The Push of the World Will

Sure enough, the first item brought out was a heavyweight. Every Wizard present stared intently at the Crystal Orb. Green sat up straight and looked at it too.

A Crystal Orb unearthed from Ancient Ruins and encrypted with a secret phrase usually contained precious Sorcery or specialized knowledge. It was the sort of thing one could hope to find but never count on.

They're bringing out something this valuable right from the start. Looks like the School's plans have put everyone under considerable pressure, Green thought as he watched the Wizards around him ready themselves to bid.

"Thirty thousand Magic Stones!"

"Forty thousand Magic Stones!"

"..."

Bids rose one after another. In the end, a member of the White-Robed Wizards bought it for seventy-five thousand Magic Stones.

The transaction was simple. The White-Robed Wizard walked up, handed the Magic Stones to the host, and took the Crystal Orb.

Green did not bid. The knowledge might be precious, but it could hardly surpass the books in Soul Academy. He had not even finished studying those, so he had no interest in taking on anything else.

Trying to master everything would only leave him good at nothing. A person's energy was finite, and Green had never intended to become an expert in every field. At most, he learned enough about other disciplines to understand their basic countermeasures.

The trading continued. Few of the later items went up for auction. Most were reproducible knowledge with fixed prices, so there was no need to bid.

After all, the School had organized the gathering chiefly to help its members advance. Turning it into an auction would make the whole affair too mercenary.

The atmosphere was friendly. Quite a few people began discussing their purchases with those beside them as soon as they received them, sharing