"This is not my brother, this is my..." Selene paused for a moment, unsure of what to call him.
Leyvi took the cue and stepped forward, extending his hand with a manly smile. "Gigolo," he said, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Pfftt...ehem," Selene almost burst out laughing but she held it in and gave a polite cough.
Ori's eyes widened in shock. "Your...gigolo?" He looked at Selene with a mix of confusion and disbelief. He had investigated her before but had not seen this in the report. Hmph, what a whore!
Selene's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded. "Yes, this is my gigolo, Mr. Leyan. He's quite popular in the city, you know." She said with a straight face while grabbing Leyvi's arm, playing along with the act.
Ori's smile faltered for a moment before he regained his composure. Although he was furious, he had to maintain his image. He couldn't let such a minor thing affect his long term plan.
"Ah, I see. Well, I won't disturb you any further, Miss Selene. Enjoy your evening," he said, giving a forced smile and glared menacingly at Leyvi before retreating back into the crowd.
Selene couldn't help but burst into laughter once Ori was out of earshot. "Gigolo? Really?" she managed to say between giggles.
Leyvi shrugged, his own smile widening. "It was the first thing that came to mind. I figured it would keep the flies away."
"Well, it certainly did that," Selene said, her laughter subsiding into a warm chuckle. "But seriously, I'm sorry for bringing you trouble."
"Sigh, he's surely coming for my life after this, after all, he's the prodigy of a famous sect." Leyvi pretended to be troubled by it.
Although there was a high chance that he might hold a grudge like the previous Young Master Mamba from Bara City, this time he wouldn't give a chance for something like that to happen again. His family would take the airship to return this time. Leyvi doesn't think that Ori Oregano would be so crazy to chase him so far away.
"Will you be fine?" Selene asked, it was her fault after all.
"I might need your help later, to be precise, your family's help," Leyvi said.
"What kind of help? I'll do my best to help!" Selene big eyes became even bigger.
"Haha, it's not that difficult, just send us back to my sect using your family's airship. Don't worry, we'll pay for the expense at the very least." Leyvi suggested. It would be much safer if they went back using the Goldstone Family airship. However, he wasn't sure if they would be kind enough to let them ride.
"Only that? No problem at all. I'll ask Father later." Selene gave her words. "But where are you from?" She continued.
"From the Mountain Dew Sect, have you heard of it?" He knew most people would not know about his small sect but he still asked.
Selene nodded thoughtfully. "I've heard the name before, but I'm not very familiar with the details. It's quite far from here, isn't it?"
"Hmm, it will probably take about 10 days of travel by airship. It's at the south end of the continent after all," Leyvi estimated.
"10 days? That's twice as far as my home. It really is far," Selene exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She had never been to the southern part of the South Region before, so she was quite interested in visiting there.
They entered the auction hall, and the grandeur took their breath away. It was like stepping into a palace of wealth and power. The walls were adorned with intricate gold inlays depicting scenes of ancient alchemists at work, their Qi swirling around them like miniature galaxies.
The high ceiling was painted with a mural of a fiery phoenix soaring through the clouds, its wings spread wide, as if inviting the participants into a world of unlimited potential and fortune.
They picked seats at the corner, a strategic choice that allowed them to observe the crowd while maintaining a semblance of privacy.
The auctioneer, a stunning woman with a figure that could make even the most stoic of men sweat, strutted onto the stage. Her long, flowing hair was the color of molten gold, and it cascaded down her back like a waterfall of luxury.
Her eyes, a piercing shade of emerald, sparkled with the same intensity as the gemstones that adorned her neck. Her attire, a form-fitting dress that clung to her like a second skin, showcased her ample assets and long, slender legs. Her smile was as radiant as the most precious elixir, captivating all who gazed upon her.
The gorgeous auctioneer began the evening with a flirtatious wink and a seductive twirl of her fingers, and the room hushed in anticipation. Her voice, a melodious symphony of elegance and charm, echoed through the hall as she announced the first item up for bid, a main ingredient for a tier 5 alchemy product, Soul Transforming Pill. A product that could help a Nascent Soul cultivator break through to the Soul Formation Realm.
The bidding started off at a dizzying pace, numbers so high they could make a commoner's head spin. Selene leaned in closer to Leyvi, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she whispered, "I heard my father's voice! He competing too."
Leyvi nodded. He recalled that Magnus Goldstone was already on the verge of entering the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm. So it made sense that he would compete for it. What made Leyvi shocked was how high the price was rising. It was just the first item but it was far from what his wealth could afford.
At this moment, Leyvi knew that if there was an extraordinary cauldron that appeared in the auction, he wouldn't be able to bid for it.
In the end, it was the Patriarch of the Clover Family, one of the three South Region famous alchemy families, who won the alchemy ingredient. The three alchemy families were competitors so they would always try to outbid each other in auctions. It had continued for generations.
"Hahahaha! Tordin, Magnus, it looks like I will be the one stepping into the Soul Formation Realm first."
"Hmmph! Vitali, only a loser uses Soul Formation Pill to reach the Soul Formation Realm." Tordin Homun retorted.
Magnus Goldstone kept his silence. He usually let them bicker among themselves but he would always join the competition between their families.
The auctioneer, unfazed by the banter between the powerful figures, announced the next item with a graceful wave of her hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, our next lot is something truly extraordinary. A set of scrolls detailing the legendary art of 'Heavenly Touch Alchemy Method'!"
The room buzzed with excitement. The art of the 'Heavenly Touch Alchemy Method' was a legendary technique that originated from the civilization before the Void Era. The mere mention of it sent ripples of anticipation through the crowd. After all, it was a technique that was monopolized by the strongest Alchemy Sect in the Cloud Continent, the Alchemy Dominator Sect, located in the Central Region.
It was said that by mastering this art, alchemists could increase the quality of their alchemy products by a level. But now some questions popped into everyone's mind, how did a legendary art like this be auctioned here? Wouldn't this attract the hatred of the Alchemy Dominator Sect? Who would dare to bid for this?
"Ladies and gentlemen, all of you must have plenty of questions in your head right now. Don't worry, we will explain everything. As everyone knows, this legendary art came from the Ancient Civilization, and we didn't have any means to translate their language completely. Long ago, the Alchemy Dominator Sect obtained the scroll and had been deciphering it through the paintings and the limited vocabulary we knew of that language."
"From then on, they became the absolute behemoth of a sect just relying on the incomplete art. Recently, they made new progress in deciphering the scroll, and they feel it was fine for the previous version to be spread to the public. So what we have here is the previous version they used without the painting. They permitted the Alchemy Association to put a copy of the 'Heavenly Touch Alchemy Method version 0.1' to every auction held by us from now on." The gorgeous auctioneer explained.
The crowd was murmuring with excitement. Even though it was just the first version and without the painting, it was still a legendary art from ancient times. Not to mention that the Alchemy Dominator Sect was ahead of everyone else because of this version.
Leyvi's eyes lit up as he heard the explanation. But he immediately went into deep thinking. Would it be useful to Anda? Her Alchemy Vision was already guiding her to the most efficient way of alchemy after all. Leyvi decided to ask her in detail later.
This has never crossed his mind before. Anda's Alchemy Vision might change depending on what was available to her. If she has better methods and better equipment, her Alchemy Vision might calculate the most efficient path differently. As Leyvi contemplated, the bid for the legendary art was already ongoing.
Leyvi was depressed. He could only watch other people bidding and couldn't join himself because he was poor. He was rich compared to common cultivators but he was like a beggar compared to the people here.