Seed of Spirit Tree

 "The Duke?" Ryker asked in shock. For such an expert to have his eyes on the skin, he almost pities those who tried to obtain the skin, as there is no doubt, very few people who would try to outbid the man in question.

 "Going once, going twice, sold for 400 Low-Grade Genesis Gold!" Sophia exclaimed, though even she was surprised by the man's sudden bid.

 'Is there a reason for him to bid for the skin?' she thought. Before, the man had once asked for her to look for materials coming from Spirit Giant Tiger, telling her to tell him about it first.

 She had done so, twice, and had told the man about the skin itself, though she did tell the owner wanted to put it in an auction. The man did not push and told her he would participate, though she almost forgot about it.

 'Maybe there is something more at play,' the manager thought. She decided something related to the Duke of Elkom is too big for her to be a part of despite being a Noble expert. After all, she is only at the third stage while a lot of the top Noble experts reached the 7th, some even being at the 8th Stage.

 "Thank you for the Duke's patronage. Now, for the last item of the day," a servant duo brought an exhibit covered with cloth on the stage.

 "All of you might be wondering, what item could surpass the skin of a Spirit Giant Tiger?" the manager said before pulling the cover, revealing what was inside.

 The top echelon of Elkom Territory could not help but gasp. Most of the people in the lower room did not know what was in front of them. Thankfully, the manager decided to reveal the identity of the said item.

 "This is a seed of a Spirit Tree. What is a Spirit Tree one might ask? Well, it is one of the best items in creating the perfect cultivation spot.

 Spirit Tree will attract the energy of the area, with some myths saying it could even make the world vein slowly being pulled to the location of a Spirit Tree.

 While such a myth is unlikely to be true, it is still capable of creating a cultivation haven, allowing one to increase their cultivation with ease.

 Not to mention, if the Spirit Tree managed to bore fruits, it could help one improve their cultivation realm, maybe even going to the next major realm," the word seemed to be targeting the Duke himself, but Ryker did not have the time to care for it.

 Right now, he was gaping at the treasure in front of him before sighing. "We could never afford it," he almost wailed. Beside him, Miriam agreed with him. Besides, they were going to travel into even more places, and unable to stay at a single spot. So, the seed in question will be wasted on them.

 "So, let's start the bid with 100 Low-Grade Spirit Gold," as the two went on a depression session, the auction war began.

 "120!"

 "140!"

 "160!"

 From behind the exhibit, the manager smiled, watching as the Noble experts outbid one another in the hope of obtaining the cultivation treasure in front of her.

 She does wonder why the young man in question gave such a thing to her, even requesting her to sell it. He even told her he did not want the profit, that all of it would go to her.

 Oh well, that person loses.

-x-

 "2000 Low-Grade Genesis Gold!" the voice of the Duke resounded once more in the hall, the man wishing to attain such treasure.

 As Ryker watched the action, someone touched his shoulder. He turned around only to be shocked by the presence of a young man, probably 2 to 3 years older than him.

 "Here, have this 30 Middle-Grade Genesis Gold, and bid for it," the young man said before leaving, making him look at the sack of gold in shock.

 "Wh-what should we do?" Miriam asked. This is a valid question, as they did not know the young man and it might lead to them being targeted by the Noble expert of Elkom Territory. However...

 "We should bid, or we might be in more trouble," Ryker could feel the young man was not ordinary, and likely possessed an amazing identity.

 So, he decided to take the gamble, "30 Middle-Grade Genesis Gold," 

-x-

 When most people thought the item would go into the hands of the Duke of Elkom, a voice calling out for 30 Middle-Grade Genesis Gold was heard, which shocked most of the people there.

 What is even more shocking is the voice comes from a golden room. However, the one who is shocked the most is the manager herself.

 'How was he able to get Middle-Grade Spirit Gold?!' she thought in shock.

 Similar to Genesis Gold, Spirit Gild was separated into Low, Middle, and High. Most of the Middle-Grade Spirit Gild merely circulated at the capital, as it was hard to obtain it.

 For Spirit Gold to be formed, a gold vein needs to be located in a Spirit-grade energy vein, where it would be saturated by the energy from the vein. For Middle-Grade Spirit Gold to be formed, the energy vein in question needs to be in the middle tier.

 However, such vein is extremely rare in the Birak Kingdom, with only one mine being known to produce the Middle-Grade Spirit circulating all over the kingdom.

 So, how could the young man obtain such a thing?

-x-

 The Duke of Elkom holds back his anger. It was fine if he lost to his subordinates who were at the same level as he was. But to lose to someone likely his junior, was like a slap to his face.

 The only reason that he even held back his anger now was that Middle-Grade Spirit Gold was used. After all, while he did have some, it is only a meager 3, not 30. Middle-Grade Spirit Gold is almost synonymous with Sovereign Expert, as they are the ones who use it.

 Before he could think it through, someone entered his room. He was about to reprimand the person when he immediately recognized the person. 

 "Shh," the newcomer put a finger on his lip. The Duke shut his mouth, knowing opening it might anger the other party.

 "The young man I chose will likely obtain the Seed of Spirit Tree," the person said, a smile on his face even as he told how he sacrificed a Spirit Tree Seed and 30 Middle-Grade Spirit Gold.

 "After all, a better bait is needed to catch a bigger fish,"