CHAPTER 81: TWIN RINGS

[Immortal Hall.]

WHOOSH!

The Second Elder, Valerie, landed in the center of the vast Immortal Hall with the grace of a shooting star. Her gaze slowly swept across the nine elders already seated in a semi-circle around her.

"What news do you bring, Valerie?" the First Elder, Leonardo, asked, his voice a low rumble.

Valerie bowed slightly. "First Elder Leonardo, you were right. It was just her fragment... nothing more." A wave of relief washed over her words.

"Oh... But Aiden said you found something else," Leonardo countered, a subtle arch in his brow.

Valerie’s eyes flickered to the Tenth Elder, Aiden. ’Ogres are always trouble,’ she hissed inwardly, before speaking aloud:

"Yes... I discovered traces of Deaths."

A palpable shift in the atmosphere swept through the hall. All the elders, save for Aiden, straightened, their expressions turning serious.

"Are you sure about this?!" Leonardo demanded, rising to his feet, his chair scraping against the polished floor.

"Yes," Valerie affirmed with a firm nod. "Why is the First Elder so worked up?"

Leonardo sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of ages.

"The Deaths are exceptionally powerful... They might prostrate a low rank... But their true strength rivals that of a celestial rank..." He sank back into his seat, a weary sigh escaping him.

"It’s a good thing they failed... The Queen’s bloodline or herself must not be awakened."

"If the Queen is awakened, her bloodline will be next; there is no way we will miss that... For now, let’s keep an eye on the Nine races... Excluding the Wendigos," the Third Elder, Jabari, stated. A man with three eyes, he was unmistakably from the Three-Eyed Nation.

"True... Out of all the races... The Beastify race keeps failing to make a demigod rank warrior to take their seat among us," Leonardo said, his gaze drifting to the empty seat reserved for a Demigod from that lineage.

"Forget all that... Let’s just think of a way to deal with the Deaths without anyone discovering about it!" a young woman with fiery red hair and golden eyes interjected. A striking Phoenix tattoo was visible on her forehead. This was the Fifth Elder, Amelia.

"Fifth Elder, Amelia is right," Valerie nodded in agreement.

"No... That should wait... We need to investigate first... And know how the Deaths entered our galaxy... And why they tried to resurrect the Blood Queen," Leonardo countered, his gaze sweeping across the gathered elders.

"The nations are at the auction; this might be the right time to investigate..." He turned to the Sixth Elder.

"Athena... Send out the spies in all nations; we must find out what’s happening!"

"Yes, First Elder," the Xenon lady replied with a deep bow.

"All of you... Continue cultivating... Although we are at the Pinnacle of power, we must get stronger... The threat of the Blood Queen is immense."

With that, Leonardo stood and vanished, while the remaining nine elders nodded in solemn understanding.

____

[Dragon Nation: Auction Hall.]

Sunny, accompanied by Falkor and his entourage, walked through the opulent entrance of the Dragon Nation’s Auction Hall. They proceeded to the front row, a privileged section reserved exclusively for royalty.

Sunny settled into his seat alongside the other kings, while Josephine took her place with the rest of the queens. Matilda, however, was special, and as such, she was seated among the kings with the other female rulers. The seating arrangement was clear: the first row for kings, the second for queens, and the third for their children. Beyond that, the hall extended to accommodate subordinates, senators, and all other attendees.

"God Wolf... Or should I call you King Wolf?" Falkor, who sat to Sunny’s right, asked, turning his head slightly.

"God Wolf is better," Sunny replied, his gaze fixed on the still-empty stage.

"Okay... God Wolf... You might already know this, but I’ll say it again... Some of these treasures don’t belong to the Dragon Nation. We are also here to buy some... I know, we are the ones hosting the auction, but we aren’t the ones some belong to..."

"Who do they belong to?" Sunny inquired.

"The Immortals... We call them gods. These are people who are already at the Demigod ranks... Before them, we are ants," Falkor explained, a hint of awe in his voice. He continued:

"They have traveled the whole galaxy and brought these treasures back... I don’t know if they lack money, but giving such things up is really generous." He then turned his attention to the stage.

"I hope the God Wolf will put up a valid battle."

Sunny merely smirked. ’I have a quest to spend 20 trillion in 7 days... This is the second day, and I’ve only spent 1. I will make sure to burn a lot here.’

"Hello Everyone!"

Every head in the auction hall turned towards the stage as a breathtakingly beautiful lady descended. With her magnificent flaming wings, she landed lightly on the stage. She wore a flowing red dress that brushed the ground, and her long purple hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her smile almost seemed to brighten the entire hall.

"Wow... The renowned host known around the galaxy... The Dragons really went all out this time," someone muttered in shock.

"Yes! Although she is a Phoenix... Her reputation and beauty are almost unparalleled!" another added.

"Almost?"

"What?! Didn’t you see Queen Matilda and Queen Josephine? They are both beauties that even rival the renowned host."

"Yeah... True."

A general murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.

"Hello Everyone! I am Lady Brittney... The Host for today." She took a graceful step forward, the microphone positioned perfectly at her lips. "I will be showing everyone the treasures in store... So, without wasting any more time."

Her eyes briefly fell on Sunny, lingering for a full two seconds, before she continued, "Let’s start the auction!"

She gestured to her right, and two attendants walked towards her, each carrying a decorated silver tray with two rings resting upon it. They stopped before a golden stand, carefully placed the trays, and then stepped back and walked away.

"Okay everyone! These are the first treasures... These are identical rings, both High Grand Class Equipment... These two are the last in the market, meaning... you can’t get them anywhere else." She smiled charmingly, then continued:

"As per the rules of previous auctions, I will use my cosmic brain and show you all the attributes of these rings." With a flourish, she activated her cosmic brain.

[Name: Twin Rings]

[Skills: +5,000 in all stats, and +1,000 in celestial energy.]

[Extra skill: When worn by two people, they both share the same health, and celestial energy.]

[Extra Skill: When worn by one person, He/she gains extra +500 in attack.]

"....?!"

A wave of stunned silence washed over the hall, which quickly erupted into a cacophony of surprised exclamations.

"Wow... This is a real treasure!"

"Yes! It even has two extra skills! I haven’t seen such High Grand Equipment!"

"Same! I must have it."

"Not unless I beat you to it!"

Brittney smiled at their excited reactions. "Starting Bid: 100 Million!"