Auction House Pt. 2

"I do not associate with the weak." Everyone froze as those seven words echoed off the wall. A flash of anger crossed Xu Feng's face before he corrected it, "I see. If that's the case, Manager Yu, please continue."

Clearing his throat, the manager nodded, of course, "With no further interruptions, the item has sold. For 90 gold, the Zhou Feng Cultivation Technique goes to the esteemed guest."

As the gavel pounded against the podium, Xu Feng sat back in his chair and rolled the glass back up, trying to contain the anger boiling inside him, "Go join Xu Li, I want to know who is in that booth, and I want them to be held responsible for spitting on the Xu Clan!"

The guard nodded, not objecting as his face was just as stormy. What had just happened was the equivalent of being slapped in the face, 'Once the patriarch hears about this, he is sure to raise the seven hells.'

Meanwhile, Thane couldn't stop himself from laughing as he remembered the look on Xu Feng's face, "What did you just do!?" Sonya was out of her seat as she turned red from anger.

"What do you mean, I put an arrogant little boy in his place." Sonya growled, "That little boy is the heir to the Xu Clan, and you just called them weaklings in public!"

Sonya's voice rose to a scream, and Thane hoped the booth was soundproof, "Yeah, I heard, so what's the big deal?" Thane asked while reopening his book.

"The problem is that if they find who we are, it causes a bunch of problems for the Chapter." Thane snorted, "I never pictured you as the person who would be worried about angering people?"

"I am not, but I am afraid of Lilith, who will definitely have something to say when she finds out. What am I kidding? She probably already knows." All of Sonya's strength left her, and she collapsed into her chair.

Looking over at Thane, who was calmly reading his book, she sighed, "How are you so relaxed? By now, I know you understand how much trouble you got us in."

"The reason why I'm relaxed is that I've made my way onto the hit list of almost every single crime lord, government, and secret society back in my world. People who control entire populations have wanted me dead, but here I am." Thane flipped the page before making eye contact with Sonya.

"If I don't get a Cultivation Technique today, how long do you think it will take me to create my own?" Sonya glared at Thane, "Were you not listening to what I said earlier? It takes years of meditation and practice to build the mental power required to cultivate mana."

Thane smirked, "I heard you loud and clear, but you might want to press that button because I think that's a mana crystal." Sonya's head whipped around to the stage where Manager Yu was gesturing at two glowing blue crystals.

"One of our last items of the day, we have two mana crystals that can be bought as a pair or separately. The starting price will be 30 gold." Sonya growled and pressed the button firmly.

"I have 60 gold from our esteemed guest for both mana crystals. Do I have 120?" Thane's eyebrows rose at such a sharp price, and he wondered if anyone was willing to take such a high price when Manager Yu exclaimed, "Young Master Xu has placed a bid of 200 gold. Is there anyone-."

Manager Yu was cut short as Sonya placed another bid before he could finish, "Excuse me, our esteemed guest has made another offer. 250 gold for both mana crystals."

Thane looked at Sonya, who had a stormy look on her face, "I just want this day to be over with. I swear every time I go to an auction, something happens."

"Five, four, three, two, one, and sold to our esteemed guest!" The last few items weren't of any interest to Thane or Sonya, and nothing else world-shattering occurred.

Manager Yu bowed once more to the audience, "Thank you for attending our annual auction. To pick up your items, please make it to the stage where our attendants will confirm your purchase."

A few seconds after his accouchement, there was a knock on their door, and an attendant entered the room, wheeling in a large cart containing the items Sonya had purchased.

The woman bowed, "The total amount owed is 340 gold. Will you be paying in currency, or do I need to call the manager to set up an appraisal?"

Sonya shook her head and held out a bag that was near, bursting, "This should cover it." The woman took the bag with a bow before placing the satchel on a small disc that Thane had overlooked before.

The small plate glowed for a split second before beeping. Seeming satisfied with the noise, the woman took the plate in her hands before leaving, "Alright, let's get out of here." Thane said as he stepped forward and stored all the items away in his ring.

With some urgency in their steps, Thane and Sonya made their way out of the Auction House using the crowd in hopes of blending in. After walking for a bit, Thane felt someone's eyes on them.

When Thane was about to tell Sonya, she beat him to it, "I know I feel them too, just follow my lead." Trusting her, Thane kept his attitude relaxed until they passed by an alley.

Sonya clicked her tongue a moment before she dove into the alley with Thane right behind her. As the sun was blocked by the building surrounding them, Sonya grabbed Thane's hand and pulled him toward the wall.

Thane watched as Sonya disappeared into the shadow, taking him with her. He felt a bone-chilling cold envelope him as his vision turned black before he tumbled out onto a stone floor.

---

At the auction house, Xu Li gritted his teeth as he turned around the alley only to see that the pair he had been following had disappeared. Running over to the side street, Xu Li stalled when he felt the ambient mana in the air spike.

'They used a technique to escape, and a powerful one at that.' Standing up, Xu Li sighed, knowing that he would have to sit through another angry tirade from the Young Master.

---

Getting to his feet, Thane had to take a moment to find his balance. Once he did, Thane walked over to Sonya, who was still on the ground and offered her his hand.

She gladly accepted the help, and Thane noticed her cheeks were pale, "Are you okay? You look like you're going to collapse." Sonya took a shuddering breath and nodded, "That technique takes a lot of mana. If you spend too much at once, you gain a debuff. It happens to everyone once in a while."

Putting his arm under Sonya, Thane helped her to her room and laid her down on the bed, "What are you going to do?" The words barely came as a whisper as Sonya sat up and stared at Thane.

"That Cultivation Technique won't be of any use to you. Once Lilith finds out what happened today, she won't be happy." Thane didn't respond, only closing the door gently behind him as he left the room.

Looking for Annabelle, Thane first checked their room, and when he didn't find her there, he made his way to the training hall.

Sure enough, she was there training with Isikeal. Thane paused, his mouth half-open as he watched Annabelle fight.

Her body had changed while she wasn't fat before. There was definitely some padding, but now lithe muscles stood out as Annabelle moved with the grace of a dancer as she fought.

Unlike the last time, Thane watched Annabelle now confidently deflect blows with her sword before rushing forward with a series of thrusts and slashes that targeted Isikeal's vital spots.

"Annabelle!" Thane shouted, causing her to pause before jumping back as Isikeal tried to capitalize on her lack of attention. Walking over, Thane leaned in close to her, "I need to talk to you privately."

"But I'm in the middle of training." Annabelle started to rebuke when Isikeal stepped forward, "Go, you have earned it ten times over. I have nothing left to teach you anyways. Whether you grow stronger or not is entirely on you."

Thane then quickly grabbed Annabelle's wrist and started to pull her along. Before she could get too far, she turned back to smile at Isikeal, "Thank you for everything!"

He dipped his head in response, and Annabelle thought she saw a smile stretch across his face. Annabelle let Thane drag her back to their room before he finally let her go.

"So why did you drag me all the way here?" Annabelle asked while turning to Thane. He smiled before reaching into his ring and pulling out one of the mana crystals and the technique scroll.

"I went to an auction today with Sonya, and I was able to buy a Cultivation Technique and a Mana Crystal." Annabelle's eyes widened, "A Cultivation Technique! I've been reading about how rare they are, but what's a mana crystal?"

Thane quickly explained the same logic that Sonya had told him, and Annabelle promptly grasped the concept. "But what if I can't learn it, you said without a strong mental connection-"

Annabelle was cut off as Thane gently grabbed her shoulders, "I know this is a little blunt, but you're a bookworm. The first thing you wanted to do was go shopping in a library when we found ourselves in a new world with magic and swords."

Annabelle turned bright red in a combination of Thane's intimate touch and her pointing out her habit, "I-I don't see why you would bring that up!" Thane smiled at her defensive attitude, "Trust me. I saw how much you've improved. You can do this, something is coming, and we need to be stronger. That is if you'll still put up with me."

"Of course I want to. I haven't trained for a month straight to wuss out when push came to shove. Now hand me that scroll." Thane smiled and put the bound roll of paper into Annabelle's outstretched hand.

Looking at the scroll, Annabelle read the prompt that appeared and almost dropped the scroll in shock.

[Notice: Start]

You have found: Cultivation Technique-(Inkwell)

Quality: Epic

Durability: 10/10

Effects: Using this scroll will grant the user the cultivation technique Inkwell(Warrior Grade).

Would you like to use Cultivation Technique-(Inkwell): Y/N

[Notice: End]

'The two are similar, but what are the chances?' Annabelle looked at Thane to ask, but when she saw the knowing smile on her face, he answered all her questions, 'I don't know how he does it.'

Selecting to use the scroll Annabelle watched the scroll unfurl on its own, and the words floated off the page and sunk into her head.

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