Chapter 243: The Auction House

Evelyne left, and Ravian followed a few moments later, still looking a little drowsy.

’It’s probably from studying Void of Prohibition yesterday. Even with my mental strength, it left me exhausted.’

Studying an ordinary subject could not compare to studying something written in Prohibian. The difference was enormous, particularly when the material was a meditation and cultivation technique rather than an ordinary passage in that language. Otherwise, it would have been far easier.

’Anyway...’

Ravian put the matter aside as he left the tent and approached the center of the camp, where three beautiful women sat on large logs arranged in a circle around an unlit fire.

What caught his attention, however, was not their beauty, but the expression of one woman in particular. Lysandra still seemed unhappy for some reason he could not identify, though it barely showed. He noticed only because using Absolute Focus so often had left him in a state somewhat resembling it even when the ability was not active.

He was now halfway to that state of concentration, allowing him to catch the slightest changes, including the faint crease between her brows that should not ordinarily have been there. Something was bothering her, and her eyes were making rather too deliberate an effort to ignore him.

’I mean, she could at least say good morning, couldn’t she?’ Ravian thought as he looked at her.

In truth, he did not care all that much. What he wanted most was to buy some damned clothes to replace the ones he was wearing.

"Ravian! Good morning!" Claria called from her seat. "Why did you sleep so much? Are you really all right now?"

He looked at her warm smile and smiled in turn at her endearing innocence.

’That’s how people should greet each other in the morning.’

Of everyone in the squad, Claria was the one he regarded as a little sister because of her kindness, despite her actually being older than him.

’Age is just a number. Mental maturity is what truly distinguishes an adult from a child.’

He answered before leaving her waiting any longer.

"I’m fine, our dear doctor. I was just a little exhausted. Don’t worry about it." He waved a hand, hardly concerned himself, then looked at Lysandra.

"Good morning, my noble lady," he said, half teasing as he tried to lighten the mood.

Lysandra gave him a murderous look at the title, then merely nodded without offering a proper reply.

’Ouch. All right, that hurt a little.’

Ravian looked around for the others, paying no further attention to Lysandra’s simmering mood, which caused the crease between her brows to deepen almost imperceptibly.

"Where is everyone else? Where did they all go together so early?"

"An auction," Evelyne answered, looking at him as she continued trying to grow accustomed to his new appearance. "There’s an auction in the city shortly, with all sorts of valuable items and treasures. They wanted to attend, so they left early to wander around the city before heading there."

’An auction?’

That caught Ravian’s attention, and he turned to Evelyne with renewed interest.

"Will there be any mysterious items?" he asked eagerly.

"Mysterious items?" Evelyne and Claria repeated, exchanging confused looks before turning back to him. "What do you mean?"

Ravian slapped his forehead.

"Mysterious items means mysterious items. What’s so strange about that, guys? Manuscripts, secret writings, things of unknown origin, and so on."

Understanding finally brightened their eyes.

"You mean special and obscure items," Evelyne said.

"What are those?" Ravian frowned.

"Things usually described as coming from beyond the seas, or having an unknown meaning or origin, and so forth," she explained. "They’re rarely worth much, though. Most of the time, they’re simply goods their owners can’t use, so they decide to sell them. The chances of making a profit are slim, and the risk is considerable."

Ravian tilted his head.

"I understand the part about profit being unlikely, but what do you mean by a considerable risk? Are you talking about the money we might lose?"

Evelyne shook her head, but before she could answer, someone else spoke.

"She means the risk of possessing the item itself," Lysandra said, taking over the explanation without looking directly at either of them. "Many of those items belong to ordinary people, but powerful individuals can recognize their value at a glance. If one really is a hidden treasure, that can cause serious trouble afterward. It’s also why Malrik, Darius, Elias, and Kael went."

Ravian nodded, acknowledging the sense of adventure that had drawn those lunatics to such a dangerous place. Then something else occurred to him.

"Why didn’t you go with them? I doubt they would have objected. In fact, I imagine they invited you."

Evelyne suddenly raised her hand as though answering a question in a classroom.

"Yes! It was because Lysandra refused and said—"

Before she could finish, the tip of Lysandra’s sword was already at her throat. Evelyne’s bright expression gradually faded into one of meek submission.

"Ahem. What I meant was, how could we possibly go somewhere like that with those brutes? We’d rather stay here."

Only after that hasty correction did Lysandra begin returning her precious, distinctive sword to its sheath.

Ravian made no comment on the brief performance, though he filed it away in his mind before making an offer.

"Then would my three beauties prefer to accompany this young master instead?"

He asked with perfect seriousness, leaving all three women looking at him with expressions caught between confusion and bewilderment at his extraordinary confidence.

Evelyne’s excuse for staying behind had plainly been false, but Ravian did not care. He extended the invitation as though informing them that he was better than all the men who had already gone, and that this was simply self-evident.

Evelyne thought she had found an opportunity to amuse herself by making fun of his behavior. Unfortunately, she could find nothing to pick apart.

Before her stood a handsome young man with beautiful white hair and crimson eyes, his gaze as still as an arrow in the quiet of night. His posture, his smile, the tone in which he had offered to accompany them, and his new athletic body, which had already surpassed them in height in such a short time—all of it made the task difficult.

More than anything, though, there was the absolute confidence and pride in his eyes, as if taking people "like them" somewhere was a favor he was offering.

The three women froze for a moment, but Lysandra’s brows drew together again, the faint crease deepening into an unmistakable frown.

’Ravian, since when have you started acting so...’

Her thoughts circled as she watched him, but their delay did nothing to lessen his confidence or make him withdraw his offer. He simply waited calmly for an answer, knowing it would make little difference to the course of his day.

"Tsk." Evelyne clicked her tongue, pretending indifference. "Who said we wanted to—"

Once again, Lysandra interrupted before she could finish.

"We’ll go."

She offered no explanation, merely rising and heading toward her tent to change into clothes more suitable for the city. Before she had gone far, she turned to Claria and Evelyne, both of whom were still stunned by the turn of events.

"Aren’t you coming with us?"

"With you?" Evelyne repeated, looking from Lysandra to Ravian, who stood waiting for them to finish getting ready and show him the way to the auction.

Lysandra paid little attention to her surprise and continued toward her tent.

"If you’re coming, go and change quickly so we can arrive before the auction starts."

With that, she disappeared behind the tent flap.

Several seconds passed before Evelyne finally collected her thoughts and turned toward Ravian. He was making strange movements with his hand, as though trying to activate an ability, but noticed her watching him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What’s wrong, Evelyne? Do you have stomach cramps or something?"

Her expression changed instantly from shock to outright anger.

"You son of a—"

...

Some time later, after obtaining all the necessary permissions, a group passed through the fortress gate and entered the city: a handsome young man who looked like a noble without a care in the world, followed by three beautiful women.

Beyond the gate, the streets of the City of Light opened before them, its name echoing that of the Wall of Light. Supply wagons moved among pedestrians, their wheels rattling over the paving stones, while merchants called from beneath cloth awnings stretched between the shops. The smell of bread and roasting meat mingled with leather and the dust stirred up by the traffic.

Soldiers were everywhere, though few were simply standing guard. Some inspected blades displayed outside weapon shops; others bargained for provisions or stopped at stalls with food still in their hands. People shifted aside for a passing wagon, then closed around it again, resuming conversations interrupted only long enough to let it through. The frontier kept the city busy even when there was no fighting within sight.

Ravian glanced along the shopfronts as they walked. This was the same city where he had lived in a dilapidated house among the poor, yet entering it with money to spend and three companions beside him gave him rather different reasons to pay attention. A display of shirts caught his eye, and he briefly compared their fabric with what he was wearing before looking ahead again. For now, he needed the women to show him the way to the auction house, and browsing the market would have to wait.

Their destination was already decided.

The auction house in the center of the city.