Four assassination teams—overkill, perhaps—had been deployed, along with Atros.
It was more than enough to eliminate the Gardion Tower mages.
If there’s a problem with this, that would be strange.
Kemmel shook off his unease and focused on the report.
Soon, he furrowed his brow.
What do we do about the Raco Kingdom?
The kingdom had been entirely under the 2nd Sub-Branch’s control, with no other teams or organizations actively operating there.
Now, with the 2nd Sub-Branch annihilated, all Abyss operations in the kingdom had halted.
The longer the delay, the greater the losses would be.
They needed to resume operations quickly, but how?
The Raco Kingdom now knew of the Abyss’s existence.
Infiltrating a kingdom unaware of them would’ve been easy, but doing so now was far more challenging.
…Should we shake things up with a war?
“The Roslyn Root, at least 1,000 years old. Its value needs no explanation. Starting bid: 100,000 gold!”
The auction began, and bids soared rapidly.
“200,000 gold! Any higher bids?”
With no further bidders at double the starting bid, the auctioneer shouted, “Sold for 200,000 gold!”
Gaon grinned widely—he was the one who had bid 200,000 gold for the Roslyn Root.
He would’ve gone as high as 400,000, as the root could be mixed with other materials to create two high-grade elixirs.
A staff member brought out a translucent glass case containing a deep purple orb.
“Next is the core of a 5th-grade demonic beast, Arcrus!”
The crowd gasped.
A 5th-grade beast was rare, found only deep in demon-tainted regions, not the coexistence zone.
Its core was extraordinary.
“Its demonic energy is so intense it’s currently sealed. Starting bid: 50,000 gold!”
The auction started, but no one bid.
Gaon, observing, smiled with satisfaction.
As expected, demonic energy isn’t popular.
A demonic beast’s core, called a demonic core, was unlike regular elixirs.
As a concentrated mass of demonic energy, most people couldn’t even consume it.
But Gaon wasn’t most people.
His Pacheon Heart Method didn’t discriminate between types of energy—demonic, mana, or otherwise.
To him, it was just another elixir.
“No bids? We’ll move to the next item if none.”
Swish.
Gaon bid 50,000 gold.
“50,000 gold bid! Any higher at 50,500?”
“Three… two… one…”
“Sold for 50,000 gold!”
As expected, no one else bid, and Gaon secured Arcrus’s core.
Watching it being taken offstage, he thought, How concentrated is it?
Arcrus was a 5th-grade beast, but not all 5th-grade cores were equal.
Power varied by species and even within the same species, so the core’s potency varied too.
That made it all the more exciting.
The auction continued, and Gaon kept bidding, securing more items.
Later—
“The final elixir and herb auction! The highlight: the Seed of Ruel!”
Gaon thought, Who’ll get it?
He had won all the previous elixirs and herbs but had no intention of bidding on the Seed of Ruel.
It was useless except for crafting Ruel’s Blessing, which could only be done in the Seionia Holy Empire by the Pope and Saintess.
For Gaon, the auction was effectively over.
But for others, the Seed of Ruel was a chance to strengthen ties with Seionia.
“80,000!”
“80,500!”
Bids skyrocketed as Gaon watched quietly.
Knock knock.
“Kellion.”
Gaon, expecting him, stood and said, “Come in.”
Creak.
Kellion entered, pulling a large box.
“I’ve brought the items you won.”
Smiling, Kellion opened the box, placing each item before Gaon, ending with Arcrus’s core, still sealed.
Gaon opened the case, and demonic energy began to leak out—but he suppressed it instantly.
Picking up the core, he examined it closely.
Nice.
He smiled faintly.
Having consumed many 5th-grade cores in the past, he could tell this one was among the best.
He closed the case and handed Kellion securities from his pocket.
“Here, the securities.”
“Thank you,” Kellion said, bowing. “I’ll take my leave. Let me know if you need anything.”
He carefully closed the door and left.
Gaon began storing the items in his pocket.
Suddenly—
…?
He looked up at the door, sensing an unexpected presence.
Knock knock.
“It’s Bring.”
What’s this about?
Gaon hadn’t expected Bring to come.
Is he here for another spar?
Bring had been thoroughly defeated last time—perhaps he wanted a rematch.
“Come in,” Gaon said, storing the last elixir.
Creak.
Bring entered, and Gaon’s eyes gleamed upon seeing his shoulder.
…It was Bring?
Bring was wearing the Kerhen artifact Gaon had auctioned off—the one sold for 1.4 million gold.
Gaon had wondered who bought it.
Then he noticed a small box in Bring’s hand.
“What’s up?”
“Thanks to our spar, I gained enlightenment. I came to express my gratitude and offer a gift,” Bring said, holding out the box.
“What is it?”
“Barin’s Blessing.”
“…Barin’s Blessing?”
Gaon was slightly surprised.
Like Ruel’s Blessing, Barin’s Blessing was one of Seionia’s premier elixirs.
“I heard you needed elixirs,” Bring said cautiously.
Gaon smiled.
“Thanks. If you need another spar, just let me know.”
“Yes! Once I’ve fully processed this enlightenment, I’ll seek you out again!”
Bring beamed.
He had worried about hitting another wall, but with Gaon’s help, he felt confident.
“I’ll take my leave. Thank you for your time.”
Bring bowed deeply.
“See you next time,” Gaon said.
“Yes!”
After their farewell, Bring left.
Gaon glanced at the auction stage, where an art auction was underway.
Time to go.
The remaining auction didn’t concern him, and the city would get crowded once it ended.
He needed to leave before that.
After checking the VVIP room, Gaon headed to his lodging.
Hm?
Upon arriving, he tilted his head.
He had informed Rotes and Taylor, who were ready to leave as planned.
But they weren’t alone—Potic, the prince and newly crowned prince of the Raco Kingdom, was with them.
“You’re here!” Potic greeted with a bright smile.
“What’s this about?”
Gaon returned the greeting, eyeing the box Potic held.
Was it another gift, like Bring’s?
“I heard you’re leaving,” Potic said.
“Yeah, the auction’s over.”
“I prepared a small gift to thank you for saving the kingdom.”
Swish.
Potic offered the box.
“It’s Ruel’s Blessing.”
…!
Gaon was stunned.
He had expected a gift, but not Ruel’s Blessing.
“You had Ruel’s Blessing?”
“Yes. Fifteen years ago, my father helped Seionia and received it,” Potic explained.
Gaon hesitated briefly.
Should he accept it?
The decision was quick.
Without him, the Raco Kingdom would’ve fallen to the Abyss.
It was a fair reward for saving the kingdom.
“I’ll put it to good use,” Gaon said, accepting it.
Storing it in his pocket, he told Potic, “As I said before, the Abyss won’t give up. They’ll come at you from every angle. War might even break out.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!” Potic replied with fiery determination.
Gaon chuckled and bid farewell.
“See you next time.”
“Safe travels.”
Potic bowed and left in his carriage.
Gaon boarded his own.
“To the northern gate,” Rotes instructed Taylor, who sat at the coachman’s seat.
“Yes, sir,” Taylor replied, and the carriage began moving.
“Are we heading straight to the Gelita Plains?” Rotes asked.
“Yeah, no stops needed,” Gaon replied, slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out the box containing Ruel’s Blessing.
“I’m going to focus on cultivation for a bit.”
“Understood,” Rotes said.
Gaon swallowed Ruel’s Blessing.
As it passed down his throat, it transformed into a massive mana mass.
The Pacheongi circulating in his body guided the mana, beginning to convert it.
The Pacheongi surged rapidly, and Gaon thought, At this rate…
Ruel’s Blessing wasn’t the end—he had many more elixirs in his pocket.
One year, and I’ll reach 8th Circle.
He had estimated five years before, but with these elixirs, the timeline had shrunk drastically.
With more elixirs, it could shorten further.
At that moment—
…!
Gaon’s eyes flashed.
The fifth wall of the Pacheon Heart Method had appeared.