Chapter 550: The Auction and the Book in the Box
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 550: The Auction and the Book in the Box
Ultimately, the reception ended with Vice President Xing Anlei excusing herself first.
She left in a hurry, perhaps realizing that the interruption of our conversation was more complicated than she had anticipated.
After a brief farewell, she departed with the other girl who had come to explain the situation.
The matter that had summoned her so urgently was, naturally, related to the girl who had just been resurrected.
The girl had been killed for no reason, tortured before her death, and might have even witnessed her own family dying before her eyes. To top it all off, she had lost her status as a Child of Destiny...
Any one of those would be a devastating blow. For her, simply falling into a slump might be considered a "good" outcome; if the mental trauma drove her mad, that would be the true tragedy.
If she still hoped to request the Academy to resurrect her parents and family, the Academy would likely refuse to help. However, these were clearly not matters for me to worry about.
Furthermore... the news seemed to be spreading faster than I expected. When I opened some discussion threads and topics on the Academy Network, I found that the story of the girl being killed outside the school was already gaining traction.
If the Jack-of-all-trades Club were to release the details of the incident soon, a bit of targeted resentment-baiting could probably get a lot of people to help the club fight those Players for free.
But that didn't matter much to me. In the end, the only ones who would suffer were the Players.
It was about time those Players learned a lesson. To dare lay a hand on a student of the Witch Academy—they truly didn't know the meaning of death.
And it was possible that during this period, it wasn't just our Witch Academy students being hunted and harassed.
But the real storm... was surely yet to come.
After saying goodbye to Daphne and the others, I planned to leave the Jack-of-all-trades Club as well. They had their own business to attend to here, and it wasn't my place to pry.
However... if there was anyone who truly hated to see me go, it was probably Qiu Ruxin.
She seemed to have much more she wanted to say to me, but she didn't press the issue.
When Daphne and the others finally bid me farewell, she only said, somewhat symbolically, that she "hoped to run into me at the upcoming auction," as they would also be attending.
This pre-auction exhibition was merely the appetizer—a preview of the items. The auction itself was the main course of this trip. As for the banquet following the auction, that was largely optional.
An auction... I was naturally curious about an event I had never attended. I recalled that the Witch Academy held such auctions as well, didn't they?
Quite a few of them, actually...
Back when I first began to show my talent, many Academy groups had extended their goodwill to me, and that had included several auction houses.
I had heard that many rare spellbooks and other items appeared at those auctions. I wondered what this one would have in store.
After leaving, I flipped through the invitation. Since Xing Anlei hadn't given me a detailed introduction, I assumed the specifics would be written inside.
After a quick skim, I realized that this auction wasn't a spur-of-the-moment event; it was a tradition.
It was held twice a year, shortly before the start of each semester—right around the time students were preparing to return to school.
The venue was a hotel in the Magic City... This hotel was also a property of the Witch Academy. Apparently, it had been founded by a certain senior sister from a previous class. Eventually, that senior sister and her female partner joined the Jack-of-all-trades Club, and since then, this periodic auction had mostly been organized and planned by the club's members. I only knew this because I looked it up on the Academy Network; I never would have known otherwise.
Most of the invitees were students and teaching assistants from various Transcendent Academies. If one was influential enough, they might even invite a Transcendent Mentor, though it was rare for mentors to involve themselves in such affairs.
Of course, aside from Transcendent students, this auction was also famous among the world's wealthy elite. Ordinary people who weren't Transcendents would pull every string and use every connection just to get inside, even if only to broaden their horizons.
After all, this was an opportunity to rub shoulders with Transcendents. And who among the invitees wasn't a top powerhouse or a genius from their respective Transcendent Academy?
Transcendents weren't rare in this world, given the number of Transcendent Academies, but most students eventually ended up as mediocrities.
For those wealthy elites, a Transcendent's peak—their most valuable period—was their time in school. Thus, befriending Transcendents was a process of constant networking that could never be allowed to lapse.
In the end, whether those students graduated or failed to even finish their studies, their worst-case scenario was still better than that of the average ordinary person.
Even if they left the Transcendent world to become ordinary citizens, former Transcendent students could still accumulate considerable wealth.
After all, they were trading Transcendent-level resources for ordinary currency and assets. It was a form of downward social mobility; as long as they didn't care about anything else, they could live very comfortably.
If a capable student graduated, they might even land a "iron rice bowl" job under the umbrella of a Transcendent Academy. Combined with their network of Transcendent contacts, how could such a person ever fare poorly?
This world was, after all, in the hands of Transcendents. Ordinary people were merely the screws that kept society running, and the wealthy were no exception.
To jump out of that comfort zone, one had to become a Transcendent.
But the prerequisite for all of that was... entering a Transcendent Academy, specifically one of the Four Academies.
This was the true threshold.
Although the outside world whispered of the "Three Top Academies," the family systems that had stood for generations in the Main World had long since identified the pattern: the Three Top Academies plus the Witch Academy. Even the worst students from these four—those forced to leave without graduating—would still do very well for themselves.
As for the other academies, or even the Beast Academies, those were seen as choices for the "underclass." Their admission standards were truly abysmal. For those elite families, it was better to attend a normal school and return to inherit the family business than to go to one of those academies. Because those academies... were irrational fire pits!
At least, that was their consensus, an experience passed down through generations.
However, these hard-won insights were never advertised to the public. Thus, most ordinary families in the Main World still dreamed of their children entering a Transcendent Academy to change their fate and leap across social classes... only for most of them to jump straight into a fire pit.
The fact that this status quo could persist was naturally thanks to the Main World's policies, such as birth subsidies and the encouragement of large families. With so many children, ordinary families couldn't look after them all. Even if it meant jumping into a fire pit, people lined up to do it; the vast majority never even got the chance. Perhaps this Main World was just that deformed...
I closed the invitation.
After reading the information inside, I used the Ley Line Identification Art to check for any other associated data carried by the invitation.
I mainly wanted to learn more about the auction.
The series of events would last for several days, so the hotel provided lodging and meals. Given that students from Transcendent Academies across the globe and filthy rich moguls would be gathering there, these were necessary considerations.
With the holidays more than half over, the auction was indeed only a few days away.
I really did need to prepare during this time. For instance... should I get myself a fitting formal dress?
After all, this was my first time attending such an event. A custom-made one would definitely be too late, so I might as well just buy a set...
But I was completely clueless about these things. I didn't even know where in the Witch Academy they sold high-end formal wear or custom gowns. Should I... ask Sister Bai?
Even if it wasn't a high-end dress, I could accept it. At worst, I could use my own alchemy to add a few enchantments to the outfit.
Just as I was considering heading back to ask Sister Bai about it, I suddenly received a communication.
I checked the Academy Network interface on the Tree of Great Knowledge and my phone; it was Natalie calling.
"Hello, Sister Natalie. Is there something else you need me to cooperate with?" I asked first upon picking up.
Natalie had previously mentioned she would try to finish the manufacturing of my Book in the Box weapon before the new semester started. Now that the holidays were ending, I had been receiving frequent calls from her for the final adjustment phase.
"Xiao Han, are you free right now? If you are, come over to my place. You can come and test your weapon."
"Huh? Sister Natalie, you've finished it?" My eyes widened in disbelief. This speed... was a bit too fast.
"It's only a preliminary completion. It still needs fine-tuning based on the user's habits—what we call weapon running-in. During this period, it's best if you use the weapon as much as possible. Don't worry about breaking it; I'll handle the maintenance. Then, give me your feedback or suggestions, and I'll keep following up to adjust it for you. If you have any new inspirations, I'll do my best to implement them within the existing framework."
Natalie spoke a long paragraph, and I listened intently.
I understood the gist: the weapon had reached the final adjustment and running-in stage. As expected of a weapon custom-made by an alchemy master; the service was impeccable.
"Okay, okay. Should I come over now?"
Seeing how thoughtful she was, I didn't waste any words and got straight to the point.
"Coming over now is fine. I'll wait for you."
"Mhm, I'll be there right away."
After agreeing, I hung up the phone.
I calmed my slightly excited heart, tossing aside thoughts of the auction and the invitation for now. Those troublesome matters could wait until I had time; there were still a few days left, after all.
My weapon was more important.
Although I already had an idea of what it would look like, the final product would surely differ significantly from the initial concept.
The sense of anticipation was like opening a blind box; without trying it, I wouldn't know what kind of surprises the Witch who made it had in store for me.
Thus... I appeared outside Natalie's laboratory in record time.
Guided by the smart butler, I stepped inside. The layout of the front of Natalie's lab hadn't changed much.
This time, we didn't go to the reception area but went directly into the core experimental zone of the lab.
"Xiao Han, you got here so fast? Talk about efficiency." Seeing me arrive, Natalie stripped off the professional gear she wore during alchemy.
"Well... I was just too excited. But if we're talking about efficiency, you're the one who's fast, Sister Natalie. You've nearly got it done already." I responded excitedly, though my gaze was immediately drawn to something on one side of the alchemy experimental zone.
It was a crown the size of a palm, resting on a pedestal-like base. Countless sealing runes seemed to nail it into that specific point in space, suspended in the air.
"Oh? Curious about this? It's the material carrying the [Transcendent Knowledge] you mentioned before. I have to admire this palm-sized crown; it's actually an artificial alchemy item, and it managed to carry [Transcendent Knowledge] so perfectly..."
"Is the technology required for that very difficult?" I asked instinctively.
"I haven't tried it myself, but since the crown is damaged, I've studied it a bit... The transmutation techniques used are indeed impressive. They shouldn't be techniques from the Main World. However, I'm confident I could replicate it now... Ah, let's not talk about that. Anyway, the two who sent it over don't intend for me to repair or replicate it, so I'll just leave them to it."
As Natalie spoke, she held an exquisite box with a side opening. There was a latch at the opening, through which the spine of a book could be seen.
"Here, try it out. It combines my previous inspirations with your requirements, plus the techniques I've mastered now... oh, and the precious Transcendent materials sponsored by Mei Lind! I daresay that even if this book isn't the 'strongest,' its functionality is certainly the most extensive!"
"I'm looking forward to it then." I joyfully took the book box. My first impression upon holding it was... solid!
There was no rattling from the book inside the box when I moved it. After undoing the latch, with just a gentle tilt, a beautifully bound book slid smoothly into my hand.
Looking at the exquisite cover, the wooden casing was wrapped in dark leather of excellent texture. It was adorned with gold and silver rune patterns, seemingly traced with a mix of Orichalcum, Mithril, and other materials. These were both decoration and a manifestation of its power.
The spine of the book, which I gripped in my palm, was made of the same material. The structure connecting it to the cover was very natural, and there was a metal strip engraved with my name.
"You can engrave many things on there. Patterns, badges, or serial numbers—whatever you want. I've temporarily engraved your name; you can erase it whenever you like."
"Really? That's very convenient." I looked at the center of the cover. In the middle of the bound patterns was an image—a silhouette of a figure. From certain features, I could tell it was modeled after me. Below the center, a translucent gemstone was embedded, flickering with the fluctuations of Transcendent energy. It clearly wasn't just a decorative stone.
The corners of the book were reinforced with metal of an unknown material, appearing dark gold and matching the overall dark tone of the book perfectly.
Finally, I gripped the spine with my right hand and gave it a few experimental swings. The feel was excellent; the special structure of the spine connecting to the cover design was truly superb!
"How is it? Does it feel right? I made some small changes according to your requests. Open it and take a look. Actually, the most valuable part of this book is its inner pages. The material for every single page was refined by me personally. Their erosion resistance, durability, and compatibility with sealing arts are perfect! You could say the materials for every page were carved right out of Mei Lind's heart!"
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"
"Of course not—want to come to my testing ground and see what it can do?"
"Yes, absolutely!" My eyes lit up, and I agreed immediately. Based on the feel and appearance alone, I was extremely satisfied; now, I had to see how much of an impact its actual utility would have.