Chapter 191: Heart of the Ocean

After leaving the arena using his Earth Evasion Technique, Yang Ling intentionally made a round outside the arena before cautiously returning to the unassuming inn. He had not only managed to obtain Ashnamov’s secret by heading to the arena this time, he had also managed to save all of the Galapagos Tortoisemen in the underground jail facility.

There were fifty agile and brave Galapagos Tortoisemen including Ashnamov. Even though each and every one was wounded, they were all elites brought out from Ashnamov’s tribe. Most of them had followed Ashnamov in his wars, and were his trusted guards, and had spent many of their years at sea.

In order to hide them from the people and allow the Galapagos Tortoisemen to rest and recover, Yang Ling kept Ashnamov and the rest within the space of the Wizard’s Pagoda even after he returned to the inn. With Yuna’s guidance, they quickly adapted to life within the space of the Wizard’s Pagoda and built a row of comfortable houses at the shore of the clear lake.

Every day, Yang Ling would devote some time and enter the space of the Wizard’s Pagoda, delivering the group resources like salt and clothing. Montson’s economy was booming. He could get anything he needed as long as he had coin.

Drinking the Water of the Spring of Life and resting under the white fog released by the Wizard’s Pagoda, the Galapagos Tortoisemen’s wounds healed quickly. A few badly injured Galapagos Tortoisemen that were on the brink of death were able to stand using crutches after just two days, much to the surprise of everyone.

The magical shackles each group member wore were very sturdy. Yang Ling had been unable to split them even after buying a sharp axe for ten thousand Purple Crystal Coins. Luckily, Yuna possessed exceptional fire element magic and could melt the weird magical shackles little by little using her purple flames. Even though she could only melt a few magical shackles every day, and at very low speeds, the group did see hope of recovering their freedom.

Abilities that were deep beyond comprehension, a mysterious identity, exceptional courage…

Ashnamov soon understood much about Yang Ling, and once he learned from Yuna about the territory by the sea, he led his group to pledge loyalty to Yang Ling without reservation. He hoped to be reunited with Sylvia, yes. But in the meantime, he also recognized the value of working with Yang Ling. He might be able to return to the Rossi Empire with Yang Ling’s help one day, and bathe the evil earl’s castle in blood.

As an exceptional military general, he knew that he would not be able to even make it close to the castle with his individual abilities, much less seek revenge on the heavily guarded earl. Given how crafty and scheming the earl was, he would not let the tribe of Galapagos Tortoisemen within the Rossi Empire’s borders leave. Perhaps his clansmen had already fallen in his hands. To seek revenge, he had to plan his actions well and obtain sufficient power. Ashnamov had to kill the earl in one strike!

The news of the Galapagos Tortoisemen’s escape from the arena jail spread across Montson, creating an uproar. Some said that Ashnamov led his clansmen and left after killing the guards, and were returning to the capital of the Rossi Empire to seek revenge on the earl; some said that these were just rumors, an excuse given by the master of the arena after he killed Ashnamov in private. Many rumors sprung up, and everyone had their own theories.

The city guards of Montson were being dispersed in greater intensity and radius, as if the city was facing off against a powerful enemy. But Yang Ling, who had caused all this, acted as if nothing was wrong, bringing Yuna and Orlando to explore the city daily. He monitored the situation in Montson and the Livenza Alliance through various intelligence channels.

With Harribell’s help, he rented a relatively dilapidated house within the city, then purchased a large number of servants. Other than a few strong Beastman, he focused his purchases on human craftsmen that had been demoted to slave status. He bought pharmacists, builders and expert shipbuilders… His only regret was that he had been unable to find any alchemists, despite searching the entire city.

The main motive of his trip to Montson this time was to obtain the Livenza Alliance’s support. But it was also imperative that he took the opportunity to purchase various craftsmen that were experts in their field. Faced with turbulent circumstances, Yang Ling had made plans for the worst case scenario. Even if he was unable to achieve his goals for the trip, he could at least bring back craftsmen, and increase the overall capabilities of his territory in the shortest amount of time possible.

As the day of the emperor’s birthday celebration drew closer, the number of soldiers patrolling the city increased, and the situation became more volatile. Even though Harribell had sought the help of Diana time and time again, there was no good news yet.

Other than visiting the master of the Nicholas family, Yang Ling had not come into contact with any of the other great nobles in Montson, nor did he actively contact the various merchant associations.

Harribell was trying her best to gain the support of the Livenza Alliance. Yang Ling abruptly paying the nobles a visit would not only be useless, it might even have the opposite of the desired effect. Furthermore, merchants had a great interest in profit. Before the situation became clear, they would not make hasty decisions. Him paying them a visit would only waste his efforts.

Since that was the case, Yang Ling decided to concentrate on his training, or observe the activities that happened in Montson. One day, while he was returning from the slave market, he happened to walk past a lavishly decorated auction house. He, Yuna, and Orlando entered without hesitation.

The auction house was split into several levels. Outside it was large, and even though there was a high flow of human traffic, most of the people that came here were nobles of small influence or commoners, and the items available for auction were nothing special. The deeper he went into the place, the higher the levels of the auction houses got. Even though there weren’t as many people there, most were great nobles and powerful merchants.

Looking at the Space Ring on Yang Ling’s finger, then looking at the plaque Harribell had gifted him that hung at his waist, a petite lady promptly escorted the three to the innermost auction house, smiling greedily as they went.

The three had just sat down when an auctioneer dressed in a formal black garb walked confidently onto the stage.

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“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Purple Crystal Auction Hall. Today we will be auctioning off three precious treasures!” The auctioneer spoke, and he shot a look to a black robed warrior behind him. The latter took his cue, and walked forward carrying a long rectangular box covered by a red cloth. He placed the item onto the podium gently.

“Legend has it that since the ancient times, powerful Space Spellcasters were able to create layers upon layers of magical spaces. They could not only store an alarming amount of physical resources, they could even absorb a living being into the magical space!” Looking at the guests giving him their full attention, the auctioneer continued, “Here we have our first treasure, that is…”

The auctioneer flipped over the red cloth, revealing a wooden box made from Purple Sandalwood. Inside the box was a magical staff etched with many patterns.

The staff was not long, but had five holes about the width of a thumb and was carved with many strange images. There were vast galaxies, strange Magical beasts, a boundless ocean… The entire staff radiated an obscure energy ripple, slowly absorbing the energy in the air.

“My god, is this a Fifth Degree Space Staff?” someone exclaimed.

Someone else corrected, “No, there is still an obscure hole on the staff, this should be a Sixth Degree Space Staff!”

The people who knew their stuff exclaimed in shock when they saw the pitch black magical staff. An old man with a white moustache sitting closer to the front even shuddered in excitement, staring unblinking at the magical staff on the stage. As the dean of the Institution of Magic, and as a space element Magical Tutor rarely seen anywhere on the continent, he knew more than anyone the value of the Space Staff before his eyes.

“According to the appraisal of the Association of Magic, this is a Seventh Degree Space Staff, passed down since ancient times. Other than the five obvious round holes, this magical staff also has two obscured round holes near the top!” After showing the guests the certificate of appraisal, the auctioneer continued, “A Seventh Degree Space Staff is rarely seen on the continent, and its uses are greater than you can imagine. The starting price for this item is five hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins, with a minimum of ten thousand Purple Crystal Coins with every raise!”

Yang Ling quickly calculated his Purple Crystal Coin store. He had a healthy bank stored up in his Space Ring, around eight hundred thousand if he counted his earnings from the arena. The Seventh Degree Space Staff had piqued his interest, but starting the bidding at five hundred thousand meant he simply lacked the funds to stand a chance against the great nobles and powerful merchants.

Indeed, the people drove the bids for the rare Seventh Degree Space Staff up quickly. In no time at all, the starting price of five hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins had been inflated to one million, two hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins.

“A million, two hundred and ten thousand!” Clenching his teeth, an old man with a white moustache raised his bid. His eyes were red, as if he might implode if he did not have the staff. He bid for the item with his life savings.

“A million and three hundred thousand!” A plump man wearing rings of various gemstones did not seem to care, announcing his astronomical bid. He raised the bid by nearly a hundred thousand at one go, causing another commotion.

“A million, three hundred and ten thousand!”

“A million, three hundred and fifty thousand!”

“A million and five hundred thousand!”

Fewer and fewer people bid as the price continued to soar. When the plump man announced his bid of two million and five hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins, the heated old man with the white moustache had no choice but to give up. He glared at the ridiculous rich man before storming out.

The staff went to the rich, disinterested man, and the auctioneer motioned the warriors to bring another chest on stage. Opening it, he revealed a watermelon-sized egg. The shell was completely black, its surface dented and scratched, completely unassuming to the eye. But a crisp ripple of energy emanated from it. The whole egg was vibrating faintly, as if it harbored a creature with a rich life force.

After a heated competition, the egg, apparently that of a Twin-legged Flying Dragon, was won by a Beast Tamer at the exorbitant price of three million and two hundred thousand Purple Crystal Coins, once again inviting an uproar.

“It is rumored that in ancient times, there was a group of Wizards able to rival the gods on the Tailun Continent. They were able to make their way past the clouds in the sky and explore the secrets of the City Above The Clouds. They could split the void and explore the mysterious plane of magma. They could enter the region of the sea plagued with tempests, and explore ancient relics…”

After praising the all-capable Ancient Wizards, the auctioneer, who was adept at capturing the hearts of his guests, instructed a guard to bring up the last treasure. He lifted the red cloth and said gravely, “Legend has it that this is the ‘Heart of the Ocean’ created by an Ancient Wizard. It was able to display naval charts even when explorers encountered a tempest of epic proportions, as well as the region one’s naval fleet occupied moment by moment. It is rumored that it became the Holy Weapon of the Siattu Sea Tribe for thousands of years, after it landed in their possession. The starting price is three million Purple Crystal Coins, with a minimum raise of twenty thousand Purple Crystal Coins with every bid!”

A Heart of the Ocean that could display naval charts in real time? A treasure created by a high level Ancient Wizard, and a Holy Weapon of the Siattu Sea Tribe?

Looking at the crystalline globe on the stage, the auction hall collapsed into chaos. Some of the richest merchants showed their interests immediately, someone raising the bid to four million, only to be beaten by the next bid of five million Purple Crystal Coins. As merchants who had businesses all over the Tailun Continent, they knew more than anyone how valuable it was that the Heart of the Ocean could display naval charts in real time.