Mad God – Reborn

After Ooda's bid rang out, another followed a few seconds later, straight from Nuray's mouth.

"2,000!"

The quick raise and her voice representing the Spire of Keina immediately made the noble families in the room nervous. Even though Seya had explained before that rank didn't matter here, they were still afraid to bid against such a powerful force.

"2,300."

The voice announcing the bid surprised everyone; it came from a smaller noble line, the Ulyx family, which was in nobody's camp and mostly traded with other kingdoms outside of Rozex. They were mostly importing luxuries into Rozex to sell to anyone interested in collecting. To everyone's surprise, no one complained from Keina's booth.

"2,700," Nuray said calmly, and Ooda replied immediately.

"3,000."

"3,400," the leader of the Ulyx family said, seemingly unafraid of the competition and trusting Seya's earlier words.

When no more bids came, Seya gently looked at Keina's booth, while Nuray and Ooda shook their heads, signaling they wouldn't raise it any further.

"Final opportunity," Seya said in a raised voice, but when no more bids echoed, she gave a slight smile. "Sold." Her voice was firm and strong, coming down like a hammer, and Daryan was already up there, taking the formation plate off the table, handing it to his people, then placing another item, a little box, in front of everyone.

The fact that the first-ever item was sold to someone who dared to bid against a Spire Lord encouraged everybody else present to be braver next time. Especially after seeing how calm Keina and her entourage were. Even though a man beat them for the formation disk. If a notorious bunch like them were willing to follow the rules, it told the rest they had nothing to fear. Sensing their thoughts, Seya repeated her words again before introducing the second item.

"Don't forget. Wonder Emporium is backed by two Spires. Our rules are ironclad, and we are going to uphold them, no matter what." She smiled before clapping once again. "The next item contains something I am sure every one of you is going to be interested in!" She laughed, then opened the small box, and everyone could see a plum seed-sized, round pill inside. It was mostly green, with thin, swirling white lines around it, set against a solid, stable light-green hue.

Murmurs immediately ran through the crowd; it wasn't the first pill they'd seen, and they were already used to the dozens of such things available in the Wonder Emporium. Everyone present bought at least one, recognizing it as a body-strengthening product. But accompanied by a glow? For most, it was the first time ever seeing one. Not only were the nobles excited and waiting for Seya's explanation, but Seya herself was just as eager. She and the rest were curious too about how much it would sell for, as they were consuming these kinds of pills almost every week since Ren arrived, using them for their cultivation.

"As most of you are already familiar with the coloring of this pill, you all know this is simply called a 'Body Strengthening Pill.' Yet this version of it is a Tier 2 pill." Seya explained, "What you can buy in the shop is only an inferior version. Wonder Emporium only sells the Tier 0 version of the same pill. Sometimes when we have a good batch, you may be able to purchase a Tier 1 version, but anything higher is reserved for auctions like this," she said slowly, wearing a soft smile through it all.

"Tier 0? It must be the lowest kind then…" rang out a murmur from one of the booths, followed quickly by others.

"I already bought a dozen of those; both of my youngest sons were able to start cultivating with their help and reached the 1st stage in just two weeks!"

"I once saw a Tier 1; it was pulsating with the same hue… but this one has a stable glow around it… not flickering at all," another noble echoed.

"I also saw it. It was bought by the Brightseed Family," came a fourth voice, making a few more courageous eyes travel towards Veponia, who remained unperturbed, even answering in a flat tone.

"It made one of our family members who was stuck at the 5th stage for 20 years reach the 6th stage. In a week."

Her words were a tremendous and effective advertisement. If given to a talented youngster or someone who was stuck at a particular stage… it could do wonders! If a Tier 1 pill could do that, then what they were seeing must be even more valuable...

"The effects of this pill can double what a Tier 1 one can do," Seya said, drawing their attention back to herself once again. "Of course, taking it at a lower cultivation level can benefit you even more. It helps the cultivator strengthen their bodies, guide the energy they take in, and distribute it effectively. Below the 5th stage, it is guaranteed to have an instant effect and make your cultivation progress smoother! It can at least halve the required time to advance a stage! Or even more, if the taker has talent. Above the 5th stage, it is perfect for cultivators who are stuck. It can help anyone to focus and attempt a breakthrough with… around a 60% chance of success. Or even more, depending on the circumstances and accumulation of the individual." She explained calmly, watching everyone grow fidgety. They were clearly more interested in the pill than in the previous item. "The starting price is 2,000 gold pieces."

"What?" not just one person exclaimed, expecting it to cost much more.

"This is just one pill that we are going to sell today. There are more unique ones in the queue." Seya giggled in an innocent voice, making even Corvux shift in his seat now. He focused on the pill with a serious look, totally caught off guard by this auction.

"3,000," Nuray's voice rang out immediately, but Yavik spoke up just as she finished.

"4,000"

"6,000," Ooda countered without flinching, but then some wealthy nobles started chiming in too, already forgetting who they were fighting and focusing only on the pill on the stage.

"If Uncle saw this, he would tear his hair out." Ren held back a laugh, while Ariana could only sigh and nod beside her.

"This pill is… really nothing. Even back home, we can earn it with the most menial chores… isn't this pill what we were trading with the Elroths?" Ariana asked, looking at her Master and raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." Ren nodded. "They usually kept the higher tiers for themselves, but the lower ones were sold off. Well, they never reached Rozex or most parts of the Kingdom of Ten. The rulers usually pocketed them. It was time the people here finally got a glimpse of what the future holds. Soon these kinds of pills are going to be the norm, sold just the same as swords and shields on the market."

"Is it good to bring these out from the Sect, Master?" Ariana asked, a bit worried about the notion.

"It is not like I am selling off our Tier 3 pills. Those are the real deal; anything below that is only mediocre. Sooner or later, the first three tiers will become ordinary commodities. I am just reaping a bit of profit before that happens. Nobody will bat an eye in a decade or so. You'll see!" She shook her head with a smirk. "Don't forget, anything below Tier 3 does not stack in effect. Take it once, and then consecutive pills of the same kind are going to have greatly diminishing effects. The fools who buy up dozens of Tier 0 pills are just wasting their money... Not that I am complaining." She stuck her pink tongue out playfully. "Only pills at Tier 3 and the above levels will have the same effects if taken multiple times. Those pills are reserved for those who are close to me." Ren winked at Ariana, then looked at the back of Seya, who was guiding the bidding war on the stage. Neither Seya, Daryan, nor Balbeer realized they were eating Tier 3 pills... To them, they looked the same as the one they were selling off right now.

"12,000!" Yavik's forceful, even annoyed, loud voice rang out in everyone's ears at that moment. It was rage-inducing that others dared to raise his prices again and again! Especially since they came intending to buy up most things. One pill was now selling for the price of a handful of quality specimens they could experiment on in their Spire, a mind-boggling comparison for him. Why weren't they backing down?!

On the stage, Seya looked around with a friendly gaze, waiting for the next bid, but deep inside, she was tearing her hair out. 12,000 gold coins?! Are these people insane? Or are they the insane ones for consuming 12,000 coins every single week, willy-nilly?! A noble family had to eat tree bark and whatnot for three or four months to gather that much money. Yet now they were throwing it away like that? Not to mention their 'cultivation allowance' from Ren was four such pills per month?! She felt like fainting right up then and there, almost failing to call out when no more bids came… She couldn't believe that they were eating literal fortunes every time they cultivated.

"Sold!" She cleared her throat, calming Yavik, who almost fell over after yelling out their last bid. He was grabbing the railings of their booth to keep himself steady, but they finally got the first pill in the bag, already thinking about how expensive the next one would be.

"Bring me the pill," Corvux said, his voice unmasked, and Seya just nodded toward Balbeer. He walked up, flanked by guards, wearing the amethyst armor set of the Spire of Ren, and brought it to him. Balbeer showed no fear, looked directly into Corvux's eyes, and gave it over only when Yavik presented the gold coins.

When it was finally in Corvux's hand, he picked it up, twirled it in his palm and around his fingers, smelled it, and even licked it. Everyone was watching him in dead silence. Soon they could only feel their jaws drop and their bodies cringe while Corvux crushed the pill, examining the powder the same way Rabout did the first time. Some even wanted to curse him out and start crying. For others, this was 12,000 gold coins flushed down the toilet, a complete waste. Even Seya lost her composure for a brief second... Luckily, nobody was looking at her, only at Corvux.

"Unique." He whispered one word before looking up, dusting his palms as his eyes watched the curtain, looking through it, only to find Ren standing behind it.

"He is good." Ren smacked her lips, gazing at Corvux's flashing eyes.

"Master?"

"He figured out the ingredients."

"Huh? How?" Ariana blinked, only believing it because her Master said so.

"It was crafted by Uncle Dermitos. Corvux has Aerthus's bloodline integrated into him. I felt the same thing from him as I felt from Rudrick. Even if it is not perfect… he may have the same affinity towards pills as he does. I am sure if given enough time, he could recreate it."

"Master… this is not good!" Ariana whispered, turning nervous.

"Relax. I already decided he has to die." She answered, a smile forming as she crossed her arms. "I would not mind it if he were like Rabout. Then I would let him reproduce it. Competition brings advancement… but sadly, he is a twisted bastard."

While Ren was talking with Ariana, Corvux did the same with Yavik.

"Bid for every pill. Buy them all." He ordered in a stern and tyrannical voice.

"Bu-" Even before he could finish his words, Yavik received a stare from Corvux, making him leak a few drops of piss into his trousers for the amusement of Elinus. "Y-yes. All of them."

"The next item is something that not everyone present will find valuable," Seya said, grabbing back their attention with a smile and returning to her calm, collected voice and expression. At the same time, everyone else grew even more confused as they listened to her. "It is a spell." She continued while Daryan walked up and placed a thick booklet on the table. It was wrapped in black leather, with no title but a strange yet interesting symbol. A purple eye, flashing with lightning. "To better explain it, I'll let the one who designed this spell tell you about its effects." She bowed toward the curtain, and Ren walked out slowly, standing before everyone and sweeping the crowd with her amethyst eyes.

"Greetings. I am Ren, Lord of one of the Spires, as most of you know," she said with a smile. "I see most of you still don't dare to look into my eyes." She chuckled, making many nobles flinch as they guessed what this was about. "I don't blame any of you, as I know everyone here is told again and again while growing up not to do so. I assume you were scared by bedtime stories as a child... If you look into a Naulin's eyes, you risk your mind being dominated." She chuckled playfully, making them even more nervous.

"Damn right..." Her words drew a smile to Corvux's face, as it was a great pride of the bloodline, originating from Zelig, who perfected their inherent gift and made it as famous as Aerthus's overwhelming regenerative ability.

"I also experienced its effects firsthand. More than once, when fighting against Rudrick." She spread her arms, drawing the nobles' attention entirely to herself. "Still, he died by my hands, rendering his eyes useless against me!" She exclaimed with a strong force and a proud smirk. "It was not because I have the same gift… but because of this." She patted the booklet, turning Corvux's eyes into a small pinprick, and even Keina perked up in her chair. "As Seya said, this spell is not useful for everyone here. There is a special requirement to cultivate it, and that is…" She raised her hand as lightning was flickering around it. "To have the same affinity as me. But if you do... and master it..." She added, turning serious, "You can bravely look into these eyes of mine."