Chapter 827: Embarrassed and Enraged

The castle's great hall fell silent for a few seconds.

Hesitaf and Leila's smiles froze on their faces, instantly shifting from surprise to astonishment. One hundred million Gold Shields—this price already exceeds the construction cost of the New Village Floating City, enough to build an entirely new Floating City, and yet they still lost!

The other bidders also wore looks of disappointment.

Dean Margarita was despondent; she hadn't had high expectations, but winning the first round of bidding had given her far too much hope.

Tim*Kenan and KangJieladeGreatSage felt only a slight regret, while Sabbath Dean and Storm Queen already knew they couldn't win and quickly became at ease.

The remaining bidders were just the atmosphere troupe, never expecting to win.

Instead, the auction's ultimate victor, the Silver Star Duke, sat there like a statue, expression blank, as if unable to believe he had truly won the Floating City.

"Sister, congratulations,"

Only when Storm Queen voiced her congratulations did the Silver Star Duke suddenly stand, realizing he had acted improperly and become a laughingstock.

She forced her excitement to settle, showed a composed smile, lifted her chin, and proudly said, "Ailasilan, we are back on the same starting line again."

"Hmph…" Storm Queen sneered.

She didn't intend to stay any longer; with a booming sound, her figure turned into a burst of flame that shot outward, vanishing into the sky.

The others also offered congratulations in turn.

"Silver Star, I didn't expect you to win in the end," Tim*Kenan nodded, "This is a good outcome for the Supreme Council." He meant that the Silver Star Duke was already a member of the Supreme Council, and his control of the Floating City wouldn't disturb the council's factional balance.

KangJieladeGreatSage also expressed agreement.

"Thank you, GreyEagle Duke and GrandSage," the Silver Star Duke replied promptly, not daring to be remiss.

The two Holy Soul Wizards each said a word to Lei En, then teleported away.

Akaland looked somewhat dissatisfied, performed the whole act, and forced himself to say, "Congratulations, Silver Star Duke."

"Congratulations…"

"Your Grace, the Duke, deserves a Floating City."

Sabbath Dean, Earth Saint Rosita, and Countess Kailin, after offering their congratulations, also departed one after another.

Dean Margarita, with great poise, expressed her congratulations to the Silver Star Duke, then walked in front of Lei En and whispered, "Speaker Lei En, after you and the Duke finalize the deal, I have a transaction to discuss with you as well; I will visit you then."

Lei En raised an eyebrow; was she still not giving up?

"Fine."

He agreed, watching Dean Margarita leave the castle.

The legendary Wizards sent by the two newspapers fled the moment the results were announced; they ran faster than anyone, competing to publish the news before the other. From that perspective, both were competent reporters.

In the blink of an eye, only the Silver Star Duke and the Hesitaf city lord couple remained as bidders in the castle's great hall.

Even now, Hesitaf and Leila find it hard to accept their loss.

The solemn Hesitaf furrowed his brows, saying nothing.

"Sister."

Leila, with her silver hair, disregarding the others present, directly invoked her relation to the Silver Star Duke and asked anxiously, "What price did you bid that was even higher than ours?"

The Silver Star Duke was still immersed in great joy.

Floating City!

I have a Floating City!

She realized belatedly what she had won; three centuries of relentless pursuit were fulfilled today, and for a moment her mind became a little disoriented.

When Leila's question reached his ears, the Silver Star Duke snapped back to reality, recalling his bid, and suddenly felt a pang of pain. On his third bid he went all‑in, staking his entire remaining fortune and raising the price by fifteen million Gold Shields, unexpectedly succeeding.

She glanced at Lei En, teeth clenched in her mind.

That guy drained all his wealth!

But as the auction's victor, she had to maintain her winning demeanor, politely retorting, "Leila, what price did you bid?"

Leila hesitated.

According to the auction rules, only Lei En knows everyone's bids, and they must remain confidential.

"One hundred million Gold Shields."

Hesitaf, however, blurted it out.

"Ah!"

"One hundred million…"

A chorus of gasps and sharp inhales rose in the hall, from Viola, Aoxiliya, Fabian, and several of Lei En's students in the corner. They looked as if struck by lightning, eyes wide, their expressions a kaleidoscope of shock, awe, envy, and more, all deeply shaken.

They had watched all three bidding rounds, yet this was the first time they heard the exact price.

One hundred million Gold Shields!

It was a staggering fortune beyond even dreams; everyone knew the Floating City was valuable and would fetch a sky‑high price, but no one expected it to reach one hundred million Gold Shields.

Golden Three‑Headed Dragon Borchi's whole body went rigid, yet his eyes gleamed.

Even the city lord Hesitaf's one‑hundred‑million‑Gold‑Shield bid lost, indicating the Silver Star Duke must have paid an even higher price! Dragons are innately fascinated by treasure, yet he had never heard of any dragon possessing a hoard exceeding one hundred million Gold Shields.

Borchi's gaze at Lei En changed completely; in his eyes, Lei En was no longer a human but the greatest treasure in history!

"One hundred million Gold Shields! One hundred million Gold Shields! One hundred million Gold Shields…"

The Golden Three‑Headed Dragon murmured dazedly.

The Silver Star Duke was also startled; this price was clearly higher than his, by about ten million Gold Shields.

Yet Lei En still chose to sell the Floating City to himself.

She immediately understood; Lei En chose the lower bid because of the Iola Core!

From the start, he had coveted her Iola Core; even without the fifteen million Gold Shields for construction materials, even without the ancient dragon‑demon's pledge and the Crimson Signet, a bid of around seventy million Gold Shields would yield the same result!

Lei En would make great concessions for the Iola Core.

From beginning to end, the moment the auction for the Floating City was announced—drawing countless competitors, including covert bidding—the entire auction was a trap set by Lei En.

And I am the sole prey!

The Silver Star Duke suddenly realized, then was filled with annoyance, wondering why he hadn't thought of this before and had wasted an extra twenty‑million Gold Shields.

Having lived over four hundred years, he was being toyed with by a twenty‑five‑year‑old youngster.

Shame and humiliation rose in the Silver Star Duke's heart; she stared blankly for a few seconds, and the disgrace swiftly turned into raging fury.

Ryan Augustus!

The Silver Star Duke shouted loudly, massive soul energy burst from her, shaking the castle hall as the ceiling and floor trembled.

A towering ancient dragon demon, mountain‑sized, vaguely materialized, pressing the crowd to the point of suffocation.

The people in the hall could not comprehend why the Silver Star Duke suddenly erupted; each was horrified, struggling to resist the oppressive aura of the Holy Soul Wizard.

Heisitafu and Laila instantly flashed, creating distance.

Only Lei En stood before the Silver Star Duke, a storm of terrifying aura slammed into their body yet was as gentle as a light breeze, leaving their expression relaxed and their feet unmoved.

"Duke, why are you angry?"

Lei En asked calmly.

Before the words fell, he suddenly vanished.

The Silver Star Duke sensed a strong sense of danger and instinctively tried to pull away, but before any movement—before even a shield could be raised—a hand pressed onto her shoulder.

It was Lei En.

His spirit leapt to the side of the Silver Star Duke; his right hand lightly rested on her shoulder, triggering her protective spell. With a whoosh, a strand of silver fire erupted, igniting his palm. At the same time, three counter‑spells of at least six rings were activated, all striking Lei En.

But all the spells vanished like mud in the sea once they hit Lei En, having no effect at all.

The silver flame blazed on Lei En's palm, emitting terrifying heat, yet his expression did not waver, as if his hand felt no pain.

He pressed his palm lightly.

The Silver Star Duke instantly felt as if a mountain pressed on her shoulder, immobilizing her.

At the same time, an invisible force field emanated from Lei En, enveloping the entire castle hall. Casters within the area found most of their magical items rendered useless, their constant protective spells instantly extinguished, and any spell below eight rings could no longer be cast.

Anti‑magic field!

"Huh?"

Lei En was slightly surprised; the Silver Fire on his palm was unaffected by the anti‑magic field and kept burning.

What kind of flame is this?

But now is not the time for research; the Energy Furnace absorbs the flame's energy, and he takes no damage.

"Duke, why are you angry?" Lei En asked again.

The Silver Star Duke stared blankly at the nearby Lei En, finally grasping what Kuilu had said: Lei En's strength already surpassed that of an ordinary Holy Soul Wizard and could not be judged by normal standards. Moreover, Lei En is a battle wizard, possessing terrifying melee power like Oroin, and once a caster is engaged up close, the danger exceeds that of any spell by a hundredfold.

Lei En's question seemed calm, yet the Silver Star Duke sensed an extremely dangerous aura.

Her momentum immediately waned.

The massive soul‑energy ripple vanished without a trace, the phantom of the ancient dragon demon retracted, and the castle hall returned to normal, letting everyone exhale. At that moment, they noticed sixty Extreme Warriors standing around the hall, who had at some point raised Bolt Guns, aiming at the Silver Star Duke.

Lei En withdrew his right hand from the Silver Star Duke's shoulder, dispelling the anti‑magic field, and the Extreme Warriors lowered their Bolt Guns.

"You deceived me!"

The Silver Star Duke angrily rebuked Lei En, though her confidence wavered.

"We held a fair auction; how could we have cheated you?" Lei En's expression hardened as he said gravely, "If you wish to back out, just say 'I don't want it,' and I will immediately announce the sale of the Fu Kong Cheng to Lord Heisitafu."

Heisitafu, standing at a distance, lit up.

Laila also looked at the Silver Star Duke with hopeful anticipation, but said, "Sister, don't be fooled by him; the New Village Fu Kong Cheng isn't even worth a hundred million Gold Shields."

The Silver Star Duke saw through her trick in an instant and suddenly snapped awake.

They were waiting for her to back out, to change her mind. Lei En was no joke either; once he spoke, the hard‑won Fu Kong Cheng would be lost.

"Laila, you wishful thinker."

The Silver Star Duke scoffed, "The Fu Kong Cheng is mine!"

Then she turned to Lei En, "Give me three days to gather Gold Shields and materials; after three days, I will complete the deal with you."

After speaking, she transformed into a ball of Silver Fire, flew out of the castle, and vanished into the sky in an instant.

She seemed hurried, but was actually fleeing in panic.

"What a pity."

Heisitafu watched the direction the Silver Star Duke departed, shook his head, his eyes full of regret; Laila was also very remorseful, realizing she shouldn't have said that, as it only woke her sister.

"Chairman Lei En, we shall take our leave," Heisitafu, seeing no hope, immediately opened a portal and left with his wife.

Lei En watched the portal close.

Heisitafu was extremely decisive, and his wealth was astonishing; before this, no one knew he could muster a hundred million Gold Shields, richer than any Holy Soul Wizard. Yet money alone was insufficient—both Heisitafu and his wife were not Holy Soul Wizards, unable to obtain the Iola Core manufacturing method from the Supreme Council, so they would spare no expense to bid for the Fu Kong Cheng.

So far, only two Fu Kong Chengs have been built without Supreme Council approval.

They are Weizelan and New Village.

Weizelan's situation is special; it was completed around the year 1000 of the New Era Calendar.

At that time the Supreme Council had not yet been established, nor was there a rule that only Holy Soul Wizards could obtain the Iola Core manufacturing method; Mo Du nobles somehow acquired the method from an unknown Holy Soul Wizard, and constructing the Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng faced little resistance.

The New Village Fu Kong Cheng was also built by Mo Du nobles, driven by the fallen Lich of Augulevi Master, making the creation of the Iola Core a trivial matter.

Four years ago, after the Disaster Legion invaded Weizelan, the Supreme Council unanimously passed a resolution to more strictly control the Iola Core manufacturing method, forbidding Holy Soul Wizards from privately teaching it, with violators to be prosecuted.

The Imperial Council even established a specific law called the "Iola Core Non‑Proliferation Act" to regulate such incidents.

Since then, there has been only one official channel for producing the Iola Core.

That is obtaining authorization from the Supreme Council.

No one is permitted to act first and report later; once anyone is found illegally producing the Iola Core, regardless of who, the Supreme Council has the right to destroy it and eliminate the offender.

The Lord and Lady Heisitafu are wealthy, but before attaining Holy Soul Ascension, they cannot produce the Iola Core.

Even if they obtained the manufacturing method in private, it would not be allowed, unless they wanted to break away from the Empire.

Therefore, this auction was their only chance to obtain Fu Kong Cheng in advance; they smashed their pots and sold their iron, emptied their savings, and did not hesitate to call out an astronomical price of one hundred million Gold Shields.

Unfortunately, they still failed!

However, through this auction, Lei En discovered the enormous potential of this couple.

However, through this auction, Lei En discovered the enormous potential of this couple. They are both Chosen Ones of the God of Magic, Legendary Peak, their strength far surpasses that of ordinary Wizards; they will eventually become Holy Soul Ascension Wizards, and will demarcate the entire Turmude Trade City-State as their territory, becoming the true rulers of southern Empire, filling the vacancy of the Supreme Council in the southern Empire.

He will inevitably have to deal with this couple in the future, so he can make preparations in advance.

Lei En collected his thoughts and a smile appeared on his face.

The auction finally ended; although some unexpected incidents occurred at the end, he ultimately achieved the result he wanted.

Viola, Aoxiliya, Fabian, Bo'erqi, and the students gathered around.

"Lei En."

"Teacher."

"Lord..."

Everyone called out different titles; after watching the auction, they were filled with excitement and had many things they wanted to say to Lei En.

Meanwhile, outside the castle, many people had already received the news: "The Silver Star Duke won the bid for Fu Kong Cheng."

(End of chapter)