The message that Argent sent was about an auction that would be held in Oberios City in the west, previously the United States.
To pay for what Noir had done for her inside the Exordium Tower or Tower of Beginning, Argent invited him to the auction and would like to buy him two items he wanted.
"Welcome to the Nostra Auction."
Arriving at the front gate of a building that resembled a Saturnus--a dome or half-circle design and a ring encircled it diagonally, Noir showed the invitation from Argent.
'She said to show this to the staff.'
As soon as he showed the invitation, one of the staff guided him to a private room where a VIP customer usually stayed during the auction.
There, Noir saw a familiar face sitting on the couch while looking at a piece of slim screen. That person looked so engrossed in the content of the screen, prompting Noir to call her as he sat.
"What are you looking at, Argent?"
Finally noticing Noir's arrival, Argent lowered the screen and looked at Noir.
"Oh, you've come. I didn't notice you, sorry," Argent said. "Ah, and this is where you can see the list of auction items in advance. Exclusive for VIPs like us."
Argent handed him the screen that looked like the FT Phone but larger, like an A5 paper.
"There are a lot of good Curios in this month's auction. I'm sure you'll find a suitable Curio for yourself."
Noir glanced at the list and looked back at Argent.
"Are you sure? That you will pay for my two items?"
Argent smiled.
"Of course. This much is nothing compared to my life."
"Very well."
Looking at the list of items again, Noir had a thought:
'I thought she's not treated that well in her clan. But what is this?'
"Will it be a problem if I want the most expensive item here?"
"Sure, sure. You can pick anything."
Noir's brow furrowed as he scrutinized the list on the screen. It wasn't the items he was searching for that occupied his thoughts; rather, he found himself contemplating Argent's recent behavior.
'Did something happen after her awakening? What Resonance did she possess? That silver substance during the Physical-Resonance test... It's reminiscent of her great grandfather's [Silver Star]. The power to inflict explosive damage.'
Reflecting on Argent's nearly record-breaking feat during the physical test, Noir pondered further.
'Somehow, I feel like [Silver Star] is linked to the White Dwarf.'
The notion that Argent's abilities might be tied to the White Dwarf intrigued him.
Who would not? It was the White Dwarf! What would happen if there was a power inspired by the concept of that cosmic phenomenon?
'Gravity manipulation, energy release, and the most powerful one could be the supernova!'
What Noir said was not just a speculation. The proof of that was the owner of the [Silver Star].
Argent's great grandfather was said to be able to control the density around him. That ability ended up becoming his best defensive weapon, as nothing could reach him while it was activated. Not only that, but his offensive characteristic too was about releasing heavy energy and shockwaves.
Shaking his head, Noir stopped thinking about the speculation.
'It's not time to ponder about her Resonance. I should see what's the best item in the auction.'
Looking at the screen, Noir began searching for the items.
As he did that, the auction was already starting. After five minutes, Noir decided which items to get today.
Receiving the tablet screen from Noir, Argent asked:
"Have you finished? So, what items are you looking for?"
Noir turned his attention to the window, watching as the MC excitedly fueled the competition between the bidders.
After the current auctioned item was sold and the next one about to be displayed, Noir glanced at Argent.
"That one," he said, pointing at the stage. "I want that Curio and the Elixir of Transformation."
Argent looked at the Curio on the stage, then at Noir.
"You sure you want that? I thought you'd want this month's auction main character."
"Yeah. I want that one."
Sighing, Argent sat back and put a bid on the Curio.
"Alright."
In the end, Noir bought three items in the auction. Two were gifts from Argent. The other one was from using his sister's money.
Contrasting to him, Argent bought more than 10 items.
'How much money did she have...?'
Noir shook his head.
'Well, not like I care.'
Looking at the item's bag, he continued:
'With this, I can finally see the world beyond the wall.'
***
A group of Resonants gathered in front of the tunnel entrance. Each of them registered at the Registration Center beside the entrance to leave the city and get permission to enter the rift.
After registering, they waited for a transportation truck to pick them up.
Five minutes later, the transportation truck arrived. They got onto it and drove to the colossal gate, ready to leave the city.
Among the Resonants, there was someone who attracted attention. That person wore a fox mask to cover the upper half of their face.
Unable to hold their curiosity, one of them asked the masked person:
"I've never seen you before. Where are you from?"
"I'm from Orien," the masked person answered shortly.
"The east? Man... that place is heaven!"
"Right?! That place is full of entertainment and always lively! But too bad, the cost of visiting the city is too expensive for me."
"I agree. We've run out of resources to make money nowadays."
"Haaa... I hope the rate of rift appearing is increasing again like back then. I envy the old generation that can become stronger faster because monsters were abundant."
They ended up talking to each other, forgetting the masked person.
"By the way, why are you wearing a mask?"
The masked person flinched. Noticing their reaction, one of the Resonants elbowed the one who asked the question and whispered:
"Can't you be more considerate? Of course, something bad happened to him."
"How could I know when his mask is as fancy as that?"
Looking at the masked person again, he said:
"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to tell--"
Before he finished speaking, the gesture the masked person made stopped him.
"It'd be better if you see for yourself," the masked person said as he took off the mask.
"Heup!"
Everyone who looked at his face shivered.
"T-that... must be hurt. But wait, how can you see without eyes?"
Someone elbowed the questioner again. "I told you!"
Equipping the mask again, the masked person tapped his mask.
"This is a Curio that serves as my eyes. As long as I wear it, I can see like a normal person."
The truck suddenly stopped. It seemed like they had reached the gate.
At that moment, the masked person suddenly felt nervous as the sentinel examined their groups.
The sentinel got onto the truck, asking for everyone's license and permission. One by one, the sentinel verified their identification. Then...
"Can I see your identification?"
The masked person swallowed his saliva quietly and handed his identification to the sentinel.
"Of course."
After a moment, the sentinel returned his identification and jumped off the truck.
"Green! You can go. Happy hunting!"
Looking at the gate, the masked person grinned.
'Finally, I can see the outside world.'
Slowly, the gates opened, revealing bit by bit a view of the world behind them from a linear point.
While everyone else looked nervous, the masked person was the only one who looked excited. Thankfully, no one noticed his odd reaction.
Then, as the gate was fully opened. The view of the ruined world came into the masked person's view.
At that moment, his initial reaction and expectation of the outside world crumbled.
'...'