Novel Full Chapter 287: An Unexpected Turn, Aiden’s Thoughts
Chapter 287: Chapter 287: An Unexpected Turn, Aiden’s Thoughts
“Miss Lumina says she really likes the shape of this Skeleton Tree root. She wants to add it to her collection,” the Ratfolk auctioneer said slowly. “She hopes Box No.13 will be willing to part with it.”
Collect it?
Aiden blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that Lumina was competing just to collect a Skeleton Tree root of a specific shape?
Could that really be the case?
Aiden took a deep breath and thought it over. In the end, he decided not to give up.
If he missed this chance, he might have to wait a long time to see another Skeleton Tree root.
He was very interested in this item.
No matter the situation, intelligence was crucial. With a Skeleton Box No.3 he could buy any intel he needed while keeping his identity perfectly hidden.
“250 batches of Legendary Rank materials!” Aiden entered his bid immediately.
Instantly, the entire hall erupted into chaos again.
“What the hell? Who is in Box No.13? They didn’t even show any respect for Miss Lumina!”
“I’d love to know too! That’s Miss Lumina! Who is Box No.13 to dare push past her? Didn’t you see the Ratfolk auctioneer didn’t say a single word this time?”
“Exactly! Remember when Demon Raphael tried to tell Box No.13 to stop bidding? They just shut him down.”
“Of course! A Mythic Rank Demon has no business standing on the same level as Miss Lumina!”
“I’m starting to think that if Miss Lumina really wants it, Suncrest Mercantile might just cancel the auction for that Skeleton Tree root right now.”
“That’s unlikely. Suncrest Mercantile is backed by the Ratfolk, and they only care about wealth.”
Listening to the murmurs around him, Raphael ground his teeth so hard it hurt.
He was famous as a genius among the Demons. If it weren’t for Aiden messing up his mission, even Demon Duke Ethan wouldn’t look down on him like that.
But now, in Heartspire, he was just another creature the Abyss could talk about.
“Damn Suncrest Mercantile! Damn Box No.13! Damn Aiden!” Raphael cursed in his heart.
Just then, his body began to shake uncontrollably.
The mix of out-of-control emotions and unbearable pain forced a muffled groan from his throat.
Immediately, other Abyss creatures in the room turned to stare at him.
“Why is this Demon so weird? He’s making those noises out of nowhere?”
“Who knows? Maybe he has some strange hobby. One of my friends acted exactly the same way after getting interested in human knowledge.”
“I bet he’s just crushed by the rejection.”
Raphael’s face turned pale as he glared fiercely at the two Abyss creatures gossiping about him.
If this happened in Demon territory, he would have already beaten them into the ground.
Just then, Draw and Loros rushed over quickly.
Supporting Raphael, they whispered, “We’ve figured it out. A succubus who was almost tortured to death by pigfolk told us: the person in Box No.13 is a Slaughter Demon!”
“That’s right,” Loros added. “And that succubus mentioned she sensed the Slaughter Demon isn’t at a very high level.”
Raphael’s eyes lit up instantly. He took one last glance at Box No.13 before turning and walking out with Draw and Loros.
“A Slaughter Demon dares to compete with me? It seems too many Demons think I’m useless just because I failed last time!”
“Damn it!” Raphael felt no fear left in his heart.
Since it was a Slaughter Demon, handling this would be much easier.
Meanwhile, inside Box No.13, Aiden watched Raphael leave, his face thoughtful.
Suddenly, Yasser’s voice echoed from outside the box.
This time, he didn’t lower his voice; he shouted loudly, “Mr. Aelris, may I come in?”
Aiden frowned, walked to the door, and opened it.
Yasser immediately let out a huge sigh of relief. “Sir, please stop bidding.”
“Miss Lumina is currently throwing a tantrum inside her box. Your current bid has already exceeded the materials she brought with her today.”
“According to the Guild’s rules, we must receive payment in person with sufficient materials before we can hand the item over to the buyer.”
Aiden glanced at Yasser. Yasser quickly looked left and right, then pulled Aiden inside the box and whispered urgently:
“This is unavoidable. Even our Guild has to give Miss Lumina respect.”
“You have no idea. Her father dotes on her completely. She’s only seventeen years old, yet she’s already at level 99.”
“If you anger her, it will be bad for you, and you might even put Hazel in danger,” Yasser said, casting a worried glance at Hazel.
He had no choice. If there were any other way, he wouldn’t have come to persuade Aiden himself.
Of course, the more Aiden spent, the higher the bonus Yasser would get.
But if he didn’t stop Aiden and really angered Miss Lumina, Aiden would likely never appear again.
Heartspire certainly has rules and laws, but they apply only to ordinary creatures of the Abyss. Someone like Miss Lumina exists entirely above those laws.
Aiden sensed Yasser’s urgency and worry. His mind raced as he asked, “Does Miss Lumina have a thing for collecting Skeleton Tree roots?”
Yasser nodded to confirm.
Aiden thought for a moment. If Lumina was so powerful and well-connected in Heartspire, couldn’t he use that to his advantage?
His eyes lit up slightly. He turned to Yasser. “Can you pass a message to Miss Lumina for me?”
Yasser nodded. “What should I say?”
Aiden smiled. “Tell her I won’t stop bidding. I will push the price up to three hundred batches of Legendary Rank materials…”
Before he could finish, Yasser’s eyes bulged wide.
“Once I win the auction for that Skeleton Box No.3 just deliver it straight to Box No.13. Then, have the person there settle the material payment with me,” Aiden said calmly.
Yasser stood frozen, shock written all over his face.
“But… that means I can’t win?” Yasser paused, then the warning hit him. “Wait! If you do this, you’ll get a much bigger bonus too, right?”
Aiden’s words sparked a wave of excitement in Yasser. He jumped up, shouting, “Yes! That works perfectly!”
“Mr. Aelris, you are simply brilliant! Truly brilliant!”
“With me here, Hazel will never have to worry about a thing. Tomorrow—no, right now! I will have her promoted immediately. From now on, she’ll only handle your reception and manage the other staff!”
Yasser’s head spun; it all felt incredibly unreal.
He knew exactly what Aiden was doing. Seeing that he was about to offend Miss Lumina, Aiden wasn’t just backing down.
He was abandoning the root in a very specific way to show his goodwill toward her.
Of course, this bold move would leave a lasting impression on Miss Lumina, but it required a fortune to pull off.
Yasser hurried away without another word.
Aiden returned to his box and inputted the price of three hundred batches of Legendary Rank materials.
Hazel, standing nearby, stared in deep confusion and asked, “Weren’t you in pain?”
Aiden shook his head. “Because the benefits of this are far greater, and it’s still within what I can endure.”
“I’ll definitely be visiting Heartspire again in the future, so building a good relationship early on is necessary.”
Aiden smiled. “Also, that Lumina just seems like a child who hasn’t grown up yet, someone who throws temper tantrums whenever she wants.”
Giving away 300 batches of Legendary Rank materials did make him feel a little heartbroken.
However, this was an investment, and the risk of failure was very low.
Sure enough, after waiting just a moment, Yasser’s voice rang out again.
“Mr. Aelris, Miss Lumina is thrilled! She wants to meet you.”
Aiden smiled and turned to Hazel. “What do you think I should do right now?”
Hazel tilted her head. “Go see her?”
Aiden shook his head. “If I go now, I’ll look like someone who spent a fortune just to butter her up.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Hazel’s eyes widened.
Aiden replied directly, “If I disappear right now without saying or doing anything, what do you think her reaction would be?”
Hazel thought about it for a second, her expression turning more and more shocked.
“Confusion… doubt… curiosity… and she’d definitely remember this for a long time.”
“In fact, she might even send people to investigate you.”
Aiden nodded, satisfied. That was exactly the effect he wanted.
Only in this way could he leave the deepest impression on Lumina.
What he wanted wasn’t to curry favor with Lumina, but to lay the groundwork for a future network of connections.
So, Aiden walked straight to the box door, opened it, and said to Yasser, “I’m terribly sorry, but I just have something very important to attend to.”
Yasser’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe Aelris would actually say that.
Stuck on what to do, he stammered, “Should I just tell Miss Lumina that?”
“Of course,” Aiden smiled. “And I still need to say goodbye to Hazel. Make sure you remember your promise.”
At that moment, the way Yasser looked at Aiden changed completely.
He nodded firmly and replied, “Don’t worry! As long as I’m with Suncrest Mercantile, Miss Hazel will never have any problems.”
Just as Aiden was about to close the box door, he suddenly felt a poisonous glare fixed on him. Someone was watching.