“Next up, we have the beast core of a Soul beast,” Milana said as she revealed a dark crystal the size of a child’s fist. “It contains the shadow element and was killed in the Outskirts of Evalia on Quemer. The beast was a Summer Shadow Hawk, and it was at the Soft Soul stage. The core is no more than a year old, so the mana inside is still full to the brim. Even if you don’t have a shadow core, a beast core from a Soul beast can still be incredibly useful in runesmithing. The starting bid is 50 Vastro coins!”

A beast core from a Soul beast with shadow mana? That might be useful if I need quick access to shadow mana. But at the same time, it’s not something I can rely on forever. It’s better not to buy it if that’s the case. I might end up using it as a crutch.

The price quickly reached 200 Vastro coins as the different guests placed their bids.

Wait! This could actually be incredibly useful to Tib. If he is going to form a shadow core without a spark, he is going to need an immense amount of shadow mana. This beast core would be perfect!

“Grandpa,” Adion grabbed his grandfather’s attention, “Could you bid in this for me?”

“Oh? Right, you are quite apt in shadow magic. Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you,” His grandfather nodded.

And thanks to their resources, his grandfather easily won the beast core for the price of 650 Vastro coins.

“That’s quite a bargain,” Sell commented.

“Really? The price was raised so much. How much would it usually cost?” Adion said.

“I don’t really know,” Sell said, shaking her head, “But if it was a beast core with, say, the fire element, the price would be a lot higher. But I doubt there is even a single shadow mage here at the moment, so unless someone had a particular use for this beast core in mind, no one would be willing to pay very much for it.”

“That makes sense,” Adion said, “I guess we got very lucky then. A shadow beast core should be incredibly rare. But that rarity actually worked in our favor.”

Hopefully something pops up that can be of interest to Perk as well. He’s been working hard too.

“Patriarch Remori,” One of the servants suddenly appeared on the balcony and approached Adion’s grandfather.

“What?” His grandfather turned around and asked.

“There are some guests here to see you,” The servant answered.

“During the auction? Who are they?” His grandfather asked.

“I believe they are visitors from the Fire Phoenix Empire,” The servant said, “I believe two of them are Soul mages.”

“Soul mages, huh,” His grandfather repeated in a low voice. He seemed to be in deep thought for a brief moment before nodding his head. “Very well, show them in.”

“Do you know who these people are, Grandpa?” Ailera asked.

“I have no idea,” His grandfather said, shaking his head.

I wonder what they want. They can’t have discovered we were the ones who sold the Elixir of Life, right?

Without Adion’s grandfather to make the bids, Adion didn’t see the point in staying on the balcony. It wouldn’t be proper for a 17-year-old to contest against the other guests. Besides, he was also curious about the people coming from Quemer.

I just hope we don’t miss anything good. But I guess we have already won enough items for a while. It wouldn’t look good to take everything for ourselves.

Aiden and Ailera also followed after their grandfather while his friends and Sell stayed behind.

“Patriarch Remori, thank you for taking the time to see us,” An old man said with a wide smile as he was led inside their booth by the servant.

As Adion felt the aura of the old man, he came to a halt.

A Pure Soul mage? What is someone like that doing here?

Adion had only ever met the Headmaster at that level before, at least when it came to sapi. He was unsure of how strong Fellion was. But other than that, even a Hard Soul mage was something he had only encountered once, when he met Elder Kilth.

I don’t know how common Pure Soul mages are on Quemer, but it is impossible for this old man to have a low status.

Adion only knew of two Pure Soul mages on Shiora, and that was the Headmaster and Termeth Hesfym. Not even Sell’s Royal family had someone that strong. That told Adion that becoming a Pure Soul mage was very far from a guarantee just because you managed to advance to the Soft Soul stage.

“No problem at all,” Adion’s grandfather said with a smile while palming his fist and lowering his head. “May I ask who this honored elder is?”

“Hehe,” The old man chuckled, “No need to be so polite. I’ve never been one for formalities. Besides, I’m the one disturbing your night here at the auction with your family.”

The old man turned to look at Adion and his siblings. Adion wasn’t sure, but he felt that the old man’s eyes paused on Adion for a while.

He wouldn’t look for my element, right? That would be a disaster.

“You can call me Bishop Derman,” Bishop Derman introduced himself, “I also go by ‘old man.’ It’s up to you what you want to call me, hehe. This is Bishop Amelia, and next to her is High Cleric Revano. The kid is called August. We have come from The Fire Phoenix Empire on business for the Fire Phoenix Church. Do you mind if we take a seat?”

“Of course,” His grandfather nodded and invited them to sit down. “These are my grandchildren. Aiden, Ailera, and Adion Remori.”

Adion palmed his fist and greeted the guests along with his siblings. They didn’t sit down along with their grandfather, though. It would be improper to do so in front of guests of this caliber, so they stood behind the couch their grandfather was sitting in.

Adion was very curious about these guests and wanted to sense their aura. But he didn’t dare do that in the presence of a Pure Soul mage. He knew he could easily be discovered. He could feel the strength of the old man and Bishop Amelia. They didn’t hide it, and strength was something that could be felt almost on instinct. But if he wanted to find out how old they were, he would need to put in at least a small amount of conscious effort in. He didn’t know what effect that would have, though, so he stayed his hand.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

With people his own age, he could run circles around them with his aura control and aura sense, but in front of a Pure Soul mage hundreds of years old, Adion had no confidence in doing anything undetected.

That woman looks like she is in her twenties, yet she is already a Soft Soul mage. She is definitely older than that, but she must be younger than Grandpa.

“So this is the Adion I heard about,” Bishop Derman said as his grandfather introduced him, “I heard you managed to reach middle Silver at just 17 years of age. It seems like it’s really true. No wonder that Sage Vermon took you in as his disciple.”

“Thank you, Bishop Derman,” Adion said with a light bow.

“What can I do for the friends from the Fire Phoenix Church?” Adion’s grandfather asked.

“To tell you the truth,” Bishop Derman said, “I seem to recognize you, Patriarch Remori. I just can’t seem to remember where from. Not only that, but Bishop Amelia here also seems to recognize you, isn’t that right?”

“I really don’t think so,” Bishop Amelia said, shaking her head, “I was mistaken before. I apologize for this, Patriarch Remori. This old man here is too curious for his own good. I’m embarrassed that we have come here to disturb you over nothing.”

Adion saw his grandfather’s face ease up in a smile after being slightly tense ever since these guests arrived. But just as he was about to respond, Bishop Derman laughed out loud.

“Haha! See what I mean? Oh, I suppose you don’t But let me tell you, I’ve seen this girl since she was just a baby, and she has never showed as much care for anyone’s opinion as she did you just now,” Bishop Derman said with an intrigued smile.

“Well, aren’t I a lucky man,” Adion’s grandfather said with a laugh. “But I truly don’t believe I’ve met either of you before. Perhaps I just have a common face.”

“It’s not just your face. It’s your aura, too,” Bishop Derman said, shaking his head, “Have you been to the Fire Phoenix Empire before?”

“I have,” His grandfather nodded, “But that was in my youth. It must be over 80 years ago now. I don’t think I would have been impressive enough to cause Bishop Derman to notice me. And I doubt Bishop Amelia was even born at the time.”

I never knew about that.

“Is that so,” Bishop Derman said slowly, looking up to the ceiling in thought. “What did you do in the Empire? Adventuring in the Outskirts?”

“That was definitely part of it,” Adion’s grandfather nodded, “I also had the good fortune of meeting my wife there. Perhaps I spent a little more time on her than on my training. My thoughts were clouded by love, haha!”

“Is that so?” Bishop Derman asked with an intrigued smile that Adion felt bad about for some reason. “What is your wife’s name? Perhaps she is the one I know.”

Adion’s grandfather was silent for a moment before sighing, “She has already long passed, I’m afraid. Forgive me, but I don’t like to dig into those things.”

Just as Bishop Derman was about to respond, Bishop Amelia talked over him, “Of course. I’m sorry for Bishop Derman’s crass question. He’s getting old, and his mind isn’t what it used to be.”

She seems a little odd. Well, she’s very polite to Grandpa, at least.

“Haha!” Bishop Derman laughed, “That might be the case. I apologize if I caused offense, Patriarch Remori. It’s just that I have this itch ever since I saw you. I can’t help but want to scratch it.”

“Don’t think anything of it, Bishop Derman,” Adion’s grandfather said, shaking his head.

“I’m relieved,” Bishop Derman said with a smile, “I hear you have been winning quite a few bids so far. Are you a Noble family of Cyalis? Or do you come from somewhere else?”

Why does this old man keep questioning Grandpa like this? It’s a bit rude.

I guess he has a very high status as a Pure Soul mage. So he can afford this much. At least that Bishop Amelia seems aware that the situation isn’t entirely appropriate.

But why is he so curious about Grandpa? It doesn’t seem like he is digging for information that would point to the Elixir of Life, but I might be mistaken. Did he truly meet Grandpa in the past?

Bishop Derman kept on asking questions about Adion’s grandfather’s life, with Bishop Amelia interrupting from time to time to scold the old man. The High Cleric and the boy named August didn’t speak during the entire time.

Eventually, Milana’s voice sounded out from the runic device in the booth. She had already auctioned off a few more items, but it was nothing that caught anyone’s attention. This time, however, the item to be auctioned off was a cauldron with runic inscriptions.

Hearing the description, Ailera started fidgeting slightly.

“You’re interested in the cauldron, Ailera?” Adion’s grandfather asked as he noticed her reaction.

“Well,” Ailera said hesitantly.

“I’m sorry, Bischop Derman, Bishop Amelia. My granddaughter studies alchemy, you see. I will have to make an appearance on the balcony. I hope you can excuse me. Otherwise, If you want, you are free to join me,” His grandfather said in good humor.

“Well, if-” Bishop Derman began speaking but was immediately cut off by Bishop Amelia.

“Then we shall take our leave,” Amelia said with a smile, “I’m so sorry to have taken up so much of your time, Patriarch.”

“Haha,” Adion’s grandfather laughed, “No troubles at all. It was a very pleasant conversation. I hope you find something pleasing to bid for by the end of the night. I will stay around after the auction if there is something else.”

“Thank you,” Bishop Amelia smiled. She pulled Bishop Derman’s arm and began walking away, the High Cleric and young man following her.

As soon as the door to the booth closed, they all heard a female voice yelling. Adion wasn’t sure what was said, but he thought he could hear the words ‘old fool.’

Was that Bishop Amelia? She seemed so calm and nice.

“This…” Aiden said with an awkward smile.

“Haaah,” Adion’s grandfather sighed, “What a mess.”

“What was that all about Grandpa? Did you know any of those people?” Adion asked.

“No,” Adion’s grandfather shook his head, “But…Well, we’ll talk about it later. Everything should be fine. Let’s hurry so we don’t miss out on the cauldron.”

Everything should be fine?

They all stepped out on the balcony, and Adion’s grandfather jumped into the bidding war. The old Soul mage that had contested his grandfather for the first Merrillian Soul Peach called out some snarky remarks, but Adion’s grandfather ignored him and kept on raising the bid.

“Who were those people? I felt a Pure Soul mage in there,” Sell asked in a low voice.

“They were Bishops from the Fire Phoenix Church,” Adion answered, “I have no idea what they were looking for. They seemed to want something out of Grandpa. I just can’t figure out what.”

Adion was really confused about the situation. Even if Bishop Derman spoke amiably, Adion still felt that he had some ill intentions.

Could it be some old enemy of Grandpa’s? Has he caused some trouble for the Fire Phoenix Church?

If so, I hope everything will be forgotten when the Elixir of Life is revealed.