"The Golden Leaf Auction House doesn't belong to any faction. It is owned by a powerful figure from the Ancient Era who is still alive even now," Laura replied.

"From the Ancient Era, yet still alive until now?" Richard was somewhat astonished.

He knew this world had two great eras: the Ancient Era and the Grand Magic Era.

Overall, they were still part of the same epoch, but the Ancient Era was a time when magic was far less abundant than it was now.

At that time, Codices and Arcane Arts were monopolized by only a few parties, so most people couldn't practice magic at all.

That era lasted for thousands of years before eventually entering the Grand Magic Era, when Codices and Arcane Arts spread everywhere.

And the Grand Magic Era itself had lasted for tens of thousands of years, so the gap between the Ancient Era and the Grand Magic Era was truly vast.

For someone to still be alive until now—just how powerful was that person?

"I don't know much about this individual," Laura continued. "What I do know is that he rarely appears, and his business is managed by his disciples."

'Perhaps an Ancient Sovereign,' Richard thought.

If a Ruler obtained World Magic Aether, then they would become a Grand Sovereign.

If not, they could still further develop their power by becoming an Ancient Sovereign.

Of course, the difference in power between a Grand Sovereign and an Ancient Sovereign was enormous.

But it was said that the older an Ancient Sovereign became, the stronger they grew—so much so that legends claimed some Ancient Sovereigns could at least endure against a Grand Sovereign.

An Ancient Sovereign who had lived since the Ancient Era—their strength couldn't possibly be average among Sovereigns.

"This seems to be a very large business," Richard said with a sigh.

"Of course. There's no auction house greater than this one," Laura replied. "In this kingdom, only the capital is qualified to host the Golden Leaf Auction House. Richard, it's extremely rare for them to give such a large discount. For them to grant you up to 25%, you must be highly valued."

Richard didn't show any expression upon hearing that he was valued by the auction house.

Without knowing them well, how could he be sure of their intentions?

Of course, this discount was still something he could use to his advantage.

While he remained silent, he suddenly saw a group of youths approach, led by a young man with slightly curly long hair, handsome and domineering in appearance.

He glared at Gray and Laura with a sour expression, and a suppressive aura radiated from his body.

Gray and Laura looked displeased upon seeing him. Laura even seemed worried.

Richard quickly stood up and walked away, uninterested in being involved in their conflict.

That young man was too focused on Gray and Laura to notice him at all.

When Richard was far enough, he heard the man challenge Gray to a fight to the death.

The issue apparently stemmed from the fact that this man was Laura's original fiancé, arranged by their fathers.

From the surrounding people, Richard learned that the man was the governor's son from the Eleventh Star Province.

This was truly none of his business, so he didn't want to be seen in the slightest.

He strolled on his own, descending one hill and climbing another in the city just for sightseeing.

Eventually, he arrived at the place where the tournament would be held.

It wasn't an open colosseum like the one in Night Valley City. Instead, it was enclosed, like a soccer stadium on Earth.

However, its size was twenty times larger than the colosseum in Night Valley City. It even stood up to eighty meters tall.

Even now, the colosseum was already bustling with people eager to take a look in advance.

Richard noticed quite a few people selling tickets. Apparently, spectating wasn't free.

Each ticket was being sold for 100 Nature Spirits.

And the final match tickets were sold for 500 Nature Spirits.

Richard was rather interested in going inside to take a look, but each entrance was guarded by several soldiers.

He wondered if he would be allowed in.

Considering he was well known and close to Lilith, the princess of the kingdom, it would be strange if he didn't receive special privilege.

He walked up to one of the entrances, drawing the soldiers' stares.

"May I go inside?" Richard asked directly before any of the soldiers could speak.

Instead of getting angry, the soldiers glanced at each other.

It seemed they had already recognized his face.

Suddenly, Richard noticed the captain of the guards at his post signaling the soldiers to let him through.

Since the captain permitted it, the soldiers immediately allowed him entry.

Richard stepped into the colosseum, feeling it truly resembled a soccer stadium back on Earth.

Inside, he saw many large stairways leading to higher floors.

He chose to stay on that level, walking down its corridor.

At the end of the corridor, he finally saw the sheer scale of the arena.

And in truth, he was not on the lowest floor—there were still three more levels beneath him.

This colosseum also had seating that extended underground, surrounding the massive field, which was about four times the size of a soccer field.

To Richard, the field was too small for battles between Magi in the Life Aether Realm.

Perhaps their attack range wouldn't reach beyond the arena, but with their swift movements, they practically couldn't run as freely as they wished. It could be said the field restricted their movement.

But ultimately, the arena was designed for a tournament that sought to crown a victor.

If someone could run freely, it would take far too long to determine a winner.

Richard began walking around the stands, finding several workers doing cleaning or repairs.

The ticket price was clearly not an issue, as the seats in this colosseum looked big enough for one person.

'But… what exactly is that?'

Richard wondered as he stared at the field.

Because his affinity with the Earth Element had reached ninety percent, he could sense something through the surrounding ground.

He could feel that deep beneath the arena floor, perhaps about three kilometers down, there was a massive hollow cavity.

If he hadn't reached the Life Aether Realm, he wouldn't have sensed it at all, since the distance was far too deep underground.

Although he didn't feel any particular aura from the cavity below, it was hard for him not to be curious—especially after hearing the rumor of a giant corpse lying beneath the capital.

What if that hollow was the passage leading to the corpse's location?

Of course, Richard didn't dare investigate recklessly just out of curiosity.

Who knew what kind of danger might be waiting for him there?

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