SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS

Chapter 279: Auction (1)

Early in the next morning, as the first rays of the sun painted the sky over Nine Cauldron Summit, Fatty and Kent woke up, feeling refreshed. The sight of the sun rising behind the majestic nine cauldrons was truly breathtaking, casting a golden glow over the entire summit.

While Peak Master Porus had gone off to meet someone, Fatty eagerly dragged Kent along to explore the summit. Fatty, curious about store operations and eager to learn for his future business, wanted to see every store. Kent, accompanied him helplessly.

Together, they began wandering in and out of various shops, each one wealthier than the last. Fatty's eyes widened in surprise and awe at the vast array of goods on display: rare herbs, exquisite artifacts, powerful weapons, and luxurious garments.

However, his excitement quickly turned to dismay when he learned the prices of these items. Each one seemed more exorbitant than the last.

"Master, these high places are very pricy. With one mana stone, I could have spent a good life in Silver Leaf town," Fatty muttered, thinking about his meager stash of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Kent couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's wide-eyed reaction to the summit's riches.

By noon, the pair found themselves utterly exhausted from their exploration. They collapsed into chairs at the Cauldron Chef store. The aroma of hot, flavorful soup wafted over them, reviving their spirits. Fatty eagerly dug into his bowl, savoring every bite.

Little did he know, the soup he was enjoying cost a whopping five mana stones. If he had known, he might not have dared to touch it. Kent, seeing Fatty's blissful ignorance, decided not to spoil the moment.

After they had eaten their fill, Kent placed a superior mana stone into the hand of the servant lady, saying, "Keep the change." The lady's eyes widened in astonishment, and she bowed deeply, a wide smile spreading across her face.

Fatty, after knowing the worth of the superior mana stone Kent had just spent, swore under his breath, "I'll never eat food in these lavish places again." The extravagance of the summit was overwhelming for someone used to simpler means.

As evening approached, a glass orb in Kent's storage bracelet began to glow. As Kent picked up the sky orb, Peak Master Porus's voice echoed from it, instructing them to head to the central Sun Stone Tower, where a grand auction was about to take place. Fatty and Kent exchanged excited glances.

After ending the communication orb, Kent lifted his head and stared at the distance tower, which is the highest building in the summit situated at the center. It is glowing with sun rays, attracting everyone's attention.

The elder wizard's face broke into a smile. "Master Long Chu spoke specifically about you. Here, please sit close to the auction stage."

He handed three seat tokens to Kent, ensuring them a prime position near the auction platform. As they made their way inside, the atmosphere grew even more electric.

The grand hall of the Sun Stone Tower was filled with a low hum of conversations and the clinking of fine glassware. Beautiful servants' ladies in alluring clothes were moving among the guests to serve the precious wine.

As Kent lifted his head to observe the tower, he felt stunned by the visuals. The tower has spiral steps at the edges that lead to different floors. The auction stage was situated at the base, close to one corner, and seats were arranged in ascending steps opposite the stage.

A tall aurora glass is fixed on the background wall of the auction stage, which stretched up to tower height. The people who were on the top floors could only witness the auction through aurora glasses.

Checking the number of jade tokens, the three of them occupied the third row from the auction stage.

"Master, these seats are so amazing." Fatty muttered with a wide, open mouth.

But Kent was not in the mood to hear what Fatty said. His gaze was fixed on Princess Eila, who was staring back at him in the front seat. Coincidentally, the Ice Castle sect disciples got the second, exactly before Kent.

As per custom, the wizard association allocated a second row for the top four sects of the blue planet.

"Princess, who is he?" Suddenly, a coarse voice disturbed Eila.

As Kent turned his head, he saw a well-built man with fair skin and a bald head. The badge of the Celestial Sun Fire Sect was hanging from the pocket of that bald man.