The Ancient Genes

"What are you two doing here?" Erina asked with a pleasant smile not expecting to see them here at this time.

"We were here to take a look at the Auction...but he forgot the invitation.." Max pointed at Lear who just gave an awkward smile.

"Oh...I see." Erina smiled as she looked at Lear as if she was not surprised if it was Lear.

Lear didn't know why she had that smile on her face.....

Namen looked at Max, she remembered seeing him in the class.

Max felt her gazed and smiled at her.

"She is Namen Frost, I think you should have seen her...you are in the same year and department after all…" Erina introduced Namen after seeing Max glance at her.

"Yeah, we are classmates…" Max replied calmly.

Namen didn't deny. They weren't friends or anything, but they were indeed classmates.

"Oh! Why don't you come with us then? You don't mind it Namen, do you?" Erina asked with a smile.

Namen shook her head, "I don't mind."

Max and Lear exchanged a glance.

Success…

"Shall we go then…" Erina asked with a smile and then entered the Auction house as she dragged Lear by his hands and bombarded him with questions about Wilson.

It was all because Wilson once said he was with Lear when she called.

The guards looked at them feeling a bit jealous.

"I didn't think you two were acquaintances…" Lear suddenly said as he tried to change the topic. He had a vague idea who Namen was.

"Well, we became friends after I came to the capital. We met at the Arena…" Erina replied.

"The one we went to last time?" Lear asked.

"Yes…." 

And that was it before they return back to the usual topic...

Lear was answering to Erina with a pitiful loom on his face. He was afraid that if he something wrong, he might end up dead.

Max and Namen followed them from behind.

Suddenly Max's feet stopped as he felt an ominous aura. 

'Demons….Well, I am not surprised I guess…' Max muttered inwardly.

"What's wrong?" Namen suddenly asked as she noticed Max had stopped. Lear and Erina stopped after hearing her as well.

"No, It's nothing…." Max said as he glanced at Lear.

Lear understood it immediately. They weren't here to play around, he could understand that things had just turned dangerous.

They reached the reception and the staff then led them towards their room.

"Are you friends with Tyler?" Namen suddenly asked Max.

Max was surprised. He honestly thought that she was an introvert who didn't know how to talk….or just felt herself to be too superior.

"Yeah, we are best buddies….why do you ask?" Max was curious.

"Well, I have never seen him talk to anyone. I am glad that he has a friend now…" She said a bit relieved.

"Hmmn...aren't you one caring sister-in-law?" Max asked with a smile. He knew that they were childhood friends after his recent research through Lisa, and it was no wonder that she was worried. But he just wanted to see her expression when he put it like that.

Namen's expression stiffened for a second. She clearly didn't like the sound of it.

"What's wrong?" Max asked.

Namen shook her head.

'What the hell is wrong with her family? She seems unwilling if you ask me…'

"It seems you don't like it…" Max was a jerk. Ordinarily, no one would say such things. After all, you need to know your boundaries.

"That thing doesn't matter here…." But surprisingly Namen replied. 

'Well, she is an odd one…' Max's first expression of her was hard to deal with and tough to talk but she wasn't that type of person it seemed.

"Hmmn...you have someone else you like?" Max further asked.

"No….and why are you so interested? Don't you think you shouldn't be asking such things to a person you barely know?'' Namen replied as she looked at him.

"What's wrong with asking a beautiful girl if she has a boyfriend or lover?'' Max shrugged. He couldn't tell her that he had an evil plot in his mind. 

Not evil, the person she would be marrying was messed up now. He was possessed by a demon. He was practically saving her….he was being a hero…

That's right....he wasn't evil....

When they heard Max's words, everybody stopped and gave him a look.

"You really know how to flirt…" Erina said with a smile. "But you didn't ask me….am I not beautiful enough?''

Lear looked at him with a smirk, 'That's what you get for doing that..'

Max could read his face like a book.

"Well you are too much honestly, I can't bear it if you say that you already have someone….so I don't dare to…" Max shook his head with a sincere look on his face.

Erina could help but giggle at his response while Namen shook her head.

'Sigh! Here goes my impression on them…' Max through inwardly. But he needed the information.

….

Max and Lear sat together with Erina and Namen sitting left to Max. Max wasn't surprised to find that it was a VIP room.

Max found out that Namen had something she wanted to buy. But she didn't have an invitation which Max found hard to believe. Hence, she asked for help from Erina and Erina agreed to it.

"So what are we going to do?'' Lear suddenly asked in a low voice.

''That room towards the corner and the one opposite to that lobby….keep an eye on what they want to buy….if they both are stubborn on something try to outbid them…" Max replied.

The room towards the corner was the one from which Max felt the ominous aura coming from while the one in the opposite lobby had Aria in it.

"You kidding me? I don't have that much money…" Lear replied with a frown.

"I know….but I have…" Max smiled as he showed him his phone.

Lear's eyes widened in surprise. 

"How?" He asked, clearly shocked.

"I sold one of the space crystals…." Max replied.

"You kidding me? It's that expensive?" Lear asked in bewilderment. He knew that thing would cost a fortune but…..that was absurd…

"When did you do it?" Lear asked.

"Now…" Max said as he showed him his message with his grandmaster.

"That old man even responded to you at this time?" Lear asked in surprise. He knew a bit about the old geezer. He had followed Max to the smithy once when he wanted to get a weapon. But alas the old geezer put forward an extremely absurd price that they couldn't afford.

"Obviously, he is annoying and lazy. But he cares about me….if it was something else he deemed worthless he would have ignored it…" Max replied. He knew his own importance both as his a grand disciple and a Wielder of the Artifact.

….

A few minutes earlier….

Roxely Mansion…

"Where do you want to go, young Miss?" The butler asked.

"Take me to the auction house…" Lora replied calmly.

The butler nodded as he stepped on the gas pedal and drove the car out of the mansion gates.

"That idiot...why isn't he picking up…" Lora muttered a bit irritated. She felt a bit bad for screaming at Lear. He didn't mean bad after all. When she thought of finally calling him back, he didn't pick it up.

Of course, Lear had put his phone in silent mode after entering the auction room.

…

Current situation….

Lora finally arrived at the Auction House. The guards outside immediately recognized her and bowed to her.

"Did this person come without an invitation?" Lora asked as she showed Lear's pic on her phone.

Well that was certainly a good sign…Max would be happy if he saw that…

"Yes...he did a few minutes earlier…" the guard nodded.

"Did you send him back?" Lora asked.

"No...he met with some beautiful lady who used her invitation to take her in…" the guard replied.

Lora's brows twitched for a second.

"Ah! I see…." Lora smiled as she regained her composure and turned around to leave.

"Those two seemed pretty close you know…" the guard suddenly muttered to other guard.

"I am jealous of the guy….I wish I will find happiness like them…" the other guard sighed.

"Dream on…" The previous one made fun of him.

Lora who was a few steps away from entering her car suddenly paused. She heard them clearly….

"Is there a matter, Young Miss?" The Butler asked.

"We are going in..." Lora said as she turned around and walked into the Auction House.

"That guy...he thinks I am easy…..even after he said all those embarrassing stuff….and now..he is trying to fool around.....I am going to kill him…." Lora muttered to herself as she walked in rage trying to find where Lear went.

"Thud!"

Lora suddenly felt that an impact as she collided into the person in front of her on the reception as she wasn't paying attention.

"Ah! I am sorry.." Lora said as she looked at him.

"No worry, If it's a beauty like you...I really don't mind it. I should be thanking you instead..." The guy said with a smile and then looked at the lady in the reception and winked at her.

The lady immediately blushed while Lora was dumbfounded by the situation.

"Why does he look familiar?" Lora said as she looked at his back but then shook his head and looked at the reception.

….

"What's wrong?" Lear asked as he looked at Max who was suddenly startled for a second before turning his head and looking towards the wall like an idiot.

"Did Bahamut say anything about coming towards this place today?" Max asked.

"No...they shouldn't be here…." Lear replied.

"Yeah...this one feels different after all…." Max muttered as a smile formed on his face.

At this moment, the host walked up to the stage and the Auction had finally begun....