Chapter 128: Capture

“Not bad, within a reasonable price!” In the private room, looking at Rod, who was satisfied with his victory, Lucy also smiled. That guy’s tactics earlier had been quite ruthless—even she felt excited hearing about them. It was the first time she’d seen someone bid so high for just a scroll.
“Be careful with that guy; he’s probably not a good person!” Lucy then said to Rod, pointing at the man downstairs who was watching their room coldly. She knew that guy was a complete scoundrel who wouldn’t give up easily after losing this competition. If it were one of the major families or a powerful warrior who defeated him, he might not do much, as they lacked the strength. But Rod was different—he might take revenge. In the Source of Darkness, such things were not uncommon.
“Don’t worry. If he dares to come, I’ll kill him!” Rod replied indifferently to Lucy’s words, speaking in a cold tone.
As the two were talking, another auction item appeared—another scroll. This time, it excited Rod even more. It was a spatial magic scroll of low rank but still part of the ultimate spatial movement spells, instant-type and requiring no combat energy to activate.
This reminded Rod of the guy he met in Iron Bar Town, who had escaped his grasp time and again using a similar spatial magic scroll. However, that one seemed to have a lower rank and could only move about a thousand meters—useless beyond that distance. A thousand meters might be enough to save a Golden Warrior or Imperial-level fighter, but here, in the Source of Darkness, facing god-tier enemies, a thousand meters was just an instant for them. They could lock onto one’s presence and catch up in no time.
But this ultimate magic scroll was different. Created by the dragons, its range could exceed 30,000 meters, and the range could even be adjusted. It wasn’t fixed once set—this was its greatest advantage. For many, it could be a life-saving treasure. Over 30,000 meters was more than enough to escape the pursuit of god-tier warriors.
Considering his current situation, Rod thought this item was even more useful than the Fire Forbidden Curse, “Scorching Heaven,” he had purchased before.

The major forces still did not participate in this auction, and even the god-tier powerhouses rarely intervened. To Rod’s surprise, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan joined the competition. The price kept rising, reaching thirty Holy-Level Advanced Magic Cores in no time! Rod finally decided to bid. At this point, there were only two competitors—one was the young man from before, and the other was the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan. With a sigh, Rod realized he really had run into trouble with these two!

As Rod raised the price to fifty Holy-Level Advanced Magic Cores in one go, the situation became more intense. The young clan leader of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan, furious, shouted that he would bid eighty Holy-Level Advanced Magic Cores, determined to win at all costs. Under the pressure from his clan, the young man withdrew from the competition.

Rod, of course, wasn’t willing to give up such an item. Not to mention the possible pursuit by the Red Scorpion clan or intervention from the Scorpion King clan, even the two demon girls he had seen earlier could cause him a lot of trouble. This item was equivalent to a chance at rebirth—how could he give it up so easily?

“One hundred!” Rod snapped coldly. His words caused a stir everywhere—100 Holy-Level Advanced Magic Cores in exchange for an ultimate spatial magic scroll!

Although spatial magic scrolls were rare and highly effective, many people considered them less valuable than the previous Fire of Heaven magic scroll. Most wouldn’t be willing to pay such a high price.

“Damn it, are you crazy? This thing is even less valuable than the Fire of Heaven! It can only enable one teleportation, just for escaping—what are you doing?” Lucy, who was watching, was shocked as well when she heard Rod bid 100 magic cores.

“Bastard! Who is that damned kid, always opposing us?” Inside the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan’s room, the man who thought he could secure the item by bidding 80 magic cores and thus protect his life turned pale upon hearing Rod’s bid. He roared in frustration.

“This thing isn’t worth this price, Ao Ying. Remember our goal—don’t act rashly and draw attention!” Seeing Ao Ying about to bid again, the Third Elder finally spoke up. He was already dissatisfied with the initial offer of eighty magic cores; now that someone had bid a hundred, it was as if they were taking over a mess for them, so he certainly wouldn’t agree to Ao Ying bidding again. A hundred high-tier sacred magic cores were equivalent to one early-stage quasi-divine magic core—this price was utterly absurd!

“Bastard! I’ll tear him apart! A dragon clan member so young and already at the quasi-divine level can’t be insignificant. I want to see whose descendant he is. Our Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles aren’t easy to bully!” Sitting across from the Third Elder, Ao Ying roared in frustration.

“The dragon clan is not to be trifled with! Ao Ying, don’t act recklessly. The dragon clan isn’t something we can confront. Don’t let your selfishness ruin our Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles’ plans and put us in danger, do you hear me?” A cold glint flashed in the Third Elder’s eyes as he frowned and ordered sternly. With such a young clan leader, what hope did their tribe still have?

As Rod offered a hundred magic cores, the scene became chaotic. No one bid anymore, so he easily obtained the space magic scroll. His identity also attracted even more attention. Buying two magic scrolls at such high prices meant he couldn’t be an ordinary person. Spending nearly 150 high-tier sacred magic cores at once was equivalent to one quasi-divine magic core and 45 high-tier sacred magic cores—a huge sum that most people couldn’t afford. Moreover, most people wouldn’t sit in that private room. Perhaps he was another rising star from some family. Instantly, Rod became the focus of everyone’s attention.

The next few auction items didn’t catch Rod’s interest. The auction came to an end smoothly, and as the final item was about to be presented, the crowd erupted in excitement. Over 50% of those who came to this trade fair were there for this item. Even if they couldn’t buy it, they wanted to see the legendary object.

Even Rod was intrigued, though he never thought he had the means to purchase it! Still, he had already reaped quite a lot so far.

A fire-type forbidden spell scroll, a space-type teleportation spell scroll, and a seemingly ancient chest plate—these were what interested him the most. It was clear that it was part of the Black Flame Armor; he could sense its familiar aura. He had already known from the Void Space that the Black Flame Armor was incomplete. He had thought that gathering some of Sognar’s collection would suffice, but several components were still missing, and this chest plate was undoubtedly one of them!

The ancient chest plate completely concealed one’s appearance. Without Rod detecting it through his aura, it would have been impossible for him to take an interest in it. As a result, the competition for it wasn’t very fierce. A few members of various families seemed to realize something was amiss with the chest plate and only briefly tried to compete for it.

In the end, under Rod’s insanely high bids, everyone chose to give up on this uncertain item and focus their financial resources on the last item left. To obtain this chest plate, Rod even paid the price of three quasi-divine late-stage magical cores! Naturally, this caused widespread astonishment and admiration. So far, Rod had already spent one quasi-divine early-stage core, three quasi-divine late-stage cores, plus dozens of sacred late-stage magical cores—proof of just how much he had invested. Such financial resources were rarely accessible even to ordinary small families. Instantly, Rod became seen as a rising star among the great families.

Besides these three items, to show his gratitude to Lucy, Rod also acquired for her a gesture she adored, along with a bracelet from the Phoenix Pannier. It wasn’t expensive and was obtained in exchange for ten sacred late-stage magical cores. The main function of this bracelet was to enhance the user’s magic power, acting as a kind of magic amplifier, while also speeding up the concentration of magic—comparable to any magic staff. Coupled with its delicate and compact design, it naturally delighted the woman, serving as a way to repay Lucy for her help over the past few days.

“Alright, our trade fair is coming to an end. Next, we will trade the last item of the day. I’m sure many of you have already heard the news—yes, it’s one of the seven fragments of the legendary God-Shattering Mirror: the Rainbow Glaze! There’s no need to explain the function of the God-Shattering Mirror; everyone knows about it. For thousands of years, countless predecessors have sought it. By chance, our demon race obtained one of its fragments. For the good of everyone, we’re offering it for trade today. As usual, the highest bidder wins. Of course, there’s a minimum bid this time: ten divine early-stage magical cores! Alright, let’s get started!”

At that moment, the scene instantly fell silent; everyone turned their attention to the stage, watching the object that had been legendary for thousands of years about to appear. Yet many knew that this stage belonged to the four great families, a place they fought over. Since the demon race had put it up for auction, they certainly wouldn’t compete for it. That left only the four great families—perhaps the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle could also be considered a rival if there was anyone else.