Chapter 1312
The vast open-pit mine Leon controlled in the Abyss produced in a single month what the entire Northend World could barely manage in a year.
Even if someone managed to crack the technology behind this Magic Reaction Core, all they could do was stare helplessly. But to truly dismantle the device? That’s a joke—the moment you take it apart, its structure self-destructs instantly...
Leon knew all this, but the others didn’t. All they saw was a fully exposed Magic Reaction Core—like a naked beauty strutting around, impossible not to provoke certain thoughts...
Most people wanted to buy it for research, but a select few were after it for direct use.
Take Wyatt Rodney, for example—his eyes burning with fanaticism, face flushed red...
"Grand Elder, how many Purple Gold Coins do we have left? This thing’s going to fetch a sky-high price. Good thing the Astral Auction didn’t make it the grand finale, or we’d never have enough Purple Gold Coins to win the Magic Reaction Core.
We have to win it, no matter how many Purple Gold Coins it takes. It can be mounted as a special magical apparatus, installed anywhere on an alchemical golem.
With this Magic Reaction Core, I could mount it on myself. My steel body, paired with the core, could equip several powerful weapons—my strength would more than double!"
Wyatt Rodney’s eyes glowed red, half his body already transformed into steel. He lifted the robe from his right arm, revealing a frame of steel beneath—like an alchemical golem. As Wyatt moved, the metal shifted and reshaped, forming a bracket linked to his arm. Once he got the Magic Reaction Core, he could install it directly.
The moment the auction began, someone instantly pushed the price to four million, trying to scare off the competition. But not even a second later, the bid shot up to 4.3 million.
In less than five seconds, the price for the Magic Reaction Core climbed to five million.
Leon watched quietly, but his attention was fixed on Wyatt Rodney—especially after seeing the steel covering the right half of Wyatt’s body, Leon instantly understood his intentions.
This Magic Reaction Core was a perfect match for Wyatt Rodney. With his steel body and the core, if he optimized the pairing, his power could easily triple.
For Wyatt Rodney, getting this Magic Reaction Core was a must.
Leon scanned the crowd, noting that at least two hundred and eighty people were still raising the bids.
"Ten million."
In a flash, Leon pushed the price to ten million. That figure knocked out nearly half the bidders, but there were still almost two hundred left—apparently their psychological threshold was much higher than ten million Purple Gold Coins.
As Leon raised the bid, Wyatt Rodney could no longer sit still. His eyes burned red as he glared fiercely at Leon, then cast unfriendly looks at the other bidders.
Damn it, these idiots. Don’t they realize that if the creator dares to auction this, there’s no way anyone will crack the technology? He’s selling a single Magic Reaction Core, nothing more—there’s no way to research anything truly valuable from it.
Yet even so, these fools were still clinging to hope. And that damn Archmage Leon Merlin—he must be buying it for research, too. What an idiot. He’s a Worldshaper himself; doesn’t he know the lengths creators go to keep their secrets? Even if he cracks it, he’ll never get anything useful.
That bastard will fight me to the bitter end, and with all these other idiots, the price is going to go through the roof...
Wyatt Rodney gritted his teeth, scanning the crowd. He was sure only a handful wanted it for personal use—and they wouldn’t last to the final round.
He took a deep breath, clenched his jaw, and shouted his bid.
"Thirty million!"
Thirty million—already beyond most people’s limits. In an instant, only a dozen bidders remained, and each new bid was just two or three hundred thousand higher.
Leon watched Wyatt Rodney’s relentless posture with a blank expression. Even the look he shot Leon was murderous. Leon just sneered.
"Forty million."
A crimson light flashed in Wyatt Rodney’s pitch-black right eye as he raised his bid again, without hesitation.
"Fifty million."
Leon seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Farrow, standing beside him, looked oddly unsettled. Seeing this, a smile crept across Wyatt Rodney’s face.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, this is the Odin Kingdom. If you’re out of Purple Gold Coins, you’d better hurry back to that backwater in Andalusia and retire there."
Leon stopped bidding, and Farrow grabbed his arm, whispering something as Leon shook his head. Wyatt Rodney saw this and his face bloomed with triumph. As for the other three bidders, raising the price by a few hundred thousand each time—they were barely worth noticing.
To everyone here, the Magic Reaction Core meant far less than it did to Wyatt Rodney. With his steel body, he could freely unleash the Rodney Family’s Ironclad Spell—and gain abilities usually reserved for alchemical golems, like mounting a weapon system...
The only reason Wyatt hadn’t used it yet was because the weapon systems he could mount were weaker than his own Ironclad Spells.
Half a minute passed, and the price reached fifty-five point eight million—thanks to two houses teaming up. But when Wyatt Rodney raised it to sixty million, all the other competitors dropped out.
Sixty million for a single Magic Reaction Core—no rational person would do this.
The auctioneer started the countdown. On the second call for sixty million, Leon stood up.
"Eighty-nine million, five hundred thousand!"
Leon raised his hand, looking desperate; Farrow stood behind him, visibly anxious.
Wyatt Rodney’s expression flickered, but soon he was smiling again.
Fools—did he really think throwing nearly thirty million at me would scare me off? That’s probably every Purple Gold Coin he can muster. Judging by Farrow’s face, I’m sure of it.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, out of Purple Gold Coins already? How stingy, leaving even a few scraps.
Ninety million!"
Wyatt Rodney called out the final price. Leon sat back down, eyes closed, perfectly content.
A Magic Reaction Core made as a practice piece had just sold for ninety million—a price more than thirty times its estimate, easily the most outrageous markup of the entire auction.
Having fleeced Wyatt Rodney, Leon stopped bidding. Wyatt naturally claimed the Magic Reaction Core, and Farrow, who’d been worried all along, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at Wyatt Rodney, Farrow couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
Poor guy. Lord Merlin’s practice piece, and this fool paid ninety million for it. Is he really planning to use the Magic Reaction Core directly?
If this idiot ever tries to use Lord Merlin’s Magic Reaction Core against him, that’ll be a show worth watching. No—the ending’s already set in stone.
This idiot will probably get himself blown up by the Magic Reaction Core...
Farrow sat behind Leon, head lowered, trying not to burst out laughing.
Using an alchemist’s creation against its maker isn’t unheard of. There was a notorious incident ages ago.
A Worldshaper died at the hands of his own creation, triggering a wave of reforms among alchemists. Of course, if you get caught adding backdoors to your work, your reputation’s ruined.
Nowadays, every alchemist adds a failsafe to their magical artifacts or alchemical golems: they simply cannot harm their creator.
If a magical artifact or alchemical golem ever threatens its maker, the alchemist instantly seizes control. Everyone knows this.
Just recently, a Grandmaster was attacked—and, ironically, the weapon used was one he’d crafted himself. There was no ‘after’ to that story...
The auction continued, but Leon barely participated in the later rounds. Most of the final items were True Spirit Artifacts and similar products—things the Gilded Rose didn’t need. Leon’s own magical gear was all custom-made.
Leon only bid on rare materials or curiosities, but if the price got too high, he’d drop out.
The three-day auction ended quickly. People began to disperse. Wyatt Rodney, riding high, strapped the Magic Reaction Core to his right arm, merging it with his steel body—his power instantly doubled.
Even as he left the auction hall, Wyatt Rodney didn’t bother hiding his half-steel body, deliberately showing off the Magic Reaction Core. The crowd was amazed. Others would just use it for research, or install it in some large alchemical device or golem.
No one else could use a Magic Reaction Core to boost their own power like Wyatt Rodney.
Even though he spent ninety million Purple Gold Coins, nobody thought Wyatt Rodney had wasted his money...
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, even those friendly with the Rodney Family came up to congratulate Wyatt, praising his keen judgment.
"Master Wyatt, you have real vision. With this Magic Reaction Core, your strength will multiply several times over—no amount of Purple Gold Coins could buy that.
Unlike us, who only bid for research, you’ve already left us in the dust. Remarkable..."
Plenty of factions allied with or dependent on the Rodney Family lined up to flatter Wyatt Rodney, and his smile never faded.
Wyatt Rodney was surrounded by admirers near the auction hall, while Leon finally stepped outside.
Leon had barely taken two steps when Cyrus hurried over from behind.
"Master Leon, please wait a moment."