Three hours slipped by quickly, and the Crimson Spire was already bustling with cultivators, nobles, and factions from across the 79th Heaven and beyond.
Aurora and Isis arrived quietly, Aurora in her simple white dress and Isis in casual clothes reminiscent of Ash’s usual style.
They made their way to the towering entrance—two imnse doors of red crystal frad in blackened iron.
Waiting at the threshold was a tall, androgynous figure in flawless silver-and-crimson robes, face half-concealed behind a smooth porcelain mask with softly glowing red eyes.
The figure bowed politely. "Welco to the Crimson Spire Auction House," it said in a smooth, genderless voice.
"May I see your invitations?"
The two won raised their brows, thinking the place was open to the public. As if reading their expressions, the worker said,
"If you don’t have invitations, they can be purchased for 300 million Mana stones."
Aurora and Isis shared a quick glance before the dragon spoke.
"Well, Heiress to the damn devils themselves... I’m sure you can cover this, right?"
After Aurora revealed her clan’s na, Isis wasn’t about to let it slide. It went without saying she knew exactly who the Originat were.
And how could she not?
She was technically an inhabitant of the Ninth Organism too, and not just Ash but the Original Eight Originats had stories that spanned every corner of the multiverse in that Lower Dinsion.
Aurora giggled at how much friendlier Isis had beco, though her stubborn streak remained.
With a casual flick of her hand, a mana ring shimred into existence.
"Three hundred million mana stones... just to get in?" she said, tossing it lightly. "This place must have so serious pull, huh?"
The attendant’s porcelain mask stayed unreadable, crimson eyes glowing faintly.
"Indeed. The Crimson Spire welcos all who can afford its hospitality," ca the flat reply.
"The lower floor galleries are open to the public for a modest fee of one million mana stones....
However, the private auction—where truly significant items appear—is reserved for those with the proper... standing. The invitation fee ensures only the most serious participants ascend to the upper galleries."
Isis let out a soft snort. "Standing," she repeated with dry amusent. "You an money."
"Or power... reputation.... Or any mix of the three," the attendant replied evenly. "The Spire doesn’t judge. It only asks for proof of worth."
"Well, let’s get going... that ring is proof enough," Aurora said, gesturing toward the space behind the attendant.
It quickly inspected the ring and inside were not 300 million but an astounding 300 billion mana stones. At the sight, the attendant bowed even lower this ti, with deeper respect.
"Distinguished guests," it said, voice tinged with a faint tremor of awe.
"Your presence honors the Spire. Please follow to the private lift. The auction for the Hollow Prince’s coordinates will begin in twenty-four minutes on Floor 79-A."
Isis still couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
’At least this ans we have so support while moving around here,’ she thought as they followed the attendant past the bustling crowds and into a discreet side corridor.
She hadn’t yet realized that Aurora herself was all the support they could ever need.
"I guess being your friend does have its perks," she muttered under her breath.
Aurora let out a quiet, amused hum.
"Hehe, didn’t I tell you? You’ll see soon enough that I speak only the truth."
The private lift awaited—a sleek cylinder of translucent crystal, its surface alive with shimring containnt runes.
The attendant bowed once more as they stepped inside.
"This leads to floor 79-A. The auction will begin shortly.... May fortune favor your bids."
-----
When the two won arrived at the private auction floor, they were led into a chamber already bustling with people of many different races.
The gallery on Floor 79-A was far from a typical auction hall—an open, circular void suspended among floating obsidian platforms.
There were no fixed seats, only empty space where attendees sat on platforms of their own making.
Low black crystal tables drifted here and there, so paired with floating lotus cushions, others with thrones of bone and fla, and still others with simple mats.
Aurora and Isis moved forward without hesitation.
Hum!
With a single hum, Aurora created two elegant lounging chairs that materialized in mid-air.
A small floating table appeared between them, already set with pineapples and a few other pastries Aurora liked to eat.
They settled in casually, legs crossed, as though they had every right to claim a pri viewing spot in the center ring.
The chamber held maybe three hundred beings—far fewer than the crowded public floors below, yet each radiated a power capable of leveling multiverses with a thought.
Among them were all sorts of dark races: Humans, Phoenixes, Devils, Demons, and a few rarer kinds like Bloodborns or Specters.
When they arrived, they barely drew any attention.
Aurora’s concealnt was still flawless; to the casual observer, they seed like nothing more than attractive yet otherwise unremarkable mid-to-high tier cultivators—hardly worth a second glance.
Except to one.
Near the front-left, a young woman lounged on a black throne.
She was unmistakably a Devil, her skin a deep burgundy that bordered on light brown, and her long red hair flowing like fire.
The Second Princess of the Everlasting Devils—Dex’s younger sister—spotted them right away.
Her blood-red eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring as if tasting the air.
She was among the few people Dex had reached out to after making his request.
He wasn’t exactly sure where these two won were headed, but he knew they were searching for a heart.
And for those already on the 79th Heaven and beyond... There was only one heart that was of importance...
That much was certain.
For devils, scents could be shared like words, so even through a communicator, he could spread the scent he had collected.
Aurora’s concealnt hadn’t really hidden anything, other than keeping people from lingering—it was hastily put together on a whim, with little effort.
She simply watched—patient, calculating, predatory... but as she did, Aurora sensed the gaze instantly, and so did Isis.
Aurora tilted her head and murmured under her breath, her voice barely audible even to those with heightened senses.
"Hmm, it seems like soone is curious, isn’t she?"
Isis’s slitted crimson eyes flicked toward the princess for half a heartbeat before sliding away again.
"Tsk, let her be," Isis replied quietly. "We won’t be here long... we leave imdiately after winning our bid."
Aurora giggled. "Oh, princess, I wouldn’t be my daddy’s daughter if I did sothing like that."
"I’m in the mood to be quite mischievous, anyway~"
Isis stared at Aurora for a long mont, unsure of what she was planning.
With a simple nod, she shifted her focus to the central dais, though she kept her senses out for the Princess just in case. The chamber lights dimd softly, dramatically, and a low chi echoed through the gallery.
The auctioneer—a tall, elegant figure in flowing robes of shifting crimson and black—ascended the central dais on a pillar of rising starlight.
His face was half-hidden in shadow, voice carrying yet close, as if he whispered straight into every bidder’s ear.
"Honored guests," he began, his tone smooth as silk with a hint of steel beneath.
"The Crimson Spire welcos you to the private auction on Floor 79-A. Our first lot tonight is a piece of exceptional rarity: sealed coordinates to the Heart of the Hollow Prince!"
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