When she arrived in front of him, Sophia first extended her hand to him, asking for payment.

Richard, who held control over the Dragon Hall, naturally could transfer the Spirit Essences stored there into a Storage Artifact.

He then handed the artifact to Sophia.

After she checked the amount, she immediately handed the Teleportation Disks to Richard.

Richard quickly examined the two disks, which instantly bound themselves to him.

He could feel the deep connection between them, as if they could traverse dimensions to reunite with each other no matter the distance.

Of course, the farther the distance, the more Aether it would consume—but even with Richard's current strength, he believed he could teleport across an entire province.

"Be careful, Charles Holylight will definitely target you. He is a very troublesome character," the woman suddenly said before turning around and leaving.

Richard instinctively raised his brows, then glanced at the blond-haired prince who had already turned away and exited the auditorium with his guards.

"Hmph…"

He only sneered faintly, not caring too much.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with this, tonight's auction has come to an end. If you have treasures you also wish to auction, you may contact us." Sophia, who had returned to the stage, announced.

Naturally, people began standing and leaving the auditorium.

Although the auction was short, it had broadened their horizons—and most importantly, the true event always came after the auction. If the greatest treasure ended up in the hands of a commoner, it meant there was a chance to rob them.

Almost everyone kept their eyes on Richard, some even remaining still since he hadn't moved yet.

With so many targeting him, Richard couldn't say he felt safe.

He stood, but instead of heading to the main door, he walked to the restroom nearby. Its entrance was conveniently close to his seat.

Since he went inside, others also entered. But he truly just wanted to relieve himself.

Of course, afterward, he sat alone in the restroom.

But that didn't mean he did nothing.

He created a shadow clone inside the restroom—its appearance identical to his when he wore the Phantom Cloak.

This time, he didn't need to actually wear the Phantom Cloak on the clone, as his improved strength allowed him to mimic both the cloak's appearance and aura through his shadows.

Once it was formed, he sent the clone out.

Through his wave sense, he observed the people who followed it.

Meanwhile, he forcefully broke through the restroom's concrete floor, diving underground.

He didn't go far—just beneath the Auction House, before emerging behind a tree unseen by anyone.

Naturally, he had also changed his appearance.

Whoosh!

He then hurled one of the Teleportation Disks with all his might, sending it beneath Golden Leaf Mountain.

With the disk there, how could he possibly fail to escape with ease?

Click!

He snapped his fingers, instantly erasing the shadow clone. Better for it to vanish before capture—otherwise, someone might recognize it as the Moonshadow Clan's Arcane Art.

"What?"

Richard immediately heard commotion erupting inside the auction house.

However, holding the other Teleportation Disk, he instantly activated it—something he was very eager to test.

And he couldn't be more astonished.

For a brief instant, he felt the world shift—then the scenery around him changed.

He appeared atop the roof of a house near the road.

It all happened in just a blink, the fastest movement he had ever experienced.

'So this is teleportation,' Richard thought.

He studied the disks again, wondering how two such objects could enable teleportation. He wasn't sure this was possible without an artifact.

'Perhaps the material that composes these disks is the true factor behind their teleportation.' He speculated.

Normally, an artifact's material was nothing more than its foundation, while its abilities depended on the creator.

But in the case of the Teleportation Disks, Richard was convinced it was the material itself that granted them this ability.

DING!

(Your mastery over the Codex of Moonshadow has increased from 33% to 46%!)

Codex of Moonshadow (46%)

Richard received the notification while still examining the disks.

"Only 4% more, and I can master the Shadow Armor from the Codex," he said, quite pleased.

From his ancestors, he had often heard of the Shadow Armor's greatness.

It was said to merge the shadow mode with the real mode.

In other words, one could attack while remaining untouchable as long as the Shadow Armor was worn.

Richard descended from the roof, reverting to his original appearance, and walked along the street.

He entered a small restaurant filled with ordinary people, chose a random seat, and ordered a plate of toasted bread layered with grilled meat and a glass of iced sweet tea.

People might be searching for him, but if they didn't know who he was, where could they possibly look? Unless Golden Leaf Auction itself leaked his identity.

After things calmed down, he planned to find Olivia and ask about the location of the Skylight Clan's Secret Land.

Once full, he returned to his inn where his horse was still waiting.

This time, he transferred Athena into the Dragon Hall, giving her the bone he had purchased to eat.

As for Richard himself, he decided to sleep—he had no mood to absorb Aether.

He slept soundly, dreaming of wonderful things beyond imagination.

Even before the sun rose, he awoke feeling refreshed.

Crack! Crack!

He stretched his body until it popped loudly, taking several deep breaths, sensing the immense strength he now possessed from a human's perspective.

Of course, the first thing he did upon waking was spreading his wave sense—only to frown in irritation, for even before sunrise, Gray and Laura were at it again.

Richard ignored them, merely annoyed by their movements.

He checked the various locations where spies usually monitored him.

Since he killed Noe, fewer tried to keep watch. Perhaps most nobles realized they weren't qualified to deal with him, though a few remained—one being Austin, who seemed forced into it.

Even without the Teleportation Disks, many still wanted him, for he had entered the Dragon Knights' secret place.

"Mmm…"

He was slightly surprised to find Olivia sleeping at an inn not far from his own.

The woman lay on her stomach, face buried in a pillow, wearing nothing but a short nightgown.

"Perfect!"

Richard immediately stood, leaping from his window onto a rooftop, then to another, before landing straight into Olivia's open window.

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