Chapter 98: The Mysterious Pendant

Inside the auction house, Chris was being escorted toward a private room by Lord Norbert. He had no idea what kind of expressions the guards had been making after he left. Even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t care.

In fact, he would likely laugh at their ridiculous assumptions. He wasn’t some tyrant who went around killing people over trivial matters. He had only wanted them to read his invitation and let him enter.

After a short walk, Lord Norbert opened the door to a spacious private room on the second floor. "Please, sir. This room should be comfortable for you and your companions."

Chris entered with the girls and looked around. The room had several comfortable sofas, a large table, and a wide viewing window overlooking the auction stage below.

"Looks good."

Lord Norbert smiled with relief. "I’m glad you like it. I’ll arrange for a servant to wait outside the door. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call. And, by the way, guests in private rooms don’t need to pay after each transaction. The total will be charged at the end of the auction."

Chris nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

Lord Norbert bowed once more before finally excusing himself. Once the door closed, the twins immediately rushed toward the viewing window.

"Wow! Look at that!"

"So many people!"

Chris smiled and walked over to the sofa, finally feeling that he could rest his legs.

The auction hall gradually fell silent as the lights around the stage brightened. A beautiful woman wearing an elegant dress stepped onto the platform, smiling as she looked across the audience.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to today’s auction. We have prepared many valuable items, some of which were discovered in dangerous dungeons and others collected from distant lands. I hope you all find something worth your interest."

She paused briefly before continuing. "Without further delay, let us begin with our first item."

A servant carried a tray onto the stage, revealing several pieces of jewelry. There were necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings, all carefully arranged for the audience to see.

Chris leaned back in his seat, showing little interest. He had no reason to buy jewelry for himself, and he wasn’t particularly interested in spending money on something he couldn’t use.

The girls, however, had different opinions.

Astra and Stella leaned forward, examining each item with sparkling eyes, while Aelia quietly watched the presentation. Chris glanced at them and couldn’t help but smile. It seemed he was going to spend quite a bit of money today.

The first few items were sold without much trouble, and soon the auctioneer presented a beautiful necklace decorated with a large blue diamond.

"This necklace was crafted by one of the finest jewelers in the kingdom. Its blue diamond is exceptionally rare, and the craftsmanship is truly remarkable. We shall begin the bidding at five thousand gold coins."

Several people immediately raised their paddles.

Chris wasn’t particularly interested until he noticed Aelia looking at the necklace. She wasn’t saying anything, but he could tell she liked it.

He raised his paddle.

"Ten thousand."

The room quieted for a moment.

The other bidder hesitated, looking toward Chris’s private room before finally lowering his paddle. Nobody else attempted to continue, and the auctioneer quickly announced the winner.

"Sold! Ten thousand gold coins!"

Chris turned toward Aelia. "You like it, right?"

Aelia looked at him before smiling. "It’s beautiful, but you didn’t have to buy it."

"I know. I wanted to."

A servant soon brought the necklace to their private room. Chris took it from him, then gently placed it around Aelia’s neck, slipping it beneath her veil.

The next item was a pair of matching hairpins decorated with delicate flowers. The moment the twins saw them, their attention was completely drawn to the stage.

"Big bad man, look!" Astra pointed excitedly. "Those are pretty!"

Stella nodded beside her. "They would look good on us."

Chris glanced at the hairpins and raised his paddle.

The bidding started at three thousand gold coins, but several women in the audience were interested in them. The price quickly climbed as they competed against one another.

"Four thousand!"

"Five thousand!"

"Seven thousand!"

Chris casually raised his paddle again.

"Fefteen thousand."

The room became quiet. One woman seemed unwilling to give up and raised her paddle once more.

"Seventeen thousand!"

"Thirty thousand," Chris replied.

This time, nobody challenged him.

"Sold! Thirty thousand gold coins!"

A servant soon brought the hairpins to their private room. Chris accepted them and handed one to each of the twins. Astra and Stella immediately smiled as they examined their new hairpins.

"Thank you, big bad man!" they said happily.

Chris smiled. "I’m glad you like them."

The auction continued, and the following items were mostly weapons and pieces of battle armor. Some were Rare rank, while others were Epic rank, but none of them caught Chris’s attention.

He already had suitable equipment, and buying something simply because it was expensive made little sense to him.

However, the next weapon was different.

A servant carefully carried a long white sword onto the stage. Its blade was beautifully crafted, and faint traces of energy could be seen flowing across its surface.

"This is an Epic-rank weapon, a sword with a special enchantment that increases the elemental energy of its wielder. It is particularly suitable for warriors who use elemental abilities in battle."

The auctioneer explained its properties before announcing the starting price.

"Twenty thousand gold coins!"

A few people showed interest, but most of the audience remained indifferent. Elemental warriors were not particularly common.

But still, it was an Epic sword, so quite a few people immediately started bidding for it.

Chris, however, immediately thought of Aelia.

She was an ice swordmaster, and this weapon seemed perfect for her.

"Twenty thousand."

A few bidders turned toward his private room.

"Thirty thousand!"

"Fourty thousand."

"Fifty thousand!"

The bidding continued, but Chris showed no intention of backing down. He had enough money, as Aldric would pay for everything.

"One hundred thousand."

The room fell silent.

The auctioneer waited for a moment, giving the other bidders a chance to respond, but nobody raised their paddle.

"Sold! One hundred thousand gold coins!"

A servant soon arrived at their private room, carrying the sword in a protective case. Chris accepted it and removed the weapon before handing it to Aelia.

"This is for you."

Aelia’s eyes widened slightly as she took the sword. She carefully examined its blade, sensing the elemental energy flowing through it.

"It’s beautiful..." she murmured before looking at him with a warm smile. "Thank you, Chris."

She leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

Chris smiled, clearly pleased with her reaction. "As long as you like it."

Aelia continued admiring the sword, already looking forward to trying it out.

The auction went on, with several more weapons and pieces of armor being presented. However, none of them were particularly useful to Chris or the girls, so he remained seated without participating.

Eventually, the servants carried a large crystal ball onto the stage. It was almost the size of a basketball, and several people immediately began whispering when they saw it.

The auctioneer waited for the noise to settle before explaining.

"This crystal ball was discovered inside a dungeon. It possesses the ability to amplify magical attacks. There is also a possibility that it could be used in the creation of a Legendary-rank staff."

She paused, looking at the enormous crystal.

"Unfortunately, its size makes it difficult to use directly. Even experienced craftsmen have struggled to find a practical application for it."

Several people shook their heads. Although the crystal sounded valuable, carrying something that large into battle was hardly convenient. Most mages preferred equipment that was easier to handle, and the possibility of crafting a Legendary staff wasn’t a guarantee.

Chris was about to lose interest when a small figure of a fox] suddenly appeared beside him.

It was Aura. The little fox stared at the crystal ball with unusual interest before turning toward him.

"Chris, buy that."

Chris glanced at her in surprise. "Why? It’s huge, and I don’t even know what I would do with it."

"The twins can use it."

He looked toward Astra and Stella, who were still examining the crystal from their seats.

"How? It’s just one crystal ball, and it’s too big."

"Just buy it. I’ll explain later."

Chris narrowed his eyes. Aura rarely insisted on something without a reason, so he decided to trust her.

However, there was one problem.

He wasn’t sure how expensive the crystal would become. He had already spent a considerable amount on the jewelry and Aelia’s sword, and he didn’t want to run out of money halfway through the auction.

He took out his cellphone and contacted Aldric.

"What’s wrong, Chris?" Aldric’s voice came through.

"I found something at the auction. It might be expensive, so I wanted to ask how much money you have."

There was a brief silence before Aldric laughed.

"Is that all? Buy whatever you want. Even if it costs millions of gold coins, don’t hesitate."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. Don’t worry about the money."

"All right."

After ending the call, Chris looked toward the stage.

The auctioneer had already announced the starting price.

"One hundred thousand gold coins!"

A few people raised their paddles, but interest quickly faded as the price increased.

"Two hundred thousand!"

"Two hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Three hundred thousand."

Chris raised his paddle.

"Four hundred thousand."

Nobody responded.

The auctioneer looked around the hall before finally smiling.

"Sold! Four hundred thousand gold coins!"

A servant soon delivered the enormous crystal ball to their private room. Chris placed it directly inside his storage ring before turning toward the twins.

Astra and Stella exchanged excited looks. They knew he had bought it for them, even if they didn’t understand what they would use it for.

"Thank you, big bad man!" Astra said happily.

Stella nodded before wrapping her arms around one of his sides. Astra quickly followed, hugging him from the other side.

Before Chris could react, both girls leaned forward and kissed his cheeks.

He froze, completely caught off guard.

The twins had never done something like that before, and he wasn’t sure how to respond. He looked down at them, finding their cheerful expressions rather amusing.

"What’s this for?"

"Because you’re not so bad sometimes!" Astra replied with a bright smile.

Stella nodded. "Yes. You’re still a big bad man, but sometimes you’re a good one."

Chris chuckled and gently patted their heads.

Aelia watched the scene with a soft smile, while Aura simply shook her head as if she were disappointed in his lack of awareness.

The auction continued, and several more items were presented. Chris paid little attention until the servants brought out the next one.

It was a small black pendant resting inside a glass display case.

Unlike the jewelry shown earlier, it had a rather plain appearance. There were no precious stones or elaborate decorations, and its surface seemed completely smooth.

The auctioneer looked at the pendant before addressing the audience.

"Our next item was discovered in a high-level dungeon. Despite repeated examinations using some of the finest equipment available, its material and properties remain unknown."

She paused before continuing.

"Several powerful warriors have also attempted to damage it, but none have managed to leave even the slightest scratch. We cannot determine its exact value, but considering the circumstances of its discovery, we believe it may be something extraordinary."

The audience began whispering.

Some were interested, while others seemed doubtful. After all, an object that nobody could identify wasn’t necessarily valuable.

Chris, however, had stopped paying attention to the auctioneer.

The moment the pendant appeared, he sensed something coming from it.

His expression slowly changed as he focused on the small object. There was an enormous amount of energy concentrated inside it, an energy that felt strangely familiar.

Demonic energy.

But it was far more potent than anything he had sensed before, even more concentrated than the energy inside Aura.

Beside him, Aura had also gone completely still. Her eyes were fixed on the pendant, and for once, she wasn’t smiling or making a joke.

"Chris..."

He glanced at her briefly before looking back at the stage.

"I know."

His expression had turned serious.