Chapter 480: World builder

A silver cube slowly rose from the center of the auction stage. Its six faces opened outward, revealing a small golden sphere surrounded by several rotating rings.

“Our first item is the World Builder, an Early Primordial artifact created by the Akashic Records!”

The mention of the Akashic Records immediately caught Caelus’s interest.

He leaned forward to examine the artifact more closely. Even from their private room, he could make out hundreds of tiny symbols moving across the cube’s surface.

“Now, I’m sure many of you are wondering what makes this artifact so special. Rather than explaining everything myself, allow me to demonstrate!”

The auctioneer activated a recording above the stage.

The image showed the World Builder floating over an empty stretch of land surrounded by enormous piles of stone, metal, and other construction materials.

“Using the World Builder is incredibly simple. All you need to do is select a design, provide the necessary materials, and leave the construction to the artifact.”

In the recording, a man approached the cube and selected the design of a house.

A transparent model immediately appeared before him, allowing him to adjust its dimensions, expand the walls, add two additional floors, and even create a spacious balcony.

Once he confirmed the design, the materials scattered across the ground began moving.

Stone blocks broke apart and reassembled themselves into walls, while metal beams flew into position to support the structure.

Within moments, an entire house had been constructed without a single worker.

But the demonstration wasn’t finished.

The man entered the completed building and selected one of its rooms. After adjusting the design, the wall moved backward, expanding the available space.

A swimming pool formed in the center of the room, complete with pipes beneath the floor and water flowing into it.

“Big Brother, look! It even filled the pool!”

Freya was practically pressing her face against the glass.

“That’s because he included water among the construction materials.”

“I know! But isn’t that amazing? We could make anything we want!”

Caelus couldn’t disagree.

The ability to construct an entire building within moments was already impressive, but being able to modify existing structures so easily made the artifact even more valuable.

And considering his plans for the Chaos Faction, he could already think of several ways to put it to use.

The recording then changed to another demonstration.

This time, the World Builder constructed a tall defensive tower beside the house. Several metallic rings formed around its upper section before assembling into a large cannon.

A moment later, the cannon released a brilliant white beam that completely destroyed a distant rock formation.

“As you can see, the World Builder isn’t limited to ordinary construction. It can also create defensive weapons, training facilities, and various complex mechanisms. Naturally, the strength and effectiveness of these structures depend on the designs and materials provided.”

Several additional examples appeared above the stage.

There were enormous bridges, fortified walls, advanced training rooms, defensive barriers, and even buildings equipped with automated weapons.

“Furthermore, users may modify the existing designs or provide their own. However, please remember that the World Builder is an Early Primordial artifact, so its construction capabilities are limited to that grade.”

Caelus was thoroughly impressed.

With something like this, establishing the Chaos Faction in the Primordial World would become significantly easier.

He could construct residential areas, training facilities, defensive structures, and practically everything else his faction needed without relying on an enormous workforce.

More importantly, he was curious about the artifact’s underlying mechanisms.

If Chaos Analysis could uncover how the World Builder operated, perhaps he could eventually create something similar himself.

“I want that.”

Sylvia had been watching his expression throughout the demonstration.

“Want it? You’ve been staring at that thing since it appeared.”

“Can you blame me? Just imagine what we could do with it. We could build an entire city for the Chaos Faction!”

“Hehe, I suppose that’s true.”

Bertram, who had been listening to their conversation, offered to help.

“If you’re that interested, I’ll purchase it for you. You can repay me once your World Embryos are sold.”

“Really? Thanks, Brother Bertram! I’ll return every Credit.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We still need to win the auction.”

That was certainly true.

The World Builder had attracted considerable attention, and several guests were already discussing its capabilities.

Soon, the auctioneer announced the starting price.

“Twenty million Primordial Credits! Do I hear a higher offer?”

“Twenty-four million!”

The first bid came from a man seated near the front.

Before anyone else could respond, Bertram activated the bidding crystal on their table.

“Thirty million.”

The number twelve immediately appeared above their private room, indicating the source of the bid.

“Thirty-five million!”

“Forty million!”

The price continued climbing as several guests competed for the artifact.

Caelus had no idea whether these amounts were reasonable. He had only learned about Primordial Credits earlier that day, so he couldn’t properly judge their purchasing power yet.

Fortunately, Bertram seemed completely unconcerned.

“Forty-five million.”

That offer finally silenced the remaining bidders.

The man who had been competing with them hesitated for several moments before deciding not to raise the price.

“Forty-five million! Going once! Going twice!”

The auctioneer brought down her hammer.

“Sold to Room Twelve for forty-five million Primordial Credits!”

“Nice!”

Caelus was delighted.

Not only had they obtained an incredibly useful artifact, but he could already begin planning how to use it once the auction ended.

Unfortunately, Freya seemed to have plans of her own.

“Big Brother, can we use it to build a swimming pool at our mansion?”

“We already have a swimming pool.”

“Then let’s make a bigger one!”

“Freya, I haven’t even learned how to operate the thing yet, and you’re already planning renovations?”

“What’s wrong with planning ahead?”

Sylvia burst into laughter.

Caelus could only shake his head. At this rate, Freya would probably spend more resources modifying their mansion than he would spend constructing the Chaos Faction’s headquarters.

A short while later, an attendant arrived with the World Builder.

After Bertram completed the payment, Caelus eagerly removed the artifact from its padded case.

The silver cube was surprisingly light, and he could feel the intricate mechanisms moving beneath its surface.

When he injected a small amount of Primordial Power, the golden sphere inside immediately brightened.

A transparent interface appeared before him, displaying numerous construction designs.

Among them was the defensive tower they had seen during the demonstration.

Caelus spent a few moments examining the available options before reluctantly closing the interface.

There would be plenty of time to experiment later.

For now, he stored the World Builder safely inside his pocket dimension and returned his attention to the auction.

The next item was a spear capable of releasing powerful lightning attacks.

It attracted several bidders before eventually being sold to a guest in the lower seating area.

After that came a set of defensive shields, followed by a chest containing special energy crystals used to power large buildings.

Caelus paid particular attention to the crystals.

Now that he owned the World Builder, materials like these would undoubtedly become useful.

Bertram explained the functions of the unfamiliar items, although he advised Caelus against purchasing anything unnecessary.

After all, there was no reason to start buying construction materials before deciding what they actually wanted to build.

Caelus agreed.

Several more items were auctioned before the atmosphere inside the hall suddenly changed.

The auctioneer had just finished another sale when she announced something unexpected.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special addition to today’s auction!”

Seven transparent display cases slowly rose from beneath the stage.

As their covers opened, brilliant golden light illuminated the surrounding area.

Inside each case floated a magnificent golden sphere.

For several seconds, the entire auction hall fell silent.

Then someone near the front suddenly stood up.

“Wait! Are those High-Grade World Embryos?”

The auctioneer smiled.

“That’s correct! All seven World Embryos have been thoroughly examined and verified by our senior appraisers. Every single one is High-Grade!”

The announcement immediately caused an uproar.

“Seven High-Grade World Embryos?!”

“How is that possible?”

“Who would bring so many of them to a single auction?”

Guests who had shown little interest in the earlier items were suddenly paying close attention.

Even the representatives of the major factions began reacting.

Inside the private room reserved for the Stellar Devils, a horned man approached the railing.

“Seven High-Grade embryos? Who’s the seller?”

Meanwhile, a representative of the Celestial Court summoned an attendant and began asking questions about the items.

Similar scenes occurred throughout the auction hall.

Even the curtains of the Adler imperial family’s private room opened.

A silver-haired man wearing a golden mantle appeared behind the glass, examining the seven embryos with considerable interest.

“That’s God Emperor Leopold Adler,” Bertram informed them. “It seems your World Embryos have attracted even his attention.”

Caelus couldn’t help feeling amused.

To think that the World Embryos he had obtained from those two Stellar Devils would cause such a commotion.

And these were merely the ones he had decided to sell.

“Brother Bertram, it looks like you were right about bringing them here.”

“Of course. However, there’s something you should know. I registered the embryos under my name rather than yours.”

“Why?”

“Think about it. Seven High-Grade World Embryos suddenly appearing at an auction is already extraordinary. If these people discovered that they belonged to a newly ascended Primordial, what do you think would happen?”

Caelus immediately understood.

The major factions would undoubtedly become interested in him.

Some might approach him with offers, while others could attempt to investigate how he had obtained so many valuable embryos.

Considering that he had only recently arrived in the Primordial World, attracting that kind of attention would be troublesome.

“That makes sense. Thanks for handling it, Brother Bertram.”

“Don’t mention it. Just remember that we still have an agreement.”

“Haha! Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten.”

While they were talking, the auctioneer instructed the attendants to move six of the display cases aside.

Only one High-Grade World Embryo remained at the center of the stage.

“Due to their extraordinary value, these seven World Embryos will be auctioned individually!”

The auctioneer allowed the excitement to settle before announcing the opening price.

“The bidding for our first High-Grade World Embryo begins at one billion Primordial Credits!”

“One billion?!”

Caelus nearly jumped out of his chair.

He had known the embryos were valuable, but he hadn’t expected the starting price of a single one to be so ridiculously high.

Bertram seemed rather entertained by his reaction.

“Surprised? Let me give you something to compare it with. An ordinary worker in the Primordial World earns around three to four thousand Credits per month.”

Caelus fell silent.

Three to four thousand a month?

And the opening price was one billion?

He turned toward Sylvia, only to discover that she was just as stunned.

They had both understood that High-Grade World Embryos were rare, but neither had realized just how valuable they were.

Before Caelus could say anything else, an excited voice rang through the auction hall.

“One point two billion!”