Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 164: Zora’s Auction (Part-2)

"Does my lady have enemies in the academy?" Prince Kael raised an eyebrow, a trace of coldness flashing deep within his eyes. Anyone daring to be his wife’s enemy would not be allowed an easy life.

Zora shook her head lightly, her smile calm and unbothered. "Nothing serious. Just minor grudges. It’s no big deal."

Among spirit warriors, conflict was unavoidable.

Once strength entered the equation, even the smallest contradiction could be magnified. That was simply the nature of the path of cultivation.

The more outstanding one’s talent, the more trouble follows. This was an unspoken rule.

And she, Zora, had never feared trouble.

If someone dared to provoke her, they should be prepared to pay the price.

Seeing her composed confidence, Prince Kael felt reassured. Such disputes were indeed normal, and as long as matters didn’t spiral out of control, his wife was more than capable of handling them herself.

"Zora," Raphael said quietly, his tone carrying a hint of concern, "Clarissa, Silvan, they’re all here. I’m afraid they might try to stir up trouble. You should be prepared."

Zora nodded faintly, her smile bright and self-assured. "Don’t worry. I can handle it."

After all, when one foot rose, the devil raised ten inches.

Clarissa and the others’ intentions were hardly difficult to guess. Since they wanted to scheme, she would simply play along and teach them a proper lesson.

*

Soon, the students finished writing and placed their slips of paper into the collection box.

Zora picked it up and began examining the contents.

The items listed varied widely, but most consisted of points, demon crystals, and other cultivation resources.

Among all of them, what caught her attention the most were the points.

After experiencing the cultivation tower firsthand, she had fully realized how terrifyingly effective its dense spiritual energy was. Points, in her eyes, were far more valuable than gold.

If things went as planned, once the auction ended, she would be able to spend a long stretch of time cultivating in the tower.

And that alone made today more than worthwhile.

Zora glanced over the slips of paper in her hand and calmly selected the three with the highest offers.

Three thousand points, fifty demon crystals.

Two thousand points, thirty demon crystals.

Two thousand points, thirty demon crystals.

Among all the bids, these three matched her intentions perfectly. Especially the points. With this amount, she could retreat into the cultivation tower for a considerable time.

By then, her cultivation would undoubtedly rise another level.

But when she saw the names that weren’t known in the academy at all, Zora’s eyes glinted in realization. After all, with such a high number of points, they should be known figures, and apart from a few, no one would bother using a fake name. "I see..."

The corners of her lips curved up.

Meanwhile, Reesa peeked at the figures on the three slips and couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath.

This price was terrifyingly high!

At the academy, points were the most precious resource. No matter how much money one had, points could not be bought.

Most of the other bids were only a few hundred points, and even those exceeding a thousand already represented students emptying their reserves.

She never expected someone to bid at such a staggering level. Envy flickered unmistakably in her eyes.

"I’ve made my choice." Zora raised the three slips in her hand, her refined and beautiful face calm and composed.

The moment her words fell, the atmosphere below the platform tightened. Everyone held their breath, desperate to know who had won the Elixir of Tranquility.

"Rowena, Clarimond, Aveline."

Clarissa frowned the instant she heard the first name. Their bid was already extremely high. She had been confident no one could surpass it. How could someone suddenly emerge and outbid them?

But when the next two names were announced, relief quietly settled in her chest.

At least two of them were under their control. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

As for the third Elixir of Tranquility, they could simply find another way.

Morgana, meanwhile, wore a smug smile.

She had thought her master’s task would be troublesome, but it had turned out far easier than expected.

As an alchemist, her family’s resources were abundant. Whether points or demon crystals, she lacked neither.

Cultivation was never her primary pursuit. Alchemy was.

Giving up points meant little to her. Besides, as an alchemist, would she ever be short of resources?

Below the platform, disappointment spread among the students who had failed.

"My bid was already extremely high. How did I still lose? Just how much did those three offer?"

"Exactly! I thought I had a real chance this time."

"Ah... that was Elixir of Tranquility. To miss it like this really hurts."

Seeing everyone’s curiosity burning brighter, Zora directly read out the prices on the three slips.

The moment the numbers were announced, the square erupted in shocked exclamations.

"Three thousand points?! That’s insane! Do we really have students with that many points?"

"Two thousand points... all the points I’ve earned since entering the academy don’t even add up to that!"

"No wonder we lost. Losing to this isn’t shameful at all. But I’ve never even heard of these three people. Who are they?"

Zora’s gaze swept calmly over Clarissa and the others. Their earlier confidence had not escaped her notice.

She was already certain that these three slips belonged exactly where she expected.

"May the three students please step onto the platform?"

She said with a gentle smile, her clear and elegant voice flowing like a breeze through the square.

Morgana, Clarissa, and Silvan stepped onto the high platform under a mixture of startled and confused gazes.

The moment the three revealed their faces, a ripple of bewilderment spread through the crowd.

"Isn’t that Clarissa? That name wasn’t called just now!"

"And Morgana and Silvan... they didn’t use their real names either? What’s going on?"

"I heard Clarissa and Silvan have grudges with Zora. Using fake names isn’t surprising. But why is Morgana mixed in, too?"

Amid the murmurs, Clarissa stood proudly on the platform, her eyes glinting as she looked at Zora with thinly veiled smugness.

"I really didn’t expect that the one who got Elixir of Tranquility would be me," she said, her tone full of provocation.

Zora looked at the three of them calmly, her expression unchanged, as if Clarissa’s words were no more than idle chatter.

Before she could speak, Reesa burst out angrily, "Clarissa, I knew you’d pull something like this! You even used a fake name!"

She had long suspected Clarissa’s intentions. Someone like her wouldn’t show up at the auction without ulterior motives.

Clarissa shot Reesa a cold glance. "This auction is based on price alone. Names don’t matter. Why can’t I use whatever name I like?"

With that, she turned toward Zora, confidence written all over her face.

"Isn’t that right, Zora?"

Zora smiled faintly. "You’re right. The highest bid wins. What kind of name you use has nothing to do with me. Even if you called yourself ’Pig Head’ today, I wouldn’t care."

The smile on Clarissa’s face froze instantly.

This woman... she really knew how to stab where it hurt.

"Pfft—"

Reesa, who had been seething just moments ago, couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Pig Head? That nickname fit Clarissa far too well.

Morgana, who had been preparing herself for an inevitable clash with Zora, felt a trace of displeasure instead. Before she even spoke, Clarissa had already rushed ahead.

Her eyes darkened slightly. As expected, there were always people who couldn’t stand Zora’s existence.

Silvan stepped forward, his gaze cold and sharp. "Since we’ve won, hand over the medicine."

A smug smile crept onto his face. Ever since crossing paths with Zora, he had suffered one loss after another. Today, he was finally going to reclaim some dignity.

"You’re not planning to go back on your word, are you?" he added mockingly.

In his mind, Zora must already be furious. After all, the three Elixirs of Tranquility had fallen straight into their hands.

What Silvan didn’t realize was that Zora had selected their slips deliberately.

Zora’s smile remained gentle and composed, her demeanor elegant and unruffled. To onlookers, it was Clarissa and Silvan who appeared petty and small-minded.

"Of course not," she said calmly. "This was a fair auction. The items written on the slips you submitted will be exchanged for Elixir of Tranquility."

Clarissa stared at her, confusion and unease creeping in.

Something was wrong.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

She had expected anger, confrontation, maybe even desperation. Instead, Zora was serene, polite, almost indulgent.

That calm, gracious composure made Clarissa feel like a fly trapped in a spider web, unable to escape, increasingly uncomfortable... and quite unsettled.