"I think," said Reina slowly, "We should win this. Unless I've made a mistake, in the worst case, we'll get it for 440 Credits. But we can win it for 380, maybe 390. It depends if I can scare off Booth 1182."
"What?" said Zane.
"That's our main competition," Reina explained. "They've shown an interest in Fire Element treasures, and they have the resources—they're just conservative. They won't try to outbid us if they're not sure they can win. If I raise them enough at 350, it should be enough."
"…Sure," said Zane. He wasn't sure how to help. "You can do it," he went. He felt kind of like Evan saying it.
The bids started pouring in –
"255 Credits!"
"260!"
"275!"
"275, from the Booth in the 3rd row!" roared Yultan. Would anyone like to match it? I'm hearing 285—285, from Booth 953!"
It quickly rose, then rose again. 280, 285, 290… that was 290 high-grade essence stones. By then, only the top Factions from Ur-Planets were competing. Everyone knew it. The same few voices called out—
"300," said a deep, assured voice. Booth 1182. The one Reina mentioned.
"305," said another.
"310," said Booth 1182 instantly.
Then Reina jumped in. "340 Credits!" she called loud and clear.
The Auction was set up so you could only hear the bids—they didn't want the participants communicating with each other, Zane guessed. They took the whole anonymity thing quite seriously. But when their voices did sound, they got amplified.
Reina's voice echoed down the vast empty space.
Then there was a silence.
That was a thirty Credit raise—more than six times the last few raises.
It was an eye-popping amount. Zane saw a few of the parties actively bidding turning to each other, all alarmed.
"350," came the voice from Booth 1182, but it sounded hesitant now.
"390," Reina said instantly.
A silence.
"390 Credits, from Booth 1442!" cried Auctioneer Yultan. "Any takers? Going once, going twice… sold! A hearty congratulations to the lady and the hefty gentleman in Booth 1442!"
Zane blinked. 'Hefty?'
Anyhow—she'd done it.
He was getting his True Stormfire. With the Concepts. And Skills to go with it, too, all in an S-rank package. He'd been pretty certain it would happen once Reina got going. It still felt surprising somehow.
For a few weeks there, he'd been stuck with nowhere to go Law-wise. Now a whole new world of Law would open up before him… all sorts of fun explosive new powers. Pseudo-Stormfire was always touted as a shadow of its true self. Just how much stronger was True Stormfire…?
He planned to find out very soon.
Reina turned to him, eyes all bright—he couldn't see her face through the mask, but he'd seen her smiling enough to know she was doing it underneath there. She was filled with relief.
One of the ways she liked to show how much she liked him was by giving him things, he noticed. Now she'd done it he felt a lot of warmth gushing out of her.
"Zane, we won!"
"Great job," said Zane earnestly. He gave her a hug, which was kind of awkward with how their sizes matched up in this place, but he stooped over and managed. He marveled at her like he found himself doing a lot these days. She was so smart. He figured he'd still be bumbling around in some forest if she wasn't here.
The interesting thing was, they had another 400 or so Credits to spare, didn't they?
And the Auction wasn't over…
***
Meanwhile, in a certain scouting booth—
"Stormfire?!" cried Scout Haelin.
"Didn't he just hear how dangerous it is?" choked Zhang.
"It'd be just our luck," said Haelin, shaking his head. "Right when we find a star prospect, he blows himself up! The last time someone walked that path to the end…"
"It was Sage Noughtfire, wasn't it?" said Zhang. "And that was so long ago it's more legend than history. Wielding true Stormfire is akin to riding a dragon—at just Tier 4… at Tier 7 it's unthinkable! It'd take an absurd amount of soul power to tame it, the likes of which we haven't seen in—in—"
Haelin and Zhang both looked at Zane again in silence.
"…Well," said Haelin.
"Well," said Zhang.
"…Perhaps?" said Haelin, frowning.
***
In another scouting booth—
"He chose Stormfire," said Scout Falling Rain. "Which means he's got an Electric Affinity too—he could already have the Elemental Law!"
"We must tell the Steward," said Scout Laimon breathlessly. "If he survives…"
After the Black Century of M18, Mount Thunderclast lost nearly half their Chosen—they had just double-digits left. And Chosen made the seeds of the next generation; they were who became the next Elders, the next Patriarchs.
Mount Thunderclast was starved of new talent. And each new Integration only added a handful of new Chosen. They were willing to spend to secure their future.
At the same time, the other scouting booths were discussing fiercely too…
***
The Auction kept going, but Zane was already satisfied. They'd gotten their Stormfire inheritance. Anything more was a bonus.
He told Reina if a Wood Inheritance popped up, she should go for it. She nodded. But none did—just a Dark Inheritance and an Electric one.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," said Auctioneer Yultan. "I regret to inform you we've come to our last item… a very special item."
Everyone on the top floor—all the richest parties there—were paying rapt attention. Especially those who hadn't gotten to snag a suitable Inheritance.
"Because it is a two-item set! One of them is an S-ranked treasure, one an S+!" boomed Yultan.
Zane saw folk turning to each other, eyes wide. Saw folk gasping, craning over the sides of their platforms to get a better look.
"The first…"
A single vial popped up on the podium. A glass so clear it was nearly invisible. Stoppered with a peculiar stopper scribed over with a single shining rune.
One red droplet floated in the middle of it, suspended. Swirling slowly. So small you could barely see it. But you could see the way the glass, the very air curved around it…
"Wielders of Steel Laws, rejoice!" cried Yultan. "For this little vial contains the key to your rejuvenation. Therein lies a single drop of refined Godbeast blood. The blood of the fearsome Titan Rhinoceros, a beast that tramples the very Heavens! One can use this blood to lather weapons or armor and upgrade them immensely. But a far better use, in my humble opinion… is to imbibe it."
Yultan nodded. "For seven days and seven nights, this little droplet will dissolve in your body. Until it becomes a part of you. Then it will upgrade your body immensely—purifying it utterly, granting it durability equivalent to a Mythic rank treasure! And that's if you have no existing body cultivation Skills. Those with such passive Skills already will reap greater benefits still…"
By then, Zane had perked up too. They did have quite a few Credits left over...
"But this treasure is merely the base," said Yultan. "It comes paired with another…"
An old-looking book floated beside him, made of a thick silvery leather. Bound in thick chains. A horn lay embossed on the cover. Like the vial it gave off a certain mysterious aura; it commanded everyone's attention. You didn't even need to Inspect it to know it was something special.
"The Tome of the Titan Rhinoceros!" roared Yultan. "This tome that contains layers of passive Skills. Each layer is an upgrade to the previous one. Until at the final layer, the wielder achieves the same level of physical toughness as the Godbeast that bears its name."
"We're getting this," said Reina firmly.
Zane blinked. "Are you sure?"
He was happy getting something else—and this seemed like a perfect upgrade to his Spirit Steel body. It sounded like it could boost his defenses a ton.
But he'd also already gotten a treasure. He was sure they could use the rest of their money to trade for something for her. Or Avery or Evan. But Reina looked deadly serious. She wanted this for him even more than she'd wanted the Stormfire, which surprised him.
"I hate it when they hit you," she said. And she meant it. "But if you have to get hit, at least this'll make it so they're the ones that get hurt."
"…"
Yultan smiled. "In most years such a treasure would never appear, mind you. No S-rank treasures would appear, as a matter of fact! But given the talent in this year's class, certain exceptions were made… I recommend you take advantage of it. Bidding starts at 300 credits!"
And the bids poured in—
"305!"
"310!"
"320!"
"335!"
Up and up the bids went—
"350!" he was pretty sure that one came from Elias. For a moment there was silence.
Then— "365!" came the deep voice from booth 1182.
"370!" the boy with the cat ears.
"375."
"380!"
"385!" cried Reina, jumping in.
"388," said the cat-boy.
"395," said Reina.
The boy gave them a look with narrowed purple eyes. But he cut off his bid.
Which meant— "Sold!" said Yultan. "Once again to the party in booth 1442! You've made off with quite the haul today."
Reina let out a tight breath.
He chuckled. "Well, folks. That was the final item! Thank you all for participating in the Merchant Guild's End-of-Year Auction! I've had a wonderful time serving you. I hope to see you all again someday. Without the masks, perhaps! In the next few months, you'll mount your planets' last stand against the forces of death. Win through, and you'll join the vast intergalactic community of life—and be integrated fully into the Celestial Imperium and the Dragonspire Galaxy within… lose, and all life will perish on your planet. And the Monsters gain a new home base. Hold strong, candidates! I wish you all the best of luck."
Then it all faded away, as though in a dream.
The participants all woke on their planets. So did the scouts of the Nine Great Factions—in an excited frenzy. They went off to make their reports to their Elders and Overseers.
It was the first time any of them had heard of the mystery prospect they'd later discover as Zane Walker.
In hindsight, that was when the discussions first started, the anticipation—and it was rare indeed that it happened so early on in the cycle. Before they'd even seen his face or knew his name.
Certain talents were late bloomers. But the most hyped prospects often had massive expectations heaped on them from the start. News of this mystery man with the unheard-of soul spread across the galaxy's halls of power in hushed tones, in war rooms, in idle chit-chat between Sages at tea, to old Masters meditating in mountain pagodas above seas of mists, or training in the hearts of dying stars…
It was nothing yet but a rumor. A curiosity. Too early to say.
But soon, that rumor would gain a name and a face and rise to something far greater…
***
Their treasures lay beside them when they woke up—in a pure-black Bag of Holding, made of some kind of absurdly soft moleskin. It was a gift in itself—the insides were the biggest Zane had ever seen. They must've gone a cube mile.
Three items floated within.
One—a steel case glowing with essence, emblazoned with a stark blue flame.
A thick tome carved of pure steel with a rhino's horn carved on top. And the Vial with the blood essence.
Reina was still sleeping by his side. Sprawled all over him as usual. He stared at her fondly for a few seconds; he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.
Then he took the Vial, uncorked it, and drank.