Chapter 168 : Chapter 168
Chapter : 168
Morgan's Heart?
I looked at the chess piece that was faintly emitting an ominous aura. It seemed that no one else could see the eerie black energy surrounding it.
'Morgan's Heart'.
I first heard this term in the Bounty Hunter's Association in Buma City, mentioned during a private conversation between two hunters. The source was a suspected fishing bounty.
—[『No Level Limit』 Find Morgan's Heart]
—Bounty Details: Find Morgan's Heart and bring it back intact.
The vague bounty description, the level-unrestricted nature of the quest, and the generous reward amount all screamed that it was a bait bounty.
Just by hearing the name, it was easy to judge that Morgan's Heart originated from that false god, Morgan, of Mandiper.
And the time the bounty was posted was just a few days after the collapse of Mandiper. The guy who posted the bounty seemed to really be fishing for someone.
However, I didn't have many clues at the time, and since it didn't have much to do with me, I could only put it aside for the time being.
Immediately after that, I went out and met a guy with a strange face using the name 'Demetrius', who was respectfully called the Young Master by the people of the Eternal Divine Sect. I then completely forgot about this matter.
I didn't expect to see the 'Morgan's Heart' from the bounty here.
My brows knitted together tightly. This was simply too coincidental.
On stage, the auctioneer was still passionately introducing this 'Morgan's Heart': "More than two thousand years ago, the God of Wealth 'Morgan' fell at..."
The corners of my mouth twitched. Listening to the auctioneer introduce this 'Morgan's Heart', I couldn't help but raise a doubt: Are they serious?
Two thousand years ago, there were probably about four or five gods related to wealth. Which one was named Morgan? If the real God of Wealth, 'Jinmai', heard this, wouldn't He be so angry He'd resurrect on the spot?
Holding His bones, using His abilities, and even renaming Him...
I listened to the auctioneer's impassioned introduction with it going in one ear and out the other. I felt this introduction was full of holes, yet others didn't think so.
Especially since most people here were Romuniks. The blood of merchants is naturally carved into the veins of Romunik people.
In a country where even titles of nobility can be bought and sold, how could they not be moved when hearing of an item belonging to the God of Wealth?
Some well-informed people already knew this item would be auctioned before it even started. Many merchants and nobles came specifically for this 'Morgan's Heart'.
When the auctioneer announced the starting price, the heat of the scene was no less than the scramble for dragon scales and dragon blood earlier; in fact, it was even more intense.
Although I didn't know exactly what that bit of black energy surrounding 'Morgan's Heart' was, I knew it wasn't anything good. It was probably similar to the filth on the bones of a god; if influenced by it for a long time, one's little life wouldn't be guaranteed.
The scene was like people snatching up discounted eggs and meat before a market closed; it was no different from rushing to reincarnate.
An absolute hell joke.
***
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] did a forward roll, sticking to the blind spot of the guards, and quietly scooted into the final checkpoint.
Only when he truly entered the Augreer Auction House did he wipe away a sheen of nervous sweat and whisper, "Finally in."
He looked around and, after cautiously confirming there was no one nearby, clung to the wall to study the reliefs on the auction house's walls, exclaiming, "This is a bit impressive. Such detailed modeling, they actually carved out the details on just a wall."
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] was also a game blogger. However, unlike accounts like [Big Brother A] which were run purely on fan engagement, he focused on content and was also an uploader who analyzed game lore.
His videos were mostly research-based, excavating many small easter eggs that ordinary players couldn't discover.
The fans he attracted were also mostly those who liked to study the plot. His obtaining of a beta test slot this time was purely a coincidence.
Having just finished organizing the timeline for his previous game, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow], who was in a window period, saw a post on the forum saying that the beta test slots for "The Return" were open, so he casually registered for one.
Who knew he would land exactly on the three-thousandth spot, very luckily grabbing a beta slot?
He entered the game with a mindset of just giving it a try, but who knew that once he tried, he would become obsessed?
He rejected all the games others asked him to promote, devoting himself wholeheartedly to "The Return".
He would max out the online time limit of eight hours every day, forgetting to eat and sleep to study this holographic game.
While others were busy leveling up and fighting monsters, experiencing swords and magic that couldn't be felt in the real world, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] was exploring the game background and world story of "The Return" inside the game.
The deeper he understood it, the more excited [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] became. This world was simply too realistic; it made a lore party member like him unable to resist rubbing his fists in anticipation.
Compared to "The Return", other games were truly weak.
He poked his head out from a corner to look. After confirming there were no patrol team members outside, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] tiptoed and sneakily walked inside.
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] had come to Slanlipa City by mistake.
He was born in Novice Village Norman 02. That novice village was located on the edge of the forest, right next to the border of Romunik.
Because he saw a post on the forum about a hidden quest in a Romunik novice village, when [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] reached level 15 and could officially leave the novice village, he planned to take a carriage to investigate.
However, perhaps the coachman at the post station didn't understand where he wanted to go. He dropped him off in the wilderness and ignored him, even swindling him out of the few gold coins he had saved in the novice village, leaving the current [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] unable to move a single step.
But this was not a problem. Brave players would not be limited by these external conditions. He randomly chose a lucky direction to advance—of course, it was impossible to walk to Slanlipa City on foot. After all, everyone knew the concept of the wilderness; there were few signs of human habitation for hundreds of miles.
Even more tragically, it rains when the roof leaks; he encountered a low-level demonic beast on the road.
Yes, a demonic beast, the only officially designated hostile monster unit in "The Return".
They were almost impossible to see in the novice village, but he bumped into one as soon as he left.
This game didn't have monster level restrictions either; the levels of monsters encountered wouldn't change based on the player's level, it was all random.
So much so that [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow], who was barely level 15, was almost beaten to death when he met a level 20 demonic beast.
Fortunately, a passing merchant caravan saved his dog life, otherwise, he would have had to experience his first death in "The Return".
The two-day-long resurrection cooldown was simply too long. [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow], who had been completely molded into the shape of "The Return", felt he definitely couldn't endure two days without playing.
In short, after being saved, he learned that the caravan was heading to Slanlipa City, so he came along with the caravan's carriages.
To be honest, when he saw Slanlipa City, which was completely different from the novice village, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] was shocked, followed by excitement.
A city built so meticulously, a city that wasn't even mentioned in the early plot, sounded like a hidden quest or a hidden map.
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow], who had rich experience in games, decisively decided to stay. During his stay in the city, he got news that there was an auction tonight.
At that time, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] felt that this auction was not simple. This morning, when he saw that familiar chestnut-haired masked man, Joker, all his guesses were confirmed.
This auction was indeed not simple!
That Joker had appeared several times in internal recording videos; he could be considered the official 'poster girl' character of "The Return"!
Since Joker appeared, maybe this auction would become one of the main storylines of the game?
Having guessed this far, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] naturally couldn't miss this auction. It was just a pity he couldn't get a legitimate invitation and could only sneak in.
He quickly scanned the surroundings. After confirming there was no one, he quietly infiltrated the auction site.
As soon as he entered, he heard the auctioneer on stage introducing 'Morgan's Heart' with flying spittle, leaving him dumbfounded.
If I were to review [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow]'s infiltration process, I would have to praise this guy for his dog-like luck.
It was clearly a heavily guarded auction house, yet he managed to find a short window of ten-odd seconds where no one was around and successfully entered the venue.
However, at this moment, I didn't have time to check my minimap to observe a player's movement route. I was waiting for the people around me to bid.
Perhaps because the item was too shocking, no one bid immediately.
I looked at my skill [Touch of Midas], which shared the same origin as that 'Morgan's Heart', and hesitated a little.
Although I didn't know why 'Morgan's Heart' appeared at this auction, since I saw it, I couldn't let this thing fall into other people's hands, especially since there was at least one person from the Eternal Divine Sect present.
From the Mandiper incident, it could be seen that the actions of the Church of Light and the Eternal Divine Sect were not much different; both were searching for people with 'Divine Talent'.
I had previously guessed that the fishing bounty was very likely posted by the Church of Light. Now seeing the actual subject of the bounty, naturally, I couldn't let the other party get it so easily.
It was just that I would have to spend a lot of gold coins tonight. I didn't want to spend real gold and silver to buy something that looked ominous at a glance, benefiting the person behind it. So I could only use [Touch of Midas].
I hoped the random probability of lowering willpower in this skill was a bit smaller.
I raised my paddle and bid first. This sound instantly ignited the passion of the merchants and nobles at the scene.
Bidding sounds came from all directions. What [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] saw was exactly such a scene that made one's blood boil along with it.
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow]'s eyes lit up. He looked up and saw a patrolman walking towards him from a distance.
He immediately crouched down to hide himself between the chair backs. Feeling that wasn't safe enough, he simply lay on the ground and crawled forward.
Huffing and puffing as he crawled forward, it was only because the attention of the people nearby was on the 'Morgan's Heart' in front that they didn't discover [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] crawling all the way.
Finding a good corner, [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] concentrated on recording this auction.
"3,000"
"4,000"
"4,500"
"..."
Bidding until the end became a game for the rich. The unit was ten thousand, and the transaction currency was gold coins.
Such a colossal price was to the extent that even the nobles present who had the ability to participate in the bidding couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
I looked back. When I shouted 50 million gold coins, there were only two forces competing. One was the private box suspected to house Fitch, which had bid on the dragon scales and dragon blood earlier, and the other was a small private box in a relatively remote location on the top floor.
I didn't have the list of participants for this auction, but the forces that had the courage to shout out such high amounts of gold coins were definitely not nobodies.
Appearing in Slanlipa City... there was a high probability they were local forces of Romunik.
A few well-known merchants and nobles in Romunik...
I calculated in my heart, and at the same time raised the paddle. "10,000."
The auctioneer brought the hammer down. "One Wan... uh?"
He thought he saw it wrong. He adjusted the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and looked carefully. Confirming it was the number 10,000, the auctioneer swallowed. "One Wan (units) — is there anyone bidding a higher price?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the topmost private box. However, at this moment, the top floor was silent; the atmosphere seemed to have solidified at this moment.
A few seconds later, the light indicating continued bidding in the corner private box went out, tantamount to giving up on this lot.
After hesitating for a few breaths, the most luxurious private box still hadn't reacted. The auctioneer assumed he had also given up on this lot and was just stalling for the sake of face.
Although one Wan... or rather, one hundred million gold coins, could be scraped together by taking out nearly six months of turnover from several auction houses, doing so would inevitably hurt the auction house's bones for a while.
Just as the auctioneer was about to knock the remaining two times, the luxurious private box raised the price again. "10,001."
The whole venue was in an uproar.
Many people remembered the farce when auctioning the dragon scales just now. That noble sitting in the booth had also raised the price like this.
They thought the noble in the luxurious private box would seek revenge after the auction ended, but they didn't expect it to start now!
The price had already reached such an exaggerated figure that no one paid attention to 'Morgan's Heart' anymore. Everyone's attention was on me and that luxurious private box.
"They are clashing." A small merchant beside [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] clicked his tongue in wonder. "The person in this luxurious private box is obviously trying to take revenge on him."
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] became interested upon hearing this. Originally, he didn't have much concept of the current scene, but hearing this person's words, he couldn't help but lean over. "What do you mean? Do the two of them have a grudge?"
The small merchant was startled. Turning his head, he saw a strange face thrust in front of him. "Who are you? Why are you next to me?"
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] paused, laughed heh-heh, and scratched his hair. "Just now. I felt being alone was too boring, so I came up to find someone to talk to."
"Did you just say there is some conflict or grudge between these two people?"
The small merchant looked at him suspiciously a few times. "Didn't you watch them seriously just now?
The previous dragon scales and dragon blood or whatever, the person in that luxurious private box won the bid, but the price was driven up during the process."
"There, the one who just called out 10,000 is the person who drove up the price." The small merchant lifted his chin, signaling [Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] to look in my direction. "Now it must be the person in that luxurious private box taking revenge on him, deliberately raising the price."
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] looked thoughtfully at me. From his direction, he could only see the side of my face. And looking from the bottom up, it was even blurrier; he could only see the general features.
Hmm, a guy with an unremarkable appearance.
But being so rich, he should be a man with a storyline!
But... did Joker appear at the current auction?
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] looked around but didn't see that chestnut hair, which was a bit of a pity.
The corners of my mouth raised. Hearing the bidding sound from behind, I wasn't anxious at all. No matter how much money it was, with the [Touch of Midas] skill, it was impossible for me to have a problem.
Competing with me in wealth?
I raised the 10,000 paddle again. The total amount doubled directly.
I turned back and gave a look bordering on provocation in the direction of the luxurious private box. I didn't care if the other party was angry seeing it; anyway, I felt good.
Sure enough, after that look of mine, the luxurious private box added a fraction of 1 again.
"20,001."
I followed up without hesitation. "30,000."
"30,001."
I felt it wasn't exciting enough, so I simply raised the price three times in a row. "60,000."
Inside the luxurious private box.
"Damn it, this guy is definitely provoking us!" A guard beside Fitch cursed. "He is dead set on going against us! Your Maj... Young Master, should we still raise the price?"
Fitch's eyelids lowered slightly, concealing the gloom that flashed in his eyes, leaving only a worried expression.
He frowned slightly. "No, we didn't bring many gold coins originally, and we still need the manager here to help advance the payment... Forget it, just let him have it."
"Young Master, really? It's just sixty thousand. It's fine to ask the firm to help advance it. This is a divine object left by the God of Wealth. If we bring it back, Your Maj... your mother will definitely be very happy."
Another guard advised. Just as he finished speaking, his waist was nudged by someone else's elbow. He looked over in confusion, signaling with his eyes: What is it?
The person who nudged him winked and mouthed: Wan!
He froze. After looking at the auctioneer on the high platform again, cold sweat instantly poured down.
That's right, bidding continuously with numbers like one thousand and ten thousand, he almost forgot that these numbers had to be followed by a unit of 'Wan' (Ten Thousand) at the end. The sixty thousand he mentioned was actually six hundred million gold coins...
Let alone whether they could take out so much gold, even if they could, they wouldn't dare to!
Even the tax revenue of the entire Bartovita for a whole year might not amount to six hundred million gold coins. If they spent six hundred million gold coins to win a so-called item left by a god, if word got back, who should it be offered to?
Offer it to the Queen? Then King Barto would be suspicious.
Offer it to King Barto? Then with the Queen's ruthless character, if she knew they used so much of the Augreer family's liquid capital just to offer a treasure to King Barto—a treasure the Queen didn't get a share of—everyone present, counting one by one, would be done for.
This choice was hard to make, but Fitch smiled, carrying an aura of weakness and vulnerability. "Give it up. Even the entire Augreer family can't take out so many gold coins in one breath."
"Then we're letting that kid off so cheaply...?"
"What cheapness? Don't forget, if we Augreers can't take it out, do you think that kid opposite us can? Looking at where he is sitting, he is just a minor noble. Even with the power of his entire clan, he couldn't scrape together so many gold coins."
"That's true. Maybe that kid can't pay the gold coins for the item, and this 'Morgan's Heart' will automatically pass. Then our Maj... Young Master can directly buy it internally."
The group discussed and felt this was feasible, agreeing with Fitch's decision one after another.
Fitch looked calm and breezy on the surface, but the moment he lowered his head, he revealed a cold expression. While everyone was still discussing fervently, that gloomy gaze slowly swept over the few people present.
Several guards vaguely sensed something was wrong and fell silent. Only a few people sent by the Queen to follow Fitch and help him strategize were still arguing incessantly.
Fitch's hand 'accidentally' shook, smashing the water glass onto the floor, emitting a piercing shattering sound. Hearing this noise, the people at the scene finally quieted down completely.
...
Back at the scene, the luxurious private box remained the same, delaying the decision. The auctioneer was still waiting patiently, waiting for the luxurious private box to make a decision.
After all, other attendants might not know who was in the luxurious private box, but the auctioneer on the scene definitely would.
While waiting, the light in the luxurious private box went out.
The auctioneer thought he would usher in another wave of fiercer bidding. Unexpectedly, after this noble from Romunik in the booth finished his shocking triple price increase, the luxurious private box gave up the fight entirely.
Three knocks of the gavel.
Sold.
[Broken Bridge, Lingering Snow] watched with boiling blood, wishing he could turn his eyes into video recorders so he could record the entire auction scene. That way, he could post a video directly instead of converting it into a written narrative bit by bit.
***
The entire auction ended, and I had clearly become the biggest winner. Next was to settle the bill.
Just looking at that string of numbers was dazzling.
However, the gold coins I had prepared were all trash eliminated from my backpack, transformed into gold coins using [Touch of Midas], and transported over using a bracelet as a spatial prop.
Unexpectedly, this noble gentleman could really afford such a high fee. People who had also come to settle their bills revealed expressions of amazement at me, simultaneously whispering about which mysterious family I came from to be so rich?!
I could feel all kinds of gazes patrolling back and forth on my body. Among them, there was no lack of malicious ones. I even felt a damp, cold gaze, like a venomous snake crawling in a dark corner.
I looked around imperceptibly but found nothing.
Successfully picking up the purchased Beastmen, I didn't have time to settle them, so I gave them an address and told them to wait for me there after leaving the auction house.
There was no need to worry about the Beastmen running away directly because the auction house would sign a master-servant contract with the buyer after the Beastmen were sold. After I won the Beastmen, the contract was handed to me.
But it didn't matter if they ran or not. I only started this to rescue these trapped Beastmen. If they ran, let them be; if they didn't, I'd take them back and throw them to Merlin to be NPC reserves.
I glanced sideways. I could feel that ever since I walked out of the auction house's main gate, more than a dozen gazes had locked onto me.
Holding that 'Morgan's Heart' in my hand, I tossed it up and down.
Sure enough, a big fool who spent such a large sum of gold coins to buy a god's relic was a fat sheep in the eyes of those with ulterior motives.
I just didn't know if these people were targeting this 'Morgan's Heart' or my money bag. Or both?
I walked out normally, turned into a small alley, then changed my acting status, directly switching to the Joker identity and running into the depths of the alley.
"He ran?"
"Quick, chase!"
"Over there!!"
"Damn, who are you? Why are you running with us?"
"Fuck, I wanted to ask who you are?"
A burst of chaotic shouting ensued. By this time, Joker was already squatting silently on top of a wall, submerging his entire figure in the shadows, watching with interest as the people tracking him below crashed into a pile, arguing until they almost started fighting.
"Stop fighting, find the person first!"
"Which direction did he run just now?"
"Seems like over there!"
Unfortunately, these people were rational enough not to fight in the end. I lost the chance to watch a good show and regretfully watched those small fry chase into the distance.
There was nothing over there, only the real Mr. Ken, gagged and tied up like a dumpling.