Chapter 1010: Alternate Timeline: Nexus Exposition (11)

"And what about the remaining auctions?"

"The artillery..."

"The vehicles..."

"The aircraft..."

"If everything crosses ten million..."

"Then I would owe him over two hundred thousand gold coins."

Her heartbeat slowed slightly.

Not from fear.

From greed.

A greed that did not belong entirely to her.

Half of it belonged to her, but the other half belonged to this body too.

To Kiara.

To the original soul whose obsession with wealth had rooted itself deeply into flesh and instinct since childhood.

Even though she often mocked herself for it internally, the truth remained unavoidable.

Gold affected her thoughts.

Gold influenced her emotions.

And when the amount reached absurd levels...

Her reasoning naturally became distorted.

"What if..."

"What if after receiving the settlement... He cancels the engagement and leaves?"

Kiara frowned slightly.

"That would be ridiculous. I would rather marry him than watch two hundred thousand gold coins walk away."

Almost immediately afterward, guilt surfaced faintly within her chest.

Because she realized exactly what kind of thought she had just entertained.

It was not love.

Not affection.

Not responsibility.

It was a calculation.

A pure Cold and selfish calculation.

And yet...

She could not entirely suppress it.

If Arceus shared the same irreplaceable bond she had with Zion or Noah, perhaps such thoughts would never appear.

But their relationship still stood somewhere uncertain.

Warm.

Comfortable.

Yet incomplete.

As Kiara remained trapped within this internal struggle, Arceus slowly placed the glass down and turned toward her.

"Kiara..."

His voice remained unusually soft because of the lingering effects of the sound enhancement potion.

Even a whisper carried clearly.

Kiara blinked and returned from her thoughts. "What is it?"

Arceus hesitated briefly before speaking carefully. "You promised me two percent of the earnings from this expo..."

His fingers tightened slightly upon the edge of the sofa.

"At first, I thought it would merely be a symbolic amount."

"But now... It has become far greater than I imagined."

Kiara stared at him silently. Something about his tone immediately made her alert.

Arceus continued while maintaining eye contact. "I know you are someone who keeps promises. Even if I remained silent, you would still honor your word. But..."

He paused briefly.

Then exhaled softly.

"Receiving such an enormous amount of wealth despite contributing so little effort would slowly poison my thoughts."

Kiara’s eyes widened slightly.

Arceus continued. "A man who suddenly receives mountains of gold without truly earning them eventually loses balance within his own heart, just like a starving traveler who drinks seawater believing it will satisfy thirst only to become even more consumed afterward."

"For the sake of my own peace of mind..."

"I do not wish to accept the promised two percent from this expo."

Silence filled the room afterward.

Kiara genuinely froze for several moments.

"You... You do not want it?"

Even now, disbelief lingered heavily within her voice.

Arceus nodded firmly.

"I know exactly what I am refusing."

That answer struck Kiara strangely hard.

Because moments earlier...

She herself had been calculating ways to avoid paying him.

Meanwhile, the person beside her was voluntarily rejecting the fortune entirely.

A faint feeling of shame quietly rose within her chest.

For several moments, Kiara simply stared at him silently.

Then...

As Arceus slowly leaned backward and closed his eyes briefly to rest after the exhausting auction work, Kiara found her gaze lingering unintentionally upon his face.

The new hairstyle Noah had prepared still suited him absurdly well.

The calm breathing.

The gentle exhaustion visible beneath his composed expression.

And once again...

Her heartbeat skipped unexpectedly.

Kiara immediately looked away.

Then sighed inwardly.

"If only we had become engaged under different circumstances..."

Time passed quietly afterward.

Eventually, both of them returned to the auction hall once the fifteen-minute break ended.

The atmosphere had changed noticeably now.

Almost half the tables stood empty.

Several merchants and lesser nobles had already departed after the firearms section concluded, likely realizing they lacked enough wealth to compete further.

Still...

The truly important figures remained.

Alexander Phoenix.

Phaethon Solaris.

Caleb Crescent.

Aryavarta’s Crown Prince Ayush.

The major kingdoms.

The major powers.

Those were the real customers.

The rest merely existed to witness the rise of Nexus Weapon Store.

Kiara did not care much about the empty seats and calmly walked toward the podium alongside Arceus while Wester followed silently behind them like a shadow forged from iron.

After reaching the stage, Arceus cleared his throat lightly and smiled toward the audience.

"Welcome everyone..."

"To the second phase of Expo 1786."

His voice spread smoothly across the hall.

"As mentioned earlier, the upcoming items possess different protection periods."

"And unlike before..."

"There will be no buyout options."

Several nobles immediately became more attentive.

Arceus continued steadily.

"Due to their massive size, the next set of items cannot be brought inside the hall. Therefore, only their names and details shall be announced here."

He paused briefly before adding another important matter.

"Additionally... You are not required to pay the entire amount immediately after winning the bid."

This statement caused several merchants to exchange glances instantly.

"As long as twenty percent of the total bidding amount is paid upfront, a preliminary contract may be signed. The remaining eighty percent, alongside the payment for the ordered units, can be completed within one week."

"However..."

"If payment is not completed within that period..."

"The contract shall become void."

"And the initial twenty percent will not be refunded. It shall instead be treated as compensation."

The hall became quieter.

Everyone now realized the scale of the upcoming auction.

Arceus then continued.

"For this round, we also accept payment through high-quality ether crystals, with one ten-carat crystal being equivalent to one thousand gold coins. But only high-quality ether crystals are accepted."

"However..."

"We shall not accept weapons, artifacts, treasures, or any other items as replacement payments regardless of grade."

"Please keep these conditions in mind."

Then finally—

He revealed the first vehicle.

"Our next item..."

"Panzerkampfwagen-I."

"Or simply..."

"Panzer-I."

The moment the name was spoken, attention sharpened throughout the hall.

Arceus calmly continued.

"This vehicle has already been sold previously to several parties."

"Therefore... This auction is not for exclusive rights."

"However... We can halt future deliveries for three months."

"This auction concerns one thousand Panzer-I vehicles. Fifty shall be delivered immediately upon signing. The remaining nine hundred fifty shall arrive gradually within twelve weeks."

"Each Panzer costs five hundred gold coins. The total value stands at five hundred thousand gold coins. The starting bid..."

"Five hundred thousand."

"For each raise..."

"Five thousand."

He lifted the hammer slightly.

"Let the auction begin."

Almost instantly...

"Five hundred five!"

"Five hundred ten!"

"Five hundred fifteen!"

The atmosphere exploded violently.

Unlike the firearms earlier, this time kingdoms and empires joined aggressively from the beginning.

"Six hundred forty-five!"

"Six hundred fifty!"

"Seven hundred eighty-five!"

"Nine hundred!"

"Nine hundred sixty-five!"

A fierce battle erupted almost entirely between Gideon Crescent and Alexander Phoenix.

However...

Gideon himself did not truly care about immediate delivery.

At first, he merely intended to pressure Alexander into overspending.

Yet just as he prepared to withdraw around eight hundred thousand, Prince Ayush suddenly leaned closer and spoke quietly.

"Acquire them at all costs. I shall provide the funds."

Gideon turned toward him in slight surprise.

Ayush’s gaze remained fixed upon the stage.

"After watching the auction so far, I’m not confident about whether I can return home with the aircraft... But a thousand Panzers alone are enough to build the foundation of an independent army."

His eyes narrowed slowly.

"Each one may only threaten 3-star rank Spirit Warriors... But when one thousand advance together..."

"Even kingdoms tremble."

"All I need... Are expendable soldiers."

Understanding finally dawned upon Gideon.

And thus...

He resumed bidding.

Eventually...

Alexander Phoenix withdrew.

Not because he lacked wealth.

But because he realized he could simply order Panzers later through existing agreements with Kiara.

"Nine hundred sixty-five once..."

"Twice..."

TING!

"Sold."

"Congratulations to Number 3 for purchasing one thousand Panzers."

Kiara’s mood immediately brightened again.

Nearly double the profit.

Exactly as planned.

She gestured lightly toward Noah, who immediately delivered the contract to Gideon’s table while Kiara simultaneously sent a mental order to Zion to remove the displayed Panzer outside.

Arceus smiled faintly before continuing toward the next item.

"The next vehicle..."

"The Iveco-LMV."

"A light multirole vehicle that is designed to act both as a mount to travel between places and as a weapon for offensive purposes. It uses a machine gun that can take damage from 5-star rank and below realm enemies, and is strong enough to kill 4-star rank enemies with the machine gun at the same time."

"Each unit costs 2500 gold coins."

"Protection period: Six months."

"Minimum assured order: One thousand."

"This auction concerns one hundred units worth 250,000 gold coins."

"The starting bid for six-month rights is one hundred thousand, with each raise about five thousand."

And then...

For the first time since the second phase began—

The entire hall fell silent.