Chapter 328: Star Realm Black Market

The White Dragon Lord stood up in surprise, staring at the entrance to the auction stage. Unlike the Shapeshifter's Robe, an obscure product of the Arcane Empire, the Metamagic Construct was famously renowned.

A deity's Divine Kingdom held massive armies of petitioners. These special entities, transformed from the souls of believers, fought without fear of death. They even considered it an honor to die in battle for their god, and their tendency to self-destruct to take their enemies down with them was a massive headache.

The Arcane Empire had employed equally fearless golems as their main force against these petitioners.

The red curtains parted, and an elven maid walked onstage empty-handed. Once at the auction platform, she withdrew three Metamagic Constructs from a piece of Spatial Equipment and lined them up side by side.

"There are actually three of them!"

The beholder used a magical instrument to enlarge and rotate a 3D projection of the Metamagic Constructs.

The Metamagic Constructs lacked the massive, clumsy appearance of traditional golems, instead looking like space marines from a sci-fi movie. Their normal-sized bodies were clad in blue-and-white armor, radiating a mysterious, advanced aura.

"Metamagic Constructs are super golems with combat power comparable to a High-Tier Legend," the beholder announced. "No, not just High-Tier Legends. Rumor has it that the Great Arcanists of the Arcane Empire once created Abomination Rank Metamagic Constructs."

The beholder paused, allowing the audience to digest this revelation. The venue fell completely silent.

Meanwhile, those who understood the significance of the Metamagic Constructs, like the White Dragon Lord, kept their attention glued to the three units on the stage—especially the middle one, which appeared the most intact.

"These Metamagic Constructs were all brought out from Arcane Empire ruins by the Magic Sword Adventurer Group. Lacking the means to repair them, they were forced to put them up for auction. According to our tests, the integrity of the three constructs is ninety-three percent, eighty-one percent, and seventy-eight percent, respectively."

"The three Metamagic Constructs will be auctioned separately. First up is the unit with ninety-three percent integrity. The starting price is 1.5 million Divine Power Gold Coins, with each bid increment no less than ten thousand."

The beholder struck the bronze bell signaling the start of the bidding.

"VIP 0015 bids two million!"

"VIP 0039 bids 2.2 million!"

"VIP 0078 bids 2.5 million!"

"..."

The price skyrocketed all the way to four million, forcing the White Dragon Lord to give up.

He didn't have enough funds!

The Purple Gold Card the White Dragon Lord carried held one-third of the White Castle's cash reserves, totaling 5.4 million Divine Power Gold Coins. After spending over a million on the Void Nether Stone, the Shapeshifter's Robe, and other items, he had just over 3.8 million left.

Listening to the others bid, the White Dragon Lord looked depressed.

Nordhill possessed complete Metamagic Construct technology but suffered from a lack of crafting materials. As long as he secured one unit and brought it back to the Council, he could spend some points to have it repaired, adding a High-Tier Legendary Level combatant to the White Castle.

"I have two million in cash on hand. Do you need it?"

The White Dragon Lord was overjoyed.

"Thank you very much, Mage Miphen."

With Mage Miphen's support, the White Dragon Lord rejoined the bidding. Unfortunately, even their combined wealth could not compete with the super-rich.

"..."

"6.7 million going three times!"

"Congratulations to VIP 0036 for winning the most intact Metamagic Construct! Next up is the construct with eighty-one percent integrity. The starting price is 1.2 million Divine Power Gold Coins, with each bid increment no less than ten thousand!"

It wasn't until the third Metamagic Construct was auctioned that the White Dragon Lord narrowly won.

"5.7 million going three times! Congratulations to VIP 0078 for acquiring the final Metamagic Construct."

The White Dragon Lord breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he used the Dragon Tooth Contract to order Gurgalu to raise two million Divine Power Gold Coins and transfer the funds into the Temple of Wealth.

"To be honest, in all my years hosting auctions, I have rarely been this excited," the beholder said, "because the next item will absolutely exceed your wildest imaginations."

The beholder seemed genuinely thrilled, the eyestalks behind it waving unconsciously like Medusa's snakes.

"Please welcome our final auction item—Divinity!"

"What?!"

Everyone at the auction was stunned. Many lost their composure and leaped to their feet, and the venue erupted into a cacophony of discussion.

Anything related to apotheosis was never simple!

The master of the Gray Tower—Mage Xidewarha—teleported onto the auction stage to keep order. At the same time, the White Dragon Lord felt the energy of the mage tower flare to life.

This was a warning to anyone harboring malicious intent.

"Silence! Silence!"

Ultimately, no one had the courage to challenge a High-Tier Legendary Mage inside his own Mage Tower. The venue fell quiet once more.

Mage Xidewarha smiled.

"I can understand everyone's excitement. Truth be told, when I first heard someone brought Divinity to me, I was sorely tempted to intercept it for myself."

The crowd let out good-natured laughter. Putting themselves in his shoes, anyone's first thought upon encountering Divinity would be to claim it for themselves. However, harboring the thought and openly admitting it were two different things. Everyone admired Mage Xidewarha's candor.

The White Dragon Lord also looked at the gold elf on stage with admiration. To resist the temptation of Divinity, Mage Xidewarha's willpower had to be undeniable.

His wisdom was also beyond question. The White Dragon Lord could guarantee that after this event, the Grey Tower Auction House's business would soar to new heights.

In the auction business, reputation was paramount. Only a trustworthy auction house would attract a steady stream of business, and an owner capable of resisting the allure of Divinity would easily earn the trust of strangers.

The gold elf brought out a transparent crystal. The moment it appeared, it drew everyone's eyes—or more accurately, the single milky-white thread sealed inside the crystal captivated the audience.

The beholder projected an enlarged image of the crystal.

"I don't need to explain the effects of Divinity. Everyone here is an expert. The starting price for the Divinity is two million Divine Power Gold Coins! Each bid increment must be no less than ten thousand!"

The White Dragon Lord gazed regretfully at the Divinity sealed within the crystal. He had completely run out of money and still owed Mage Miphen two million.

The regret lasted only a moment before the White Dragon Lord let it go. Even if he hadn't bought anything earlier, his funds combined with Mage Miphen's two million likely still wouldn't be enough to secure this wisp of Divinity.

With his mind at ease, the White Dragon Lord continued to watch the show.

The competition for the Divinity was exceptionally fierce. The price soared all the way to eight million with no signs of stopping.

After all, this was Divinity.

Setting aside the distant prospect of true godhood, just the fact that Demigod Realm creatures were immune to instant-death magic was enough to make everyone fight tooth and nail for it. The White Dragon Lord had been forced to travel to the Star Realm to collect materials for a scapegoat golem, but a tiny wisp of Divinity could perfectly solve all those troubles.

Aside from immunity to instant-death magic, Demigod Realm creatures naturally possessed incredible Curse resistance and a certain degree of elemental magic resistance. Furthermore, they had sharper minds, stronger bodies, and heightened Elemental affinity. Most importantly, Demigod Realm creatures were much more sensitive to laws, making it far easier to comprehend them.

In the end, this wisp of Divinity sold for the staggering price of twelve million.

The auction concluded. Those who had won items hurriedly used the Gray Tower's teleportation array to leave, which allowed Mage Xidewarha to earn yet another massive fortune.

As for how the White Dragon Lord knew this, Mage Miphen and Mage Xidewarha were on much better terms than he had imagined. The White Dragon Lord and Mage Miphen stayed behind, chatting with Mage Xidewarha in a reception room inside the Gray Tower.

Listening to the Tower Spirit calculate the profits, the smile on Mage Xidewarha's face never faded.

"Hey, Captain, you made so much this time. Shouldn't you look out for your old friend?" Mage Miphen said. "How about you waive my taxes for the year!"

Hearing Mage Miphen's half-joking words, the smile on Mage Xidewarha's face froze.

"Don't even think about it! The Demon Hunter's Hut rakes in tens of millions of Divine Power Gold Coins every year. Are you really hurting for the little bit of tax you pay me?"

"But most of it has to be handed over to the organization! Your poor old friend only gets a tiny cut."

Mage Xidewarha caught a loophole in his words.

"Since you have to hand it all over to the organization anyway, waiving your taxes wouldn't benefit you at all."

"Oh! Are years of friendship not as important as a few gold coins?!"

Despite Mage Miphen acting shamelessly, Mage Xidewarha remained unmoved.

"Friendship is friendship, and rules are rules. Besides, didn't I already cut your taxes in half?"

"..."

No matter what Mage Miphen said, Mage Xidewarha refused to yield.

Mage Miphen gave up helplessly. He looked at the White Dragon Lord, then back at Mage Xidewarha.

"I really suspect the Creator swapped your personalities. An elf who is utterly obsessed with money, and a dragon who spends it like water."

The White Dragon Lord and Mage Xidewarha exchanged a glance. Surprisingly, they both actually agreed somewhat with Mage Miphen's words.

After a round of banter, the three exchanged magical insights, and the time slipped away unnoticed.

In the blink of an eye, a day passed. Throughout this full day of conversation, the White Dragon Lord and Mage Xidewarha gained a deeper understanding of one another and struck up a friendship.

Before leaving, the White Dragon Lord brought out his list of materials, traded resources with Mage Xidewarha, and asked for information.

"I do have two friends who can craft scapegoat golems, but as for the Abomination Blood, I honestly have no idea where to find it."

After pondering for a moment, Mage Xidewarha continued.

"While a material like Abomination Blood isn't considered overly precious, it is exceedingly rare. Generally speaking, excess stock only leaks out after a major faction seals an abomination. It's almost never seen on the regular market."

"Amos, if you really have no other options, you can go check the black market. There, as long as you can offer a high price, those guys hiding in the shadows can get you anything."

The White Dragon Lord thought about it and accepted Mage Miphen's suggestion to visit the black market.

The two bid farewell to Mage Xidewarha and teleported back to the Demon Hunter's Hut.

Back in Nordhill, after working busily for the better part of the day, Gurgalu finally used the Dimensional Bag and other tools to move a literal mountain of gold into the Temple of Wealth, sending a message to the White Dragon Lord once it was done.

The White Dragon Lord paid off his debt. After asking Mage Miphen for the exact directions to Gray Tower City's black market, he prepared to head out.

Since Mage Miphen had to watch the shop, the White Dragon Lord went alone.

Cloaked in the Cloak of the Faceless One, the White Dragon Lord walked toward the West District of Gray Tower City. Once he left the bounds of the commercial street, the surrounding buildings noticeably decreased in height, and the strength of the pedestrians he encountered dropped by more than just a single Tier.

Of course, no matter how low their strength was, they were still at least professionals.

In the complex energy environment of the Star Realm, ordinary people simply couldn't survive. Even professionals below the Master Tier would have their lifespans affected if they lived in the Star Realm for too long.

However, the Star Realm gathered the essence of all the planes and offered far more opportunities to strike it rich. This lured professionals from countless planes to travel to the cities of the Star Realm with dreams in their hearts.

But without sufficient strength, making a fortune in the Star Realm was fundamentally impossible. What awaited ordinary professionals was endless exploitation and exorbitant teleportation fees to return home. Every year, countless people died in despair in some forgotten corner of the Star Realm, completely unnoticed.

This was especially true for the West District, where the black market was located.

"West District" was the official designation; the commoners of Gray Tower City preferred to call it the slums.

The White Dragon Lord walked beneath dim lighting. Along both sides of the narrow road ran shallow ditches covered in moss and flowing with sewage. The White Dragon Lord sniffed the air; he caught the stench of rotting corpses, a scent so strong that even the smell of excrement couldn't mask it.

The stone slabs paving the road were quite smooth, worn down by the heavy foot traffic. This area, which made up less than one-fifth of Gray Tower City's total area, was crammed with half the city's population.

Coolies, drunks, prostitutes, swindlers, thieves...

The White Dragon Lord felt numerous eyes fixing upon him. They were hidden voyeurs; the moment they deemed someone walking the streets to be a weak and easy mark, they would completely devour the fat sheep in minutes.

"Hmph!"

An aura belonging to a legendary powerhouse rippled outward. The sensation of being watched vanished instantly, and the White Dragon Lord continued toward the black market.

After passing through the dilapidated slums, the White Dragon Lord approached the area housing the black market.

A new sensation of being watched surfaced. These gazes were far sharper than the previous ones.

Cold, ruthless, and carrying a faint, lingering murderous intent. This was not directed at anyone in particular; it was simply the natural bloodlust that these outlaws, accustomed to licking blood from a blade, passively radiated.

The White Dragon Lord even detected the presence of three entities at the Legendary Rank Level.

They were the eyes, the accomplices of robbers, and the gatekeepers.

The White Dragon Lord turned into an alley covered in graffiti, and only then did the feeling of being watched finally vanish.

The graffiti in the alley seemed chaotic, but it actually served as the black market's signboard. Various pieces of information were written on it in a dark cipher.

The White Dragon Lord didn't recognize all of it, but he found what he was looking for.

Walking all the way to the end of the alley, the White Dragon Lord knocked on the wall three times—one light tap, one heavy knock, and another light tap.

"Who are you?"

"A passerby."

"What are you here for?"

"To inspect the goods."

The White Dragon Lord revealed the pressure of a legendary powerhouse.

A hidden door appeared in the wall and swung open.

"Come in."

A hint of wariness flashed in the eyes of the scarred brute behind the door. The White Dragon Lord gave him a dangerous feeling.

"Newcomer, the rules here are simple."

"One. Don't cause trouble."

"Two. Money in one hand, goods in the other. No refunds."