Chapter 327: Metamagic Construct Remnant

While they spoke, the price of the Shapeshifter's Robe soared to 630,000.

Once the bids crossed the 600,000 mark, the first-floor hall gradually fell silent. The bidding war shifted to the high-tier legends seated in the second-floor private booths, but even their price increments had begun to shrink.

"650,000! VIP 0035 bids 650,000!"

"660,000! VIP 0078 bids 660,000! Any higher bids?!"

"680,000! VIP 0054 bids 680,000!"

"700,000! VIP 0035 bids 700,000!"

The White Dragon Lord frowned slightly, tapping his fingers against the table. His absolute limit for the Shapeshifter's Robe was 700,000.

Having money was one thing; being a sucker was another entirely.

"700,000! Any more?!"

"700,000 going once!"

"700,000 going twice!"

"Seven— 750,000! VIP 0078 bids 750,000!"

The White Dragon Lord stared at the Shapeshifter's Robe on the auction block. The sum of 750,000 had already surpassed his limit; if anyone else raised the bid, he would simply let it go.

"750,000 going once!"

"750,000 going twice!"

"750,000 going for the third time!"

"Sold!"

The White Dragon Lord breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let us congratulate VIP 0078 on acquiring this precious relic of the Arcane Empire."

The beholder on stage smiled and motioned for an elf maid to take the Shapeshifter's Robe away. The final price of 750,000 met its own expectations nicely.

From the other side of the stage, another beautiful elf approached gracefully, lifting a tray in her hands. Arranged neatly upon it in two rows of five were ten blue crystals.

"Next up is our third item: ten Legendary Water Elemental Cores. I'm sure everyone is familiar with these; many of our spellcaster friends here frequently use them."

Elemental cores were the source of power for elemental creatures. Brimming with highly concentrated elemental energy, they boasted a wide array of uses: powering magic arrays, forging legendary weapons, or serving as materials for magical experiments.

Though Legendary Water Elemental Cores were precious, they were ultimately just high-grade materials. Their value was nowhere near that of the previous two items.

"The ten water elemental cores will be auctioned as a bundle. The starting price is 30,000 Divine Power Gold Coins, with a minimum increment of 100 Divine Power Gold Coins per bid."

After presenting two precious treasures to build the atmosphere, the auction returned to its regular pace with the introduction of ordinary items.

"32,000!"

"35,000!"

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in!"

Two beautiful elves pushed the door open and entered. The first held a magical instrument—a fund-transfer device issued by the Temple of Wealth. The second carried a tray bearing the Shapeshifter's Robe that the White Dragon Lord had just won.

"Honored guest, this is the treasure you won."

The White Dragon Lord drew out a purple-gold card. After a few quick operations on the elf's magical instrument, 750,000 Divine Power Gold Coins were transferred out.

Seeing that the two guests had no intention of chatting, the elves set down the Shapeshifter's Robe and withdrew, shutting the door gently behind them.

The White Dragon Lord picked up the Shapeshifter's Robe, inspecting it closely with both his physical sight and his spiritual sense.

The Shapeshifter's Robe looked dusty gray and completely unremarkable. It didn't emit any notable energy fluctuations; if it were tossed into the street, likely no one would bother picking it up. However, a closer look revealed the first hint of its extraordinary nature: the garment was entirely seamless, lacking a single stitch.

The White Dragon Lord closed his eyes and pushed his spiritual sense inside, only to discover that the interior of the robe was filled with motes of light resembling a starry sky.

"The Arcane Empire's technology is truly miraculous. I actually couldn't find a single trace of a magic array."

The White Dragon Lord opened his eyes, brimming with surprise. But this was not the time for a thorough study, so he stored the Shapeshifter's Robe away.

"Hmm..."

Mage Miphen looked thoughtful.

"If utilized well, this robe might be of immense help to you on the Blood War Battlefield."

The water elemental cores ultimately sold for 70,000.

"Next, please welcome the fourth item."

...

According to the catalog distributed to the attendees beforehand, the Grey Tower Auction House had prepared exactly 120 items for this event. Before they knew it, over a hundred of them had already been sold.

The vast majority of these past hundred items were ordinary goods, much like the elemental cores.

Such ordinary items held little appeal for high-tier legendary powerhouses. The auction house had taken this into full consideration; every few standard lots, a rare treasure was presented to make the bidders' eyes light up.

After securing the Shapeshifter's Robe, the White Dragon Lord hadn't bid on any of the subsequent rare treasures.

For one thing, he had no real need for them. For another, he was conserving his funds for the final five items. The niche divine-level material—the Void Nether Stone—was the fifth-to-last item on the docket.

While he passed on the treasures, he did manage to win two of the ordinary items.

Having calculated the Council's internal exchange rates, he had simply snagged them whenever he deemed the price a bargain.

Finally, the auction drew to a close, paving the way for the grand finale.

"Next up is the 116th item—the Void Nether Stone!"

The White Dragon Lord immediately perked up, sitting up straight and fixing his gaze on the red curtain at the side of the stage.

The red curtain parted, and two brawny men carried a massive mahogany tray up to the platform. Fastened to a metal pedestal on the tray was a dark green crystal that resembled a crystal cluster. Roughly the size of a millstone, it emanated faint ripples of energy. It was precisely what the White Dragon Lord urgently needed: the Void Nether Stone.

"The Void Nether Stone is an accompanying gemstone found within void nether veins, making it incredibly rare. Many renowned Divine Artifacts have incorporated it into their forging, such as the Crown of the Lady of Fortune..."

The White Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow. The beholder was speaking the truth, but tens of thousands of years ago, the God of Knowledge had invented an alloy known as Uldaman Metal. Its properties were virtually identical to the Void Nether Stone, yet it cost only a tenth of the price.

As a result, the once highly sought-after Void Nether Stone had fallen out of favor, relegated to the status of an absolute niche material.

If not for the fact that Uldaman Metal contained too many composite elements—rendering it unsuitable for the specific item the White Dragon Lord planned to forge—he never would have bothered coming to Grey Tower City to buy a Void Nether Stone in the first place.

"The starting price for the Void Nether Stone is 500,000 Divine Power Gold Coins, with a minimum increment of 10,000 Divine Power Gold Coins per bid."

Even as a niche item, the Void Nether Stone was still a divine-grade material, making the 500,000 price tag fairly reasonable. However, the White Dragon Lord decided to let it hang in the air for a moment.

The auction hall immediately fell quiet. With cheaper alternatives readily available, no one wanted to play the fool.

The organizers had fully anticipated this reaction; presenting the Void Nether Stone was merely a way to use the prestige of a divine-grade material to bolster the auction's profile.

The beholder was just about to signal a planted shill to make a bid and avoid the embarrassment of an unsold lot when it suddenly received a ping from the White Dragon Lord's placard. The beholder's heart leaped with joy.

"500,000! VIP 0078 bids 500,000! Any higher bids?!"

"500,000 going once!"

"500,000 going twice!"

The White Dragon Lord popped a piece of fruit into his mouth with a smile, looking completely assured of his victory.

"500,000 going th— 510,000! VIP 0235 bids 510,000!"

The White Dragon Lord blinked in surprise, a flash of annoyance quickly crossing his face.

'A shill?!'

Naturally, that was the first thought that came to his mind.

Feeling the sudden flare of anger radiating from the White Dragon Lord, Mage Miphen frowned in thought for a moment.

"Amos, given Xidewarha's shrewd and diplomatic nature, he wouldn't pull a stunt like this," he said. "You've likely just run into a genuine competitor."

Only then did the White Dragon Lord's expression ease slightly.

"520,000! VIP 0078 bids 520,000!"

Down in the main hall, a figure cloaked entirely in a black robe furrowed his brows. He hadn't expected anyone else to fight over a Void Nether Stone.

"Amos, the seat placards in the main hall are fixed to the chairs," Mage Miphen pointed out. "That person down there is your competitor."

Following Mage Miphen's gaze, the White Dragon Lord spotted the black-robed figure sitting in the hall below.

However, because the stranger was completely engulfed in his dark robes and had his back turned, the White Dragon Lord couldn't glean a single detail about him.

Of course, the White Dragon Lord wasn't entertaining any thoughts of murdering the bidder and snatching the treasure. As a dragon of high quality and upstanding morals...

Fine. The reality was that after the auction, the various entities from across the Star Realm and the myriad planes would all use the host's teleportation array to leave. Lord knows where this guy's actual destination was.

Perhaps feeling the weight of the White Dragon Lord's prolonged stare, the black-robed figure sensed something and shot a glance back up at the second-floor booth.

"VIP 0235 bids 530,000!"

Meeting the stranger's icy glare, the White Dragon Lord felt a sudden chill, his expression turning solemn.

"Interesting."

Mage Miphen also caught the naked killing intent and warning radiating from the black-robed figure's eyes, causing his expression to shift unpredictably.

Anyone granted a seat in a second-floor VIP booth was either a high-tier legend, backed by a massive faction, or both. The black-robed figure had to know this, yet he still dared to provoke them so openly, proving he had absolute confidence in his own strength.

Clearly, this was a high-tier legend traveling incognito.

The Star Realm was crawling with shadowy figures who couldn't expose themselves to the light. Wanted criminals from major factions loved fleeing into the Star Realm, carving out hidden magical doorways within the massive rocks floating through the void. Unless a deity personally cast a Great Divination Spell to pinpoint their location, finding them was practically impossible.

Whenever such outlaws entered a city, they always disguised themselves to prevent their identities from being exposed. The stranger down in the hall fit that profile perfectly.

"VIP 0078 bids 600,000!"

But the White Dragon Lord wasn't about to be cowed by some rat hiding its face. He instantly jacked up the price. People forced to live in the shadows rarely had deep pockets.

Crushing him with pure wealth—that was the White Dragon Lord's strategy.

Sure enough, the black-robed figure followed up with two more bids before giving up, though he had managed to drive the price of the Void Nether Stone up to 800,000.

For a divine-grade material, 800,000 Divine Power Gold Coins wasn't exorbitant, but being forced to fork over an extra 300,000 for no good reason left the White Dragon Lord feeling exceedingly displeased with the stranger.

"800,000 going once!"

"800,000 going twice!"

"800,000 going for the third time!"

"Congratulations to VIP 0078 for winning the Void Nether Stone!"

This time, the beholder's smile was entirely genuine. It had originally figured that simply selling the item at all would be a success; it never imagined two powerful entities would actually launch into a bidding war over it.

"Next up is our 117th item: Cyan-Wave Magic Essence!"

The red curtain drew back, and an elf maid stepped forward with a tray. Resting upon it was a small crystal vial filled with shimmering, multicolored grit.

Now that the filler item had been sold, the remaining lots were the genuine grand finales. The beholder cast a magical projection of the Cyan-Wave Magic Essence into the air.

"Cyan-Wave Magic Essence is a precious magical material birthed directly from spatial storms. It requires the incredibly complex energy environment of the endless void, violently compressed by a spatial storm and subjected to a series of chaotic reactions, just to form a single grain of this essence. Not only does this essence contain highly concentrated, crystallized energy, but it also harbors mysterious spatial energy..."

"Mage Oke spent centuries of tireless effort just to accumulate these hundred grams of Cyan-Wave Magic Essence! The starting bid is set at 800,000 Divine Power Gold Coins! The minimum increment is 10,000 coins per bid."

A massive uproar swept through the hall. This was the true price of a divine-grade material! The starting bid alone was enough to shut out the vast majority of legendary powerhouses, but the Star Realm was never short on wealth.

"1,000,000!"

"1,200,000!"

"1,500,000!"

Since the White Dragon Lord wasn't currently studying spatial energy, he had little interest in the Cyan-Wave Magic Essence. Sitting out the bidding war, he idly toyed with his newly acquired Void Nether Stone instead.

...

"2,240,000 going for the third time!"

"Let us congratulate VIP 0009 on acquiring the Cyan-Wave Magic Essence!"

Ultimately, the Cyan-Wave Magic Essence was claimed by some high-tier legendary powerhouse for the staggering price of 2,240,000.

Seeing the essence sold off, the White Dragon Lord put his Void Nether Stone away.

Although the Grey Tower Auction House had publicized the exact number of lots and the details for the majority of them, they had kept a select few key items completely secret to maintain an air of mystery and allure—namely, the final three items of the grand finale.

Seeing as the fourth- and fifth-to-last items were both divine-grade materials, the final three were guaranteed to be utterly spectacular.

Mage Miphen also dropped his relaxed posture, sitting up straight to stare intently at the auction block. Clearly, he was incredibly curious to see what these last three lots could possibly be.

Amidst the intense anticipation of the crowd, the beholder finally spoke.

"Next up is our 118th item: a semi-divine longsword forged by the divine smith himself—Master Rudhamon!"

Hearing the title of 'divine smith,' the White Dragon Lord's heart gave a jolt. He hadn't expected Mage Xidewarha's connections to be so vast that he could actually secure a piece crafted by a divine smith's own hands.

The title of 'divine smith' wasn't something bestowed lightly by others. Across the entire multiverse, the moment any non-deity managed to successfully forge a Divine Artifact, they would earn universal recognition and claim the mantle of divine smith.

To this day, barely a hundred individuals across the vast multiverse held the title. Furthermore, anyone capable of forging a Divine Artifact was incredibly powerful in their own right—they were typically powerhouses at the Abomination Rank.

A Legendary Rank Warrior marched up onto the stage carrying a broad-bladed Greatsword, and the beholder immediately displayed a magical projection of the weapon.

"As you all have surely noticed, I haven't announced the name of this semi-divine artifact. That is because it is Master Rudhamon's latest creation and has yet to be named! The master has granted the honor of naming it to the blade's very first master."

A deafening uproar exploded across the hall.

Generally speaking, a weapon's name was decided by its creator. To auction off a weapon with the naming rights attached was exceptionally rare.

If the White Dragon Lord were to win this sword and christen it the 'Sword of Amos,' the name Amos would be passed down alongside the weapon's legacy through the ages. For any combatant desperate to carve their name into eternity, this was an absolutely fatal temptation.

Unfortunately for the sword, the White Dragon Lord had very little interest in it.

In the end, the semi-divine Greatsword sold for 3,320,000.

"Next up is our 119th item, an Arcane Empire relic provided by the Magic Sword Adventurer Group—the Metamagic Construct Remnant!"