Chapter 522: Chapter 522: The Shadow of the Empire

As the names echoed through the hall, Ethan felt a ripple of confusion. He leaned toward the Captain, his voice a low whisper behind the silver mask.

"Alaric? Valerius? They share names with the King and the very house we’re sitting in. Is that a coincidence?"

The Captain didn’t turn his head, his gaze fixed on the Royal Box below. "Nothing in the capital is a coincidence, Ethan. The Second Queen—Alaric’s mother—is His Majesty’s undisputed favorite. She manipulated the court so that even though Alaric isn’t the eldest or the official heir, he would carry the King’s own name as a mark of favor. Everyone knows Charles is the first in line by birth, but Alaric is the one the King loves. Politically, that makes him a far more dangerous monster."

"And the youngest? Valerius?" Ethan asked.

"Named after his great-grandfather," the Captain explained, his voice growing grimmer. "The Third Queen is Arline Valerius, the sole descendant of the legendary General Valerius. The old General is still alive, Ethan. He is a human monster who stands above even the current Generals in terms of raw, terrifying power. The boy carries that name as a warning to anyone who would cross his mother’s bloodline."

Ethan processed the information, a cold realization dawning on him. "So, they all have different mothers?"

"Not all," the Captain corrected. "Prince Charles and Princess Isabella are the only ones born of the First Queen—the Queen Mother. That is why Isabella is recognized as the Second Princess and not the fourth, despite the age gaps. She carries the highest bloodline, but that status has always been a source of bitter resentment for young Alaric. To him, Isabella and Charles are obstacles standing in the way of his ’rightful’ throne."

Ethan looked back at the princes. The glittering gold of their cloaks suddenly looked like a cage of ancient grudges and blood-soaked ambition. He wasn’t just walking into a sword sect; he was walking into the middle of a family war where the stakes were measured in crowns and corpses.

But the princes weren’t the only titans entering the arena. From the opposite side, a phalanx of men in charcoal-grey armor marched in. At their center was a man with a prosthetic eye made of glowing red mana—the General Manager of the Black Army Fleet.

"The Black Army Fleet," the Captain noted, his jaw tightening. "The most powerful military arms corporation in the kingdom. If there’s a weapon that can kill a god, they probably have a patent on it. They don’t come to auctions unless something truly world-shaking is on the block."

The room continued to fill with the architects of the kingdom’s power. The Alchemist’s Guild arrived in robes stained with rare reagents, smelling of ozone and sulfur. Following them were the masters of the Blacksmith’s Guild, men with forearms like tree trunks and soot-stained skin, their eyes fixed on the stage with professional greed.

The air was thick with the scent of old money and new blood. Every seat in the house was now occupied by someone who could buy a province with a stroke of a pen.

"Look at them," Ethan muttered, his voice cold behind the mask. "All the ’great’ men of the kingdom, gathered to fight over scraps of steel." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Careful, Ethan," the Captain warned. "To them, these aren’t scraps. These are the keys to the next war. And Charles... Charles is looking for something specific. He hates losing, especially to his sister. If he suspects the Princess is interested in an item, he’ll bid until the treasury bleeds just to spite her."

Ethan watched as Prince Charles took his seat in the central royal box, his posture radiating a bored, lethal Tsuperiority.

The lights dimmed until the grand hall was a sea of velvet shadows, save for a single, searing pillar of light directed at the stage. From the darkness emerged a woman so striking that a collective gasp rippled through the audience.

Her hair was a waterfall of brilliant, fiery red, cascading down a back that was bared by a dangerously low-cut crimson dress. The silk clung to her curves like a second skin, accentuating a deep, plunging neckline that left very little to the imagination. But it was her head that commanded the most attention: two blackened, curved horns swept back from her temples, gleaming like polished obsidian.

She stepped to the center of the stage, her every movement radiating a lethal, predatory grace.

"Welcome, distinguished guests," she began, her voice a sultry purr that echoed perfectly through the acoustic chamber. "My name is Seraphina Valerius, and it is my absolute honor to be your host for this historic evening."

She paused, her golden eyes sweeping over the VIP boxes, lingering for a fraction of a second on the Dragonia Princes before moving on.

"As you are all aware, tonight’s auction is... unique. We have gathered the most precious relics of our realm, but I must fulfill my responsibility as the voice of the House of Valerius by issuing a standard warning. Most of the artifacts featured in the final tier of tonight’s catalog were sent directly from the Golden Dragon Empire."

The air in the room suddenly felt twenty degrees colder. The "Kingdom" was a vast territory, but compared to the Golden Dragon Empire, it was a mere backyard garden. The Empire was a behemoth that spanned continents, ruled by ancient lineages whose power defied mortal comprehension.

"These items," Seraphina continued, a sharp, teasing smile tugging at her lips, "were provided by a specific family. Per their request, I shall not utter their name—though, for those of you who know your history, I doubt a name is necessary. However, I must give you this one piece of advice: if anyone here feels incapable of restraining their greed and wishes to take an object by force... please, feel free to try. We of the Valerius House won’t move a single finger to stop you. Jujuju..."

Her soft, melodic laughter chilled Ethan to the bone. It wasn’t a joke; it was an invitation to a suicide.

Ethan leaned back, his eyes narrowing behind his silver mask. "Is she serious? She’s telling them they won’t even defend the goods?"

"She doesn’t have to," the Captain whispered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Who would be stupid enough to challenge a family from the Golden Dragon Empire? There are thousands of noble families within that Empire, each with different ranks and interests, but they all share one common trait: the weakest among them could sweep this entire kingdom into the dustbin of history without breaking a sweat. To steal from them is to sign a death warrant for your entire bloodline."

The message was clear. The items on that stage were protected by a shield of absolute terror. In a room filled with the Kingdom’s most powerful princes, generals, and merchants, everyone suddenly looked very small.

Seraphina’s smile widened as she sensed the mounting tension. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let us begin the bidding for our first relic of the night. May your pockets be as deep as your ambitions."

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??