Chapter 562: Meetings and Cooperation Beneath the Auction
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 562: Meetings and Cooperation Beneath the Auction
Inside one of the hotel’s reception rooms.
The leaders who had organized the elven delegation to the Magic City and were responsible for Afuhemi Academy were already seated.
Across from them were the representatives from the Jack-of-all-trades Club of the Witch Academy.
After a round of unnecessary pleasantries and social etiquette, they got down to business.
Though held in a reception room, this was considered a formal communication between the students of the Witch Academy and the elves of Afuhemi Academy. The intelligence they intended to exchange naturally concerned the "desperadoes" who had recently become active across the world.
In truth, students from all Three Top Academies had encountered these individuals.
However, due to an initial lack of concern, they had ultimately suffered setbacks—some even paying with their lives.
A prime example was the kidnapping incident that occurred just as the holidays began and students were leaving the academy. It ended in a massive explosion; the ordinary students involved were all killed, and the senior students who had accepted the escort mission returned with severe injuries.
The various transcendent academies had vowed to hold those responsible strictly accountable. Yet, because the culprits were so cunning, they hadn't even managed to locate more than a few of their strongholds.
Of course, the main reason was that the students had received no assistance from transcendent mentors. Many academies had even treated the incident as a comprehensive ability test for their students.
Similar incidents, large and small, had occurred globally, all targeting transcendent students.
Since the chaos these groups caused primarily involved explosions and their methods mostly relied on bombs, the academies had misjudged them, assuming they were merely ordinary anti-transcendent terrorist organizations.
It wasn't until the clash between the Witch Academy’s Xia Li and these individuals—a confrontation that paralyzed an entire city's infrastructure—that they finally began to take the matter seriously. They realized the terrifying destructive potential of the enemies they had initially dismissed.
Furthermore, in recent days, these "desperadoes" had begun targeted strikes against the Children of Destiny, which was the final straw.
The Witch Academy, in particular, had a significant stake in this, as one of their own Children of Destiny had been murdered. Thus, the Witch Academy held the most weight in these discussions.
"At this point, we can indeed disclose some information to confirm your suspicions."
"Please, go ahead. We believe that information sharing is the prerequisite for our cooperation."
"Let's start with your theory. Those you call 'desperadoes' are indeed not from our world."
Upon hearing this confirmation, the elves showed little surprise, calmly continuing their inquiry.
"Is it convenient for you to explain their identities and how they managed to integrate into our world?"
After all, they had investigated the identities of these individuals. They could be found in the global personal data archives, with records tracing back to the very hospitals where they were born. With such perfect documentation, how could they not be people of this world?
"Consciousness possession. In other words, their bodies belong to people of our world, but their consciousnesses do not. You should also be familiar with the weapons they use in combat, right? They don't match the curriculum of any transcendent academy in our world."
Of course, if one were to stretch the truth... given the eccentricities of the Necromancy Academy, their wizard tools could potentially be fashioned that way, but such an explanation was far too forced.
The Witch Academy had used this auction as a pretext to invite representatives primarily from the Three Top Academies.
The Jack-of-all-trades Club had calculated this well. They wanted to use the superior information they currently possessed to seize the right to define and interpret these "players."
It was a subtle power play: by showing they knew the most about these players, they could secure more advantages and the initiative.
They would then use this as leverage to establish information-exchange agreements with various transcendent academies, using their current intelligence to pry more shared data from others.
Mastering intelligence meant mastering the initiative without having to work their own people to the bone. Since this information would eventually become common knowledge once other academies clashed with the players, the Jack-of-all-trades Club naturally intended to extract its maximum value now.
Of course, they owed a debt of gratitude to the selfless contribution of Teacher Xiao Han, who had handed over the intelligence to give them the lead—all for the mere price of some Red Copper.
"You're relying solely on this speculation? According to our information, the individuals your Witch Academy took away were merely corpses, not live captures."
"True. But we have other means to corroborate our claims. However... rather than just talking here, wouldn't it be better to cooperate and capture a player alive? Then everything will come to light. What do you say?"
"I see. So, in the end, you still lack direct evidence to prove the veracity of your intelligence?" one of the elves sitting to the side remarked.
They also suspected these individuals might be invaders from outside the world, but they required concrete proof, not just a verbal guarantee.
However, the three elves present all caught a specific keyword: "player."
This title was clearly how the witches referred to the desperadoes. Despite their verbal skepticism, they had to take it seriously; the other party might truly know something.
After all, they had received reports that a teaching assistant from the Witch Academy had rescued two students from those people and killed two desperadoes. Perhaps those two had revealed some incredible information before they died.
However, that teaching assistant had left in such a hurry that the two bodies were left behind. The Witch Academy had rushed to the scene the moment they heard, but the Holy Angel Academy had beaten them to it and taken the bodies. Later, the angels were beaten until they were forced to leave one corpse behind.
But these were all speculations—basic reference points used to judge the truth of the information during this "exchange."
They were extremely interested in the concept of "players" and the plan proposed by the witches to "capture a player alive."
* * *
Meanwhile, the elves remaining at the exhibition had fully immersed themselves in the event. Accompanied by receptionists, they wandered through the exhibition areas according to their needs, familiarizing themselves with the items for the upcoming auction.
Some went directly to enjoy the hotel's services to wash away the fatigue of their journey.
Others, more energetic, utilized their natural advantages to mingle with the crowd, engaging in light banter about recent events with those seeking to curry favor with them.
This exhibition was, by design, a platform for expanding one's network. At an auction like this, you could admire a person's eye for quality, understand their cultural depth, test their aesthetic taste, gauge their wealth, and see the connections they had built.
There was no better place to interact with such people.
Perhaps the person you were laughing and chatting with right now was a Heavenly Chosen from another transcendent academy.
Thus, when facing fellow transcendent students, they were all smiles. Even if they were freshmen, the fact that they could be here meant they had recognized potential.
Only the ordinary wealthy humans or the insular old aristocracy were, in their eyes, nothing more than opportunists. The only things worth noting about such people were their silver tongues and their pleasing appearances.
In the eyes of the transcendents, these people would never be qualified to touch the truth of this world; at most, they were playthings.
Though they were noble transcendents, they still possessed the primal desires of the flesh. This was inevitable, but such matters were never spoken of openly.
In the most prominent area of the exhibition, a crowd of passersby was constantly drawn to a halt.
"Is this the highlight of the auction? Heh~ it really is beautiful."
The Heart of the Cold Wave, as clear as ice crystals, emitted waves of chilling air. It was a rare and precious gem in its own right, and girls simply could not resist such sparkling things.
However, only those who truly recognized the Heart of the Cold Wave understood its real value.
"Beibei, where did you get off to? We've wandered through half the exhibition and haven't seen a sign of you. I thought you'd been kidnapped by someone from the Witch Academy."
"That's hardly likely. I was with her the whole time," another elf accompanying Yao Beijuan said with a smile. "I went with Beibei to get some breakfast. She didn't have an appetite this morning and couldn't eat on the bus. She probably just needed a moment to adjust after getting off."
"Huh? They're still serving breakfast at this hour?"
"Of course. Breakfast and lunch transition seamlessly in the dining area. Want to go grab something?"
"No thanks, I ate a bit when I woke up. I'm planning to explore the lunch menu later to see how it differs from when I was here last year."
"Senior Sister, you were here last year too?" Yao Beijuan asked.
If a senior sister hadn't offered to bring her to this auction to broaden her horizons, she really wouldn't have known about this place. Perhaps this was the true circle of transcendents. She had heard that the Heavenly Chosen from various academies gathered here, and even the ordinary people present were the kind of wealthy elites rarely seen in the outside world.
This made it a perfect place for a freshman like her to build connections. Even a casual acquaintance could be beneficial; having people you know makes it easier to get things done later.
The world of transcendents wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was also about social graces and worldly wisdom.
"Of course. Let me tell you, Beibei, the witches have plenty of good stuff. I hate to admit it, but the Witch Academy... hehe, I won't say more."
"But isn't the Witch Academy not even a top-tier school? Why are we going to all this trouble to attend an auction hosted by one of their clubs?" Yao Beijuan asked, still confused.
"There's a lot more to it than that. Oh well~ you'll probably understand for yourself eventually." The elf clearly didn't want to dwell on the question and changed the subject. "By the way, I just heard something from those guys. I wonder if you're interested—it's about a major event that happened at this hotel last night."
"Last night... oh, you mean the fight between the two Witch Academy teaching assistants?"
"You know about it?"
"Yeah. When we went up for breakfast, we shared a table with a handsome guy. We didn't turn him down, and he chatted with us about it," the senior sister beside Yao Beijuan explained.
"It sounds really interesting. It's a pity we didn't see it. We should have come last night; we missed a good show," the girl lamented. "By the way, I heard one of the two witches fighting was named Yang Yuehan. That name... tsk tsk~ Beibei, it's the same as your ex-boyfriend's."
"Don't bring that guy up. Beibei was just starting to forget him. Why mention him? Besides, she's a witch now, isn't she? You should call her 'ex-girlfriend' instead."
"My bad... I won't mention it again."
"It's fine, Senior Sister. I moved on a long time ago. I'm young; how could I be trapped by a single relationship?" Yao Beijuan said with a wave of her hand, looking entirely unbothered.
"It's good that you've moved on. If you ask me, there was nothing good about that guy. If he hadn't been your deskmate back then, where would someone like him even get friends? And now he enters the Witch Academy without a word—I bet that guy has some psychological issues."
"Exactly. I wonder if that person will be invited to this auction. Given her strength, she probably will be. If we run into her, we sisters will back you up. We'll target that scumbag together."
"Correction: scum-woman now."
"True. I heard witches are all infertile anyway. It suits her perfectly—saves her from ruining anyone else's life."
"Don't let the Witch Academy people hear that, or they might get triggered and give you a beating."
"It's just the truth." The girl smiled casually, unconcerned. Her face then took on a look of slight anticipation. "Anyway, are you two busy? I met a very interesting man here just now. I'm going to go see him again."
"Alright then, we won't bother you. Beibei and I will look around elsewhere."
The two groups parted to go about their business.
Not long after the elves from Afuhemi Academy arrived, another group appeared, clad in dark-toned wizard robes that directly announced their identity as wizards.
It could be said that this auction featured one of the most luxurious lineups ever seen.
But the meeting hidden beneath the surface of this auction was one of the primary objectives of the event.
As the number of people grew, the exhibition area became increasingly lively.
* * *
Meanwhile, sitting in the book gallery, I remained entirely undisturbed.
I could often see people passing through the gallery. Some were like me, reading to pass the time, while others chose this quiet spot to seek excitement and engage in "deep communication."
None of this affected me.
I was still gradually piecing together the research related to the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, occasionally trying things out to replicate the results presented in the data.
As of now, I still couldn't realize my previous hypothesis, but through my continuous understanding, I was beginning to see hope.
The Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art was indeed the key for the Fool's Dream Race to become true lifeforms.
Because of this, whenever I conducted research for the sake of the Fool's Dream, the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art always seemed full of coincidences and revelations, bringing me unexpected surprises.
I read very intently this time. The passage of time seemed irrelevant to me, until night fell and the morning sun rose again...
A new day began just like that.
Jiao Xiaoshuang, who had been by my side the whole time, was truly stunned. When I said before that I might read for a day and a night, she thought I was joking. She never expected it to be literal!
I was like a statue reading a book—no extra movements, not even turning the pages.
She was curious what kind of magic that book possessed to keep someone reading like that for so long.
And... if she remembered correctly, wasn't that book the weapon I used to beat up Liliana?