Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2888: Auction

Emery waited along the main street of the Virtual Palace, watching cultivators from every corner of the alliance walking toward the auction district. The floating city was unusually lively today, and the air buzzed with anticipation for the monthly auction.

Soon, he spotted a familiar figure approaching.

Klea walked toward him with elegant steps, and Emery immediately noticed something different. She wore a new dress clearly chosen for the occasion. The gown shimmered like pale moonlight, its flowing silver fabric embroidered with delicate patterns resembling blooming celestial flowers. The design was graceful yet refined, perfectly accentuating her natural elegance.

It was obvious she had spent time preparing.

Emery looked at her for a moment before smiling.

”You look beautiful today.”

The compliment caught Klea off guard. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks before she quickly looked away, pretending to adjust her sleeve.

”I thought you might notice,” she said softly, trying to hide the small smile forming on her lips.

For a brief moment, the atmosphere felt almost romantic.

”The auction will start soon,” Klea said after a second. ”Should we go now?”

But instead of moving, Emery suddenly reached out and held her hand.

”Wait,” he said calmly. ”She’ll be here soon.”

Klea blinked.

”She?”

Before she could ask further, a ripple of magic stirred in the air above them.

A moment later, a familiar figure descended slowly from the sky.

Morgana.

She landed beside them with quiet grace, her dark attire fluttering slightly before settling. As usual, her expression remained calm and unreadable.

Klea froze for a moment.

”Ah... Morgana,” she said with a slightly stiff smile. ”You’re here too...”

Morgana simply nodded.

Emery explained casually, completely unaware of the shift in atmosphere.

”I’ve been cultivating with Morgana at the Fey Shrine, I thought she might want to join the auction.”

”I... see,” Klea replied.

She forced another polite smile.

The romantic mood from earlier had quietly evaporated.

Before the awkward silence could settle, another figure appeared approaching from the street.

Rosia.

She walked toward them with her usual relaxed confidence.

”I invited Rosia too,” he said. ”She returned the Eye of Raven talisman, so I thought I should buy her something as replacement”

Rosia stopped beside them and immediately took in the scene.

Her eyes moved from Emery... to Morgana... and finally to Klea’s carefully chosen dress.

Realization dawned instantly.

”Oh...” Rosia said slowly. ”Klea... I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Klea waved her hand quickly.

”No, no, it’s fine,” she said with a bright smile. ”The more the merrier.”

But as she said that, she turned slightly toward Emery and stared at him with a dangerous smile.

”That dense husband of mine...” she muttered under her breath.

Then she added quietly,

”I’ll make sure to drain all your palace points today.”

Rosia couldn’t help laughing.

Morgana, meanwhile, remained completely expressionless.

And Emery...

Still had absolutely no idea what he had done wrong.

All four of them soon arrived at the Virtual Palace Auction Hall.

The structure stood at the center of a vast floating plaza, its towering entrance framed by massive white pillars engraved with ancient runic patterns. The building itself resembled a grand amphitheater, its curved architecture rising upward in elegant layers of luminous stone and crystal glass.

Compared to the auction houses in Golden City, the scale here was somehow more imposing.

However, their status within the alliance was still relatively modest. They were merely newly advanced grand magus representing low-grade factions. The luxurious VIP chambers that lined the upper levels were reserved for the leaders of major factions, influential elders, and even the Supreme beings themselves.

That arrangement was perfectly understandable.

The four of them moved toward the main seating area and found places within the middle rows of the hall.

The interior was breathtaking. A massive domed ceiling floated high above them, covered with glowing formations that illuminated the hall with soft golden light. At the center of the chamber stood the auction stage, surrounded by rising rows of seats arranged in perfect circles.

Emery’s divine senses quickly swept through the hall.

There were already more than five hundred grand magus seated throughout the arena. The atmosphere buzzed with restrained excitement, while powerful auras occasionally pulsed through the crowd as strong cultivators revealed their presence.

Above them, a ring of private balconies formed the VIP section. The doors to those rooms remained closed, but the faint pressure leaking from them was unmistakable.

Several extremely powerful figures were watching the auction tonight.

”It’s more crowded than last time,” Klea whispered as she looked around.

Emery turned to her in surprise.

”This isn’t your first time here?”

Klea shook her head with a small smile.

”Rosia and I came once before,” she explained. ”We were looking for items for the faction.”

Rosia nodded.

”The items sold here are ridiculously expensive,” Klea added before turning toward Emery with curiosity. ”How many palace points do you actually have?”

Instead of answering verbally, Emery opened his interface and showed them the number.

The moment the figure appeared, all three women widened their eyes.

[Total Palace Points: 30,200]

”Emery!” Klea exclaimed. ”That’s more than thirty billion spirit stones worth!”

Rosia stared at him in disbelief.

Even Morgana raised an eyebrow slightly.

Emery only smiled.

”If you see anything you like,” he said casually, ”just tell me.”

Klea’s eyes immediately sparkled.

As the auction hall gradually quieted, the auctioneer stepped onto the stage and began preparing the event. While the attendants arranged the first item, Klea leaned closer to Emery and began explaining more about the auction.

The Virtual Palace auction was entirely different from the ordinary markets scattered throughout the Magus Alliance. The difference was not merely the prestige of the participants—although the hall was filled with powerful figures from the higher realms—but the currency used within this place.

Here, every transaction was conducted using Palace Points.

Unlike spirit stones, palace points possessed far greater value. Many treasures could not be purchased with spirit stones alone, no matter how large the amount. Moreover, there were countless useful things that could only be obtained within the Virtual Palace—the services within Hall of Knowledge, for example.

Rosia quietly added that this was the main reason tier-seven artifacts were almost impossible to find beyond places like the Virtual Palace.

Klea nodded in agreement, recalling that during the previous auction she attended, more than three dozen tier-seven items had been presented for bidding. According to Rosia, the number was fairly consistent, with each monthly auction offering a similar quantity of such rare treasures.

Hearing this explanation, Emery began to realize just how extraordinary this place truly was.

Thinking back, he had actually been incredibly lucky when he obtained his tier-seven artifacts at Alfa Center. The reason was probably because Alfa Center existed within a neutral zone, out of reach from the trading networks of major factions.

The auctioneer finally stepped forward and raised his voice.

”Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced with a wide smile, ”today we have gathered thirty-five precious treasures for this auction.”

A ripple of excitement spread throughout the hall.

”And in addition,” he continued dramatically, ”we will also present two special items at the end.”

The moment those words were spoken, murmurs erupted across the arena.

Even Emery felt a surge of curiosity.

Two special items... above the already rare tier-seven artifacts.

”Could it be...” Emery muttered quietly. ”The godly tier-eight artifact?”