Chapter 699: VICTOR

Breejara let the noise after Grey’s declaration run its course before several of her hands rose at once, slowly bringing the auction hall back under control.

Her grin was back in full. Whatever irritation Grey had caused her earlier had already lost out to the fact that he’d just handed her the most entertaining thing to happen all night.

"Well then, darlings, a challenge has been accepted. For those unfamiliar with our rules, any one-on-one duel conducted through the auction may have its method of resolution decided by the two participants. Normally that means combat, crafting, endurance, Frame control, or any of the other wonderfully irresponsible ways talented people find to prove they’re better than one another."

Several screens around the central platform shifted as she went on, putting Grey and Lyssara-0 side by side with the details of the wager underneath them.

"In this particular case, our contestants have agreed on an Integration Challenge, so Muse Incorporated will provide the materials, set the conditions, and make sure neither party has any convincing reason to complain afterward that the other cheated."

Grey’s eyes narrowed a little at the mention of Muse. However, he kept the thought to himself as two small platforms rose up from beneath the stage.

At first, he assumed whatever was on them just hadn’t finished materializing yet.

It had.

The challenge really had come down to two completely ordinary-looking monocles.

Each one was a thin metal frame around a clear, circular lens, with a narrow arm meant to rest over the ear. That was it.

There were no jewels, no obvious energy cores, no visible circuitry. Nothing remotely dramatic enough to justify deciding who got an Ascendant Rank Up! worth nearly 9 million Blue Credits.

Breejara spread several arms toward them, clearly delighted.

"Identical materials, identical construction, identical internal architecture, and a wonderfully simple objective. Fully integrate the monocle into your body while preserving its original optical function, and the first successful integration wins."

Transparent bubbles formed around both items as she spoke, sealing them away from the two participants.

"You may inspect them as thoroughly as you like before the challenge begins, although neither contestant may physically touch their item until the countdown reaches zero. Once both parties are satisfied, we begin."

Lyssara-0 barely spared hers a glance.

Grey, naturally, did the exact opposite.

His eyes narrowed as his perception spread toward the monocle. He traced the frame first, then worked his way inward through every component he could sense, visible or not.

The construction really was simple. But, simple didn’t mean trustworthy, especially when Muse Incorporated was the one handing out the equipment. Grey had already learned more than enough about them to know better than to take their word at face value.

Despite how it looked, the frame wasn’t actually silver. It seemed to be some kind of conductive alloy, built to carry energy with very little loss.

The lens had a microscopic network threaded through it. That was enough to enhance vision while sending information straight to whatever Neural Frame accepted it.

As for the chain arm, it had several tiny contact points along it. Those were probably meant to make the first connection with flesh before the rest of the structure got pulled inward.

Grey kept looking.

Another layer of his perception went over the same components, then another, comparing the two monocles for anything that didn’t match.

He checked the bubbles too. Then the platforms underneath. Then, finally, the surrounding formations that would judge the challenge, all while ignoring the growing impatience in the hall as Breejara tried to keep the audience entertained.

"Grey Temolt has now spent several minutes examining an object most children could identify as a monocle," she said brightly, earning another round of laughter. "Perhaps our Emperor is searching for the hidden assassination mechanism, although I assure him that murdering contestants during an auction tends to be terrible for customer retention."

Grey didn’t look up right away. He kept inspecting for a few more seconds before finally turning toward her.

"I’d rather chop my dick off than trust Muse Incorporated’s word on literally anything."

The laughter was different this time, mixed with a lot more surprise. Breejara’s expression twitched, just enough for Grey to notice.

He smiled and gave the monocles one last glance.

"But everything seems up to snuff."

Breejara stared at him for half a second before her professional smile came back. "How reassuring. Muse Incorporated can now rest peacefully knowing Grey Temolt has personally approved our quality control."

Grey stepped into position across from Lyssara-0, both monocles still floating inside their separate bubbles.

Lyssara’s expression hadn’t changed once during his inspection. Though, the mechanical structures along one side of her face had quietly rearranged themselves, thin channels opening near her temple and around one eye, ready for the moment she was allowed to touch it.

Axion-9 noticed it too.

"She’s already prepared an integration route," he said from the private room. "The moment she touches it, the monocle will have a direct path into her existing architecture."

Grey’s grin widened a bit. However, Breejara’s voice rolled through the hall before he could answer.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and those of you who have spent the last several minutes wondering whether Grey Temolt has finally made a mistake, the wait is over. On one side, Lyssara-0, one of the greatest integration talents of the Synari generation, competing in a discipline her Race has refined for longer than most civilizations have existed."

The crowd erupted as Lyssara’s image grew across the displays. Then, Breejara swept several hands toward Grey’s side.

"And opposite her, Grey Temolt, who learned what an Integration Challenge was approximately five minutes ago and has apparently decided that was more than enough preparation."

That got an even louder reaction.

Grey rolled his shoulders once as the bubbles around both monocles brightened. Meanwhile, Breejara explained that the Genesis System would automatically recognize the first contestant to reach a stable integration without damaging the original optical function.

Lyssara stayed perfectly calm through all of it. She had the patient confidence of someone who had been doing versions of this since childhood, and she clearly saw no reason to treat Grey as a real threat in her own specialty.

"Three."

Grey’s gaze settled on the monocle.

"Two."

Lyssara started extending her hand, almost lazily. She was already certain the first fraction of a second wouldn’t matter, since the real contest would come after.

"One."

The bubbles vanished.

Lyssara kept reaching for her monocle at the same measured pace, sneering inwardly at the idea that Grey might try to win on speed alone when integration was the part that actually mattered.

She didn’t even get the chance to touch it.

Grey chuckled.

His hand shot forward so fast it blurred, his fingers closing around the monocle as Soul Link and his Neural Frame moved together almost instantly.

The metal disappeared into his skin before the audience had even fully registered that he’d touched it. The conductive frame broke apart into pathways that threaded through the tissue around his eye, while the lens folded inward and settled into place without its optical function cutting out for even a fraction of a second.

Lyssara’s fingers were still several centimeters away from her own monocle when golden light erupted across the stage.

The entire auction hall froze.

Then, the Genesis System’s declaration spread across every display at once.

VICTOR: GREY TEMOLT