As she turned around, what Seraphina saw was beyond her expectations, to the point that she could only stare in a daze at the young man who appeared to be around 18 years old. He possessed a unique poise and elegance that seemed to exude attraction, with an otherworldly beauty. His perfectly styled, deep black hair was adorned with stars and galaxies, as if he held his own universe.

The young man’s curious hair sharply contrasted with his porcelain-like white skin, and his striking emerald green eyes seemed to glow with wisdom. This blended seamlessly with his formal black suit and tie, the same color as his eyes, which rested against a pristine white shirt.

The suit was a two-piece, where both the jacket and pants appeared to have been cut from a slab of obsidian. The pointed lapels of the jacket added a touch of modernity, while the two front buttons gave it a classic feel.

"How do I look?" Erik asked with a small smile as he looked at the astonished Seraphina, who seemed to snap out of her reverie at his words, then replied while glancing him up and down with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"You look very elegant, young master."

"Hehe, thank you, Seraphina. Shall we go?"

After thanking her, Erik asked with a pleasant smile on his face as he slightly extended his arm for Seraphina to take. She did so with a beautiful smile, while the shadow of the perfect maid expanded greatly, rising into the air and wrapping them in a deep darkness, making them disappear from the place in an instant.

…

…

…

In the bustling District 12, known for being a place exclusive to those of great fortune and influence, stood the renowned auction house, "Aetherion’s Hall." It majestically towered in the center of the district, with walls of bluish glass and grand doors adorned with intricate runes that softly glowed, creating an iridescent light show in the surroundings.

Inside the imposing building, the expansive main hall opened up with a ceiling that seemed like a recreation of the night sky, with moving constellations, twinkling stars, and beautiful walls lined with shelves carved from ancient woods, filled with magical artifacts from distant times and places that seemed to pulse with mana.

Suddenly, into the beautiful hall entered a handsome young man with hair that appeared to be an extension of the ceiling, followed closely by a woman of transcendent beauty. She wore a stunning black dress worthy of the occasion, though for some reason, she evoked the image of a dedicated maid.

The new arrivals did not go unnoticed, and as they passed, they captured the attention of men and women alike, leaving the onlookers awed by their exquisite beauty and elegance. Some recognized them, while others frantically searched for news.

"Welcome to Aetherion’s Hall auction house."

Quickly, a beautiful woman with olive skin and brown hair, dressed in a stunning dark blue gown fitted to her body, approached the new guests and greeted them with an elegant tone while offering a courteous bow. Shortly afterward, she resumed her posture, adding with an almost magnetic smile on her beautiful face.

"It is an honor to welcome the esteemed direct disciple, Erik."

"You know me?" Hearing the comment, Erik couldn’t help but ask with a slight smile at the beautiful woman in front of him, who quickly replied with an elegant tone and a knowing smile.

"How could I not recognize someone with the reputation of the direct disciple, Erik?"

"If you say so." Erik added with softness and elegance, causing the corners of the woman’s lips to relax slightly into a more relaxed smile.

"My young master has decided to attend the auction. Please guide us there."

Suddenly, Seraphina stepped forward and spoke with an elegant and magnetic voice, full of professionalism, befitting the perfect maid she was. The woman responded with a slight bow.

"It is a pleasure to host such a distinguished participant at our auction. Please, follow me; I will guide you to the VIP area."

After receiving a nod from Erik, the woman led the pair of young masters and maids deeper into the building. A discreet guard, dressed in what appeared to be armor mixing metal with runic inscriptions, pointed to a side door, almost imperceptible to the untrained eye, which soon opened automatically.

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Upon crossing the door, the group was greeted by a hallway softly lit by floating lights resembling magical fireflies trapped in crystal spheres. The floor was a mosaic of carefully set precious stones, and even the air seemed faintly perfumed with a subtle mix of exotic woods and unknown flowers, calming the senses and preparing the visitor for what lay ahead.

Truly captivated by the curious design of the place, Erik began to look around with an appreciative gaze. He paid special attention to the statuettes of mythical creatures and portraits of great Mana users from across the galaxy that decorated the hallway. Finally, they reached a second door, this time made of bluish glass, with runes that danced and intertwined around it, acting as a security system.

Entering the room, Erik was slightly surprised by the wide, circular space designed to resemble a stellar bubble, with a ceiling that appeared to be an enhanced version of the one in the main hall. It looked much more detailed and realistic. It seemed as if each star were real, while the deep blue, metallic walls were embedded with gems and minerals that glowed with their own light, creating patterns representing different star systems.

The center of the room was dominated by an oval obsidian table surrounded by floating chairs. In one corner of the room was an elegant bar offering drinks from any part of the galaxy, and a small raised stage hosted autonomous instruments playing calming, enigmatic melodies, adjusting their rhythm and tone to the general mood of the room.

"What an interesting design." Erik murmured to himself as he looked around the room with interest. This prompted the beautiful woman guiding them to smile pleasantly and comment with a slightly pleased tone.

"I'm glad the design of the room pleases you, direct disciple Erik. That makes all the effort worthwhile."

"Did you design it?" Erik asked, a bit surprised as he looked at the woman, who replied with a pleasant smile, revealing a hint of pride in her creation.

"Indeed, this is the result of countless efforts to create a room that is both comforting and mesmerizing, ensuring that our VIP guests feel at ease during our auctions."

"You have a great talent for design. Do you do it professionally, or was it just for this particular project?" Erik asked with some curiosity as he looked at the woman, who responded with her typical formal and elegant tone, though a touch of nostalgia slipped into her voice and expression.

"It’s more of a hobby for me, and I don’t do it professionally. I inherited this auction house from my grandparents and have aimed to elevate it to the highest level, so my efforts are focused here."

As the woman seemed to get lost in memories of fond moments from the past, Erik couldn’t help but smile warmly and sympathetically, deeply relating to her. Much of his work in his previous life was driven by a similar motivation. He then approached the beautiful woman and extended his hand for a handshake while speaking in a much warmer tone.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone like you. My name is Erik; you can call me that from now on."

"The pleasure is mine as well, Erik. My name is Laura."

Although a bit surprised by the sudden change, the beautiful woman quickly responded and took the hand of the star-haired boy, who seemed to blend into the design of the room, initiating a handshake while speaking with a lovely smile. Erik responded with a smile as he presented a beautiful crystal card that appeared in his hand.

"It's a pleasure, Laura. If you're interested, take my contact information. If you ever feel like pursuing design, reach out to me. I’m keenly interested in having you design a building for me."

Hearing Erik’s words, a beautiful golden card appeared in Laura’s hand, a type of card Erik had never seen before, though he decided not to comment on it and instead made a mental note to investigate later. At that moment, the beautiful woman responded in a pleased tone.

"Of course, Erik. Though I don't do it professionally, I’d be happy to design a building for you as a courtesy."

As she spoke, Laura gently placed her card over Erik’s, causing two holograms to appear, indicating that contact information would be shared. Both quickly accepted, and the handshake was released.

"Please charge me, Laura. Your work is excellent, and it would be uncomfortable for me not to pay for it." Erik commented with a smile as he stored his card in his storage ring, to which Laura responded with a small smile and a friendlier tone.

"Very well, Erik. Then I’ll charge you. Contact me when you’re ready to start your project."

"I will. Thank you very much." Erik replied with a smile. At that moment, Laura gave a slight, elegant bow and then commented.

"Then, once again, it was a pleasure to meet you, Erik. I’ll step out now to continue receiving guests."

"Of course, see you later."

As Laura and Erik exchanged smiles in their farewell, Seraphina couldn’t help but look at the scene filled with surprise and disbelief. After all, if one were to list the most prominent traits of her beloved young master, very high on the list would be his complete lack of interest in socializing, to the point that he seemed like a hermit. His only interest was interacting with them, reading, or working on his own things.

Whether male or female, rich or poor, pretty or ugly, Erik always disdained interacting with people. In nearly two decades since he arrived at the university planet, he barely had anyone who could be called a friend, and usually, it was always Chen who contacted him first.

Hence, Seraphina’s great surprise upon seeing Erik interact so pleasantly and even exchange contacts with someone on his own initiative. It was something she had never seen before, which simultaneously filled her with an unpleasant sense of danger toward this woman. She had somehow managed to break with a few words the barrier her beloved young master placed in front of everyone, except for her and his masters, of course.

Fully alert, Seraphina began to analyze the woman from head to toe, carefully observing her appearance, manners, mannerisms, everything, trying to discover what had caused her young master to pay attention to her in the first place. After all, while she was incredibly beautiful, it wasn’t something Erik hadn’t encountered before.

In fact, Erik had interacted with women of nearly equal beauty in his classes on several occasions, never exchanging more than a couple of distant words with them. Something Seraphina knew from her regular security audits on her beloved young master, which she conducted to prevent any security breaches—not because she was stalking him or anything like that. Yes, it was just a security audit and nothing more.