Chapter 127: Forbidden Curse Magic Scroll

“Exchange the core for their forgiveness? Hand over the Red Scorpion’s core?” Rod asked Lucy in confusion, though his intuition told him this wasn’t that simple. He also found this method novel—this was the first time he’d heard that killing someone could be settled with money.
“I really don’t know if you grew up here or were sent as a spy from the outer continents. Everyone knows that many people accidentally kill members of other clans while hunting, but they usually target weaker members. If they die, it’s no big deal—no one will really pursue it. Handing over the killed person’s core is just the bare minimum; depending on strength and status, more compensation is required. The Red Scorpion clan isn’t powerful—there are only a few god-tier warriors. The guy you killed, who’s at the early god tier, must hold a high position in their clan, probably even an elder or something. The compensation is substantial. Hand over his core and materials, along with two mid-tier god-tier and fifty late-stage quasi-god-tier magical beast cores. I can help you negotiate this. If you try to handle it alone, you’ll need at least five early god-tier magical beast cores to resolve it!” Lucy looked at Rod frustratedly, wondering why he knew so little. It was a miracle he was still alive.
“Five? Impossible! What do you want from me, Rod? I’ve never feared anyone. Even if he’s a tiger trying to kill me, I’ll make him lose all his fur and leave him covered in wounds! I won’t settle this peacefully. I appreciate your kindness, but I’ll pass!” Hearing these terms, Rod’s expression darkened immediately. He only had five cores in total—there was no way he could give them all, not even two. Requiring three at once was outright robbery. Did those people really think he was so easy to bully, so easy to extort? Even though this was the Source of Darkness, as Lucy said, god-tier magical beast cores were rare. How could an ordinary person come up with that many?
“That’s right, it’s robbery. That’s how deals work. Since you refuse, I can’t do anything. Be careful!” With a sigh, Lucy also spoke helplessly. Though they’d only spent short time together, she had gotten to know Rod’s personality quite well. She knew he would never agree to such a compromise.

“You don’t need to deal with these things; just leave them to me. I’ll give you a satisfactory price—definitely not lower than what’s available elsewhere.” After a moment, Lucy reminded him again. Thinking of her family, she felt she must keep these items, as they would bring significant help and benefits to the family.

“Okay! That saves me the trouble. Who exactly are you?” Agreeing to Lucy’s request, Rod finally couldn’t help but ask. He had long realized that Lucy wasn’t an ordinary person—there was the colorful crystal, so many other events, the VIP lounge, her thorough analysis, and now buying his items. This wasn’t something an ordinary person or even an ordinary family could accomplish.

“Hehe, it’s a secret. You’ll find out when the time comes. Anyway, several rounds of auctions have already passed. Didn’t you say you wanted to buy some things? Take a look; maybe something suitable for you is available!” Without answering Rod’s question, Lucy quickly changed the subject.

Since she didn’t want to reveal it and Rod didn’t want to press her, he could only turn his attention back to the auction. Aside from the opening item in the first round, the Divine Weapon Snowstep, the other items, though precious, didn’t spark intense competition. Rod wasn’t interested in them either, and after hearing Lucy’s words, he chose to ignore them.

The auction continued smoothly, and before he knew it, half of it had passed. The items he saw during this time truly broadened Rod’s horizons. He even saw a defensive armor crafted from a mid-tier divine core, various materials, and thousand-year-old cold iron—truly an excellent piece. In the end, it was acquired by the Black Phoenix clan in exchange for one mid-tier divine core and three low-tier divine cores, marking the biggest bid so far. The competition was fierce, with the mysterious Mi Jiao clan also bidding, but they weren’t as strong as the Black Phoenix clan and missed out on this top-tier magic-martial defense armor.

The auction of this item once again brought a climax to the trade fair, with the price even exceeding that of Snowstep! When Rod noticed the Black Phoenix clan purchasing the armor, a hint of surprise and excitement flashed across Lucy’s face, though it was quickly replaced by a hint of regret, making him wonder if this girl had any connection to the Black Phoenix clan.

After the climax, things returned to normal. Finally, near the end, an item that appeared caught Rod’s attention and interest!

A magic scroll said to have been created by a supergodly being—a fire-type forbidden spell scroll: “Blazing Inferno”! Although it’s just a low-level forbidden spell, its power is comparable to the full strike of an early-stage godly warrior. Under this spell, an entire town can be annihilated in an instant. Against such a spell, even an early-stage godly warrior has no choice but to flee—after all, it’s a trigger-based scroll! It also demonstrates the terror of a godly-level mage: one forbidden spell can destroy a small city. If war breaks out and entire squads of such mages are involved, victory would be inevitable.

“This thing is quite good!” Rod murmured, looking at the magic scroll lying quietly on the table below.

“Interested? It’s good, but most people wouldn’t choose it. Though it’s excellent, it’s a one-time-use item. Godly-level warriors probably won’t use it. The price shouldn’t exceed fifty advanced holy-grade magical cores! After all, it’s a life-saving item—you’d be wise to take it! If the price goes higher, I can sell you something just as good!” Seeing Rod’s interest, Lucy, relying on her sharp mind, immediately thought of how Rod might use it and offered the highest reasonable price.

Rod actually thought the same way. Initially, he would have been interested, but not willing to spend a lot. Now, with the dangerous situation, it’s better to have it on hand. A forbidden spell—legendary indeed, one that only a godly-level mage could barely cast.

Bidding started instantly, with the opening bid at ten mid-level holy-grade magical cores! This was considered a relatively low price. Rod didn’t plan to bid right away; acting too soon would only draw attention from his opponents.

Several major families seemed uninterested in such an item, so without their competition, the bidding remained relatively calm, with no huge price differences.

After some bidding, the price reached ten advanced holy-grade magical cores, and finally, Rod made his move.

“Ten!” Doubling the price in one go, his statement immediately caught many people’s attention. Doubling the price so quickly was quite bold. Though the scroll was good, powerful warriors didn’t need it, and not many holy-grade individuals had that many cores. As a result, many people withdrew from the bidding. Some also wondered about the owner of the private room’s bid—after all, they knew who could enter such a room. Could they really need this item, or were they buying it for their juniors’ protection? Speculation abounded.

“Twelve!” Seeing Rod’s bid, a young man at the table immediately raised the price as well.
“Twenty!” This time, Rod was even more decisive, not giving his opponent any time to think. If he bid, it had to be a stunning move, showing his determination to win. Only in this way could he make those less confident back down, narrowing down his competitors and making the competition easier, so as to avoid disruptions from outsiders.
“Twenty-five!” The young man seemed angered and immediately counterattacked. Soon, only Rod and this man were left competing. It was obvious to everyone that those in the private room were determined to win, otherwise they wouldn’t raise prices so high. This young man wasn’t an amateur either. Since those god-tier powerhouses disdained them, only two competitors remained.
“Forty!” Calmly, Rod remained utterly composed. He wasn’t worried at all about losing to his opponent. Fifty god-tier advanced magical beast cores used to be a lot for him, but now he didn’t care at all. After all, he had just discovered he was actually a wealthy man. If the price exceeded fifty, he could simply refuse—it was no need to compete!
Rod’s bid also caused a stir. It was the first time anyone had made such a bid. Although this scroll was rare, buying it outside would cost around fifty core pieces. It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t hard to obtain. There was no need to offer such a high price here! Still, their competition added some excitement to the scene.
“Forty… forty-two!” The young man’s confidence wavered again as he glanced toward Rod’s private room, his eyes filled with cold fury.
“Forty-five!” Ignoring his opponent’s gaze, Rod calmly continued bidding.
“Hmph, damn guy! Who is he? Ah San, go find out! I want to know which family he belongs to!” Hearing Rod’s bid, the man shook his hand angrily, stopped speaking, and glared at Rod’s private room before addressing a middle-aged man beside him.
After speaking, the middle-aged man slowly stepped back and disappeared into the crowd.
No one spoke anymore. In their eyes, Rod was a madman! No one wanted to ruin their reputation over something that could be bought outside. Their main purpose here was to find things they needed that were hard to obtain elsewhere. That was the real goal!

So under such circumstances, Rod smoothly and naturally obtained ownership of the Magic Forbidden Curse Scroll, at the cost of 45 advanced sacred-level magic cores.
“Good tactics. Who’s that person in that private room? Check it for me!”
“Is that the person with Lucy?”
“Which clan does he belong to? I don’t know. Go find out!!”
The moment Rod completed the purchase, similar voices came from several private rooms simultaneously; they were highly interested in Rod’s identity.