Twenty minutes later, the music finally ceased.

After a brief silence, thunderous applause erupted in the theater as the symphony orchestra on stage began to pack up and depart.

The pink-haired girl clapped along, her oversized sleeves making a flapping sound, her smile as radiant as a guest who had truly come to attend a banquet.

“President, the symphony orchestra under your command is actually quite something.”

The President shook his head slowly and dismissively, his aged voice rasping from his throat:

“As long as the salary is high enough, you can always assemble such a group of people. In the end, it is merely something that money can buy.”

“Aie—I’m talking to you about art, yet you’re talking to me about something as vulgar as money.”

The Doctor let out a sigh of regret, then glanced again at the aged President of the Radiant Foundation. Though her appearance was so young, her gaze seemed to pierce through the President’s sagging skin, reaching straight into his soul.

“Or is it that the President wants to speak in riddles with me, and talk about the things money can’t buy?”

“I never intended to speak in riddles with you,” the President said calmly, unfazed by the Doctor’s gaze. “Youth, power… tonight, we are all here for those things that mundane wealth and influence cannot reach.”

“Ah… vulgar, still so vulgar.”

The Doctor covered her mouth with her sleeve and let out a yawn, as if she were bored.

“Do you think what you’re talking about is any more elevated than money? Utterly tedious. To think the original purpose of my research wasn’t for such boring reasons.”

The President’s expression remained unchanged.

“Regardless, I hope tonight’s main course goes off without a hitch.”

The Doctor gave a perfunctory nod, her long pink hair swaying with the movement.

The Director of the X City SAVE Branch also looked up at the young girl.

His voice was lower than the President’s, and his expression appeared somewhat twisted.

“The people from W City have already arrived. Although they haven’t made much noise yet, it seems they picked up some clues last night and will soon be following the trail.”

“If you cause any problems, the Radiant Foundation, the X City SAVE Branch, yourself, and your Metamorphosis Society, none of us will get away clean.”

Upon hearing this, the girl finally looked at him.

She blinked, as if she had heard something hilarious.

“Are you threatening me?”

The air in the room suddenly froze.

The Director’s face changed slightly, and he fell silent.

But then the girl laughed again.

“Just kidding. Don’t be so tense.”

She turned around, slid her hands into the pockets of her lab coat, and strolled slowly toward the large screen.

The light from the screen illuminated her face, lending her youthful, beautiful features a touch of inhuman beauty.

“I’ve noticed that you people are always far too concerned with the shell.”

“The Foundation, SAVE, the Metamorphosis Society, money, power… even life itself. They are nothing more than shells. To hatch something, you must eventually break them.”

The Doctor gazed at the light reflected from the giant screen, her eyes gradually growing distant as she spoke in a theatrical, soliloquy-like tone:

“A massive, lumbering new life, one that has yet to learn how to control its own power, will awaken from its dream. It will open its eyes and see the world…”

“And the first thing it does upon its birth is let out a deafening roar.”

At these somewhat ominous words, both the Director and the President knit their brows.

“I know you don’t understand what I’m saying, but it’s fine. You will.”

As the Doctor spoke, there was fresh movement on the screen monitoring the auction hall.

On the screen, the auctioneer stepped onto the stage, greeted by a burst of warm applause from the attendees below.

But only the Director and the President inside the room knew—

That host looked exactly like the Doctor!

“The auction has begun.”

Inside the private box, Lin Han and Shen Qingshu also saw the host walking onto the stage.

Long pink hair, brilliant golden eyes, she looked even younger than many of the attendees’ female companions.

A ripple of hushed discussion immediately broke out in the audience.

“This is tonight’s host?”

“She’s so young.”

“Do you know her…?”

Whispers spread throughout the hall.

However, the noise did not last long.

In the center of the stage, the pink-haired girl took the microphone and spoke her first words:

“Good evening, everyone.”

Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it strangely rose above all other sounds, carrying a convincing power.

The hall gradually fell silent.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Silvertree Grand Theater. I would also like to thank you all for attending this charity auction organized by the Radiant Foundation.”

She bowed slightly.

“All service fees collected from tonight’s auction will be donated by the Radiant Foundation to the Old District children’s medical aid project and the Calamity pollution sequelae recovery fund.”

Thunderous applause immediately erupted from the audience.

Well-dressed people smiled, paying their respects to the Foundation for bringing everyone together and providing such a beautiful and compassionate evening.

—At least, that was how it appeared.

The host raised her hand slightly, and the applause gradually subsided. After waiting for the venue to fall completely silent, she continued:

“This auction utilizes a system where accounts are linked to invitations. All closing prices, commission fees, and related charges will be automatically settled from the accounts pre-registered with your invitations.”

“Once the gavel falls, the transaction takes effect immediately. Afterward, dedicated staff will deliver the items to your respective seats or private boxes.”

“Please rest assured that all items have been appraised and registered in advance by the Radiant Foundation to ensure their authenticity.”

The pink-haired girl folded her hands in front of her, her smile growing even sweeter.

“Now, let us look at the first auction item of the evening.”

As she finished speaking, an auctioneer soon stepped onto the stage, pushing a cart covered in dark red velvet.

The auctioneer walked to the center of the stage, bowed slightly to the audience, and then reached out to pull back the cloth.

The velvet cloth slid down, and an oil painting in a dark brown wooden frame appeared before the audience.

The painting depicted a lake at dusk, the water reflecting a white bell tower that had already collapsed. There were no people around the bell tower, only a flock of black birds perched on its spire.

The entire painting had a somber tone, exuding an unsettling feeling.

The auctioneer began the introduction:

“Our first auction item tonight, an oil painting provided by Participant No. 65, ‘Blackbird Watching Over the Lake’.”

“The artist is the famous painter of the Old Era, Rosanna Eli. It is said that this painting was completed on the last night before her disappearance and was her final public work.”

“The bell tower depicted in the painting was located on the outskirts of the District 12 border. However, that area has now been completely swallowed by the Wasteland, and it is no longer accessible to anyone.”

“Starting bid: three million. Increments of no less than one hundred thousand.”

“Now, the bidding begins.”

As soon as the words fell, the first indicator light lit up from the audience.

“Seat No. 7, three million five hundred thousand.”

“Seat No. 21, four million.”

“Seat No. 12, four million two hundred thousand.”

“……”

The price didn’t skyrocket too outrageously.

It was more like an appetizer, or rather, a sort of ceremonial warm-up.

“I thought this so-called Radiant Foundation auction would showcase some more interesting items. I didn’t expect it to be just like any other auction.”

Shen Qingshu didn’t have much interest in that oil painting.

“There are some rather interesting items later in the lineup.”

Lin Han flipped through the auction catalog, noting that there would be some items involving the supernatural up for bid later.

According to SAVE’s regulations, unauthorized supernatural items were not allowed to circulate among the public.

Of course, these regulations were not enforced very strictly. It was impossible for SAVE to monitor everything; they mostly turned a blind eye to things that weren’t particularly dangerous.

So, judging solely by the Radiant Foundation’s catalog, the auction was still fairly compliant.

The only item that might cross SAVE’s red line was the final one on the list, an item with absolutely no background information titled “The Masterpiece.”

But Lin Han knew that most of the people present were here for this.

“Still, this oil painting isn’t as bad as you’ve made it out to be.”

Lin Han said as he flipped through the catalog, “If I remember correctly, this painting is quite famous, and it’s supposed to be hanging in some museum in District 2.”

“The Radiant Foundation says they can guarantee the authenticity of the auction items,” Shen Qingshu replied.

Lin Han shrugged.

“Then it seems that’s the way it is.”

The one hanging in the museum was likely a fake, while the original had long since been bought by some collector.

“Are you very interested in this oil painting?” Shen Qingshu asked. “If you are, I can buy it and give it to you.”

As she spoke, Shen Qingshu reached out to press the button on the table to place a bid.

“What are you doing?!”

“Buying this painting.”

“Better not.”

Lin Han’s eye twitched; he had no interest in spending a fortune to bring home a creepy oil painting that he couldn’t appreciate at all.

And it would be Shen Qingshu’s money, which made it even stranger…

Being stopped by Lin Han, Shen Qingshu also lost interest in participating and leaned back against the sofa.

Before long, “Blackbird Watching Over the Lake” was finally sold for 5.3 million.

“The second item: District 1 ancient porcelain, the Thousand Peaks Verdant Cloud-Crane Cup…”

Just like that, one item after another was sold under the auctioneer’s steady voice, with almost nothing failing to sell. After all, none of the guests attending tonight were short on cash; there was always someone who would take a liking to something.

At first, the auction items were merely antiques, jewelry, famous paintings, and rare collectibles left over from the Old Era. However, as the auction progressed, items truly involving the Transcendent Domain began to appear.

A protective brooch that could maintain its integrity in a low-intensity Calamity pollution environment for thirty minutes, a silver bookmark capable of storing formulas, and a necklace said to increase the probability of ordinary people awakening abilities…

The moment these items appeared, the atmosphere in the room grew noticeably heated, and prices began to climb at a speed that made Lin Han’s eyelids twitch.

“Seven million.”

“Ten million!”

Below, the auctioneer’s voice rang out time and again, growing increasingly high-pitched.

Listening to this, Lin Han felt his heart go a bit numb.

Shen Qingshu, however, showed no reaction the entire time, looking more bored the longer it went on.

It wasn’t until a purple gemstone brooch, said to “significantly enhance mental stability,” was auctioned off for the astronomical price of fifty million that she finally couldn’t help but comment:

“This isn’t worth the price at all.”

Lin Han also felt the price was a bit ridiculous.

Half the reason was likely because he had seen too many pieces of transcendent equipment in SAVE, and the other half was that Lin Han felt this brooch couldn’t hold a candle to his [Mermaid’s Tear] at all.

If this thing was worth fifty million, wouldn’t selling his [Mermaid’s Tear] make him a trillionaire?

Shen Qingshu rested one hand on the table, propping up her face, and said cuttingly:

“If something like this were in my family’s warehouse, it would probably just be tossed into a corner as a failed product.”

Lin Han glanced at the young man below who looked smug after winning the bid for the brooch—he appeared to be a young master from some transcendent faction—and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Shen Qingshu continued:

“It seems the so-called ‘upper class’ of X City is only at this level. No wonder Uncle Bai said the people back home didn’t want to attend this auction.”

Looking at the increasingly lively atmosphere of the venue, Lin Han couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of displacement.

It was unclear if Shen Qingshu realized that while playing cards with the woman in the red dress, they had initially been treated like some ignorant second-generation heirs.

Now, however, Shen Qingshu felt that all the old and new money in X City were nothing more than country bumpkins.

Consequently, Lin Han stopped paying attention to the activity below. He only occasionally responded to Gu Xinglan’s reports and took the opportunity to contact Zhao Chenfeng.

Zhao Chenfeng said they had already found a secret passage at Kiang Wu Hospital and would likely have results soon.

Lin Han told them to stay safe. After ending the call, he continued to watch the increasingly heated auction, though his thoughts had long since drifted to the final “Masterpiece.”

It wasn’t until the voices of the participants below grew louder that he regained his focus.

“Many of our guests have likely heard the name of our next item.”

On the stage, the lights gradually dimmed.

Two auctioneers pushed a rectangular display case onto the stage.

“The nineteenth item of this auction, the final work of the legendary swordsmith from District 11, Fujiwara Munechika: Mumyo Kanesada!”

The velvet cloth covering the display case was pulled back, revealing a long sword lying quietly inside.

The scabbard was a deep black, devoid of superfluous ornamentation save for a ring of dull silver patterns at its mouth. The hilt was wrapped in black cordage that had grown somewhat frayed with age, giving the weapon an overall look of stark simplicity.

The auctioneer continued his introduction:

“According to multiple appraisals, Mumyo Kanesada itself exhibits no obvious supernatural properties. Its only confirmed characteristic is its extreme durability. However, I believe you have all heard the legends surrounding it.”

“The starting bid is five million. Each increment must be at least three hundred thousand.”

“Now, the bidding begins.”

Almost the moment the words fell, several bid lights lit up from the floor below.

“Five million five hundred thousand.”

“Six million.”

“…”

The price increase wasn’t the most dramatic seen tonight, but there were many participants. Clearly, quite a few people wanted to take a gamble, what if they were the “destined owner” of legend?

Lin Han had originally intended to just watch the spectacle, but just as the price surged past eight million, Shen Qingshu suddenly pressed the bidding button.

“Twenty million,” a mechanical voice announced within the private box.

Lin Han was taken aback. He turned to look at her. “You’re buying it?”

“Give it a try; if I bought the wrong thing, I’ll just treat it as a souvenir. At least it’s better than spending money on that incredibly stupid brooch.”

Shen Qingshu clearly had no qualms about spending money.

“Besides, it’s not my money anyway.”

Lin Han was left speechless.

After the bid of twenty million appeared, the hall grew noticeably quieter.

Many people looked up toward the VIP box that hadn’t placed a single bid until now. Making their first move by more than doubling the price made them seem determined to win at any cost.

Consequently, more than half of the people who had been eager to bid suddenly lost interest.

After all, the value of the Mumyo Kanesada largely came from its story, which might or might not be true. If one bought it, it would likely just be a piece of ordinary iron that was slightly harder than usual, suitable only for hanging up as a collectible.

More importantly, the guests sitting in the VIP boxes clearly had significant backgrounds.

Bidding against an unknown big shot for a sword of uncertain utility was simply not a smart move.

“Twenty-one million.”

Someone below tried a tentative increase.

Shen Qingshu pressed the button again, her expression unchanging.

“Thirty million.”

The entire hall fell completely silent. Even the auctioneer paused visibly, in all their years in the industry, this was the first time they had seen a buyer raise the price like this.

What else could Lin Han say?

He could only marvel at the fact that being rich really did mean you could do whatever you wanted.

The Mumyo Kanesada had been won by Shen Qingshu in a completely suspense-free fashion. This item, which should have been steeped in hype, ended its bidding in record time.

A short while later, a waiter delivered a long box to the private box.

Shen Qingshu opened the box, took out the Mumyo Kanesada, and drew the sword from its scabbard—

Clang!

The dull blade shimmered under the booth’s lights.

Shen Qingshu closed her eyes to sense it for a moment, then shook her head and slid the sword back into its sheath.

“I don’t seem to feel anything.”

Then she thrust the sword into Lin Han’s arms.

“It’s a gift for you.”

“…?”

Lin Han almost thought he had misheard her.

“Wait, you spent thirty million on this thing.”

“Just think of it as a thank-you for helping me win back half the money,” Shen Qingshu said nonchalantly.

“No, no, no…”

Lin Han was about to argue further, intending to point out that the amount he’d won back couldn’t possibly compare to the value of this sword.

But at that moment, Gu Xinglan’s voice came through the miniature earpiece again—

“Can you hear me… I think I’ve found that child named Xiao Rou.”