round, ten bottles of Moonlight Condensed Dew. The fifth round...
Ian still hadn’t made a bid. Although these materials were good, they weren’t what he urgently needed.
He needed rarer resources, preferably something that could support him on his path to Level Three.
Gaga squatted on his shoulder, blinking its small eyes, a little bored.
"Ian, aren’t we going to buy something, gaga?"
"No rush." Ian’s gaze was calm, his Spiritual Perception continuously blanketing the entire hall.
’I need to see who has deep pockets, who specializes in specific fields, and who might become a potential bidding rival.’
After an unknown number of rounds, Derek returned to the stage. "Next, we will begin the auction for Tier Two items."
He paused and looked toward a certain spot below the stage.
A grey-robed, gaunt-faced old man slowly rose and walked onto the high platform.
The old man’s aura was steady: Level Two Middle Stage.
His grey robe was plain, but his cuffs were embroidered with faint silver runes that faintly pulsed with spatial fluctuations.
From his Dimension Ring, he took out an item.
THUNK. A piece of silver metal, as thick as an arm, landed on the black velvet tabletop.
The metal’s surface was covered in fine, web-like cracks. Deep within the cracks flowed a faint darkness that seemed to devour light.
The cross-section was jagged, as if it had been torn apart by some immense force.
"Void Crystal," the old man said, his voice hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against stone.
"It weighs nearly five pounds. Discovered in the Eastern Central Continent, on the outskirts of an Abyssal Ancient Race ruin."
He raised his head, his dark brown pupils sweeping over the crowd. "It is the finest material for refining Spatial Witchcraft Tools."
He paused, then continued, "It is also one of the main ingredients for a Balance Potion."
As his voice fell, Ian’s heart skipped a beat.
His expression didn’t change in the slightest, not even the rhythm of his breathing.
Only in the depths of his eyes did a flicker of light flash by.
’A Balance Potion... Is it the kind of potion I’m thinking of?’
From the audience, a collective, low gasp was heard. The eyes of every Level Two Wizard instantly grew feverish.
"A Balance Potion is one of the rarest support potions for the Level Two Late Stage."
"And Void Crystal... is the most difficult main ingredient to obtain."
"A piece this large... I have to get my hands on it."
...
Even the auras of the few Level Three Great Witches, who had been resting with their eyes closed, fluctuated for a moment.
Clearly, the item held an attraction for them as well.
"The starting price..."
The old man slowly announced the number.
"One hundred Flawless Magic Crystals. Or... Elemental Crystals, Rule Fragments, or biological materials from Level Three or higher creatures of equivalent value."
The hall fell silent.
One hundred Flawless Magic Crystals was equivalent to ten thousand High Level Magic Stones!
To many Level One Wizards, this was an astronomical figure. Even for Level Two Wizards, it was a considerable fortune.
But no one thought the price was outrageous. A Tier Two main ingredient for a Balance Potion was worth it.
"One hundred and ten."
From a corner, a Level Two Initial Stage Wizard in a deep blue long robe with a silver anchor badge on his chest was the first to speak.
His voice was a little strained.
"One hundred and thirty."
The red-haired witch followed.
"One hundred and fifty."
"One hundred and eighty..."
Bids rose one after another, but the increments were small. Everyone was clearly just testing the waters.
Ian didn’t bid immediately.
He waited quietly, his gaze sweeping over the few Level Two Wizards who were bidding.
’The anchor badge on the deep blue robe probably belongs to some maritime Wizard Clan. The red-haired Witch’s robe has flame patterns; she might be from a school specializing in the Fire Element. And those two with the cold auras, the grey-robed ones with snakes embroidered on their cuffs.’
"Two hundred."
A low voice spoke up, coming from a high-backed armchair in the central area.
The speaker was a warlock who looked to be in his early thirties.
He wore a dark purple long robe embroidered with gold thread. His face was handsome, but his eyes held an undisguised arrogance.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest.
His gaze swept over the Void Crystal on the stage as if looking at a toy that was already his.
"Two hundred and twenty," the deep-blue-robed Wizard ground out, forcing himself to keep up.
"Two hundred and fifty," the warlock added lazily.
"Two hundred and sixty..."
"Three hundred."
The warlock threw out a round number, and the hall fell silent once more.
Three hundred Flawless Magic Crystals. This had already exceeded many people’s psychological limits.
The deep-blue-robed Wizard’s expression shifted, and he finally slumped back into his seat, defeated.
The red-haired Witch bit her lip and said no more. The two grey-robed men exchanged a look and slowly shook their heads.
Derek stood at the side of the stage, a professional smile on his face.
"Three hundred Flawless Magic Crystals, going once."
"Three hundred Flawless Magic Crystals, going twice..."
Just as he was about to bring down the hammer.
From the corner, a calm voice spoke up.
"Three hundred and one."
SWISH. Every head in the room turned toward the source of the voice.
Ian sat on his low stool, his deep grey long robe simple and unadorned. The black raven on his shoulder was huddled in his hood, leaving only half of Ian’s face visible.
He looked up, his calm gaze meeting that of the purple-robed warlock.
The warlock’s tapping fingers stopped. He sat up a little straighter, narrowing his eyes to study Ian.
His gaze was scrutinizing, tinged with the displeasure of being challenged.
"Three hundred and two."
The warlock spoke again, his tone a few degrees colder.
"Three hundred and three," Ian countered without hesitation.
"Three hundred and five."
...
The bidding was extremely fast.
The two of them barely paused, and the price climbed steadily higher.
The atmosphere in the hall gradually grew tense.
The other Wizards held their breath, watching this sudden contest unfold.
The eyes of many showed either schadenfreude or curiosity.
’Daring to bid directly against that purple-robed warlock... Who is this grey-robed wizard?’
"Five hundred."
The warlock’s voice was now completely cold. He stared at Ian, his gaze like a poisoned dagger.
As he announced the number, the corner of his mouth curled into a frigid smirk.
’Let’s see if this nobody who popped out of nowhere still dares to follow.’
Five hundred Flawless Magic Crystals—the equivalent of fifty thousand High Level Magic Stones. This was an enormous sum, even for a Level Two Wizard.
Many small Wizard Clans might not even have that much total income in a year.
Ian was silent for a second.