"Ladies and gentlemen, please wait a moment."
The Wine Master's voice cut through the crowd, drawing the attention of all the onlookers who'd just begun to relax.
The Wine Master began. "I've just received word that, in recognition of your support for the auction, the Eastern Alliance has decided to bring out the most valuable of all the vital crystals they've acquired to the auction.
It's in the process of being delivered, so please wait a moment.
Jewelry Master, I'll have to trouble you to receive it. "
"Alright." Lan Jue rose to his feet and made his way to the door.
There's more?
There's a final item?
The Western Alliance representative's eyes lit up. The Northern Alliance's representative stared at the Wine Master in astonishment.
This wasn't part of the original list of items to be auctioned!
But there was no rule against adding more items at the last minute.
What would a vital crystal, even more valuable than the last one, look like?
Lan Jue walked out of the auction hall. He'd only taken a short stroll before returning. What did he need to receive?
The vital crystal was part of his contract with Thor.
When Lan Jue returned to the auction hall, a rich aura of life emanated from him.
In his hands was a Life Crystal that wasn't too big.
This Life Crystal was red and about the size of a palm. It was flat, had eight sides, and had ridges on it.
If the vital energy contained within the first crystal could be described in terms of energy intensity, then this was the crystal.
Hence, when this piece of Life Crystal appeared, it instantly occupied an absolute position in the hierarchy.
The Terminator, who had been sitting cross-legged a moment ago, opened his eyes. They shone with a fierce light.
He could clearly sense that this red Vital Crystal contained a kind of liquid life energy, and this life energy clearly contained nomological law fluctuations.
Vital protogenia!
This was a vital crystal imbued with it!
Logically speaking, only a Paragon or a Paragon could produce such a treasure.
Had Skyfire Avenue developed a vital crystal like this?
It was something he hadn't expected. But as a Paragon, this was the true meaning of life crystals.
In fact, the Pontiff wasn't the only one who needed vital crystals to prolong his life. The Terminator's need was no less urgent.
He wasn't as old as the Pontiff, but his years of cultivation and integration with machines had left him with many problems.
He'd become a Paragon, and his protogenia had made up for it.
However, there was no way to completely eliminate the hidden dangers.
Whether it was to advance further, or to prolong his life, he had to solve them.
This Law of Life would undoubtedly play a very important role.
Lan Jue didn't walk too quickly, so everyone could clearly see the crystal's shape. They could feel the life force radiating from it, and their faces changed dramatically.
The stronger one's cultivation, the more obvious it was.
For example, Metatron, who'd been stuck at the peak of ninth level for many years, had the feeling that if he could get his hands on this vital crystal, he'd be able to break through to Paragon!
Lucifer felt the same. His cultivation was slightly lower than Metatron's, but he was still a Paragon.
All eyes fell upon Lan Jue, but Lan Jue didn't seem to notice.
She wasn't afraid of a sudden attack.
The lesson of the Astral Phantom had left a deep impression on these people. Skyfire Avenue was more than capable of keeping the situation under control.
This was Skyfire Avenue's territory, the Skyfire Museum, the home of the Clairvoyant.
Pairs of burning, greedy eyes flickered. Everyone's brain was working at high speed. Without a doubt, they all knew what this Vital Crystal meant.
Lan Jue stepped onto the stage and approached the Wine Master.
This time the Wine Master didn't rush to begin the bidding. Instead, he said, "It's been a long time, and I'm sure everyone is tired. We've prepared drinks and food, so you can all take a break. In half an hour, we'll begin the bidding for the final vital crystal." With that said, he and Lan Jue walked to the back of the room.
There was a flash of silver, and both Lan Jue and the Wine Master were gone.
As soon as they were gone, the scene spiraled out of control. The voices of the buyers grew louder and louder. Many of them dialed their communicators to ask for instructions from their superiors.
This had happened before in previous auctions, but not as fervent as this.
The Life Crystal that had just appeared was simply too important.
"I'm a little reluctant to part with it!" The Wine Master offered Lan Jue a glass of brandy.
To him, this top-grade Life Crystal was quite meaningful.
Lan Jue's response was disgruntled. "You can't catch the wolf without risking the child.
It's not like you don't know why we're here.
Besides, don't you already have one? "
The last vital crystal was one of the highest quality they'd obtained. It was a gift from Jueti's Desperate Gambit, which had decimated a large number of aliens.
Of course, there were seven or eight vital crystals of this level. Of course the Wine Master had the right to use them.
This auction had been proposed by Skyfire Avenue, but there were a few additional conditions.
It wasn't the Wine Master's idea, but Jue Di's.
Jueti's demands were simple. Lan Qing would have first dibs on the spoils of the auction. He would have control over at least fifty percent of the ships.
Even Jueti felt the danger after his experience on the alien planets. There were more powerful beings on those planets, but Jueti couldn't say for sure how strong they were.
Under these circumstances, the stronger one was, the safer they would be against the aliens.
Furthermore, An Lun lacked resources to begin with, especially warships.
The Eastern Alliance was lagging behind in this regard. They only had four fleets. An Lun had a fleet, but they weren't strong enough.
After all, the military wouldn't allow one side to dominate.
But things were different now. Lan Qing's ascension to Paragon meant he was the best candidate to inherit the military's mantle. He also had influence in the Eastern Alliance. For the Eastern Alliance, strengthening An Lun's military was a boon.
As for being too big for one's own good, they had to stay alive to think about it.
In the end, the Eastern Alliance agreed to Skyfire Avenue's demands.
This was another reason why Lan Qing was present at the auction.
"You," the Wine Master grumbled. "You're so evil.
You and Huali are in cahoots, aren't you?
I just didn't think he'd become a Paragon. "
If Lan Jue hadn't noticed at first, then as soon as Hua Li's face was revealed, he understood what was going on.
Huali and Lan Jue were so close, it would be strange if they didn't have a connection.
Lan Jue spoke up. "I didn't expect him to be so fast either. It must be because of his family's heritage.
Every generation of the Neptune family has a Paragon. It's just that this power has to be passed down through generations.
Huali's father must have sacrificed a great deal to help him reach his current level. He still needs to stabilize before he can officially become a Paragon.
My brother and Ali have both broken through, and A-Cheng is in seclusion. I'm under a lot of pressure.
Does the Avenue have some sort of legacy or ability that I can use to improve myself? "
The Wine Master huffed. "Don't give me that. Even if we did, would we be able to compare to Jueti?
If Jueti wants you to improve step by step, it's the right thing to do. "
Lan Jue spoke up. "It's only the first time this kind of auction happens. I'm afraid it won't work next time.
They won't be willing to part with battleships again.
I've already set up the Zeus Jewelry Shop. Did you get the word out? "
The Wine Master nodded. "Everything's ready. Once the auction is over, I'll get the word out."
So many people had come to the auction, but not everyone could get their hands on a vital crystal. The price was so high that many families couldn't even get their hands on one.
However, it was also because of this that their desire for the Vital Crystals became even stronger.
Skyfire Avenue had a lot of them, so they could use this opportunity to sell more on the black market.
This wasn't just limited to battleships, but mechas and power gems as well.
It was a trade of resources.
In exchange for scarce vital crystals, they'd be able to get more resources.
This auction had a plan in place. First, they'd resolve the doubts of the Western Alliance. Then, they'd draw the attention of the other powers. Through the strong attraction of vital crystals, the Eastern Alliance would be able to reap the benefits.
This plan was to lay the foundation for the Eastern Alliance's future fight against the aliens. It was also a show of strength to the outside world.
The Eastern Alliance's overall weakness wasn't something that could be changed in a day or two. However, the fact that the Eastern Alliance had so many powerful Adepts was an indisputable fact.
With the Paragons protecting the Eastern Alliance, the Northern Alliance and Simon didn't dare act rashly. With the alien threat looming, and the Eastern Alliance growing stronger by the day, the Western Alliance and the Northern Alliance couldn't do anything to the Eastern Alliance unless they could destroy Skyfire in an instant.
It's gonna blow up tomorrow. Oh, please.