The Broken Halo

“We’re merchants from the northern territories. We’re here for the Winter Moon Auction.”

The guard carefully inspected the documents after hearing Vexa’s words.

Meanwhile, another guard activated one of the chaos arrays beneath them.

A faint demonic dark blue light swept across Simon and the others.

Simon immediately felt the array attempting to scan his demonic heart for his heart rank, his aura, and his appearance.

Fortunately, the earring artifact distorted his aura and appearance enough to avoid any suspicion.

Vexa then casually handed another guard a spatial ring.

“These are samples of the artifacts and materials we’re planning to auction.”

The guard inspected the contents briefly before nodding.

Everything had clearly been prepared beforehand.

Even the artifacts inside the spatial ring looked like genuine merchant goods.

Simon inwardly clicked his tongue.

’They came prepared.’

The Shadowgrave Clan truly excelled at infiltration.

After several more checks, the guards finally stepped aside.

“You may enter.”

Vexa nodded calmly before walking into the city.

Simon followed behind her while quietly observing everything around him.

The moment he stepped fully into Gondor, the atmosphere changed completely.

The city was filled with life.

Snow covered the roads and rooftops while glowing blue crystals illuminated the streets beautifully.

Countless demons moved throughout the city.

Shops.

Restaurants.

Artifact stores.

Weapon halls.

Hotels.

Everything was crowded.

Simon immediately noticed that many of the hotels were filled beyond capacity.

The closer they moved toward the center of the city, the more crowded the streets became.

And everywhere…

Everywhere…

There were banners of the Winter Moon Auction.

Even the merchants were discussing it excitedly.

“The Frostfire Lotus is really being sold?”

“I heard a Peak Sovereign grade Artifact will appear during the auction.”

“The price of rooms doubled because of the auction.”

“House Mercer is truly rich.”

“The Winter Moon Auction only becomes bigger every year.”

Simon slowly observed the bustling city while listening to the countless conversations around him.

Only now did he truly understand something.

The Winter Moon Auction was far more important than he initially thought.

The deeper they moved into Gondor, the more Simon understood why House Mercer was influential despite not being one of the six great clans.

The city was prosperous.

Everywhere he looked, there were expensive stores, heavily guarded buildings, luxurious restaurants, and powerful demons casually walking through the snowy streets.

Many of the demons around them were Frostborns.

Simon quietly observed the race while walking.

Most Frostborn demons possessed pale skin and naturally cold auras. Their hair colors were usually white, silver, light blue, or ash grey, and many of them had faint frost patterns around their necks or arms.

Even their eyes looked cold.

Blue.

Silver.

Or icy white.

Some Frostborns unintentionally released cold air while speaking, and wherever they walked, the temperature around them seemed to drop slightly.

The race naturally gave others a feeling of distance.

Elegant, proud, and dangerous.

Simon even noticed several Frostborn children playing with snow near the side of the road while creating small ice sculptures effortlessly with demonic energy.

’Interesting.’

The Frostborn race clearly possessed extraordinary control over ice affinity from birth.

The city itself reflected the nature of the race.

Many buildings were decorated with blue crystals and transparent ice sculptures despite the fact that the structures themselves were made of black stone.

Some roads even had faint layers of ice covering them, yet nobody slipped while walking.

Large white banners carrying the symbol of House Mercer could occasionally be seen hanging above the streets.

And everywhere…

Everywhere…

The Winter Moon Auction was being discussed.

“The Frostfire Lotus alone will attract Demon Lords.”

“I heard House Mercer personally invited several great clans.”

“The auction building has already been surrounded by guards.”

“The amount of wealth entering Gondor this week is terrifying.”

Simon quietly listened to all the conversations while observing the city. He knew that some of them were rumors, but he was interested nevertheless.

Would he see something that would pique his interest in this auction?

The closer they moved toward the central district, the denser the crowds became.

He also noticed the number of guards increasing significantly.

Some guards patrolled on foot while others rode large icy beasts through the streets.

There were even floating observation arrays above certain districts.

Simon narrowed his eyes slightly.

’They’re watching the city from above too.’

His gaze swept across the buildings instinctively.

Rooftops.

Alleys.

Guard towers.

Possible escape routes.

Possible blind spots.

Possible sniper positions.

Possible assassination locations.

He quietly memorized everything.

If the assassination failed or if Caesar had another hidden plan…

He would need to escape this city alive.

And unfortunately for him, escaping Gondor would not be easy.

The city was large.

Too large.

The walls alone would be difficult to bypass without drawing attention.

Not to mention the hidden arrays and patrols scattered throughout the city.

’Reminds of the Bulwark Clan.’

After nearly twenty minutes of walking through the city, Vexa finally stopped before a relatively small hotel.

Compared to the luxurious buildings around it, the hotel looked ordinary.

Nothing about it stood out.

Which was probably the point.

“We’ll stay here.” Vexa said calmly.

Silith raised a brow.

“You’re as cheap and cautious as always captain.”

“We’re merchants, not nobles.” Vexa replied immediately.

Silith clicked her tongue but said nothing else.

The group entered the hotel.

The inside was warm due to several heat arrays placed around the building, and there were many demons eating, drinking, and discussing the auction loudly.

The owner barely glanced at them before collecting payment and handing them keys.

Everything moved quickly.

Clearly, the hotel was overwhelmed because of the auction.

The room they rented was not large.

Two beds.

Wooden walls.

A small table.

Several chairs.

And a single window overlooking the snowy streets outside.

The moment the door closed behind them, Simon looked at the room with a slight furrow of his brows.

“We’re staying in the same room?” He could not help but ask.

Vexa nodded.

“Yes. It’s safer for all of us to stay together.”

’Bullshit. You just want to watch me and make sure that I don’t leave or do anything without your knowledge.’

Before he could speak against her words, Vexa’s expression became more serious and she spoke.

“We’ll discuss the plan now.”