Sebastian decided to abandon the idea. He decided to let it go, giving himself a few days of peace for training.While thinking, Sebastian took out the silver bellflower Charles gave him."I can try to formulate a Breakthrough Pill with this," Sebastian muttered.Then, he got up and left the convenience store. He headed to a nearby pharmacy to buy some medicinal ingredients.Just as he stepped out, he received a call from Vincent, who asked politely, "Dr. Ballard, is the Life Prolonging Pill ready?"Only then did Sebastian suddenly recall that he owed Vincent a Life Prolonging Pill."I'm sorry, Mr. Hindon. I've been quite busy recently and forgot about it. I will prepare it and send it to you soon," Sebastian replied with an awkward chuckle.Vincent laughed and said, "No worries. A remarkable person like you, Dr. Ballard, must be very busy. I'm not in a hurry.""Mr. Hindon, you're joking. I'll send the Life Prolonging Pill to you in an hour," Sebastian replied politely."Thank
Vincent chuckled. "The Tri-Sage Master is one of the most powerful experts. He was the one who formulated the Astralix Fortune Beads."He continued, "Those beads have the power to ward off evil energy and recalibrate an individual's geomancy harmony. Hence, the 30 million dollar starting bid is considered quite cheap."Sebastian frowned. "Mr. Hindon, don't tell me you plan on purchasing the Astralix Fortune Beads tonight.""As expected, I can't keep anything from you." Vincent puffed out his chest proudly and said, "You're right. I have my eyes set on those beads. Let me know if you're interested in any other artifacts on bid, and I'll get it for you."Sebastian laughed softly and directed his attention back to the Astralix Fortune Beads.The Tri-Sage Master was a Dainist, and yet he created an Astralix artifact. How interesting.Sebastian couldn't tell from the picture whether or not the Astralix Fortune Beads were as powerful as Vincent claimed them to be. So, he could only wai
Rosalie, who was dressed well, noticed Vincent and Sebastian not long after they took a seat. She frowned when she saw Sebastian and huffed coldly. A man in his late 40s seated next to her followed her gaze after she huffed. "Is that the man you were rumored to be in a relationship with?" he asked with a chuckle. Rosalie glowered at him. "Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Phillips. I don't know him."The man Rosalie called "Mr. Phillips" laughed as he asked placatingly, "Did the both of you fight?""No! I would never fight with a dickhead like him!" Rosalie snapped.Phillips laughed again and didn't say anything else.The auction soon began, and everyone shifted in their seats in anticipation.The auctioneer, a tall and slim lady clad in formal attire, walked up on stage. She began the introductory speech and kickstarted the auction.Surprisingly, the Sky Devouring Bottle was the first item to be auctioned. Perhaps because it looked too unassuming, and the starting bid wasn't high eit
The crowd broke into an uproar at his words. What did he say? Did he really call the Tri-Sage Master a fraud? Was he insane?"Who the fuck does he think he is? How could he say something so outrageous?" one of them shouted.Another chimed in, "I can't believe he called the Tri-Sage Master a fraud! No one has ever done that before!""What an idiot. Now he'll have to suffer the wrath of all those men who worship the Tri-Sage Master!" one other exclaimed.The crowd's gaze toward Sebastian was one of anger, distaste, and annoyance as they spoke.Rosalie frowned as she watched the crowd's reaction. She couldn't help but feel worried for Sebastian.Half of the auction attendees worshiped the Tri-Sage Master. Though she knew he was a fraud, no one would believe her if she told them."This fool… How could he say that out loud in public?" Rosalie grumbled with a pout as she watched Sebastian worriedly.Phillips laughed before he asked, "Are you worried about him?""Nonsense…" Rosal
An attendant walked onto the stage with a silver tray covered with a red cloth.Though the tray was covered, the attendees knew that the Astralix Fortune Beads were on the tray.The auctioneer watched as they all craned their necks just to catch a glimpse of the beads."Ladies and gentlemen, it's now time for the main event!" the auctioneer declared. "I'm sure everyone here knows what the last artifact is, right?"She continued, "I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the Tri-Sage Master's reputation, considering half of all the attendees here have been blessed by him!"The Astralix Fortune Beads is an artifact that the Tri-Sage Master spent three years crafting! It can ward off negative energy, prolong lifespan, improve luck…"The auctioneer began describing the characteristics of the Astralix Fortune Beads, and someone from the crowd yelled impatiently, "Alright! We get it! Show us the beads!"The auctioneer smiled. "Alright then. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the A
Vincent stared at Sebastian in disbelief. "Fake? Are you kidding?"He had asked Sebastian to come because he knew that Sebastian was able to tell real artifacts from fake ones. So, if he said the beads were fake, it was probably true."It's fake," Sebastian declared.Just now, when the auctioneer pulled off the red cloth, Sebastian was also nearly fooled by the golden glow of the beads.However, upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't the Astralix Fortune Beads. They were just regular dyed beads strung into a bracelet. The trick to how he was almost fooled was because there was a small spiritual energy circle in the beads! That was how everyone felt the waves of spiritual energy washing over them.As for the golden glow… there was a small golden light bulb inside the beads.In other words, it was a fake!It was clearly created and put up for auction to deceive the wealthy people present.In fact, Sebastian suspected that the men sitting around the Tri-Sage Master were i
"That's amazing! Now the worth of the beads are far more than 300 million dollars!" Gideon exclaimed.The Tri-Sage Master nodded. "That was just something I wanted to add on. Go on, continue bidding. We'll cap the amount at 400 million dollars.""Alright," Gideon replied.As expected, someone from the crowd raised their sign shakily as they gritted out, "3… 320 million!""330 million!""350 million!"The bidding continued until Gideon finally called out, "380 million!"Then, he turned to Vincent and teased, "Why so silent, Mr. Hindon? You should be able to afford it right?"Vincent frowned as he discussed silently with Sebastian."Mr. Hindon, what are you and that kid talking about?" Gideon demanded.Sebastian ignored him and said to Vincent, "Can't you see? Gideon and the Tri-Sage Master are working together!"Vincent frowned. "Are you sure?""You don't believe me?" Sebastian asked with a smile.He then pointed a finger at Vincent's ear, and a wisp of spiritual energy tra
Gideon shot to his feet furiously as he roared, "Why aren't you trying to outbid me?"Vincent sighed loudly. "It's too expensive. I can't outbid you. I'm simply not as rich as you are. He then said gleefully, "Congratulations on buying the beads for 390 million dollars."As he spoke, he couldn't help the smug grin that was spreading across his face.Gideon suddenly understood what was happening. His deception had been exposed!Then, he turned to the auctioneer and yelled desperately, "No! My bid doesn't count! Vincent can have it for 385 million dollars!"Gideon was about to rip out all of his hair from frustration.390 million dollars… for a fake artifact? He couldn't believe that he had to pay for a fake!As he screeched, he turned to Vincent and growled, "Hindon! Bid 400 million dollars on the bid now! I'll let you have it! Do you know how good these beads are?"Gideon was panicking to the point where he was losing his mind.The other attendees watched him suspiciously.Wh
The old man nodded slightly and said, "That's right. My name is Solomon Jackman. If you think things through, you can come to Townsend Clinic. We can discuss the price!"Solomon bowed to Sebastian before squeezing out of the crowd. Cliff's eyes reddened as he watched Solomon leave. Solomon was a prominent figure in Acorn City. Not only did he have exceptional medical skills, he was also skilled in martial arts. However, neither of those were Solomon's true specialty. What he was most skilled at was antique appraisal! Any antique that Solomon appraised was sure to be a treasure among treasures.Noticing Sebastian and Unus turning to walk away, Cliff immediately became agitated. "Stop!" he shouted.Sebastian turned to glance at him and said, "A deal's a deal. No returns or refunds. You said that yourself. It's the rule of the antique industry!"Cliff ignored all of that. He came out from behind his stall and grabbed Sebastian's sleeve. "I'm not going to sell that emerald pendan
"I don't think that you've seen the original form of this emerald pendant, either," Sebastian said, smiling coldly at Cliff. Cliff looked disdainfully at him. He felt that Sebastian was just unhappy about being tricked and was trying to provoke him. "Stop putting on that mysterious act. Why wouldn't I know about something that belongs to me?" Cliff demanded with a scoff. "You might really not know," Sebastian replied. He closed his palm slightly and exerted a slight force. The layer of stone on top of the emerald pendant peeled off. While everyone looked on, dumbstruck, Sebastian opened his palm once more. The crowd gasped.There were two clouds of energy on the emerald pendant, chasing each other like a pair of fish. One was black, while the other was red. The emerald pendant had been square-shaped originally, but it had now become a round emerald buckle. In the middle of it, a pale yellow energy was rising slowly. Everyone cried out in shock. It was clearly a rare trea
Some people just didn't know what was good for them. Even if Cliff had wanted to laugh, he should have waited for Sebastian to leave before doing so. How could he call a buyer a fool while they were still there?"It may be a little crude, my young friend, but it doesn't change the fact that you were hoodwinked!" Cliff said, guffawing gleefully.Since Sebastian had already paid, he could no longer take it back. After all, it was a rule never to accept returns or refunds. When Cliff thought of how he had charged Sebastian more than ten thousand for something that had only cost him about 300 to 400 dollars, he became even more smug. "You'll just have to bear with it, my young friend. Not regretting your purchase is the rule of the antique industry. Even if you've now found out that you were deceived, you can't get your money back!""That's right. The work on the emerald pendant that you're holding is so shoddy that it was clearly just done last week. It's a new item!" "Watch out
Sebastian laughed at the reluctant expression on the stall owner's face. He weighed the emerald pendant in his hand and asked, "Mister, are you sure that this emerald pendant is worth 210 thousand?"With that, he tossed it onto the counter and turned to leave."Huh?"The stall owner immediately ran around to the front of the stall when he saw that Sebastian was about to leave. He grabbed him and said, "Don't be in such a rush to leave, my young friend. Let's negotiate. If you're sincere about buying it, I'll sell it to you at 150 thousand, and I'll be making a loss. Let this be the start of a friendship between us!"Sebastian smiled slightly and said, "Mister, even a layman can tell that this emerald pendant is a fake. I just like the patterns on it because it's quite trendy. That's why I asked about it on a whim."Describing the patterns on the antique as trendy only served to show how obvious it was that it was a fake.The stall owner turned beet red, then white. He cursed hi
However, the more famous something was, the more imitations there would be. Antiques were no exception. In Boren, streets filled with antique stores were abundant. From Klane City to the smallest town, they were omnipresent.There were stores and stalls of various kinds that had everything, but all of them had one thing in common. All the antiques and trinkets that they sold were a mixed bag of authentic and fake. Buyers had to rely on their own judgment. There was also an unspoken rule there. Once a deal was made, no returns were allowed. If a buyer had paid for an item before realizing that something was wrong or recognizing that it was a fake, they would have no choice but to accept it. There was a saying about how the golden age of antiques was during times of chaos. Although they were now in times of peace, many members of the upper class were still very interested in them. Both experts and laymen liked to have a few collector's items in their homes. There were plenty of we
"Watch him closely! If you lose him, I'll have your head!" Anton said before hanging up. A malicious grin spread across his face.As the son of the head director of Boren Martial Arts Court, many were eager to curry favor with him. If it came to dealing with Sebastian, there were plenty of people willing to do the dirty work for him. Acorn City was the second largest city in Boren after Klane City, and Anton knew just who to call. About two weeks ago, the Lynch family of Acorn City had sent gifts to him. However, as the Lynches were a third-rate elite martial arts family, Anton had dismissed them. That was why, despite searching frantically, he couldn't find Colton Lynch's name card."Damn it! Where did that asshole's name card get to?"It was the first time Anton had been so anxious about finding the name card of an heir from a third-rate family. After rummaging around for a while, Anton had a sudden flash of inspiration. It was in the trash can!He suddenly remembered that
Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head at Nina's words. "Nina, you're staying behind so everyone thinks I'm still here. Rowan and Arran will stay here with you so that no one will become suspicious!"Nina frowned. "But I'll be worried about you being with Unus. It's still just a beast whose rational capabilities aren't fully developed yet. What if it—"Sebastian smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. Hugo has subdued them completely already, so nothing unexpected will happen. Honestly, there isn't much in Boren that worries me. However, if the Yome Sect enters Steinberg while its defenses are down, we'll be put in a difficult position."Though reluctant, Nina finally agreed.That night, Sebastian quietly brought Unus out with him. As soon as he walked out of the hotel doors, two thugs hiding at the side of the road who had been watching them stealthily immediately reported his movements to Anton."Are you sure it was Sebastian?" Anton demanded sharply."Positive! He looks e
"Kneel!" Joaquin yelled at Anton the moment he entered the room.Anton immediately dropped to his knees with a loud thud in front of Sebastian."My lord, my son is worthless. Everything that happened before was his doing. He has been a disgrace to our family. Please have mercy on his crimes," Joaquin said. He looked up at Sebastian and was puzzled to see how terrible his complexion was.Nina had been injured the day before, so why was it now the other way around? She had a rosy complexion, while Sebastian looked as white as a sheet."Alright. The important thing is to learn from one's mistakes and change. Don't forget the oath that you made. If you break it, I won't have to punish you. The law of heaven will act accordingly!" Sebastian said coldly."Yes, of course! I would never dare to break the oath! But…" Joaquin looked at Sebastian with a troubled expression.Sebastian frowned slightly and asked, "But what?""I can see that you don't look very well, my lord. Should I prepa
After resting for the whole night, Nina's complexion had almost returned to normal. Even the wounds on her body had almost healed.In stark contrast, Sebastian looked worse than ever.It was the aftereffect of losing too much blood essence. If it wasn't for the fact that he had the legacy of the Sacred Medicine Society, he might have already been half-dead. Even so, Sebastian felt weaker than he had ever felt before. His legs felt like jelly, and he was unsteady on his feet."My lord…"Rowan blanched with fear when he saw Sebastian. Sebastian was as pale as a sheet. Even his lips had lost all color."My lord, how did you get into this state?" Rowan asked, clearly confused. Sebastian had seemed fine when they returned to Mount Klane the night before. Waving his hand slightly, Sebastian replied, "I'm fine. I'll get better after some rest. Why are you up so early?"Rowan grew even more worried after hearing how frail Sebastian sounded."My lord, did you get severely injured o