During the recent bidding war, that guy and Liliane had each snagged a few items—but nothing more than minor trinkets.
Yet as the auction neared its end, everyone knew the main event was about to begin.
"Next! Before our grand finale item!" Lya’s voice rang out, bright and teasing. "Lya believes this will be the most anticipated lot for mages—or those with mage-type Contract Beasts~"
At her words, I exchanged a glance with that guy. Without a word, our gazes locked onto the auction stage. After all, Angels were arcane-type Contract Beasts… This item held undeniable allure for both of us.
Silence suddenly swallowed the hall. A full-moon-bright beam of amber light pierced down, illuminating the staff cradled carefully in Lya’s gloved hands—pink velvet gloves gripping its shaft.
Where the light met the staff’s elegantly carved surface, it flowed like thick amber honey poured into a seven-colored glass cup. An eerie, soul-gripping luster erupted from within.
Even turning my head away felt like a luxury. Beside me, that guy’s thoughts mirrored mine—I could tell by how her hand, still pinching my wing, had gone slightly stiff.
Darkness coiled soundlessly around the staff in Lya’s grasp. Like ancient runes swirling before awakening a princess trapped in crystal, its presence radiated ageless, unsettling power. It felt like Pandora’s Box—stirring deep-buried fears while forcing you closer.
A faint sense of familiarity prickled at me. Beneath that dazzling amber glow, I sensed a roaring inferno—ready to consume everything it touched. Yet it also felt like a lonely, helpless demon cub, bullied but too afraid to fight back.
"Everyone knows the name Ramir Expedition Team," Lya announced. "This staff was recovered by them days ago, deep within the Demon Beast Forest of the Far East."
"Eh…?" A puzzled murmur slipped from the guy beside me. "But didn’t the Ramir team get wiped out after stumbling into Overlord Diwu’s territory?"
Diwu. I’d read about it—a demon beast surviving since the God-Demon War, hoarding treasures deep in the Demon Beast Forest.
"Indeed," Lya smiled, sensing the crowd’s doubt. "The Ramir team marched a thousand strong into the forest’s heart… only to trespass on Overlord Diwu’s domain. Fewer than ten survived, including their captain. This staff? Stolen by their captain from Diwu’s hoard. Its runes identify it as the Stardevouring Staff."
*Stardevouring Staff…* Never heard of it.
Gasps rippled through the hall as every eye snapped to the auction stage. It didn’t matter that no one knew the staff’s true power—merely being from Diwu’s hoard proved its worth. Legends said Diwu stood a hair’s breadth from godhood… How could anything in its hoard be ordinary?
"However…" Lya’s voice cut through the awe. "No records of the Stardevouring Staff exist on the continent. Even Master Ruili, our appraiser—one of the finest on the continent—cannot fully decipher its properties. Its only confirmed effect? Doubling spell potency. Thus, it isn’t our final lot. Starting bid: two thousand gold. Minimum raise: one hundred gold."
…
Silence crashed back, broken only by frantic whispers.
True, it came from Diwu’s hoard—but paying two thousand gold for a mere spell-amplifying staff seemed… wasteful. Diwu’s treasures couldn’t be that simple, yet… if even Master Ruili couldn’t unravel its secrets, what hope did ordinary buyers have?
"If possible… Master… Yiyi wants this…"
I tugged her sleeve softly. I didn’t know why, but seeing the Stardevouring Staff sparked a fierce, instinctive urge to possess it—like an Angel’s intuition.
"Tch. Making me spend money again?" That guy’s voice turned oddly stiff. "But if I don’t buy it for you, who will? Be grateful for my boundless compassion."
(She was probably still sore about losing the first item…)
She didn’t see the pleading, almost tearful look I’d given her—a look devastatingly effective on her.
"Two thousand one hundred!"
Just as she turned away with a huff, striding toward the bidding mic, a voice cut through the hall. From the auction house’s shadowed corner, the figure in the black cloak had spoken.
