Warm-up for the Grand Auction

The Miteer Auction House, like a war machine fully activated, began to operate with astonishing efficiency and a frantic pace.

Ya Fei's orders were executed to the absolute limit in the shortest possible time.

Gold-stamped invitations, crafted from the finest magical beast parchment, were tucked into exquisite envelopes. The flaps were sealed with the elegant Miteer Family crest, treated with a special technique that infused them with a precious, calming fragrance.

The invitation itself was worth a small fortune.

Dozens of the Miteer Chamber of Commerce's most elite messengers, mounted on the swiftest second-tier magical beasts, the Wind-Runner Birds, shot out from the auction house like arrows released from a bowstring.

Their destinations were not merely the major factions within Wutan City.

They were headed to Black Stone City, Desert City, Tanger City... every city and faction of note across the northeastern region of the Jia Ma Empire.

The content of the invitations was simple to the extreme, yet filled with a lethal temptation.

The Miteer Chamber of Commerce would hold a grand event, the likes of which had not been seen in a decade, at its Wutan City branch ten days hence.

At that time, a mysterious relic related to "Strange Fire" would be auctioned as the grand finale.

Simultaneously, a message even more concise and explosive spread through the Miteer Auction House's city-wide channels, moving through Wutan City like a virus.

Strange Fire!

The Miteer Auction House was going to auction something related to Strange Fire!

Within the first hour of the news breaking, the entire Wutan City was in a complete frenzy.

In a mercenary tavern in the south of the city, a one-eyed mercenary, fresh from a mission and reeking of blood, slammed his ale mug onto the table, sending liquid splashing everywhere.

"Have you bastards heard? Miteer is auctioning a treasure related to Strange Fire!"

His booming, coarse voice instantly ignited the entire tavern.

"Damn! Is that for real? Strange Fire? Isn't that stuff only found in legends? Even a Dou Emperor would turn green with envy!"

"My third uncle's second cousin's cousin is a guard at Miteer, and he says the news is absolutely true! Miss Ya Fei gave the order herself, and the invitations have already been sent out!"

"My god! Is the sky over Wutan City about to change?"

"Change? I think it's going to run red with blood! Anything involving Strange Fire is built on a mountain of corpses. When the time comes, it won't be small fry like us showing up!"

Countless mercenaries had eyes burning with greed and excitement. They might not even have the qualifications to participate in the bidding, but that did not stop them from harboring the most fanatical fantasies about the upcoming feast.

Perhaps they could fish in troubled waters?

Perhaps they could watch those high-and-mighty big shots fight until they were battered and bloody over this treasure?

This endless fodder for conversation and daydreaming was more intoxicating to their weary nerves than the strongest spirits.

Jialie Clan, Council Hall.

"Snap!"

An armrest carved from a solid block of rosewood was crushed into powder by a hand thick with bulging veins.

Jialie Bi's expression was so dark it seemed as if water could drip from it.

Before him, that beautifully crafted gold-stamped invitation lay quietly on the table; its elegant fragrance now smelled only of mockery.

"Strange Fire... it's Strange Fire again!"

He squeezed the cold words through his teeth.

The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees due to the Dou Qi leaking uncontrollably from his body.

In an instant, he linked this event to the mysterious person who had humiliated his Jialie Clan just days prior.

First the Rock Fire Seed, then the intelligence on the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, and now, they were openly throwing out a relic related to "Strange Fire"!

That bastard!

Who exactly was he? What else did he have in his possession?

An uncontrollable greed, like a venomous snake, gnawed at his heart once more.

Yet, rising alongside the greed was a sliver of dread he was unwilling to admit even to himself.

Someone capable of producing such items possessed influence far beyond his imagination.

That old fox from the Aoba Clan had clearly already latched onto this powerful backer.

Meanwhile, his Jialie Clan had become the laughingstock of all Wutan City.

"Father!"

Jialie Ao rushed in from outside, his face flushed with a sickly, excited glow.

"Miteer is auctioning a treasure related to Strange Fire! This... this is our chance! As long as we can obtain it..."

"Get out!"

Jialie Bi snapped his head up, his blood-red eyes staring at his son like a man-eating beast.

"You useless waste, you can't accomplish anything but you're great at ruining everything!"

A roar of fury doused all of Jialie Ao's excitement, leaving him ice-cold.

In stark contrast to the gloomy clouds hanging over the Jialie Clan, the Aoba Clan's residence was filled with jubilation.

"Hahahaha! Good! Very good!"

Aoba Pa held the identical invitation in his hand, letting out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.

Every wrinkle on his face smoothed out, radiating a joy that came from the bottom of his heart.

A stage!

That gentleman had said he needed a stage grand enough!

He had originally assumed he would have to pay a massive price to construct such a stage for that gentleman.

He never expected that the gentleman himself would toss out a "sun" bright enough to illuminate the entire northeastern sky of the empire!

And as the first to make contact with this "sun," his Aoba Clan would undoubtedly receive the greatest share of its light and heat!

"Pass on my order!"

Aoba Pa placed the invitation carefully on the table, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

"Gather all of our liquid assets! This time, no matter what, we must demonstrate sufficient sincerity to that gentleman!"

"Yes, Patriarch!"

The steward bowed to accept the order, his face also showing unconcealable excitement.

He knew that the rise of the Aoba Clan was now unstoppable.

The other two major neutral factions in Wutan City were also thoroughly shaken by this invitation.

At the City Lord's Mansion, the City Lord Yao Ye, dressed in military attire with an aura as steady as a mountain, frowned as she looked at the invitation in her hand.

"Strange Fire... Ya Fei is playing a bit too big this time."

A staff member behind her whispered, "City Lord, this matter is of great consequence. I fear Wutan City is about to fall into chaos."

"Chaos?"

Yao Ye let out a cold snort and set the invitation down.

"As long as the chaos doesn't disrupt the rules of my City Lord's Mansion, let them fight and scramble for it."

"Pass the order down: on the day of the auction, the City Guard is to be on full alert. Also, prepare a generous gift; I intend to meet Miss Ya Fei in person."

At the Alchemist Guild, when the invitation was delivered to the hands of the Guild President, Master Otto, this usually calm and composed fourth-tier alchemist suddenly stood up from his seat.

His cloudy old eyes were locked onto the two characters for "Strange Fire," and his breathing grew noticeably heavy.

"Quick! Go investigate immediately! What exactly is this miraculous object!"

"Also, notify all alchemists in the guild: ten days from now, they are to accompany me to the Miteer Auction House!"

To any alchemist, the words "Strange Fire" possessed a demonic level of attraction.

The news swept through the surrounding regions like an unstoppable hurricane.

Black Stone City, Desert City...

Above one city after another, flying magical beasts carrying powerful experts soared into the sky, their destination pointing directly at Wutan City.

Some lone experts who spent their years wandering and had no fixed residence also learned of this news through their own channels.

They might not be able to afford it, but witnessing a legendary miraculous object was a massive stroke of fortune in itself.

For a time, the various main roads leading to Wutan City were filled with an endless stream of carriages and horses.

In this city that was usually quite peaceful, the inspections at the gates became unprecedentedly strict.

This was because the number of unfamiliar faces flooding into the city was simply too great.

Among them were mercenary groups with fierce auras, merchant caravans in luxurious attire, and even true experts with restrained auras but eyes as sharp as blades.

The entire Wutan City seemed to have transformed into a massive whirlpool.

Yet, at the center of that whirlpool, there was an unusual silence.

In the dilapidated small courtyard in the south of the city, Su Chen sat before the window, quietly reading the latest intelligence sent by Ya Fei regarding the reactions from the outside world.

His fingers tapped rhythmically and lightly against the rough wooden table.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Outside the window, the streets were filled with the clamor of voices.

He could clearly perceive that dozens of auras, far more formidable and dangerous than that of Jialie Bi, had appeared in the air.

Some of those auras were arrogant and domineering, making no attempt to conceal their strength.

Others were like vipers in the abyss, cold and lethal, lurking within the shadows of the city.

They were all sharks drawn in by the "stone" he had cast out.

For the first time, Su Chen felt so vividly just how massive a ripple he had stirred up in this world.

It was a peculiar sensation, akin to standing upon a ten-thousand-foot cliff, looking down at the raging waves stirred up by a single word of his own.

There was nervousness.

There was excitement.

But more than anything, there was a sense of calm, as if everything were under his control.

He knew that he had personally lit this fuse.

From this moment on, he was no longer that mysterious figure who needed to hide in the dark, scraping by on the sale of Rock Fire Seeds.

Although his name remained unrevealed.

A legend regarding the "Mysterious Supplier" had already begun to spread quietly across this land, tethered to the name of the "Strange Fire."

And the true protagonist of this storm, that "key" capable of driving the entire empire to madness, lay quietly in the mysterious man's storage ring at this very moment, waiting for the instant it would stun the world.