Chapter 334: An Invitation To The Auction.

Some considered him a disgrace, while others believed he would never amount to anything significant. There were even those who openly questioned why the Clan Leader had bothered bringing him into the family at all.

For years, Enzo had been forced to endure that kind of treatment. However, instead of allowing it to break him, he’d chosen a different path.

He trained relentlessly. If his bloodline was weaker than that of his siblings, he would compensate through effort. If they received better resources, he would work harder to make the most of what little he possessed. And if they believed he was incapable of achieving anything worthwhile, then he would prove them wrong, day after day, year after year.

There were times when his body could barely withstand the strain. Times when his progress seemed painfully slow compared to those around him. Times when he wondered whether all his effort would ever amount to anything.

But he never stopped.

Eventually, his hard work began producing results.

Despite possessing a relatively impure bloodline, Enzo demonstrated an extraordinary aptitude for physical combat. His strength continued to climb, his control over the Ironbull bloodline sharpened, and as he grew older, he began defeating opponents who had once looked down on him.

Gradually, the Clan’s attitude toward him shifted. People who had previously ignored his existence began paying attention, and eventually, even the higher-ranking members of the Ironbull Clan were forced to recognize his potential.

Of course, that didn’t mean all the resentment and prejudice vanished. There were still people who regarded him as an illegitimate son with no right to stand alongside the Clan’s favored descendants. But his growing strength made it increasingly difficult for them to dismiss him outright.

By the time the tournament approached, Enzo had already established himself as one of the most powerful young members of the Ironbull Clan. His selection as a representative of the Northern Safe Zone was proof of just how far he’d come. Yet Enzo knew better than anyone how much effort it had taken to reach that position.

And that was precisely why he sometimes found it difficult to get along with Lexi.

From his perspective, the young woman had been fortunate enough to receive almost everything he’d spent his life struggling to obtain.

Naturally, Lexi had also worked hard to develop her abilities, and Enzo wasn’t foolish enough to believe talent alone could replace training.

Still, there was no denying her path had been considerably smoother than his.

She’d never needed to worry about someone taking away her training resources simply because they disliked her mother. She’d never been forced to prove she deserved to exist within her own family. And she’d certainly never experienced the humiliation of being treated as an unwanted stain on her father’s reputation.

As a result, their perspectives on many things were fundamentally different.

Things that seemed simple to Lexi were often far more complicated to Enzo.

Whenever she casually suggested he take a break or stop pushing himself so hard, he found it difficult not to feel irritated. Not because her concern was necessarily insincere, but because she didn’t seem to understand why he couldn’t afford to approach his training with the same relaxed attitude.

For someone like Lexi, slowing down for a few days wouldn’t change her position within the Blue Eagle Clan. She would still be their treasured genius.

Enzo, on the other hand, didn’t have that luxury. He’d fought too hard to reach his current position, and he knew that if he stopped progressing, there were plenty of people waiting for the chance to push him aside.

That was why he preferred spending most of his time training rather than accompanying Lexi.

Still, he wasn’t foolish enough to treat her disrespectfully. Regardless of their personal differences, Lexi remained the treasured daughter of the Blue Eagle Clan Leader.

Her status within her family was far higher than his own within the Ironbull Clan, and given the political arrangement between their families, openly offending her would only create unnecessary complications.

Besides, he didn’t genuinely dislike her. He simply preferred keeping some distance between them. Unfortunately, Lexi didn’t always seem particularly interested in respecting that preference.

And judging from the expression on her face, today was going to be another one of those occasions.

Enzo sighed inwardly. Then he reached for a towel resting nearby and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I wasn’t ignoring you."

Lexi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Enzo nodded. "Really."

She folded her arms. "Then why didn’t you answer when I called you?"

"I was training."

"I noticed."

Her gaze briefly shifted toward the reinforced training post behind him, then returned to his face. For a moment, she seemed ready to argue. However, Enzo spoke before she could continue.

"Anyway..." He draped the towel over his shoulder. "What brings you here?"

His tone wasn’t particularly unfriendly, but it was obvious he wanted to steer the conversation away from his training.

Lexi sighed, placing one hand on her hip and giving him a meaningful look.

"Well, since you’re asking..." A faint smile appeared on her face. "I actually came because there’s something I think you should know."

"Something I should know?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

The young woman smiled, seemingly pleased she’d finally managed to capture his attention.

"That’s right." She nodded. "Have you heard about the auction everyone’s been talking about? Apparently, it’s being held tonight."

Enzo frowned slightly. "An auction?"

However, before he could say anything more, Lexi waved her hand dismissively.

"Actually, forget I asked."

"...Huh?"

"There’s no point asking you something like that." She shook her head with an exaggerated sigh. "You’ve been stuck in this courtyard training ever since we arrived. I’m pretty sure that even if the world outside were being destroyed right now, you wouldn’t notice until someone came here and told you."

"..."

Enzo stared at her, then slowly scratched the back of his neck.

Does she really have to be that honest?

Although he wanted to argue, he couldn’t exactly say she was wrong.

Since arriving in the Southern Safe Zone, he’d barely left the villa.

Apart from attending a few necessary meetings with the other representatives from the Northern Safe Zone, almost all his time had been spent training. He hadn’t bothered with anything else, and he certainly hadn’t been keeping track of whatever events were taking place outside the residential compound.

As far as he was concerned, the most important thing right now was preparing for the tournament. Everything else could wait.

Of course, Lexi clearly didn’t share that opinion.

"Anyway," she continued, seemingly satisfied with her little jab, "I heard quite a few valuable items will be appearing at the auction. So, what do you think?" She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly.

Enzo looked at her. "About what?"

"About going, obviously!" Lexi rolled her eyes. "Why don’t we go take a look together? It’ll be a nice opportunity to see what kind of treasures the Eastern Safe Zone has to offer."

She smiled.

"And who knows? We might even find something useful."