Chapter 320: Radiance of the Black Moon
"This..." Leon pondered for ages, unable to unravel the twisted logic. When his gaze landed on William Merlin, it brimmed with sardonic sympathy. "Why does misfortune always hunt you down...?"
"Yeah, I have no idea why I'm cursed with such rotten luck. Of all people, I had to catch Saren Charlotte's eye. You can't imagine—he's a real 'mad dog.' Back in Auckland, I was constantly dealing with his antics; he'd leap at any chance to humiliate me. After he snatched the Greatsword Master title ahead of me, he got even more insufferable. Every time we crossed paths, he was itching for a fight. Honestly, the reason I escaped to Seaview City—besides the family's orders—was just to get out of his way...
"Well... a level-four Greatsword Master at his age is nothing to sneeze at." Leon nodded, letting the topic die, his mind lingering with a hint of dry amusement.
"Impressive is putting it mildly..." William Merlin saw Leon wasn't interested in continuing and wisely shut up. Still, he couldn't help but grumble inwardly—if he hadn't been clever enough to flee to Seaview City and lucked into crossing paths with Leon, he'd be getting steamrolled by that lunatic right now...
"Marfa, Cousin." Just as the two wrapped up their conversation, Ross Merlin approached. The level-five Magus strode directly toward them after entering the auction hall.
Earlier, Richie had gone out of his way for this special guest, arranging a seat in the sparsely populated fifth row. Now, Ross Merlin could simply walk over and slip into the empty seat beside them, the hush of the auction hall lingering in the air.
"Ross Merlin, haunting me like a ghost again?" William Merlin rolled his eyes the moment he saw him—some people just didn't know when to quit.
"William Merlin, you'd better quit provoking me..." After being blocked time and again, Ross Merlin's mood soured. His eyes glinted with cold fury as he stared at William.
"Oh, I'm absolutely terrified..." William's voice dripped with mock terror, but the smirk on his lips betrayed him.
"I'll say this one last time: this matter is extremely important to me—so important that I'd do anything for it. If you think that just because you got lucky and beat me once, you can handle my wrath, then go ahead and keep provoking me."
"Heh..." William Merlin looked utterly unimpressed. Others might fear Ross Merlin, but William didn't—he knew that with Leon sitting right beside him, Ross wouldn't dare try anything.
After William Merlin's cold laugh, he was about to taunt Ross a bit more, but Leon raised his hand: "Enough, cousin. Let him finish."
"Alright..."
"You can speak now."
"Mafa Merlin, given our relationship, I could call you cousin as well. Before coming here, I did a bit of background research on you—hope you don't mind..."
"Heh, it's fine."
"So, I know you're running an alchemy shop in Seaview City, and you've accumulated a huge fortune, even becoming a major figure there. I also know you have a powerful mage at your side—probably a Title Magus. This mage killed Stan Watson in the Aurage Mountains. If I'm not mistaken, Stan Watson had a map on him, but after his death, the map disappeared. I suspect that map is now in your possession, cousin..."
"That's right." Leon nodded without hesitation, directly admitting it—there was no need to hide. His attention wasn't even on Ross Merlin, a level-five Magus; even someone as powerful as Stan Watson was, to Leon, just a ticket to the Merlin Family's ancestral grounds.
"Good." Unfortunately, Ross Merlin had no idea what Leon was really thinking. To Ross, Leon's straightforward admission meant this deal had a real chance. Otherwise, why would Leon admit it all so easily?
"Cousin Mafa, this map is extremely important to me. Like I said, I'd do anything for it. But for you, it doesn't really mean much. So, I was thinking—maybe we could make a deal. You hand over the map, and I'll compensate you in other ways. You know I've spent years fighting for the Merlin Family across various planes. I can't claim huge achievements, but I've gained a few things..."
"Oh?"
"Today I brought three legacy magic items. As long as you agree, they're all yours. Plus, I've picked up some magical insights over the years—if you ever have questions, maybe I could offer a few pointers..."
"Pfft..." Ross Merlin had just finished when William Merlin spat out his drink.
Then he gave Ross Merlin the strangest look...
It was a truly bizarre look...
It was as if...
It was as if he'd just spotted a rare animal at the zoo...
Ross Merlin looked at William Merlin in confusion, unable to decipher the meaning behind that look. In the end, he could only assume William was trying to provoke him.
But at that moment, Ross Merlin couldn't be bothered. After a quick glance, he turned his attention back to Leon.
"Also, cousin, running an alchemy shop in a place as chaotic as Seaview City must mean you run into trouble sometimes. As a level-five Magus, I could help you out. I promise, if you give me the map, I'll intervene for your Gilded Rose three times."
Ross Merlin finished, sounding genuinely earnest, but still didn't get the answer he wanted. Confused, he looked up—only to find Leon's attention had already shifted away...
Because at that moment, the auction had reached its midpoint—a magic item was being brought out.
"Next up for auction is a damaged Soulbound Relic: Radiance of the Black Moon. According to our Blackhorn Consortium's appraisal, Radiance of the Black Moon was crafted by a Grandmaster during the Third Dynasty and is over two thousand years old. Due to its age, the relic has sustained some damage and can't display its former power. However, as you can see, the damage isn't severe—if you can find a Grandmaster, it can be fully restored. Bidding starts at the low price of fifty thousand gold coins..."
"Cousin Mafa, what do you think of my offer?" As one of the Merlin Family's three young prodigies, Ross Merlin already had two top-tier Soulbound Relics, so he wasn't interested in a damaged one. He glanced at it briefly, then looked back at Leon.
"Wait..." Leon didn't even turn his head, just raised his hand to bid: "Eighty thousand gold coins."
"Cousin Mafa, what are you doing?" Ross Merlin's face darkened.
To ignore him for a mere damaged Soulbound Relic—was this an insult to a level-five Magus?
"Let's talk later." Leon frowned slightly—being interrupted by Ross Merlin twice during bidding was starting to annoy him.
To Leon, Ross Merlin's proposed deal couldn't compare to the Radiance of the Black Moon.
They're simply not on the same level...
The map Stan Watson left behind was, at best, a curiosity for Leon. But this damaged Soulbound Relic might very well become the first component of the Doombringer Staff.
Radiance of the Black Moon itself might not be all that valuable—even fully restored, it'd just gather dust in Leon's hands. But the techniques used in its creation were crucial for him.
Because this damaged Soulbound Relic used a rare array stacking technique—the very thing the Doombringer Staff required.
That's why Leon's bid spared no expense.
"Two hundred thousand gold coins." With just three bids, Leon had pushed the price up to two hundred thousand.
"Two hundred fifty thousand gold coins." Suddenly, a voice rang out from the top-tier private box.
Leon thought the voice sounded familiar. Before he could figure it out, William Merlin swore under his breath. Then Leon realized—the bidder must be Saren Charlotte from the Charlotte Family...
"William Merlin, do you think switching bidders will fool me? Listen up—anything you want, I'll fight you for it!" The top-tier boxes were reserved for big shots from major factions, with Blackhorn Consortium's best magical sound equipment installed. As soon as the bid was placed, Saren Charlotte's arrogant voice echoed throughout the hall.
"That idiot..." William Merlin was grinding his teeth.
"Heh, it's nothing..." Leon smiled, then raised his hand: "Eight hundred thousand gold coins."
As soon as Leon made his bid, the entire hall fell silent.
For a moment, countless eyes turned to Leon, trying to figure out which reckless spendthrift would offer such a sky-high price for a damaged Soulbound Relic.
Did he just have too much money to burn...?
Even a pristine Soulbound Relic would fetch about that much—let alone a damaged one.
Never mind how casually the auctioneer made it sound...
Just get a Grandmaster, and it'll be fully restored.
But really, how easy is it to get a Grandmaster to work for you?
Without two or three hundred thousand gold, what Grandmaster would lift a finger?