"However," she continued, "it is classified as an Earth-grade artifact. Meaning, if the subject possesses a defensive treasure of Sky or Heaven grade, its effect may be nullified. The starting bid is four million credits, with each raise at five hundred thousand. Begin!"

Immediately, paddles shot up. Vivian's most of all.

"Five million."

"Seven."

"Ten."

Vivian's voice was calm but determined, the sharp glint in her eyes betraying how much she wanted it, as she had yet to win one, and she highly doubted she could win the last item of the auction. Lin Fang, seated beside her, merely turned his masked face slightly, watching her paddle rise again and again.

When the bid hit fifteen million, the hall grew tense. The bidder at table eleven — an elderly man in gray — finally dropped out. A brief silence followed before another voice joined the fray.

"Table two, seventeen million."

Heads turned as Zhi Yan joined as the new bidder.

Vivian's lips curved slightly, muttering under her breath. "So, you want to play too?"

The two women locked eyes, and the room seemed to shrink between them

"Eighteen million."

"Twenty."

"Twenty-two."

"Thirty."

"Thirty-five."

The air grew heavier with each bid, the hall filled with whispers and gasps.

When the numbers crossed forty million, the crowd could hardly stay quiet anymore.

"Forty-four million, table nine!" the hostess announced, excitement rising.

Vivian still had her paddle raised. Her hand remained firm while her eyes remained unwavering.

At another table, Li Liu watched their competitor, turning her head to look at Vivian. When her eyes fell on Wolf-masked Lin Fang, she couldn't help but notice the faint silhouette of the man beside her — something about him… felt familiar, especially his body frame, one that she was looking at almost every day.

"Nah… this fellow's mana reserves are way higher than Lin Fang's," she thought, shaking her head.

Meanwhile, Lin Fang sighed quietly, pressing a hand to his head and looking down.

Then—

"Fifty-two point five million! Table Nine!"

"Once, Twice…"

The hammer struck the golden gong in her hand.

"Sold — To Table Number 9."

A murmur rippled through the audience. Vivian finally set her paddle down, exhaling softly before turning toward Lin Fang.

As she raised her hand, Lin Fang tilted his head toward her and raised his hand to give a high-five. "You did it."

However, deep inside his mind, he thought silently. "This rich gal… was she really that traumatized that she wants this mirror? I'd better hope she won't use it on me. Alpha, if she uses that mirror on me, will my secret be revealed to her?"

To which Alpha firmly said. "She can't find out the secret of the system or your bond with your monster companions. Only the cosmic eyes of truth have that power, but she could find out about me."

"Well, that's fine, I guess. It's not like she is the only one. After all, that Alexander guy, Li Xue, master, Shen Kai, all of these know the secret anyway."

And a while later;

The hall dimmed slightly as the hostess' voice rang out for the last time, laced with excitement and formality — the tone that always marked the end of a grand event.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," she announced, smiling beneath the spotlight, "we come to the highlight of tonight's auction — the mysterious, most prestigious item that wasn't even included in your files."

A ripple of anticipation spread across the hall. Even the ones who had grown weary of endless bidding straightened in their seats, wondering what will be the item.

"Behold—"

With a soft hum of mana, the hostess reached into her ring and slowly drew out something massive — a large oval-shaped object, faintly glowing under the light.

For a second, the audience fell silent. Then a wave of surprise and intrigue burst across the hall.

"An… egg?"

"What egg is that?"

"I can't sense anything from it, though. It is not dead, right?"

The hostess smiled knowingly, letting the murmurs settle before continuing:

"This is a fossilized egg… or rather, that's what we thought it was, when we found it in the caves of Yuk. It was unearthed from a site dated to nearly seventy million years ago, back in the era when the world was ruled by giant monsters — before even the existence of mana, celestials, or demons began."

The room filled with awe-struck whispers. Even Zhi Yan and Xuenyi exchanged glances. Only Lin Fang flinched in surprise. Because he knows what the monsters are, the ones that lived during that time.

The hostess continued. "Upon study, we discovered something astounding. Despite being buried for so long, the egg had traces of a temporal seal — a seal that froze it in time. When our team broke the seal, expecting a fossilized shell, we found something entirely different."

She paused for effect. "The egg was alive."

The air in the auction hall instantly grew heavy.

"It was a Tyrannosaurus egg, an apex predator of those times. We cannot explain how it survived or who placed such a seal upon it — only that the seal itself was simple, ancient, and certainly not of divine or celestial origin. If anything, it appeared a bit modern, especially the runes used in sealing the egg."

A few gasps sounded from the audience. One even stood halfway from his seat with his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Now, before anyone gets too excited," the hostess added, smiling, "allow me to clarify. This is not a spirit beast egg. It cannot be bonded by blood, nor will it obey any summoning or taming ritual. It has no elemental affinity or special powers. If hatched, it will simply grow into what it once was — a Tyrannosaurus, a purely physical creature."

A murmur of surprise and slight disappointment rippled through the crowd.

"However," she said, her voice rising again, "at its prime, this species is estimated to possess the raw physical might of an Emperor-tier beast. Its bite could shatter steel, and its roar could crush your eardrums."

The disappointment only increased further among the guests. They all expected this item to be the real highlight of the auction, but even if they manage to hatch it, all they get is a beast with no elements or abilities, just a predatory beast that can only reach up to Emperor Tier in strength.

"The true value of this item," the hostess concluded, her smile widening, "lies not in its strength or potential — but in its rarity. This is the only surviving dinosaur egg in the entire world. The last relic of an age before mana itself existed."

The egg floated slowly above the display dais, rotating under the crystal lights.

"Even if you choose never to hatch it," she said, "it will remain one of the greatest trophies of this age — a priceless display, rivaling any artifact or antique in prestige. Because it is the only one in the world…"

She spread her arm dramatically, voice echoing across the hall:

"However, following the protocol, the bidding for the Tyrannosaurus Egg begins at 20 million credits! The interested bidders must just raise the paddle and keep it up as we continue to raise the bid, until there is only one paddle. Once the paddle is down, those who hadn't raised the paddle from the start are out of this bidding war.

"Now, who is up for 20 million. Raise the paddles."

Everyone: "…"

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