My Celestial Ascension

"I didn't expect her to bid 550,000 gold coins on this treasure! Is she provoking me? Me?! The Young Master of the Silver Clan? This is outrageous!" Elias slammed his fist against the expensive table in front of him, causing a small crack to appear.

"Calm down, Young Master," said the Magic Knight Captain, his voice calm and steady, his gaze lingering on the front of the Number 2 VIP room. "This could work to our advantage. With her limited gold coins, she won't be able to compete for the legendary treasures later."

Elias leaned back against the sofa and sighed. "You're right. After all, this is just the beginning of the auction. Countless powerful and rare treasures will appear soon."

"Let's let her enjoy her little victory for now," Elisha added with a vicious smirk, already devising schemes against Heidi in her mind. "What do you say?"

"You're quite cruel, Sis," Elias chuckled, nodding.

"We'll make her pay for mocking us—but not now. Later." Elias glared at the VIP room where Heidi was, his eyes glowing dangerously for a fleeting moment.

—

"Congratulations on winning the auction, Young Lady! You've silenced that bastard from the Silver Clan! That must have hit him like a punch! Hahaha!" Veni exclaimed, beaming as she congratulated Heidi on acquiring the Crystal Deer's horn.

"Thank you, Veni. And you're right—Elias must be humiliated. This is a victory for us!" Heidi laughed, nodding. She quickly poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Veni, her loyal servant and protector.

"Here, Veni. Let's celebrate this small victory. There are many more to come. Cheers!" Heidi raised her glass with a proud grin.

Veni raised hers in return and said, "Let's make the Silver Clan lose face in this Grand Auction! Let's humiliate them in front of tens of thousands of people!"

The two clinked their glasses, savoring the rich taste of the red wine. They drank slowly, enjoying the satisfaction of their victory against the Silver Clan.

Shortly after, two women arrived at their VIP room, delivering the treasure they had won. Once the payment was finalized, the women quickly left, granting Heidi and Veni their privacy.

With the room to themselves, Heidi and Veni leaned closer to admire the beauty of the Crystal Deer's horns. It was their first time seeing such a magnificent treasure.

"This is stunning! As expected of a treasure from an SSS-rank Magical Monster," Heidi murmured with a proud grin as her eyes roved over the shimmering horns. "Every single gold coin was worth it."

"You're right. The Silver Clan will regret giving up something as valuable as this. I can't wait to see their regretful faces when we celebrate our victory." Veni added with a smile, running her fingers gently across the smooth surface of the horns.

As Veni and Heidi admired the beauty of the Crystal Deer's horns, Teressa continued the auction. A servant brought another treasure onto the stage, her elegant smile captivating the audience.

"The next item is a drop of tear from a four-hundred-year-old mermaid, discovered inside a dungeon within the Nightshade Empire," Teressa announced, her voice clear and confident. The servant removed the black fabric covering the treasure, revealing a glowing blue droplet encased in a delicate glass container.

Gasps of astonishment echoed through the stadium, followed by excited murmurs and whispers.

"This is unbelievable! A drop of tear from a four-hundred-year-old mermaid?!" one attendee exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.

The crowd stared at the radiant blue liquid with expressions of shock and greed. The allure of the treasure was undeniable.

Mermaid tears, renowned for their ability to create powerful healing potions, had been highly sought after for centuries. However, the disappearance of mermaids a thousand years ago had turned these precious tears into rare artifacts, driving their value to unimaginable heights. It was rumored that mermaids had retreated to the deepest parts of the ocean, far from the grasp of humanity's greed.

With no known sightings of mermaids for centuries, any trace of their existence, especially a tear, was considered priceless. And this particular drop—coming from a four-hundred-year-old mermaid—was of unparalleled value.

"This treasure is worth every gold coin! I'll bid for it no matter the cost!" someone shouted from the crowd, their determination evident.

"Me too! Such a treasure must not slip through my fingers!" another declared.

"I'll fight for this priceless item until the end!" echoed a third voice.

The stadium buzzed with excitement, the atmosphere electric as attendees, including representatives from the Ten Great Families and Noble Houses, prepared to battle for the rare artifact.

Inside a luxurious VIP room, Ajex of the Ironwood Clan grinned wickedly as he stared at the glowing glass container.

"Hahaha! Finally, something truly incredible has appeared. I must secure this treasure for the Clan!" he said, his laughter echoing in the room.

"This is no ordinary item," his caretaker remarked with a wide grin, sharing Ajex's enthusiasm. "The competition will be fierce, especially against the Ten Great Families. But for a treasure like this? It's worth every effort."

Ajex's greedy eyes lingered on the tear, his determination unshaken.

"Let them come at me however they want. In the end, I'll be the winner," Ajex said with a wide grin, subtly licking his lips.

"However, Young Master, our true opponent is the daughter of the Vyker Clan. Her family's wealth surpasses that of the rest of the Ten Great Families combined. She will undoubtedly be an obstacle for us," the caretaker said, his expression serious as he pondered how Ajex would handle this challenge.

"I don't have an issue with that vicious woman, unlike the arrogant Young Master from the Silver Clan. As long as she doesn't get in my way, I'll leave her alone," Ajex muttered, his voice low as he leaned back against the plush sofa, savoring the taste of his lavish wine.

"Things are about to get interesting… I'm looking forward to competing for this treasure against the other Ten Great Families," Ajex said, a wide grin spreading across his face as he stared at the ceiling, his mind filled with anticipation.

After finishing his glass of wine, he glanced at his caretaker. "Do you happen to know who's in the Number One VIP room? I get a dangerous feeling whenever I look in that direction. It's as though I'm standing before an apex predator—not just one, but multiple of them."

The caretaker shook his head. "Forgive me, Young Master, but I don't know who occupies the Number One VIP room. However, from what I've heard, they're associated with the Imperial Family of the Empire."

"I see… Well, I need to find out who they are and whether they pose a threat to the Ten Great Families. Their presence is overwhelming," Ajex sighed, his brows furrowed in thought.

—

"This is an incredibly rare treasure and possibly the last of its kind—unless someone discovers the mermaid race hidden in the depths of the ocean," Teressa said, her melodic voice echoing through the stadium as she smiled.

She continued, "The starting price for this treasure is one million gold coins! Additionally, there's a special rule for this auction: every bid must increase by a minimum of 20,000 gold coins!"

The crowd erupted in excitement as Teressa's announcement resounded across the stadium.

"One and a half million gold coins!" Livia Lannister's voice rang out from her VIP room as she pressed her bid button without hesitation.

"Two million gold coins!" Crown Prince Kian shouted with a wide grin.

"Three million gold coins!" King Richard's voice suddenly thundered through the stadium, drawing the attention of the entire audience to his VIP room. Your adventure continues at empire

Turning to his wives, he declared, "The battle has begun. There's no way I'm backing down from this, especially since, thanks to Yuan and his wives' generosity, we now have billions of gold coins."

"You're absolutely right, Husband," Aurelia said, her grin widening. "We have more than enough to spend on this treasure, and we'll still secure a legendary weapon for our kingdom."

"I agree. Let's do our best to win this treasure for ourselves," Queen Matilda added, her voice brimming with excitement.

"In that case, let's do our best to secure this treasure," King Richard said, his voice brimming with pride as he gazed toward the balcony of their VIP room.

A special barrier surrounded the balconies of all the VIP rooms, preventing outsiders from peeking inside. Unfortunately, this precaution was meaningless against Yuan and his wives, whose Divine Sense could effortlessly penetrate the magical barrier.

This barrier allowed participants in the VIP rooms to bid anonymously, their identities hidden unless someone recognized their voices.

In mere moments, the bidding price for the treasure skyrocketed to seven million gold coins. By this point, many participants had withdrawn, unable to match the exorbitant price. However, the wealthiest individuals—nobles and royalty from across the continent—continued their fierce bidding war, determined to claim the priceless treasure.

"Eight and a half million gold coins!" Emperor Philip's voice thundered through the stadium, silencing the murmurs of the crowd.

"Nine million gold coins!" Heidi declared with excitement, her voice cutting through the tension. Grinning inside her VIP room, she felt no concern about the rising price—her wealth was more than enough to secure any treasure she desired.

"Ten million gold coins!" came a sudden bid from Denise Drake, his voice breaking the momentary silence.

"Did you really think I'd stay quiet? Fools, all of you! Thinking I wouldn't join the fight for this priceless treasure? Hahaha!" Denise's laughter echoed from his VIP room, filled with confidence and defiance.