DKIE CH11: Exposure

As Luka dreamed about fan culture, a sense of pressure suddenly filled the pavilion.

The source of the pressure was not a person, but the appearance of the first auction item.

The guests conversing in the next room didn’t deliberately lower their voices: “The first auction item is a special-grade battleship. It seems there are quite a few good things in this auction today.”

Below, a battleship that had clearly been shrunk by a spell appeared. The strong sense of technology was something even sci-fi movies couldn’t match.

Everyone, however, was accustomed to it and merely discussed the magical inscriptions covering it.

The civilization was an era ahead, but the culture was a desert.

Luka breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, there were shortcomings. Otherwise, if he only knew the principles of gunpowder and glass making, two things that were already commonplace in the age of magic, he would probably be stuck eating tree bark forever.

Soon, the first bid came from the floor.

“Five thousand gold coins!”

In the absence of a reserve price, this was not just rich, but filthy rich.

Luka pouted. Even if he sold himself, he couldn’t afford it.

“No, I am here to sell myself.”

The quill pen really wanted to give him a few brushes to wake him up.

Cullen had clearly stated that the booklet was a free gift and not part of the auction at all.

The quill pen was also not interested in the auction. It had seen all kinds of strange things in its heyday, and these were not even worth a glance now.

Luka listened to the bids absentmindedly, his gaze occasionally drifting to the man with dragon horns in the special seats, his thoughts gradually drifting to cultivation.

Money was just a bridge to achieve a goal. The strong were respected, and strength was the foundation.

“Faith…” Luka murmured, propping his head on his hand.

In his original world, the official definition of faith was extreme belief and respect for a certain proposition, religion, or person. But in the Saint-Magic Continent, the definition of this word was simpler and more crude.

It could be broadly classified as a strong emotional feedback directed at a specific person or thing.

Many races had related sensory spells, and they were not hidden as secrets.

The fundamental reason was that the feedback effect was absolutely related to individual strength.

No matter how strong the faith, if the individual’s strength was weak, it would be like a gentle breeze at the fingertips, quickly dissipating. Powerful people, on the other hand, believed in the law of the jungle and would not cast their eyes on weak existences.

Therefore, to this day, no one had ever been able to reach the pinnacle of life solely by cultivating faith.

The quill pen saw his wandering gaze and instantly knew what he was thinking.

“Only now do you find it absurd? It’s already good enough if the strong in the world don’t trample on the weak.”

The temperature in the Flint Pavilion was higher than the normal temperature outside.

Luka sat up a little straighter and fanned himself with his hand. “That’s because you haven’t seen the world.”

The quill pen, which had almost unified the world: …

“Have you ever seen someone who committed suicide while chasing a star? Have you ever seen someone who killed while chasing a star? Have you ever seen someone who ended up killing the star they were chasing… You haven’t seen any of that? Then you should see the world.”

The quill pen thought he was talking nonsense.

No one with a brain would do that.

Luka explained with a smile, “There are many types of fans. One of them is called a ‘brain-dead fan’ in technical terms.”

Thinking of something, he kindly reminded, “By the way, you only have one heart now. Don’t become a brain-dead fan in the future.”

The quill pen held this term in contempt and finally spat out a cold sentence: “Mind your own business.”

While they were talking, the single bid for an auction item on the floor had already exceeded thirty thousand gold coins. Money here seemed to be just an ordinary number, constantly being raised, flowing like water.

Luka’s heart ached listening to it.

He now had a strong desire to possess other people’s money.

To alleviate this fervor, he simply began to cultivate the faith spell to pass the time.

The full name of the faith spell recorded by the Demon Clan was “The Notes of ‘Arieskin’,” an accidental discovery by a necromancer while studying spells.

Getting started was very simple. Following the instructions, one would construct a magical framework within the body, and then use the power of faith to activate it bit by bit. The advantage of being a former science student was revealed. The process of constructing the magic circle was easier than imagined, but without faith, a mere framework was completely useless.

Time passed, minute by minute, and the auctioneer on the stage unveiled an auction item.

“Dream…”

“One hundred thousand gold coins.”

The auctioneer hadn’t even announced the full name when a terrifying number was already called out.

Usually, the first bid would be a symbolic lowball, but when they saw who the bidder was, the people attending the auction were very quiet. Any objections that were on the tip of their tongues were all suppressed and replaced with a decent smile.

They were masters of changing faces.

In the luxurious VIP box, the city lord of the Boulder City gently stroked his small mustache and said with a smile, “Your Excellency Rio is truly generous.”

When dragons transformed into human form, their bodies were much taller.

Hurricane Dragon Rio was even more particular than a real nobleman. Dragons were not just brutes who could only fight. Even a simple button on his body was covered with mysterious elements.

“There’s no need to waste time on bidding.”

Rio was not interested in the psychological warfare of human bidding at auctions.

Sitting behind them, Cullen sighed inwardly. Luka had miscalculated this time.

The auction item bought by the giant dragon was not from the Rhine Merchant Guild, but was specially and temporarily added by the city lord to attract the dragons.

This item was called Dream Breath Grass. As the name suggested, taking it could induce sweet dreams. It was a very useless yet very powerful herb.

Its medicinal properties were very strong, so strong that it could affect dragons, but it was useless in a one-on-one fight.

The Hurricane Dragon’s high-priced purchase this time was obviously in preparation for hibernation, and it would be for at least ten years.

“Even if what he wrote caters to the preferences of the dragons, the giant dragon will forget it after waking up from a sleep.”

Thinking of this, Cullen shook his head slightly.

In the private room on the floor below, Luka noticed this light glance.

He said proudly, “Just you watch, my novel will definitely become a sensation across the Saint-Magic Continent.”

The quill pen thought that this person shouldn’t be selling stories, but rather confidence.

Hurricane Dragon Rio bought the grass under his real name, and the auction item had already been sent over.

The Dream Breath Grass and the trial reading booklet were packed together in an exquisite box and presented respectfully by the auction house’s servant.

Rio didn’t inspect the contents and was about to leave directly.

The city lord of Giant Rock cleared his throat lightly.

Considering that the other party had found the Dream Breath Grass for him, Rio finally decided to wait patiently for the auction to end.

Now, only the last auction item remained. The eighth-tier magician in charge of hosting the auction was really milking it for all it was worth, using at least three punctuation marks and two stresses for a single sentence. As the owner of the auction house, Cullen had temporarily put aside the matter of the book, and there was a faint look of self-satisfaction on his face.

“This auction item was discovered by the Rhine Merchant Guild in a ruin. We have had it appraised by three professional personnel and can confirm that it is authentic…”

An ancient parchment book was exposed to everyone’s view.

From the outside, the cover of the book was already somewhat cracked. The item itself emitted some subtle magical fluctuations, and there should be related magic spells recorded inside.

Since the parchment book appeared, Luka clearly felt that the quill pen’s state was not right.

Just as he was about to ask, the host took a deep breath and said:

“The last auction item, ‘The Diary of Alex’!”

As his voice fell, everyone on the floor was stunned for a moment, and then a rapid and frantic bidding frenzy erupted. There were bidding paddles raised on every floor, dazzling to the eye. And the bids were not low, with each increment starting at five digits.

Luka was stunned for a good while, then asked through the blood contract telepathy, “You write a diary?”

The quill pen’s voice became gloomy, emitting a strange aura, and it said, “Occasionally.”

The atmosphere in the pavilion was almost fanatical, with the light of determination shining in many people’s eyes.

As the most legendary existence on the continent, the research value of Alex’s diary was self-evident.

Luka could understand the reason for this exaggerated bidding. Whether it was magicians, necromancers… or other types of professions, the diaries they wrote would never be limited to trivial matters, but would be more about their research and insights into magic.

The price was炒 to a ridiculous number. The auctioneer calmed his heartbeat and said in a timely manner, “There are many concealing spells set in the diary. We have only broken a small part of it. If you are not good at deciphering magic spells, we suggest you consider your purchase carefully.”

This remark, on the contrary, further stimulated everyone’s desire for the diary.

Luka said softly, “I thought I was the only one selling today. I didn’t expect you to be selling too.”

Before the quill pen could get angry, he sighed sympathetically, “You write a diary, and later generations use it to make a fortune. It’s like losing a huge sum of money even after you’re dead.”

Too miserable.

Luka quickly added, “Why don’t you tell me everything in the diary? That way, both the Rhine Merchant Guild and the person who buys the diary will lose a huge sum of money, and you’ll earn it back!”

“…”

“The Diary of Alex” was finally sold for a price of two hundred and eighty thousand to a mysterious buyer whose name was not announced.

Hurricane Dragon Rio did not participate in the bidding. The spells that dragons cultivated had great limitations and were often related to their own characteristics.

As soon as the auction ended, the city lord personally saw him to the door, his smile friendly, and he said some polite words.

A newspaper reporter on the side used a photo stone to record the moment, his mind already drafting several headlines about the good relations between the dragon and human races.

“I owe you one.”

After Rio finished speaking, the hurricane rolled into a long river. The reporters on the street couldn’t even open their eyes. When the storm subsided, the tall figure had already disappeared into the sky, leaving a strange pattern in the clouds.

The city lord stood on the spot, in a very good mood. The relationship between the human and demon races was tense, but a war would not break out anytime soon.

But in the time it takes a giant dragon to take a nap, a war might just break out.

A favor, the subtext meant a chance to make a move.

“Come over here.”

His goal achieved, the city lord’s smile faded slightly. He looked at the gorgeous young girl hiding sneakily behind him.

The young girl walked over helplessly, first bowing politely and greeting him, then explaining, “I never let people publish literature below the neck in the newspaper.”

Whether it was the newspaper office or Stone Magazine, they were both her life’s work.

The city lord naturally wouldn’t bother with a junior about these things.

“Go home and report that you’re safe. Your father is very worried…” Halfway through his words, he saw the paper in the young girl’s hand.

Although a concealing spell was used, this little trick couldn’t fool his discerning eyes.

Journalists were all about speed. Above were the drafted headlines and draft content—

“A Thousand Gold Pieces for a Smile, How Beautiful is the Victim of the Hot Spring Peeping Case?”

The city lord’s eyelids couldn’t help but twitch. What on earth was this?

As the guests left the Flint Pavilion one after another, Luka also followed the crowd out.

The young girl saw him at a glance.

Today’s marketing was very well done. The young girl considered whether to put on another show and praise Luka’s beauty again while the people from all over the world hadn’t completely dispersed.

The city lord’s warning glance came over.

She had to regretfully dismiss the idea.

Previously, the city lord had not paid any attention to Luka at all. Now, following along for a second look, his gaze suddenly focused slightly.

The aura of the Demon Clan.

This aura was very weak. Normally, even an eighth-tier magician would not be able to feel it. The pretentious restraining magical artifacts on Luka’s body could lure the profit-minded Cullen, but they couldn’t fool the city lord’s eyes at all.

A mixed-blood.

The city lord was a little puzzled.

Even a mixed-blood couldn’t have such a poor constitution. The invisible magical elements flowing past the young man’s body were almost completely mutually exclusive.

This reminded the city lord of something.

There were rumors that the son of the Demon King had been driven to the Land of Exile a while ago. After the Demon King’s pilgrimage, the Land of Exile had almost become a living hell on earth.

He had originally thought that the child who was seen as the shame of both the human and demon races had died in the pilgrimage. Now it seemed that things might be different from what he had imagined.

If that was the case, how did this child survive that massacre?

The brief silence caught Cullen’s attention from behind. He keenly sensed that something was wrong.

“Take off your mask,” the city lord said, looking at Luka.

He had seen both the Demon King and the Saintess. If it was their child, he should be able to see some clues in their appearance.

It was a very serious matter, but unfortunately, when the others who didn’t know the inside story heard it, their thoughts immediately changed. Those who were familiar with each other exchanged glances, and someone couldn’t help but whisper, “I didn’t expect that even the city lord of Giant Rock would want to see his face. What astonishing beauty lies beneath this mask?”

In the eyes of outsiders, Luka was young, with low magical power. It was said that before he was received by President Cullen, he was still wearing shabby clothes and had made a fool of himself in the Chamber of Curiosities.

If there was anything about him that could attract the city lord of Giant Rock, it was probably only this face.

For a moment, scorching gazes wished they could burn through the mask and see his true face.

The newspaper reporters quickly aimed their photo stones at the two people in focus. The young girl was even writing furiously, redrafting tomorrow’s news headline with a big stroke of her pen:

“Lift Your Mask, Let Me See Your Face — City Lord Edition.”

Luka raised an eyebrow.

The identity of the son of the Demon King and the Saintess was too sensitive. Once it was exposed in public, it would definitely not be a good thing.

The current situation was very unfavorable for him.

Luka was not sure if the city lord of Giant Rock would reveal his identity on the spot, and he didn’t want to take off his mask even more. Taking it off would devalue him.

Those in high positions always lacked patience.

A decision had to be made quickly. Otherwise, the second time the city lord spoke, it probably wouldn’t be a half-command, but a direct action.

Luka thought for a moment and withdrew his gaze from the dragon’s trail in the clouds.

He placed his left hand on his right chest, bowed slightly forward, and nodded at the same time, like a true nobleman, polite and courteous.

Under everyone’s gaze, the corners of his lips under the mask curled up slightly:

“Greetings to you on behalf of my mother and father.”

__

Author’s note:
The auction items are an important foreshadowing, ha. Next chapter, please welcome our hatched fan~

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