Orion shook his head lightly. "No, it’s fine. I’ll eat later."
Kate raised a brow but didn’t push further, turning her focus back to her plate — cutting into a T-bone steak with effortless grace.
Across the hall, at table number 2, Selene sat still, barely touching her food, just like Orion. However, her reasoning was different from his. Her eyes were on her phone, watching as the signal icon flickered back to life — the jamrs had been lifted during the break.
She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the keyboard before finally typing a ssage.
Luna: Have you been enjoying the food?
A few tables away, Orion’s phone vibrated under the table. He quickly glanced down at the screen, reading her ssage.
A small smile crept beneath the mask.
Orion: Not really. Because of the mask.
For a mont, there was silence between the pings. Then her reply ca.
Selene: I think the auction might end around 11 or even 11:30 p.m. We are going to miss the And you have to leave by dawn for the trials. I’m sorry... I guess we can’t go on the date after all.
Orion stared at the ssage for a mont before typing back slowly.
Orion: I understand.
He set the phone down quietly. The disappointnt lingered, faint but real — yet he couldn’t bring himself to be upset.
After all, he was in a similar situation as hers, too. If anything that eased him was that she was just a few tables away.
He exhaled through his mask, eyes flicking to her one last ti. Luna had gone back to her calm deanor, listening politely to whatever Selene was saying beside her. She started eating.
anwhile, Kate leaned closer to Orion with a smirk, noticing where he was looking.
"Sothing interesting over there?"
Orion glanced away instantly. "No... nothing."
Kate chuckled softly, sipping her wine again. "C’mon, you don’t have to be shy. They look beautiful and have flawless skin. There’s nothing wrong with watching a beauty, but..." She faked displeasure, puffing her cheeks while looking away. "You have a beauty right beside you, and you are looking elsewhere. That feels like an insult to . Hmpf..."
Orion grumbled at that comnt. "You sure love to ss with , but I can’t refute your statent..."
Kate couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth the next mont.
As the faint sound of a piano filled the hall, the guests of the auction enjoyed their dinner. Putting away his phone, Orion hesitated for a second before finally lifting the wolf mask just enough to expose his mouth. He ate in small, careful motions, each bite quiet and restrained.
However, his mind wasn’t on the food at all. Every few seconds, his gaze shifted subtly, especially toward table number 2. Luna was still there, head bowed slightly as she discussed sothing with Selene while every now and then glancing at him too.
Though the food before him looked like delicacies from top-end restaurants, the taste barely registered on his tongue.
Kate noticed his distraction but didn’t comnt further, simply sipping her wine and continuing to observe the room with her usual sharp, knowing eyes.
Soon, the dishes were cleared away, and the chatter dimd to a quieter murmur. The faint hum of anticipation spread through the hall again.
Exactly at 8:30 P.M., Servants returned again, this ti, they moved between tables, handing out thin black folders sealed with the insignia of a five-pointed star. Inside were details of the items listed for the second round — descriptions, estimated values, and reserve prices. These ones were kept secret even before, from everyone.
As a result, around him, guests began flipping through the pages, the soft rustle of paper filling the air. Conversations reignited, all around the tables, so taking photos and discussing with their company managent elsewhere, while so were discussing with their companions on the sa table.
"I’m going for item six. The Philosopher’s Heart — it’ll go beyond fifty million, easily."
"Let’s aim for item eight. That’s the real treasure tonight."
"Hey, Brother, can you send another 100 million. The items in the second round are darn impressive."
Orion didn’t pay much attention to the list Kate was reading and discussing on the phone or the others. He calmly shut his eyes under the mask and patiently waited.
At 9:00 P.M. exactly, the man and woman — the hosts from earlier — reappeared on the stage, dressed anew, their smiles unchanged but sharper now.
"We hope you all enjoyed the dinner," the hostess said, her voice echoing gently through the enchanted mic. "Now then, let’s begin the final auction — the second and last round of tonight’s event."
She stepped forward, her heels clicking softly against the marble as she reached into her storage card.
A shimr of red and gold light escaped her palm as she pulled out an egg the size of a waterlon, covered in cloudy white and crimson patches that seed to swirl faintly.
The guests looked interested, their gazes fixing on the item as soon as the item was taken out.
The hostess smiled knowingly, letting the murmurs spread for a few seconds before she began her explanation in a clear tone. "This is a rare phoenix egg, a top tier monster. With the spell we provide, you can convert the spirit of a Phoenix into your secondary Arcana spirit.
Her voice carried with a confident rhythm as she continued. "As explained in the file, unlike a typical Arcana spirit, phoenix spirits that acquire through external need fire elental crystals on a regular basis, aning their maintenance is quite high."
Her words drew a few nervous chuckles from so tables.
"Now, do not assu a phoenix is an obedient companion simply because you bonded with it. They are prideful and intelligent. Their loyalty must be earned, not bought."
As she spoke, the cube around the egg dimd, revealing the faint outline of glowing wings inside, as if the chick within was listening to her words and stirring.
"Now, to the good part, the Phoenix is well known to give extra lives. So, as long as you bonded with this spirit, you will atleast have an additional life to resurrect.
Even the calst of guests leaned forward at that revelation.
"However, being a creature of the primordial fire elent, you need to have compatibility with fire to bond with this Arcana spirit."
Her eyes swept across the audience as she finished, her voice now sharp, commanding attention.
"Gauge its advantages and disadvantages carefully, ladies and gentlen. The minimum bid is ten million credits, with raises in incrents of five hundred thousand. Let the bidding... begin."
A mont of silence followed. Then—
"10.5 million!"
"11 million!"
.
.
.
"14.5 million!"
"15 million!"
"15.5 million!"
.
.
.
"23 million credits!"
The numbers began to climb rapidly, the heat in the room almost matching the energy of the item itself.
While the hall buzzed with excitent and paddles kept rising one after another, Orion’s attention wasn’t on the numbers — it was on the egg itself.
Orion’s pupils constricted sharply. He leaned closer, a chill creeping down his spine as he whispered under his breath, "A... corrupted phoenix?"
The cloudy red and gold shell, which everyone found srizing, suddenly looked sinister to him. Right beside him, Kate lifted her paddle, her lips curving into a confident smile.
"26.5 million"
The number was raised after a few seconds
"27 million"
And she raised the paddle without waiting.
"27.5 million"
"28 million"
Right then, Kate was about to raise the paddle again, but Orion’s hand shot forward at that mont, grabbing her wrist firmly but discreetly under the table.
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