The moment Arias offered the price for the sword, the hall fell into silence. The actual estimated price of the sword ought to be sixty thousand Crystal Coins at most. Although a mid-level weapon, the sword was in a rather poor condition. Weapons of the same level were not always of the same quality. The Pyro Crystal Sword and this sword, for instance, were both mid-level weapons, but their price and power differed significantly. The seventy-five thousand bid that Arias placed was considerably higher than its actual price which was the reason why no one had tried to outbid him.

    “Then this sword is sold to…”

    “Hold on! I’ll give seventy-eight thousand Crystal Coins for it.”

    Before Cara could announce the successful bidder of the sword, a thundering voice of bidder number one interrupted from one of the Exclusive Chambers. There was a hint of pressure coming from that voice like it was meant to intimidate others into giving up on this item.

    “Eighty thousand Crystal Coins!”

    Arias immediately declared a higher price. Neither the pressure nor the identity of Chamber One’s occupant concerned him. The only thing on his mind was to acquire that sword.

    “Eighty-three thousand Crystal Coins!”

    “Ninety thousand Crystal Coins.”

    None of them was willing to yield. All across the hall, there was no one who dared to interrupt. Cara could only smile inwardly. The price of this sword had more than doubled from the supposed price. This was indeed a profitable outcome.

    “Ninety-five thousand Crystal Coins. Young man, have some respect!”

    Suddenly, a man emerged from Chamber One. He was a middle-aged man, wore dark blue armor engraved with golden details, and was as graceful as a knight. When the man revealed himself, the hall fell into silence, all eyes staring at him in awe. Only Arias was the one who merely took a glance at the man before taking his eyes off, feeling displeased. It was a familiar face of Kazas, leader of the Hobson that he saw. This made his hatred toward the man increase tenfold. ‘Playing dirty to intimidate me? Your method might work on someone else, but this is me.’

    Cara could only let out a rueful sigh. ‘Since the other was the leader of the Hobson Clan, seems like this boy will have to lose.’ The order of the Exclusive Chambers was in fact arranged according to the bidders’ social status. The Chambers number one through ten were mostly reserved for members of the great clans while the other ten were usually occupied by the rich and wealthy or those with some prestige inferior to the great clans.

    “One hundred thousand Crystal Coins!”

    Arias shocked the whole hall with his words once again. What was the true identity of this person who could disregard someone like Kazas? Cara looked at the Chamber with mischievous and curious eyes. ‘Who is this boy? You’ve got me intrigued hehe.’

    “You…!”

    Kazas gritted his teeth angrily. For him to have revealed his identity as the Hobson Clan’s leader and still be disregarded like this was humiliating. If the auction house was not under Hargen’s administration, he would have gone and ended this person.

    “This is a place for bidding. If you have no intention to bid then get out!”

    Arias’ words shocked the whole auction house once again. What kind of person dared to dismiss Kazas, the head of the Hobson Clan?

    “You better prepare yourself. I lowered myself to have a civil conversation, but you only showed disrespect…I’ll give a hundred and twenty thousand Crystal Coins for it.”

    Kazas raised his voice in anger. Those words Arias said felt like a numbing slap in his face. He knew from his voice that the other was only a youth. If he found out who this person was, he would surely give him what he deserved.

    “A hundred and fifty thousand Crystal Coins.”

    “A hundred and fifty-five thousand Crystal Coins.”

    “A hundred and sixty thousand Crystal Coins!”

    Words of criticism came from all over the auction house.

    “How can that rusty old sword be worth this much? Is this an actual bidding or are they just trying to outdo each other?”

    “I don’t think Lord Kazas will allow himself to lose face.”

    “Who could this boy in Room Thirteen be? Where did he get the nerve to provoke a great clan leader like this? Or is it because he is a traveler from out of town that he acts so ignorant.”

    People at the auction house voiced their criticisms.

    Suddenly, an elderly man appeared beside Kazas and uttered words about something. Upon hearing those words, Kazas’ expression changed. A look of utmost dread appeared on his face. The man turned to face Chamber Thirteen with a vengeful look before hurrying after the old man.

    People were trying to make sense of this unexpected situation. Some said Kazas did it to save face, while others believe there must be some urgent matter concerning the Hobson Clan. However, most of them thought that Kazas only put on an act to save his face, probably after realizing the sword had become much too expensive. After Kazas had left, no one dared to call out any more bids. At last, the sword became Arias’. He looked at it while feeling pleased and excited. A moment later, when he was sure no one was paying attention to him, he quickly vanished from the auction house.

    “That boy sure is interesting.”

    A beautiful young man looked in the direction of Chamber Thirteen with curiosity in his eyes. The young man was dressed in gold, the attire luxurious and graceful, with the Muller Family’s emblem on his chest. He looked like a playboy, being pampered by two pretty women by his sides as his hands rested on their slender waists.

    “Don’t take an interest in such a fool, Lord Lucias. Just focus on us, hee-hee.”

    The woman’s teasing could be heard inside the small room. Her smile was beguiling, her voluptuous breasts barely covered by thin clothing. Her hands roamed all over the young man’s body seductively before trailing lower, slowly reaching his manhood.

    “Nobody interested me more than you do.”

    Lucias stopped the thought about Chamber Thirteen before turning his face to look at the woman who was smiling at him seductively. His hand reached for her chin before he placed a kiss on her full, pink lips. Their lips connected in a sensual kiss as if the place was empty except for them. If they were not in one of the Exclusive Chamber, people would certainly have been stunned to see a gorgeous man passionately making out with a beautiful maiden in the middle of an auction.

    Her hands playfully caressed down his body until they reach between his legs. He could not help but give her a stern gaze as if to say that this was not an appropriate place, but she only gave a playful and beguiling smile in return. At last, the two began their dance full of carnal desire under the gaze of the other woman. She watched them with lustful eyes and started to strip off her clothing, revealing her lovely body, before approaching Lucias and roaming her hands all over his body. The three of them acted as if this Exclusive Chamber was their private property.

    After heading out of the auction house, Arias did not immediately exit the city and headed toward one of the hotels instead. He was not sure yet if there was anyone following him. It might seem like he was being paranoid, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

    “Sir, what kind of room do you want, meow?”

    “Oh…a half-beast hybrid? It’s been a while since I last saw one.”

    Greeted by the adorable sight that was the hotelier’s wiggling ears and white, wagging tail, Arias could not help but exclaim unconsciously. This magical world was inhabited by various species and humans were not the only ones with intelligence. Elves, fairies, as well as half-beast hybrids, were some of the intelligent species.

    “That’s right, meow. My name is Shuga, and I’m a werecat, meow. So, what kind of room are you looking for, meow?”

    The hotelier replied happily, her tail still doing the adorable wagging.

    “The best room for me, then. Just make sure no one will intrude.”

    “That would be twenty Crystal Coins per day. How long will you be staying with us, meow?”

    “Just one day.”

    Arias replied with a smile. He was starting to think that werecats were quite cute. After Arias had paid the fee, Shuga took him to his room right away. The room was quite spacious and seemed comfortable.

    Once he was by himself, Arias immediately took out the sword from his dimensional ring. He looked at it with a nostalgic feeling. His inside filled with both joy and excitement.

    “After two thousand years, I didn’t think I would be seeing you again.”

    This was the sword that Arias knew very well. That was why he was willing to do everything to take it back into his possession. Its name was the Shadow Demon Sword. This sword was forged by the best weaponsmith of his time over two thousand years ago. The blade was made from various kinds of precious metal, three emperor-level Beastial Cores, and the most crucial forging materials: Arias’ blood and a sliver of his soul. As the sword contained a part of Arias’ soul, it became a weapon that only Arias alone could wield. The Shadow Demon Sword was not a mid-level or terrestrial-level weapon as people had believed. In the past, it was once a legendary sword and a magical weapon with a mind of its own.

    Even as a low-level weapon, a Soul Weapon that possessed a mind of its own was far more valuable than ordinary magical weapons. The strength of these weapons was incomparable. Soul Weapons were different from normal magical weapons in that they would only accept one master. Once a Soul Weapon chose its master, its spirit would be bound to the master until the day its master passed away.

    “Why is the Shadow Demon still connected with me? Is it perhaps because my soul did not perish in the cycle of death and rebirth, but vanished and then reborn inside this body?”

    The reunion with his sword was shedding some light on the mystery related to Arias’ death. His death was likely a shift of the soul from one body to another, which was why the connection he had with the magical weapon was still there.

    For this reason, nobody had been able to use the sword even after all these years. That was why it was in such a pitiful state. Arias still had no idea why the Shadow Demon which was supposed to be at the center of the Emerald Forest was instead found in an ancient temple ruin at the heart of the Dark Forest.

    “It’s time you awaken, my old friend.”

    Arias glanced at the sword in front of him with a fond expression. He looked at the weapon like it was something alive and not just a piece of weapon. As if it could perceive those words, the sword began to tremble slightly in return. However, it seemed to lack the power to do more than that.

    Arias smiled warmly; his eyes full of determination. He cut his fingertip before using the blood to draw a magic circle around the Shadow Demon. This magic circle was a summoning circle, created by using the summoner’s blood as a sacrifice and used for summoning or activating the power of certain items. It did not take long until Arias finished drawing the magic circle. He carefully let his blood drip and fall onto the sword before chanting a spell. The magic circle then began to shine, bathing the whole room in crimson light. The Shadow Demon started to absorb Arias’ blood along with the power from the magical circle.

    The Shadow Demon hovered at the center of the magic circle. Now rid of rust, the Shadow Demon’s true form was revealed to be almost a meter long, its silver blade exuding a powerful aura. The guard was decorated with an exquisite piece of gemstone. It looked as if there was a blue flame burning inside of this gemstone. The hilt of the sword was pure black with an appropriate length fit for his grip. The sword was engraved all over with sophisticated magical circuits. Arias stared at it with eyes full of excitement and joy.

    As soon as the Shadow Demon was awakened, the sky above Bernier City went into a turbulent state. The wind howled as if a symptom of something catastrophic. The rumbling sound of thunder could be heard all over. The people all raised their gaze toward the sky with fear and panic. It was the result of a powerful magical weapon’s awakening.

    Arias knew this was no time to be joyous. He also could feel the chaos that had been caused inside the city. He reached his hand for the Shadow Demon before putting it inside the dimensional ring. Finally, the situation calmed. It happened for less than a minute. People started to make some guesses, and many of them were still fearful of the situation.

    “Seems like I couldn’t fully awaken Shadow Demon with my current power.”

    When he touched the sword a moment before, he could feel that its power was similar to high-level weapons. It must be because he still did not have enough power to fully awaken it like in the past. The Shadow Demon Sword was not only bound to him, but it also had his blood and soul running inside. If his power were strengthened, it would certainly make the sword stronger as well. However, his power was still too weak, so he was unable to activate its power into a fully awakening state.