Eternal Thief

The moment Ace settled into the cushioned lounge of Room 1, the heavy doors sealed behind him with a muffled click.

Inside, the chamber hummed faintly with protective runes etched into black steel, threads of spirit-glass crossing the ceiling like a spider’s web, all shimmering with quiet power.

Beyond the wide, viewing window, the grand auction hall spread out in solemn majesty.

Chandeliers of black crystal hung suspended in drifting fog, their light filtering through layers of smoky enchantment.

Rows upon rows of tiered seating formed concentric rings around a raised central stage of polished obsidian.

Every seat was nearly filled. Robed nobles of the Evernight Council, emissaries from distant cities, cloaked figures whose identities were hidden behind masks. Each person present here was of high status and had a cultivation base of at least an Abyssal Master or above.

For a breath, silence reigned—heavy, expectant, almost sacred. Then, the hush shattered like thin ice. From the deepest shadow behind the stage, a charming figure emerged in flowing robes of black satin, skin pale as dusk, curling horns adorned with soul-silver chains.

Her every step traced lingering wisps of pinkish mist, and the air itself seemed to tighten around her presence, bewitching those with weak minds, and even those with high mental fortitude couldn’t help but look at that woman with wariness.

Ace was astounded as well when he saw that bewitching woman, and couldn’t help but ask while glancing at his shadow, “Sir Vaultkeeper, what kind of race does that woman belong to? She seems to have a bizarre aura and charm. Most of the people here seemed to be wary of her.”

The Vaultkeeper’s voice directly sounded in Ace’s head as he used spirit transmission, “That’s an Abyssal Succubus Demon. A scarce variant of the Abyssal Demon Race, so it’s not strange that Lord Nomad didn’t recognize her.

“They possess an innate demonic charm, and extremely high talent for illusionary laws with strong connate racial mind controlling abilities. Moreover, every Abyssal Succubus Demon is lustful by nature because it can grow stronger by feeding on other lusts.

“Succubus also have a notorious reputation because if one is not careful, an Abyssal Succubus Demon can devour entire cultivation foundations through their unique innate dual cultivation abilities.

“That’s why everyone here is wary of her, while those of weaker minds are already under her charm without her needing to do anything.

“The Abyssal Succubus Demons have a very low population, but each one of them is protected by the Enchantress Demon Duchess, for she is also an Abyssal Succubus Demon; that is why no one dares to touch them.

“That’s also why every Abyssal Succubus Demon is loyal only to the Enchantress Demon Duchess. The Obsidian Spirit Hall has likely paid a high price to hire this Succubus to manipulate the auction items’ prices. It’s a common method used by large organizations.”

Realization dawned on Ace at this moment as he couldn’t help but think about that dangerous woman he had encountered in the secret realm, who was wearing a demon specter motif mask.

’No wonder the Dread Duchess was so wary of Enchantress Demon Duchess, and even I almost fell under her illusion by simply hearing her voice. The Abyss is filled with dangerous Abyssal Races, I can’t let my guard down even for a second…’ Ace thought as he looked back at the stage and that enthralling Succubus.

Although she was gorgeous, Ace still didn’t have any attraction towards her because she was still nowhere near Eva and Alina’s level. Even Freya and Zaria were more beautiful and had their own unique charm.

Back on the stage, with a graceful bow while showcasing her deep curves, the Succubus spoke—her charming voice like smoke trailing across cold marble, “Esteemed guests, venerable nobles, and honored outsiders…Welcome to the annual grand auction of the Obsidian Spirit Hall. Tonight, I’m your host, Lucy!”

Applause—soft, restrained, yet rippling through the great hall like a tremor.

She raised a pale, slender hand. The soul-lights above dimmed; all attention fell to the center stage.

“Let us begin,” She intoned, her smile enigmatic and bewitching.

At her signal, two silent attendants approached, each bearing a coffin-shaped case of black iron, rune-sealed and heavy with a peculiar aura.

When the seals dissolved into drifting silver mist, the cases opened—and the first treasures were revealed. A delicate circlet forged from fossilized bone, veins of abyssal sapphire running along its length as it pulsed faintly with dark vitality

“Esteemed guests, this is an Abyssal Grade-5 Twilight Bone Circlet, crafted from the remains of a half-extinct race of Bone Devils. It enhances soul defense and grants partial resistance against Nightmare Hexes,” Lucy explained, her voice calm and melodic, “Starting bid is Fifty Thousand Tier-5 Abyss Gems!”

Abyss Gems were like Spirit Stones and Soul Crystals, which were rich with Abyssal Qi, and just like the Spirit Stones and Soul Crystals they were used as a means of currency to purchase and exchange treasures within the Abyss of Wandering Souls.

Furthermore, just like the grade of the Spirit Stones and Soul Crystals, Abyss Gems are also divided into different grades, Tier-1 being the lowest, while Tier-9 is the highest, depending on the density of the Abyssal Qi within them.

The moment Lucy opened the bid, the sea of seats below stirred.

“51,000 Abyss Gems!”

“55,000 Abyss Gems!”

“70,000 Abyss Gems…”

The bidders bid fiercely for the Twilight Bone Circlet, but most of them were only Abyssal Masters, while the big shots remained indifferent.

“The esteemed guest on the lower seat no.483 has bid 83,000 Abyss Gems!” Lucy finally called when the bidding slowed down.

She looked at everyone with an enthralling smile, “Is there any high bid? The Twilight Bone Circlet for 83,000 Abyss Gems going once…

“Going twice…”

“85,000 Abyss Gem!” A young demon gritted his teeth and increased the bid.

Lucy flashed a smile towards the young demon, making the latter flustered and infatuated.

Witnessing this scene, the other hot-headed youths also started to bid again, while those older and wiser ones couldn’t help but feel pity for those ignorant fools. In the end, the Twilight Bone Circlet sold for 109,000 Abyss Gems!

Ace also witnessed this entire scene and finally understood why the Abyssal Succubus Demon Race was notorious, and smiled wryly.

The auction continued as more items appeared, but no one from the VIP rooms took part in bidding, and only those people in the lower seats competed for those items.

After a while, item no.43 was shown. It was a squat, crystalline vessel filled with swirling embers of flickering light. Its surface bore countless hairline cracks, as though barely containing the power within.

“This is an Emberglass Soul Urn, unearthed by an Abyss Wander from a very dangerous Wandering Realm! According to our appraisal masters, it contains residual Abyssal-Grade-7 Spirit Flames from a fallen Infernal Abyssal Lord from an old era.

“Although it only contains a trace of a Spirit Flame, it is ideal for Abyssal Alchemists, or Abyssal Rune Crafting to use as a material!” Came the serene announcement, “Starting bid: 10,000 Tier-7 Abyss Gems.”

Suddenly, a ripple of dark excitement appeared in the audience, and two cloaked figures within a VIP Room No.23 leaned forward.

“Elder Brother, I think the material you need to create an Abyssal-Grade-7 Realm Breaker Pill has appeared!” One of them exclaimed with a hint of excitement.

“This trip was indeed worthwhile!” The other one also nodded, voice stern and solemn, “50,000 Abyss Gems!”

The whispers within the lower seats instantly quieted down when they realized the bid just came from a VIP room. After all, everyone knew that there were only 100 VIP rooms in the auction hall, and whoever could get in those rooms was a prominent figure or had a considerable background. Moreover, the fewer the number of rooms, the higher their statuses!

Lucy’s eyes flashed with a hint of amusement as she looked towards the widow of Room 23 and smiled charmingly, “The esteemed guest from Room 23 has bid 50,000 Abyss Gems! Do we have a higher bid?”

This time, the lower seats were silent as they didn’t want to offend those guys in the VIP rooms. Furthermore, 50,000 Tier-7 Abyss Gems were akin to 500 million Tier-5 Abyss Gems!

(AN: 1 Tier-7 Abyss = 10,000 Tier-5 Abyss Gems)

There was a massive difference in wealth between the guests in the lower seats and the VIP rooms.

At this moment, when the VIP in Room 23 was looking with disdain towards the people of the lower seats…

“100,000 Abyss Gems!” An arrogant voice rang in the auction hall.

Lucy’s eyes glowed as she announced, “We have a new bid from Room 2!”

The two cloaked figures in Room 23 were startled as one of them, the Younger Brother, angrily exclaimed, “Who dares to bid against Elder Brother!?”

“Shut up!” The Elder Brother sternly chided, “We are not here to cause trouble, not to mention that bidder is sitting within Room 2; he has to be at least related to an Abyssal Marquis!”

The Younger Brother quickly lowered his head and muttered, “But then we’ll lose the Emberglass Soul Urn!”

The Elder Brother coldly stated, “Not exactly, we just have to compete fairly…

“200,000 Abyss Gems!”