Strangely, after the hostess's grand announcement and all the explanations, the auction hall fell silent. No paddles were raised. No murmurs of excitement followed.

It was as if the entire room collectively hesitated — the kind of silence that comes not from disinterest, but from uncertainty.

Collectors whispered softly to their aides. A few even frowned. These wealthy people who had fought savagely over the phoenix egg moments ago and spent dozens of millions of credits over nonsensical items now looked reluctant — unsure whether this egg was worth the risk.

At that moment, a familiar chime echoed in Lin Fang's mind.

[New Quest Received]

Quest: Acquire the Lost Egg of T-Rex

Reward: Dinosaur Index Gallery (Theropods will automatically get unlocked)

Lin Fang's heart jolted. "Eh? Dinosaur Index Gallery?"

Alpha's voice then burst in his mind, "Host, get that egg. At all costs. That index isn't some cosmetic feature. It's like having a library. You'll be able to buy the spirits of dinosaurs from the index and add them to the Shop."

Lin Fang's eyes widened beneath the mask. "That means I can sell more dinosaur-type monsters and not just direwolves and Smilodons.

Having Alpha explain the system's cryptic quests finally made things very easy for him. Before, he used to try the function before understanding it. Now, with Alpha acting as a mentor, he could calculate pros and cons before making the decision.

But now? This was different.

His excitement quickly gave way to reality. He remembered having 7 million in his bank account and 39 million in the company's bank account, of which 31.8 million was advanced money. If he used that money, he could only see trouble. Because to sell the Jade Spirit Tonics, he had to buy them first. Before buying them, he had to clear off the system's debt. So, if he used them here and the buyers wanted the refund because it is taking too long to deliver, he will certainly be in trouble.

Lin Fang clenched his fists. He knew that he couldn't let this chance slip.

In desperation, his gaze darted to Vivian beside him, who was calmly sipping her wine, half-bored after winning an exclusive item. Like others, she had absolutely no interest in this item.

"Vivian," he whispered urgently.

She turned to him, eyebrows lifting at the tone in his voice. "Can you… bid on that egg for me?"

"What?"

"Please," Lin Fang said, voice low but steady, "I'll pay you back within a week — I swear. I have mythril ores worth twice that much. I just… need that egg."

Vivian stared at him for a moment, caught off guard by how serious he sounded.

"You really want that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Lin Fang nodded once, sharply. "Yes. It's… important for me. Or atleast, for my client." Thinking fast of a convincing lie, he further said, "He has his own lab, where he clones the monsters and their fertilized eggs. And he likes the rarest things above anything. I know we are not that closely acquainted to ask that much money, but… this opportunity is gold for me."

Her gaze flicked to the front, where the hostess, realizing the eerie silence, spoke again: "If there are no bids in the next sixty seconds, the item will be withdrawn."

Alpha's voice hissed in Lin Fang's mind, "Do it, host. Now."

Lin Fang stared at the blonde.

Vivian exhaled softly, still confused but deciding to trust his judgment.

Then, with a graceful motion, she raised her paddle high.

Following, three paddles were raised along. Four of

The hostess inwardly sighed in relief and smiled. Her co-host then said, "Now, for 21 million…"

"22 million"

"23 million"

.

.

.

"30 million."

"31 million."

When 31 million was spoken, two put down the paddles; only Table 10's woman of the Su Clan raised the paddle. Meanwhile, Lin Fang's heart beat only rose faster and faster. 20 million would be fine, but it crossed 30 million. Can he really pay back the amount? At worst, he decided to sell half of the company to Zhi Yan to get more funding to pay debt to Vivian.

"32 million…"

"33 million…"

.

.

.

"44 million."

And then as her Table 10 withdraw…

"44 million… Sold to Table 9. Congratulations," the hostess declared, sounding genuinely relieved that someone had bought this in. After all, the reaction wasn't great when its bidding was announced.

Once the hostess confirmed the transaction, the assistants brought over the Tyrannosaurus Egg carefully encased in a transparent case.

And without hesitation, Vivian turned toward Lin Fang and extended it toward him.

Lin Fang blinked, startled. "You're… giving it to me already? You can keep it with you until I pay it back."

Vivian smiled lightly, that familiar calm confidence on her face. "You said you'd pay me back, didn't you? I trust you."

For a brief second, Lin Fang was silent — not because of the gesture itself, but because of the ease with which she said it. Those words weren't something he was used to receiving.

"Thank you, Vivian," he said sincerely, carefully taking the egg with both hands.

Without drawing any attention, he stored it in his inventory.

Vivian blinked in surprise at that scene. "Wait… I didn't see any dimensional ring on you. Where did you store it?"

Lin Fang chuckled softly behind his mask. "I have the space element, remember?"

Vivian tilted her head before realization hit her. "Ah, right. I almost forgot about that… our first meeting," she murmured with a faint smile, shaking her head.

Moments later, the host and hostess returned to the stage one last time, bowing gracefully to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes tonight's auction. Thank you all for your cooperation and presence. We hope to see you again next year, with better products."

A wave of polite applause filled the grand hall. Guests began rising, murmuring softly as they prepared to leave. The dungeon's suppressive field faded away, mana flowing freely again.

Contrary to what Vivian had warned earlier — that someone might attack or cause trouble after the auction — nothing of the sort happened on the way back to the hotel.

No assassins.

No schemes.

No chaos.

Vivian and Lin Fang reached their room. Once they settled down, Lin Fang removed his mask and leaned back on the couch, exhaling deeply.

"Thank you, Vivian," he said again, this time more solemnly. "We've barely known each other for two days, yet you didn't even hesitate to lend me 44 million credits. That's… not a small favor."

Vivian poured herself a glass of water and smiled. "It's fine. You can take your time returning it. I'm not in need of money."

But Lin Fang shook his head. "It matters to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

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