The aliens were mysterious and powerful, but that didn't matter to most human leaders. What mattered to them was how to get enough vital crystals from the aliens. That way, they would be able to prolong their lives.
At least for now, exuvium wasn't something everyone could enjoy. Only a select few would be able to enjoy it.
Everyone wanted to be part of the minority. The future wasn't their concern. What mattered most was how long they could live.
Humanity's intellect was limitless, and as time went on, they would be able to develop exuvium techniques that didn't require vital crystals. Of course, that was if you could live that long.
Because of this, the emergence of vital crystals opened the eyes of humanity's leaders to the possibility of immortality. How could they not scramble for it?
When the Eastern Alliance proposed this auction, it caught the attention of the entire human race. It was their way of proving to the rest of humanity that the results of their investigation were worth it.
If they hadn't found the alien nest, how could they have brought back so many vital crystals?
"Chief Zhou, we are very supportive of this auction. But we need to inspect the goods first. We need to ensure the quality of the crystals."
One of the leaders of one of the Northern Alliance's largest financial groups smiled at Zhou Xue, the Eastern Alliance's chief political officer.
Zhou Xue smiled. "Of course. Since we're holding this auction, we'll make sure to dispel any doubts you have. Don't worry, we'll give you a chance to inspect the goods."
"Thank you, Chief Zhou."
Zhou Xue was surrounded by the leaders of the Northern Alliance. He answered every question they had. The only thing he didn't say was where the crystals had come from.
Towards this, he had always been secretive about it.
The rules of the auction were announced the next day. When they were announced, the Northern Alliance was in an uproar.
Vital crystals weren't measured by money.
In the past, some high-end auctions used specific power gems as the unit of measurement. This time, the Eastern Alliance's auction was even more ruthless. The unit of measurement was warships.
That's right, warships.
One of the rules stated that each bid must not be lower than a standard patrol ship with a full set of weapons and equipment.
Ten patrol ships were equivalent to a battleship, ten battleships were equivalent to an expeditionary battleship, ten expeditionary battleships were equivalent to a commander-class battleship, and ten commander-class battleships were equivalent to a Chancellor class mothership.
What was even more baffling to the Northerners was the fact that the East had set a price of one price.
The price of a hundred vital crystals was the equivalent of a complete Bastion.
After seeing the auction rules and the price, their first reaction was to turn around and leave.
The importance of a warship to a country was obvious, especially when they were about to face the alien invasion. The Eastern Alliance wanted to use these crystals to strengthen themselves.
However, the lowest price was always a patrol ship, and every time the price was raised, it would be at least one patrol ship. This was no longer just a matter of money, but also a huge amount of resources.
However, it had to be said that the Eastern Alliance had fully grasped the hearts of these people this time.
They hadn't just invited the government, they had also invited a number of powerful financial groups.
No one didn't want to live forever, and that was especially true of the families.
So, even if they were all from the Northern Alliance, it would still be difficult to form a united front.
At this time, no one noticed that a small airship the size of a patrol ship had quietly landed in the airship base of Skyfire City. A group of people walked down from it.
At the front of the group was Lan Jue, dressed in a blue suit. He held Zhou Qianlin's hand as they disembarked.
The Clockmaker, the Wine Master, the Pauper, the Driver, Zeus's Amazons, the Accountant, and finally the Photographer, Roxanne and Jueti.
Star Division would remain on An Lun to continue their training, while the Northern Alliance returned to Skyfire to deliver the vital crystals.
Vital crystals were expensive, so it was important to make sure they were delivered safely. The auction also needed a strong enough presence.
"Are you here yet?" Lan Jue used her communicator to dial in a low voice.
"We're here." A pleasant voice came from the communicator.
A small smile spread across Lan Jue's face. "Alright, I'll see you in a bit."
"You just got back and you're already in such a hurry to see someone?
When are we going to start cultivating?
Hurry up!
The further you go, the slower it gets. "It was the Driver who had spoken up.
Lan Jue smirked. "Haste makes waste. I'm in more of a hurry than you are, but you need more time to stabilize your Discipline.
I'll be back in a bit, it won't delay my cultivation.
You've been a little too hasty lately. If you want to break through to Paragon you need a solid foundation.
You'll have a good chance of breaking through after the transformation, but Paragon isn't the end of our path. Do you really want to just reach the Realm of Protogenia?
Don't you want to get stronger?
You need to be steady. "
The Driver stroked his beard thoughtfully. He nodded. "I understand."
He'd been a little impatient lately. After all, the benefits of fusing with the lightning were too great. His Discipline had been slowly improving for so long, but now it had undergone a qualitative change. Any Adept would do everything in their power to take advantage of such an opportunity.
In truth, he'd felt the instability in his Foundation, but he'd thought it wouldn't be too late to wait until his Primordial Thunderbolt was fully converted. Lan Jue's timely reminder had awakened him. Once he'd reached a certain level, it wouldn't be so easy to fix.
The Driver broke out in a cold sweat. Even if he succeeded in breaking through to Paragon, he feared he'd run into big problems in the future. He couldn't advance any further.
Lan Jue saw the fear in the Driver's eyes, and knew he'd come around. They were all smart people, so there was no need to say more.
Lan Jue's verti-car was already waiting for them on the tarmac. It picked up the group and made for Skyfire Avenue.
Lan Jue and the Five Zeus Maids returned to the Zeus Jewelry Shop. The others also returned to their own shops to rest.
The Wine Master was in charge of the vital crystal, and the Clockmaker was with him. Unless a large army was deployed, it would be impossible to take it from them.
The Eastern Alliance's auction was about to begin, but the game was never over.
The Eastern Alliance had issued a series of rules and regulations for the auction. The auction would be held over two days, with the first day being an appraisal day. Every government, consortium, or individual that had obtained permission to participate in the auction would be allowed to send an appraiser to examine the crystal.
The second day was the official day of the auction.
However, it wasn't that easy to participate in the auction. According to the Eastern Alliance, in order to ensure the crystal's safety and the smooth running of the auction, all bidders were required to provide collateral to prove their sincerity. If there was a problem with the crystal's appraisal or other procedures, then they would be disqualified, and their collateral would not be returned.
What was the collateral?
Simple, battleships.
All participating parties had to submit a battleship as collateral, and their bidding qualifications had to be strictly evaluated before they were qualified to participate in the auction.
The Northern Alliance didn't have much of a reaction. After all, the crystal was valuable, and the Eastern Alliance was willing to fork out so much at once. It was only natural for them to be cautious.
The West, on the other hand, was a different story.
From the very beginning, the Eastern Alliance had offered them different conditions.
Aside from informing the Hanhai Group, the Eastern Alliance hadn't invited the Simon government or any of the Western Alliance's consortiums or families. They were completely excluded.
At first, the Western Alliance's officials were adamant about the Eastern Alliance's possession of more than a hundred vital crystals. However, with the confirmation from the Northern Alliance, the Western Alliance's various consortiums began to voice their opposition.
The emergence of vital crystals and exuvium had only just begun to show their prowess in the human world, but to these consortiums with keen senses, they had long since recognized their importance.
No one didn't want to live longer. The more powerful and wealthy they were, the more they wanted to live.
However, the number of vital crystals was far too scarce. Obtaining one was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Exuvium technology wasn't fully developed yet, but at least it was in its infancy. The vital crystal was the core of the exuvium process.
To use the exuvium process, or to develop it through experimentation, one needed a vital crystal as the foundation. Without it, everything else was empty talk.
To obtain a vital crystal, one had to kill the marauders. That was easier said than done.
There were no vital crystals on the market.
This auction could be said to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Under such circumstances, who wouldn't be tempted by the power to participate?
Using battleships as a unit of measurement was hard to accept, but compared to the benefits of the vital crystals, it was nothing.
This was especially true for those forces whose leaders were old and frail.
Life was priceless!
No matter how much money you had, no matter how many battleships you had, you couldn't extend a person's life. But vital crystals could —
Beg