Chapter Fifty-One: In Hand

The occupants of rooms Two, Three, and Four hesitated when they heard the bid from Room Twenty-Three, then gave up on continuing. After all, contending with a Sanctuary-level expert was beyond their reach, and four hundred million gold coins was by no means a low price. To anger a Sanctuary-level expert over the Blood Soul Wood was simply not worth it; if the expert lost patience and destroyed them on a whim, their families likely wouldn’t risk open war with a Sanctuary-level being. Most importantly, it would cost them their lives.

In the main hall on the first floor, Number 1008, upon hearing Wang Luo’s bid, fixed his gaze on Room Twenty-Three for a moment before quietly disappearing into the crowd.

Inside Room Twenty-Three, Wang Luo watched the gavel in the middle-aged man’s hand descend toward the auction table, his excitement growing. The crisp sound of the gavel was music to his ears; in his delight, he kissed each of his three beasts in turn, then calmed himself, waiting for the auction to end while pondering his escape route.

At last, after a few concluding words from the middle-aged man onstage, the auction ended successfully. Cloaked in black, Wang Luo left Room Twenty-Three. Outside, the same young woman in a green dress awaited him, though now she wore a fresh set of attire.

As she walked ahead, her expression respectful, her eyes still betrayed a peculiar curiosity. Whenever she turned to lead the way for Wang Luo, her gaze would inevitably flicker down, a faint blush coloring her pretty face.

Many in rooms One, Two, Three, and Four watched the young woman’s subtle gestures on the screens with amusement. In Room One, Karl’s expression was peculiarly conflicted; he wanted to laugh but managed to restrain himself.

Back in the room where Wang Luo had first arrived, the middle-aged man, his face beaming with excitement, courteously invited him to sit. He handed over the Blood Soul Wood, sealed within a jade box, and presented Wang Luo with a Ruski Merchant Guild VIP card, granting him a twenty percent discount at any Ruski establishment.

He also handed Wang Luo a deposit card containing forty-one million gold coins. Having sent Wang Luo off with the utmost respect, the middle-aged man hurried toward the room where Karl waited to report on the proceedings.

On the third floor of the Ruski Grand Hotel, Wang Luo shed his black robe, retrieved the Blood Soul Wood from his spatial ring, and, together with his three beasts, gathered eagerly around the jade box to behold the legendary treasure.

The surface of the Blood Soul Wood glistened with a slow-moving crimson liquid, a faint blood-red glow radiating from it. Wang Luo and the Blood Wolf could both feel the energy within their bodies begin to stir restlessly, a sensation that filled Wang Luo with wonder and deepened his curiosity about the Blood Soul Wood.

Opening the jade box, the Blood Soul Wood was immediately exposed to the room’s air. All four—Wang Luo and his three beasts—felt a surge of vitality. As Wang Luo held the Blood Soul Wood in his hand, a coolness seeped into his spiritual sense, leaving him suffused with a blissful warmth.

Awakened by the little white lion’s playful cries, Wang Luo realized that, in just this short while, his spiritual sense had become noticeably more refined. Reluctantly, he let each of the three beasts experience the Blood Soul Wood in turn before returning it to the jade box, tucking it back into his spatial ring, and falling into deep contemplation.

It struck Wang Luo as odd how easily he had won the Blood Soul Wood. Room Four had spent four hundred million gold coins for two ninth-grade magic crystals; surely Rooms One, Two, and Three, which had remained silent, possessed at least as much wealth—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been ranked ahead of Room Four.

Why had they all stopped bidding? They had clearly come for the Blood Soul Wood. Was there some hidden reason behind it? Or were they planning to seize it by force...?

“Little White, did that black-robed man from the auction appear today?”

Watching his three beasts roll innocently across his black robe, Wang Luo smiled. Suddenly struck by a thought, he grabbed the little white lion and asked the question.

The little white lion pondered for a moment before recalling Wang Luo’s instructions: if he sensed that voyeuristic black-robed man, he was to report it at once. Hearing the question, the little lion nodded, whining affirmatively.

Had the black-robed man wished to avoid detection by the little white lion, he would have refrained from using his spiritual power. If Wang Luo had happened to be otherwise engaged, and if the man had carelessly let slip even a trace of his aura, the little lion would have sensed nothing, and Wang Luo would never have obtained the Blood Soul Wood so smoothly.

Seeing the little lion’s nod, Wang Luo searched the room with his spiritual sense, but found nothing. With a helpless sigh, he withdrew his perception and spoke aloud to the empty room: “I wonder if the esteemed senior might be here? Would you do me the honor of showing yourself?”

The three beasts looked at Wang Luo in utter confusion, not knowing whom he was addressing. When Wang Luo asked whether the black-robed man had been sensed, the little lion cocked his head and searched the air, only to shake his head and resume roughhousing with the Blood Wolf and Black Panther, oblivious to any greater concerns.

As the morning sun streamed into the room, Wang Luo and his three beasts, who had been cultivating, opened their eyes in unison. After breakfast, Wang Luo bundled the three beasts into a beast-hide pouch, slung it across his shoulder, and prepared to set out.

From a server, Wang Luo learned that although the sudden appearance of a Sanctuary-level expert in Nicholas City and the incident with the little boy had become widely known, almost no one knew what the boy looked like. All that was known was that he had three magical pets and carried a wooden box on his back.

Upon reflection, Wang Luo realized this was true. Aside from the girl with whom he had exchanged a blow, none of the other adventurers had paid attention to his appearance at first. Even when the incident with the little girl drew notice, all anyone saw was his back. With the Black Panther and Blood Wolf being so conspicuous, even fewer noticed him, so Wang Luo could now do without the black robe.

Dressed in a white warrior’s robe and carrying the beast-hide pouch over his shoulder, Wang Luo strode confidently out of the Ruski Hostel. To play it safe, he opted not to use his VIP card and instead paid directly—after all, he was now a millionaire with forty million gold coins.

Since the auctioned item was a ninth-grade magic crystal, the auction house had not charged Wang Luo any seller’s fee. Thus, all the proceeds from the eighth-grade pinnacle magic crystal went directly to him, and combined with some previous smaller sales, Wang Luo was now a man of considerable means.

Flush with wealth, Wang Luo spent lavishly as he began stocking up in Barbatu City. After half a day, he finally filled his spatial ring to capacity, though he wondered how long the supplies would last.

In a nondescript alley, a group of youths encircled a small figure, laughing and cursing without restraint. In their midst, a raggedly dressed young beggar, only barely covered, had just been shoved to the ground by one of the boys—he was about their age.

Thud—

As the beggar struggled to his feet and lunged forward, one of the boys unhesitatingly pushed him down again. Watching the beggar land in a heap, his expression defiant despite his injuries, the youths once more burst out in mocking laughter.

“Hmph! You filthy beggar, you really do have some spine. Let’s see how many times you can get up!”

One boy, seeing the beggar rising yet again, lashed out with a kick, laughing as he watched the battered youth—bloodied and bruised—struggle to his feet once more.

Otherworld Azure Dragon 51 – Chapter Fifty-One: In Hand (End of Update)