The Golem Mage

Just as the crowd waited in eager anticipation for the auction to begin, a sudden flash of light burst across the stage, instantly drawing the attention of every guest, conversations fell silent as all eyes turned toward the source, and from the backstage, Alec emerged, flanked by two female mages at his side.

He wore a regal-looking robe, deep brown with black trim, bearing the Gordons clan emblem boldly emblazoned on his back and a smaller crest over his left chest, though he’d clearly attempted to comb his hair back neatly, but a few stubborn strands still jutted out at the edges, adding an almost roguish charm to his appearance.

Beside him stood two stunning female mages, dressed in elegant yet provocative outfits Alec had personally arranged for the event, their short skirts and stylish tops left little to the imagination, instantly catching the attention of several lustful onlookers.

But these women weren’t just decoration, their job for the day was to assist Alec in presenting the auctioned items.

Ever mindful of image and theatrics, Alec had made certain their appearance would draw attention of the crowd and keep the Gordons clan in the spotlight.

While the rest of the audience was momentarily dazed by the alluring assistants, one person wasn’t so easily distracted, from one of the five VIP booths reserved for the city’s most powerful figures, Alistair Dragonmir sat stiffly, his gaze locked on Alec.

His shock was carefully hidden, but his mind raced. Alec looked completely unharmed — no injuries, no fatigue, not even a scratch. The city lord, Alistair, along with the mage who’d liaised with the Dark Guild’s agents, had been the only ones who knew that an assassination attempt was supposed to take place.

And they had been certain Alec wouldn’t survive an ambush by three high-rank Tier 7 assassin mages.

Though Alec’s reputation had grown recently, but most who refused to believe his strength, felt his slaying of Tier 7 zombies came majorly from the contribution of his two uniquely powerful dual Tier 6 golems, and not from his personal combat abilities.

To them, Alec was still a Tier 5 mage, formidable enough to ace Tier 6 mages, but not enough to survive a direct assault from assassins of that caliber, especially since they went as far as to hire three of them to show how much they weren’t underestimating Alec.

And yet, here he stood, untouched and composed, forcing Alistair to wonder what truly happened in the shadows that night.

But all of that had changed now, not only had Alec survived the assassination attempt, but it was clear he was the one fully in control of today’s event.

Realizing he was probably the only one in the hall with such a visibly stunned expression, Alistair hurriedly tried to mask it, but he was a second too late. Alec was already looking in his direction, a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Alec, having been the target of a deadly ambush, had been warned by the Grand Elder to carefully observe the expressions of those attending the auction, as the one who looked most unsettled at the sight of him alive would almost certainly be connected to the plot.

And Alec, already harbouring suspicions, had been scanning the crowd, his gaze methodically sweeping the faces before finally locking onto Alistair Dragonmir.

That flash of shock in Alistair’s eyes was all Alec needed to confirm his suspicions that the city hall’s heir knew about the attack, of that, Alec was now certain, but this wasn’t the time to act on it. For now, he had a role to play, a gathering to command, and a stage to hold.

“First of all,” Alec began, his voice clear and commanding, echoing through the auction hall,

“I want to extend a warm welcome to all the esteemed mages, merchants, emissaries, and clan representatives who have travelled from far and wide to attend today’s Gordons Clan Auction.”

The room settled as heads turned to give him their full attention.

“But before we proceed with the main event,” Alec continued, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable authority,

“There are a few important rules and pieces of information I must announce to ensure this auction proceeds in perfect order and absolute peace.”

As Alec spoke, Alistair quietly sent forth his mental energy, sending a cautious strand toward the stage in an attempt to probe, but the moment it neared, it struck an invisible mental barrier and was repelled with surprising force.

A layer of protection had been erected around the stage, shielding those upon it from any spiritual or mental probing, Alistair’s frown deepened.

Alistair had been trying to gauge whether Alec’s cultivation had advanced, but his attempt was swiftly thwarted by the mental barrier that Alec had carefully arranged as part of the auction’s defences.

That screen hadn’t been ordinary, it was helped put in place through the combined effort of three elders, each infusing their mental energy into a control panel designed for the barrier by the builders, another blueprint Alec had provided them with.

Though it could only last twenty-four hours, but in that time, it was solid enough that even a Tier 7 mage like Alistair knew forcing his way through would risk dangerous backlash.

Onstage, Alec caught the faint flash of a red light at the left edge of the platform, hidden from the audience, the warning socket had been installed facing inward, precisely for this reason, to alert Alec without drawing attention.

He didn’t need to guess what it meant; a mental probe had been attempted, and the barrier had done its job.

This was exactly why Alec had insisted on erecting the barrier in the first place, the main reason wasn’t even to protect himself, but to prevent the assembled mages from probing and evaluating the goods ahead of time.

He intended for them to see the items only when he chose to reveal them, and even then, no one would be able to assess their energy signatures or details about them except the little ones he gave out and as for the ones he has hidden the buyer would understand them when he or she takes possession.

Alec was meticulous about this, knowing full well how dangerous it could be if too much information about the auctioned artifacts leaked out.

If, for example, a spirit armour’s unique attributes were sensed and memorized by high-rank mages in the hall, that knowledge could later be used against the eventual buyer in battle, details meant to give someone an edge could easily become a vulnerability in the wrong hands.

Worse still, if rogue cultivators or foreign agents decided a particular item was worth stealing after learning its properties, it would only lead to needless bloodshed and chaos, by keeping everything under tight control and shielding the items from spiritual detection, Alec wasn’t just protecting the Gordons’ interests, he was safeguarding his clients as well.

And in a place like Estonia City, that kind of foresight was rare, and invaluable.

All these thoughts are precisely why Alec had gone to such lengths to have that mental barrier installed.

What he hadn’t fully considered, however, was that the shield’s coverage would also extend to anyone standing on the stage, preventing their cultivation realms from being probed as well.

Since no auction items had been brought out yet, he knew that there was only one reason for the warning light to trigger, someone had attempted to probe his mage realm directly.