Chapter 554: [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragment, Heart of the Cold Wave
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 554: [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragment, Heart of the Cold Wave
After Xing Anlei left, the young woman named Jiao Xiaoshuang began enthusiastically leading me through the Main Exhibition Area, introducing various pieces of information.
Meanwhile, I quietly learned a bit more about Jiao Xiaoshuang herself.
She was a Senior Sister several years older than me. Status really is a curious thing sometimes.
"This auction preview will last for two days. During this time, Teacher Xiao Han, you can learn about the lots in various ways, including but not limited to introductions, demonstrations, and even temporary trials."
"Additionally, before you enter the auction hall, you’ll need to collect your own bidding number plate. It will stay with you throughout all subsequent bidding activities, and you can use it to enjoy all the public services this hotel has to offer..."
Jiao Xiaoshuang did her absolute best to explain everything to me, scurrying off to the side to quickly process and collect several important items for me.
Finally, she returned and handed me a small card. On it was written "No. 001."
This was presumably my bidding number plate. At first, I thought it would be one of those large paddles you hold in your hand; I didn't expect it to be just the size of a card.
"Is there any significance to this number?" I asked casually.
"The number doesn't have much practical meaning. It’s likely because you arrived early, combined with your good luck, guest," Jiao Xiaoshuang said hurriedly.
"I see." I didn't dwell on it, though the information presented by my Identification Art told a different story.
These numbers were also symbols of status for this auction. Three-digit numbers represented the total quantity of these cards, which were essentially reserved for special guests handled by the reception. If it were a general guest—even a commoner or a wealthy person—they would be holding a different kind of plate entirely.
Furthermore, the range of services available to those people wasn't nearly as extensive as what my card provided.
Not that I minded. These were all unspoken rules; no one would question them. Besides, I was already enjoying the top-tier service within those rules, so why complain?
"Teacher Xiao Han, we have also prepared a detailed guide for this auction. It contains full information on all the lots, including starting prices, bidding increment rules, and other auction details. If there’s anything you don’t understand, please feel free to ask me directly. I will explain everything carefully."
"Mm."
I took the thick, exquisitely bound volume and flipped through it casually, then immediately used an Identification Art to record all the information inside.
With that, I gained a general understanding of the items up for bid.
To my surprise, there were quite a few lots that piqued my interest. I had assumed that with my level of experience, I would just be a spectator for this entire auction.
The items serving as the lead-up to the main event were precious artworks, antiques, and curiosities from the outside world. At most, buying these things would serve as decorative pieces to enrich one's cultural background.
Jiao Xiaoshuang stood by my side, introducing the details of each item, including their estimated auction prices.
I looked at the well-preserved ancient calligraphy and paintings; their valuations started at hundreds of thousands or even millions.
Nearby were jewelry and jade lots. I could sense a soft, transcendent energy contained within a few of them.
The descriptions claimed they could "nourish the soul" and "regulate the body," but based on the information from my appraisal, I could tell that while this soft power felt obvious when entering the human body and was nearly harmless, the so-called "nourishing" effect was mostly psychological.
Well... Looking at these accessories with "special effects" valued in the tens of millions, I could only think... the rich really are easy targets for a profit.
However, I wasn't particularly interested in these things. I was simply using the opportunity to appraise them and gather more information, especially regarding ancient relics.
They served as a reference for past history; after all, the history of a civilization truly reflects its rise, fall, and potential.
Even though the Main World was destined to have no future of self-development after being invaded and occupied by transcendent races.
By now, Jiao Xiaoshuang could naturally tell that I lacked interest in these initial lots.
Though she didn't know why I insisted on lingering in front of every exhibit for a short while, she followed my rhythm and continued her introductions. The content of the introduction didn't matter; she understood her role perfectly. Even if the guest wasn't listening, being a source of background noise was fine.
These ordinary lots were merely a formality prepared for guests with specific collection needs, as well as for the wealthy and the aristocracy. The real show was yet to come.
Further in, the items became more varied. From transcendent materials to plant-based medicinal herbs, transcendent potions, alchemical items, and more. Many of these came directly from the Witch Academy, and quite a few were considered rare even there. After all, this was an auction primarily open to transcendent students; you couldn't show up without something good.
The things I had just seen weren't considered extremely precious. If a guest took a liking to something here, they could even make an offer directly, negotiating with the Jack-of-all-trades Club organizers or communicating with the seller. If a deal was reached, the item wouldn't even need to go through the formal auction process.
The subsequent lots came from various transcendent academies. For instance, there were Holy Light Divine Artifacts from the Holy Angel Academy, powerful Elf Magic scrolls written on beast hides from the Elf Academy, and Holy Artifacts forged by dwarves that felt incredibly powerful. I even saw samples of transcendent dragon blood from the Dragonkin Academy!
These lots were a kaleidoscope of wonders, further broadening my horizons.
Similarly, with the help of the Ley Line Identification Art, I gained a deeper understanding of the techniques and products derived from the power systems of other academies.
I had to admit, the number of people attending this auction seemed to far exceed my expectations. Since the lots alone spanned so many transcendent academies, those academies would likely send many students as well.
Wouldn't that mean over a thousand people would gather here?
But thinking about this hotel... it wasn't that surprising. After all, they were here for the auction, not necessarily to stay the night.
The next exhibition area brought me to a place of great interest, because every lot displayed here was a Transcendent Item!
I had encountered the concept of Transcendent Items before. They were different from ordinary alchemical tools, possessing transcendent effects of their own.
They were miracles formed naturally through a combination of chance, a specific object acting as an anchor, and a ritual.
For example, there was "Ninglan's Heart," which I encountered in Ninglan New City, capable of macro-manipulating luck.
Or the "Tears of the Mad Plant" I found in a small world. Under the interference of the World Will and the Script, a pendant served as the material anchor. Combined with [Transcendent Knowledge] and a specific ritual, it eventually generated a shackle forced upon the Child of Destiny.
Those were both Transcendent Items.
One could say the effects and side effects of the two Transcendent Items I had encountered were terrifyingly powerful. The former manipulated local luck and drained flesh and blood, enough to turn a person into a withered husk.
The latter provided Ley Line insulation, directly severing Ley Line Shackles. Its effect was shared, making it a form of selfless devotion—though I wasn't sure if that counted as a side effect. Furthermore, that Transcendent Item couldn't leave that world; once it severed that world's luck, the entire item would be destroyed. Otherwise... its ability to sever Ley Line Shackles would have been incredibly useful.
However, the lots in this exhibition area told me that not every Transcendent Item was such a heaven-defying existence. Some were simply objects that had happened to be tainted by special transcendent energy, completing their transformation into Transcendent Items within a specific environment or situation.
Furthermore... most of these Transcendent Items were either one-time use or had a limited number of uses.
As I observed them, the appraisal information for one of the Transcendent Items indicated it was "manufactured through human intervention."
As expected, once the rituals and requirements for the formation of certain Transcendent Items were understood, they could be artificially recreated. However, the success rate of such manual creation was extremely low, which wasn't surprising.
Seeing my interest piqued, Jiao Xiaoshuang breathed a sigh of relief. Interest was a good thing; it made it easier to communicate and introduce things to the guest.
"This is the exhibition area for the Transcendent Item category of the auction preview. The Transcendent Item before you is called 'Glimmer Touch.' Its main body is a ring face made of exquisite jade. The blood-red traces permeating the cracks are part of the Transcendent Item itself."
"The ring band and the metal setting were manufactured later by the seller for ease of carrying. They are not part of the Transcendent Item's body. If you don't like the style, you can replace it without affecting the item's effect."
I listened carefully as Jiao Xiaoshuang introduced its effects. She even opened the display case, took it out, and demonstrated it right in front of me!
"The effect of this Transcendent Item is triggered by placing it on the second joint of the right middle finger. When pressed with the thumb, it emits a faint glimmer. The light isn't very bright, but maintaining this state continuously boosts the wearer's recovery and wound-healing abilities. The effect is very pronounced for minor injuries, though it weakens for severe ones."
"The cost of using it is a continuous drain on physical strength, leading to an accumulation of fatigue. Furthermore, resting during use cannot alleviate this fatigue. Of course, according to multiple professional tests, this rapid recovery may also cause a decline in vitality—meaning a reduction in lifespan. However, this reduction is very slight. For a young person, healing a single scar would cost about ten seconds of lifespan, and this is a recoverable type of consumption."
"A bit useless," I commented.
After all, the effect of this Transcendent Item couldn't even match a Flesh Healing spell, or even a lower-level Healing Spell.
"Yes, the effects and side effects of Transcendent Items are uncontrollable. For many Transcendent Items, the side effects are still unknown, and there are even items where the side effects are obvious but the produced effect remains a mystery."
"But people still flock to them, don't they?" I asked curiously.
"Yes."
I knew that using Transcendent Items generally required no mana; one only needed to pay the price to "trade" for the effect. Therefore, the threshold for using them was very low. Ordinary people could use them, which made them highly sought after by the wealthy commoners who had entered. To them, this was the chance to wield transcendent power!
I spent a long time wandering through the Transcendent Item section. Jiao Xiaoshuang thought I was simply interested in the items themselves.
In truth, I was interested in the stories behind the formation of each one. Every Transcendent Item originated from a stroke of serendipity, and humans were one of the greatest factors in their creation.
Take the "Glimmer Touch" I saw first. It originally belonged to a former explorer of the Main World. The cracks on the ring face were caused by an accidental bump, and the crimson substance was actually that person's blood—blood from their thumb that had stained the jade in the final moments of their life, seeping deep into the cracks.
But ordinary human blood doesn't have any transcendent effect, nor is it a transcendent material refined through alchemy. Its existence served more as a conceptual "part of the ritual." Therefore, this Transcendent Item could be destroyed; for example, scraping away the bloodstain would be enough to break the ritual balance of the entire item.
The same applied to one-time Transcendent Items. However, because of the accidental nature of their formation, each time the effect—or the side effect—was produced, it would consume a part of the ritual's composition, eventually causing it to lose its transcendent properties.
So, theoretically, one-time Transcendent Items could be repaired. But that was only in theory, because the information contained within these ritual components required specific processing methods; you couldn't just patch them up with specific materials to complete the ritual.
Naturally, the one-time Transcendent Items in the preview couldn't be tested.
As for some repeatable Transcendent Items with dangerous side effects, testing was also discouraged. If a guest insisted on a trial, they had to sign a liability waiver, and any losses incurred would have to be compensated.
Before I could finish gathering information on all these Transcendent Items, I was drawn to a display in another area.
It was so unique that the layout of the entire section seemed to center around it. On that massive display stand sat a very small object.
"What is on that largest stand? Is it also a Transcendent Item?" I asked, turning my head.
As I asked, I subconsciously used the Ley Line Identification Art. Soon, information regarding the object appeared before me.
But after seeing the name of the item, I was stunned for a full second.
Because it was called the "Heart of the Cold Wave"!
"This item is also one of the lots for this auction. It is the grand finale of this preview and the final lot of the actual auction. The name of this exhibit is the Heart of the Cold Wave. Would you like me to introduce it to you in detail?"
"Yes, please." I looked up at the Heart of the Cold Wave, which resembled an ice-crystal gem, and couldn't help but walk toward it.
So... a piece of that shattered [Transcendent Knowledge] was right here.