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
"Who would've thought that the Tri-Sage Master was a fraud?" Vincent sighed.And to think that he used to worship him as well.The auctioneer finalized the bid, and the beads were officially Gideon's.Sebastian chuckled as he whispered, "Do you want to have some more fun?""What do you mean?" Vincent asked suspiciously."Obviously, we're going to expose their lies."Vincent paused and asked anxiously, "Are you sure you can do it, Dr. Ballard? After all, the Tri-Sage Master is not someone you can afford to offend.""Trust me," Sebastian said confidently.After that, he yelled loudly, "How does it feel to buy a fake artifact for 390 million dollars, Mr. Dankworth."At that, the hall erupted into a cacophony of whispers. Everyone was staring wide-eyed at Sebastian.Rosalie also turned to stare at him worriedly. "This idiot! How could he expose them like that? Does he want to die?" she mumbled anxiously.Phillips frowned but chuckled as he studied Sebastian.Meanwhile, Gideon f
The attendees in the auction hall began to disperse. Gideon was looking for the Tri-Sage Master to redeem his 195 million dollars, but the old man was already gone.Sebastian and Vincent, on the other hand, were preparing to leave. Coincidentally, Sebastian bumped into Rosalie at the exit."Ms. Griffin," Sebastian greeted.Rosalie seemed to walk faster as she ignored Sebastian.Phillips, who was by her side, chuckled. "Aren't you going to talk to him?""We have nothing to talk about! He's a playboy!" Rosalie said angrily as she urged Phillips to leave.Phillips was an experienced observer. He pretended to have a stomachache and said, "Oh, my stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom. Wait for me." Ignoring Rosalie's puzzled expression, he turned and left. As he walked away, he nodded slightly at the approaching Sebastian and whispered, "Make sure to console her."Sebastian, though unfamiliar with Phillips, smiled back and replied, "Thank you." He then approached Rosalie an
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
As the car started, the two burly men kept close behind it.Rowan looked back at them from time to time and saw that the two burly men were keeping a fixed distance from the car. He couldn't help gasping.Weren't they walking inhumanly fast?"My lord, they—"Rowan pointed at the two burly men behind them."Don't ask about things that you shouldn't ask about," Sebastian said, looking down at Nina, who was still in a coma.He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her complexion was becoming rosy once more.After arriving back in Mount Klane, Sebastian checked into a five-star hotel at Joaquin's insistence. Once he had settled Nina in, Sebastian called the two Devora to his room."Do you have names?" he asked.The two Devora shook their heads slightly. Like Hugo had said, they had been born of Dragon Energy, and they caught beasts in the mountains for food every day. Why would they have names?"Well, you've got to give me a way to differentiate between you, right? You even
Arran and Rowan asked in confusion, "Aren't we going to look for the Ballard Estate anymore, my lord?"Sebastian turned to look at Arran. "We'll die before we reach the Ballard Estate!"Arran didn't know how powerful Nina was, but Rowan knew better than anyone that Nina was a top expert. If even she had gotten severely injured, Rowan and Arran would have no chance of entering Mount Quiln at all."Arran, trust in Mr. Ballard. Leaving Mount Quiln is the right thing to do!" Rowan said. He held Joaquin safely and asked Sebastian, "What do we do with him, my lord?"Sebastian turned to look at Joaquin. He said impassively, "Joaquin, I should execute you on the spot!"Joaquin immediately knelt and groveled. "Mr. Ballard, I'm willing to be your servant too. Please, if you don't kill me, you can tell me to do anything!""I don't have to kill you, but you mustn't let anything about what happened tonight leak out. Otherwise, I'll kill your entire family!" Sebastian said coldly.Joaquin s
"Do you think it's worth losing all your training to save her? Aren't you afraid of dying?" Hugo couldn't help asking bluntly. Sebastian smiled slightly. "I'm scared! However, she only got into this state because she was trying to save me. How could I just abandon her? We may just be master and servant, but our fates are related!"Hugo couldn't help shaking his head. "Young man, I can only save you this time. As we move forward, I may have trouble even protecting myself. Therefore, take these two items and go home!" Hugo reached out with one hand and dropped the Devora in front of Sebastian. He had been tortured half to death.The Devora was panting heavily. Although he understood that Hugo couldn't kill him, the endless torture was worse than death."Bite the tip of your tongue and wipe the blood on his brow!" Hugo instructed blandly.Sebastian held Nina up with one hand and did as Hugo had said. "Now say, the servant dies with the master, and heaven and earth bear witness!"