Backstage, the staff stood frozen, forgetting their duties entirely.

This unassuming Spirit Card—once mocked and ridiculed by all—had just unleashed unimaginable power! No one would doubt it if declared a Stellar-grade Spirit Card!

In all their lives, they’d never seen a beginner-grade Spirit Card like this. Without witnessing it firsthand, no amount of persuasion would’ve convinced them.

Favna, startled, stared at the auction stage and was the first to snap out of her shock.

“What… what *is* this Spirit Card? How could it—Oh no!”

She suddenly realized something, panic tightening her chest. “Chris is still in the audience! We can’t let him buy this miraculous Spirit Card!”

The attendant beside her quickly suggested, “President, shall we halt the auction?”

“No! This is the final item. A merchant’s credibility is everything. Send someone disguised as a bidder—*now*. We *must* secure it. Chris cannot get his hands on it to reverse-engineer and mass-produce!”

The man rushed out. But Favna’s tension didn’t ease. Bidding had already begun… sending someone in now was likely too late.

Hearing the rising chorus of bids from the hall, anxiety coiled tighter in her chest.

*What do I do? What do I do?!*

Already pushed to the brink with no counterplay—if Chris acquired *this* card, reverse-engineered it… everything would collapse. Within fifteen days, her Trading House could be forced into dissolution.

Favna raked her hands through her hair, forcing slow, deep breaths.

“Wait—who handled this card’s acquisition? Do we still know them?”

“I… I did. The Spirit Card’s creator is still in the lounge…”

“What? The *creator*? Perfect!!”

Relief and hope flooding her, Favna bolted from backstage.

Meanwhile, in the hall, Chris’s face darkened like storm clouds. *This ugly, dismissed Spirit Card… how?!*

This was no longer about embarrassment. The entire guild war might hinge on this tiny card.

He turned sharply to the Spirit Glyphsmith. “How can a beginner-grade Spirit Card be this powerful? It rivals a one-star—no, a *two-star* Stellar-grade Spirit Card!”

Most critically: beginner-grade cards required minimal magical control. Anyone could use it. Mass-producible. More valuable than any two-star Stellar card. Its true terror? Universal accessibility. It threatened the world’s very foundation. If word spread, the Imperial authorities would investigate first. *Who could possibly craft this?*

The Glyphsmith understood perfectly. His expression was grim, yet calm.

“Yes. Incredible. Truly remarkable. No wonder Old Xu’s town is full of hidden talents.”

Chris slammed a fist on his knee, veins pulsing on his forehead. “I didn’t ask for *that*! Can *you* replicate it?! If I buy it, can you crack its secrets?!”

The Glyphsmith regarded him with cold disdain, arms crossed.

“I won’t. I refuse to violate another creator’s effort—that’s respect. And the Imperial Spirit Glyphsmith Code forbids reverse-engineering or forcing disclosure of methods.”

“Respect? *Code*?” Chris sneered. “Refuse, and you’ll *never* learn who Old Xu is. Go ask anyone in town—they won’t tell you a thing.”

The Glyphsmith’s face tightened. Hostility burned in his eyes.

Chris held the leverage. He had no choice.

After a long silence, he clenched his fan bitterly. “This is the last time. Help me with this… and you *will* tell me where Old Xu is.”

“Deal.”

Chris instantly plastered on a falsely warm smile and shot to his feet. “I, Chris, bid 5,000 gold coins!”

The staggering sum, paired with his town-standing, silenced every eager bidder.

Favna’s disguised agent hadn’t even entered the hall before the three-second countdown ended.

Amid Chris’s smug grin, the Spirit Card was declared his.

“What luck… Oh, Favna, poor Favna,” Chris murmured while paying, deliberately glancing toward backstage. “This sells easier than *Magical Girl Monkey Burn*. To let such a card slip right under your nose… missing replication forever.”

Imagining Favna sobbing backstage, head in hands, made him want to strip and sprint two victory laps around the hall.

*Magical Girl Monkey Burn* secured. *This* Spirit Card secured. Destiny itself!

Destiny decreeing Chris Guild’s total dominance over Azara Town’s commerce!

Clutching the card, Chris strode out of Favna Trading House with the Glyphsmith, head thrown back in roaring laughter.

“Fortune’s here—and unstoppable! Ahahaha! Ahahaha! Ahahahaha~”