Olivia let out a cold snort. She crossed her arms and rose from her seat, striding toward the stage.

Veyl on stage still looked dazed. Before she could react, Olivia stood right before her.

The masked girl pointed decisively at the Blood Amber Ring displayed on the podium. "This Blood Amber Ring isn’t genuine—it’s never been soaked in living dragon blood. It’s merely a counterfeit stained by summoned creature’s blood. Though it mimics true dragon-blood properties on the surface—even fooling identification magic—it holds zero resistance against dragonfire! Anyone buying this as protective gear will end up as dragon barbecue the moment they meet a real wyrm in the wild."

*Hssss—*

Veyl hesitated after Olivia’s firm declaration. Murmurs rippled through the audience. Though the masked figure offered no proof, her unwavering confidence planted seeds of doubt in many spectators.

Gawain in the crowd broke into a cold sweat. *That ring… how could it be fake? I… I personally wounded that dragon myself.*

Another voice roared louder—Caius. Cutting off someone’s income was worse than killing their parents. Besides, he refused to believe his beloved Mermel would give him counterfeit goods.

He slammed his palm on the table and jumped up, jabbing a finger at Olivia. "Nonsense! Absolute nonsense! Hah… How could this possibly be fake? What do you know about its origin, stranger? I swear—if this ring’s fake, I’ll eat this table right here! But if it’s real? You’ll kneel and kowtow to me! Too scared, huh? Miss Veyl! Aren’t you going to warn this troublemaker disrupting the auction? What’s their real agenda, wasting everyone’s time?"

"Yeah! Can identification magic even lie?"

"If this auction house sells fakes, I’ll smash the whole place!"

"Hurry up! I’m waiting for the next item. How boring!"

"Who *is* that masked guy? This’ll be fun~"

"Let’s see—table-eating or kowtowing~"

Many nobles relished the chaos. Seeing the situation spiral, Veyl quickly stepped forward, stern-faced. "Sir Masked One, I must remind you: identification magic never errs. If you distrust even that, how can we possibly prove anything to you? Please cease this dispute. We can discuss it after the auction."

"No need. Verification’s quick, isn’t it?" Olivia shot a cold smirk toward Caius. "I’m rather eager to see a table-eating performance. Everyone—testing this ring’s dragonfire resistance is simple. Just summon a high-tier arcane mage to conjure a dragon! Or…" She turned to Veyl, voice dripping with challenge. "Does your auction house lack even *one* summoner?"

Her tone taunted the auction house—but the real target was Caius. That blond brat? He was a mage. Yes, a cheat-code user wielding high-tier summoning magic.

Olivia despised the yellow-haired jerk, yet couldn’t deny his strength. He far outclassed peers his age. Sometimes she wondered: how did such a universally disliked, sleazy student gain such power?

Probably… the game developer’s bull-headed sense of humor. Generously handing him absurd cheat codes.

Sure enough, Caius couldn’t stay seated. Before Veyl could speak, he charged to the front, pointing fiercely at Olivia. "I can summon a dragon! You claim it’s fake? I’ll prove it right now! You… just prepare to kneel and apologize!"

"Be my guest~" Olivia stepped aside with a smile. The audience leaned forward, eager for the show. Only Gawain… silently worried for the masked figure.

Caius turned toward the blood-tinged amber ring. His face radiated confidence, but doubt flickered within. After all… this item wasn’t originally his. What if hidden complications existed?

But—he refused to believe it. *Who are you under that mask? What makes you so certain? Why such confidence?!*

Olivia caught the forced smile tightening on the blond’s face. She snorted softly, waiting.

*No matter.* Caius lifted his head. *If identification magic approved it, it can’t be fake!*

Resolving himself, he raised a trembling hand. Violent mana surged. A purple magic circle flared in the air as he bellowed: "Dragon! Summon!"

Dark mist coalesced. A floating juvenile dragon materialized above the auction hall, unleashing a roar—

…Though it sounded more like a squeak. The little wyrm flapped its tiny wings with a *pitter-patter* sound before letting out another tiny squeak. Olivia bit her lip hard to suppress laughter. *Is he cautious… or just cowardly? Summoning a baby dragon because he fears the ring’s weak resistance? Tsk tsk~*

Unbothered by Caius’s toothy, boastful grin, Olivia ignored him. The blond scowled, then spun toward his summon. "Dragon! Breathe fire on that ring!"

"Wait! Hold on—" Veyl rushed to intervene. "At least… use a wooden dummy first! Setting the table ablaze would cause a fire hazard!"

"Hah! Why fear? With such powerful dragonfire resistance here, all flames will be nullified!"

Caius wasn’t wrong. A genuine Blood Amber Ring would absorb all dragonfire within five meters. If the table burned? The ring was useless.

Olivia’s heart pounded with anticipation. *Go for it, little dragon!*

*Huh? Wait—don’t steal my mental lines, subtitles!*

Before she could finish scolding the imaginary subtitles, Caius’s summoned wyrmling sucked in a huge breath. Its tiny body trembled as it unleashed a stream of peculiar flames—racing straight toward the table holding the Blood Amber Ring.