CHAPTER 929: THE SECRET AUCTION (PART-2)

"Two at Table 4—both are around Rank-7. Not troublesome but worth taking notice, considering their auras were quite thick."

"Table 11 and Table 7—mediocre. No need to pay attention to them."

"But at Table 3..." Orion couldn’t help but narrow his eyes, staring at those four, who had soul energy reserves comparable to Rank-8.

Orion’s fingers lightly tapped the table, his brow creasing beneath the mask as he stared at the woman who was covering most of her face with a veil. In the center, her soul energy reserves might be in the same realm as theirs, but Orion could sense heavy killing intent emitting from her. It was so strong despite masking it that he wondered how many lives she had taken.

Orion’s eyes stayed on the pale-faced, exotic-looking beauty for a while. As if sensing his gaze, the woman looked back. She narrowed her eyes faintly, lips curling upward just enough to suggest a smirk.

Orion felt like she was looking through his mask and right into his eyes like a predator eyeing its prey. He averted his gaze right away.

Kate, however, acted entirely unaware. She quietly opened the folded pamphlet in front of her—the auction’s preview list—and leaned back in her chair, her expression calm as if she were simply waiting for tea.

Meanwhile, across the hall, the woman at Table 3 rested her chin on her hand, still watching him. The smile on her lips still stayed. "Interesting..."

Her tone was soft, but it carried a chill that made her three guards tense.

One of them—a man in a tight black combat suit—tilted his head, scanning the hall with sharp eyes. "What happened, Lady Ryu?"

She didn’t look away from Orion’s direction. Her eyes glowed faintly with traces of spirit light as she murmured, "There’s a person here I can’t see through."

The guard frowned. "Who? The blonde beside him?"

He followed her gaze briefly toward Kate, noting the faint glimmer of a suppressive field surrounding her.

"I can sense an anti-soul energy suppressant around her. She’s masking her soul energy, that’s all. Her level isn’t high either," said the bodyguard

But Nianxi shook her head, "No. Not her. The one beside her... the masked man."

Her voice dipped lower, curious yet laced with the faintest hint of excitement. "his control over his soul energy reserves is so great that I couldn’t sense a shred of it... And it looks like my mental powers have no use on him either... that kind of target is so exciting to kill... kyaa..."

The guard looked at her, puzzled. "My lady?"

"Find out about him," she ordered coolly, calming herself down. "But don’t engage."

The guard bowed slightly. "Yes, my lady."

Time trickled by. Guests continued to arrive, the murmurs growing louder with each new entrance. Orion kept to himself, maintaining the act beside Kate, though his senses remained at peak.

By now, only two tables remained empty—No. 2 and No. 13.

Then, as the chandeliers dimmed slightly and the room’s attention turned toward the entrance, four new figures appeared through the door.

Orion turned his head casually, not expecting much—just another set of nobles or guild representatives. But the moment he saw who walked in, his heart stopped cold.

There was Selene, elegant and radiant as always, her calm confidence drawing eyes immediately. Beside her was Selene, her usual mischievous grin hidden behind a veil of sophistication.

But it didn’t end there—

Walking behind them, chatting like they’d known each other for years, were Luna and someone else he didn’t expect to join them.

Orion’s pupils shrank beneath the mask. "What the hell...?"

Elise?

How in the world did she end up with them? Orion thought, his mind racing.

His pulse quickened, but his expression didn’t change. As they passed close by his table, Orion lowered his head slightly, pretending to adjust his gloves. He resisted the urge to look up at his girlfriend.

The group walked past them, their presence drawing a few subtle glances from other tables, including Nianxi’s. They headed to Table 2, the one right across the hall, not so close enough for Orion but still remained in the line of his sight.

Just as he dared a brief glance up, Luna turned, her eyes flicking briefly toward Kate and Orion’s table. A faint smile escaped her before she winked as her eyes met Orion’s.

Before Orion could react, the atmosphere in the grand hall shifted in an instant once again, this time a bit more obviously.

The murmurs that had once been casual turned sharp, filled with awe and nervous laughter as the final group entered the auction.

Someone at Table 6 whispered under their breath as four men entered the grand hall.

"Is that—? No way. That’s him."

Another voice followed, trembling in disbelief.

"The Demon of Zuweth... Why the hell is he here!?"

The whispers spread like wildfire.

"He’s the one who killed the Rank-9 expert, Late Patriarch of Magnolis, Isn’t he?"

"I heard that he did it out of revenge."

"So, it is not a rumor?"

"Look at those three behind him... Three Elementary-Rank-9 Arcana Masters, all in one team? What the hell... Are they trying to hijack the auction or something!"

Even Rank-7 Arcana Masters subtly suppressed their soul energy instinctively as they walked forward. Only the woman, Nianxi, and her guards looked at them calmly.

The first to sit was the leader of the group, Alexander Magnolis, the same man who snatched away Kate’s Presidential Suit and other premium suits in the hotel she booked in.

Tall, sharp-featured, and exuding an effortless authority, his dark eyes swept the room once before landing on the far tables. His expression seemed very calm.

At Table 3, Nianxi then rose gracefully from her seat, her earlier indifference replaced with a bright, almost childlike excitement.

"Alex~!"

Her voice was smooth, lilting, and just loud enough to make nearby tables glance her way. She waved, smiling genuinely for the first time that evening.

Alex’s gaze flickered to her—his expression softened for half a heartbeat. Then he gave a brief nod. "Nianxi."

That was all.

He didn’t stop, didn’t walk toward her table. He simply acknowledged her and kept walking.

Nianxi’s smile faltered slightly, surprise flickering in her eyes. "Eh...?" she murmured, lowering her hand slowly.

The guards beside her shifted uneasily, but she waved them down, her lips curving again into a composed smile. "So cold as ever, hmpf..."

Meanwhile, at Table 9, Orion’s mind was already spinning. The air itself felt heavier, like standing too close to a nuclear reactor ready to explode.

"A Supreme Being..." Orion murmured under his breath. "And his aura is too intense. It kinda reminds me of Dad..."

He instinctively grabbed his head and looked down at his feet in mixed feelings, unaware of Kate’s expressions.

Kate, sitting beside him, had gone unnaturally still. Her usually sharp eyes darkened as she stared at the man approaching. Her lips pressed into a thin line as he came closer, that familiar smirk of his cutting through the air like an old wound reopening.

He stopped right beside their table, looking down at her. "Kate."

His voice was casual—too casual for someone whose arrival had just shaken the room.

Kate’s frown deepened, responding coldly. "Alexander Magnolis. What are you doing here?" Orion was also instantly alerted by the presence of Alex nearby and the fact that Kate and he seemed to know each other, except the fact that they didn’t seem to have a good relationship. Did they use to date or something? As he wondered, his body tensed, fearing misfortune, because last time, Kate, when she disliked Mark, used him to throw him out. He doesn’t want to fight this guy, though. Not because he was afraid. Yes, he could feel the pressure but Orion should go all out to fight him, and he didn’t have any enmity with this person. Why bother... Orion thought.

However, Alex only chuckled softly, the smirk never leaving his face. "What else? It’s an auction. I came to buy something." He replied.

Kate scoffed at his reply, "The items in this auction aren’t nearly valuable enough for someone like you to travel four thousand five hundred kilometers, all the way from Zuweth to Ashford. And you didn’t come alone, either..."

Her eyes flicked toward the three men standing silently behind him, each radiating an aura dense enough to bend the air around them.

"So, forgive me if I find it hard to believe you’re here just for a mere auction."

Alex tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curving into a lazy grin. "You know me well, I guess," he said smoothly. Then, after a pause, his eyes glinted with something darker. "But then again, we aren’t strangers either, are we?"

Kate’s pupils narrowed slightly, but she didn’t flinch.

Alex’s smile turned sharper as he replied. "You and your friends have been trying to kill me for months now, after all. isn’t that right, Kate, the Arbiter?"