The Return Of The Exiled Villain

He had thought the auction would be a good opportunity to gather resources, but somehow, he had ended up owing two royal princesses favors before he had even purchased anything.

The Crimson Moon Princess leaned back in her seat, looking rather pleased with herself.

”Well? You were the one who suggested that I should make a better offer. Now you’ve managed to offend both of us in less than five minutes. I hope you are proud of yourself.”

Elira smiled sweetly from the opposite side.

”Don’t make him feel bad. He was only doing what any sensible man would do when presented with eighty Demon Gold. Though I have to admit, Gray, you accepted a little too quickly. I almost thought you were going to ask for another twenty.”

Gray looked at her.

”I was considering it.”

Elira’s smile froze.

The Crimson Moon Princess immediately laughed.

”Ha! You see? I told you he was shameless. You offered him eighty Demon Gold, and he was already planning to squeeze another twenty out of you. Honestly, I don’t know why you thought buying his attention was a good idea.”

Elira turned toward her rival.

”At least I managed to buy it. You had him beside you for the entire journey, yet apparently you never thought to reward him for his time. Perhaps you should learn a thing or two about treating your guests properly.”

The Crimson Moon Princess’s smile disappeared.

”I fed him, gave him a place to stay, brought him here, and even offered to help him obtain cultivation resources. What exactly do you think I’ve been doing, entertaining myself?”

”From what I’ve heard, you mostly threaten him with your spear.”

Gray quietly picked up his cup.

The Crimson Moon Princess turned toward him.

”Gray, tell her. Have I ever threatened you without a reason?”

He paused.

Elira immediately leaned forward.

”Be careful with your answer. If you lie to protect her feelings, I’ll be disappointed in you.”

”And if you try to buy his answer, I will throw you off this balcony.” The princess’s ruby eyes narrowed.

Elira looked at Gray again.

”I’ll add another five Demon Gold if you answer honestly.”

Gray nearly choked on his drink.

The Crimson Moon Princess’s expression turned murderous.

”ELIRA!”

”What? I’m conducting business.”

”CONDUCT YOUR BUSINESS WITH SOMEONE ELSE!”

Gray put his cup down before the situation became any more ridiculous.

’These two are going to give me a headache.’

Fortunately, the auctioneer chose that moment to announce the next item.

”Honored guests, please direct your attention toward the stage. The next lot has been kept under special protection since its arrival, and our appraisers have spent considerable time determining its properties.”

The lights dimmed.

A rectangular case was carried onto the stage by two attendants. Unlike the previous treasures, it was covered in layers of silver formations, each one carefully carved to prevent the energy inside from escaping.

The auctioneer waited until the attendants placed it on the pedestal.

”Before we begin, I would like to remind our guests that this item is being sold as a cultivation material. Its precise effects differ depending on the user’s constitution, and we strongly advise potential buyers to review the appraisal report before placing their bids.”

The Crimson Moon Princess glanced at Gray.

”That usually means either the item is dangerous or the auction house doesn’t know what to do with it.”

”Or both,” Elira added. ”I’ve seen merchants sell things they barely understood, then blame the buyer when something went wrong.”

Gray smiled.

”How reassuring.”

The auctioneer opened the case.

Inside lay a small, pale blue seed.

It was barely larger than Gray’s thumb, yet the moment it appeared, a faint wave of energy spread across the stage.

Unlike the Demonic Energy that filled the Underworld, this energy was clean and refreshing.

A thin white glow surrounded the seed. It pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat, and every time it did, the silver formations around it flickered.

Gray’s expression changed.

His eyes narrowed.

’...That’s pure Mana.’

Not ordinary Mana or the faint, contaminated energy occasionally found in Underworld resources.

This was something entirely different.

The energy inside the seed was so clean that he could barely detect any impurities at all.

For a moment, Gray forgot about the two princesses sitting beside him.

The auctioneer began his explanation.

”The item before you is known as the Pure-Origin Heartseed. It was recovered from the remains of an ancient sanctuary discovered beyond the northern territories. According to our researchers, the sanctuary once belonged to an organization that practiced an unusual cultivation method based entirely on purified Mana.”

Several nobles looked at one another.

”An ancient human sanctuary?” someone murmured.

The auctioneer nodded.

”That is our current understanding. The Heartseed was found inside a formation designed to preserve its energy, and despite the age of the ruins, its properties remain intact.”

Gray’s fingers tightened slightly around the armrest.

The auctioneer continued.

”When properly refined, the Heartseed assists in the development of Mana pathways, strengthens the connection between the Mana Core and the meridians, and reduces energy loss during cultivation. It is particularly effective for cultivators whose foundations require further refinement or who struggle to make efficient use of their available resources.”

His eyes instantly lit up at those words.

The auctioneer wasn’t finished.

”However, there is a significant limitation. The Heartseed contains almost no Demonic Energy. Most cultivators native to the Underworld struggle to absorb its energy directly, and those who attempt to force it into an incompatible core risk damaging their cultivation foundation.”

A few people shook their heads.

One noble even laughed.

”Then why are we auctioning it here? Send it to someone who knows how to use it.”

The auctioneer smiled patiently.

”We considered that possibility. However, the costs and risks of transporting the item through the available routes make an overseas sale considerably more complicated. We have therefore decided to offer it to our guests first.”

Gray almost laughed.

’You idiots.’

In the other’s eyes, this was probably an awkward cultivation material. But to his eyes... it was a treasure that suited him perfectly.

His Mana Core.

His meridians.

His cultivation efficiency.

All the things he had been struggling to improve since arriving in the Underworld.

His cultivation was already more than ten times slower than that of ordinary cultivators because of the number of things he needed to refine.

His foundation was exceptionally complete, but maintaining and improving it consumed absurd amounts of resources.

The Pure-Origin Heartseed would not solve every problem.

It would not suddenly send him several cultivation stages higher.

But it would improve one of the most important parts of his cultivation, and the benefits would continue long after he used it.

More efficient Mana circulation meant less wasted energy.

Less wasted energy meant fewer resources lost during cultivation.

And fewer wasted resources meant faster progress.

For Gray, who needed an unreasonable amount of resources to advance, that was worth a great deal.

The auctioneer raised his hand.

”The starting price is one hundred Demon Gold.”

No one bid on it.

A few guests exchanged looks, but nobody immediately placed a bid.

The item was simply too specialized.

A cultivator who relied entirely on Demonic Energy would gain little from it, while anyone with a suitable constitution would still need to consider whether the benefits justified the price.

The auctioneer waited.

”One hundred Demon Gold. Does anyone wish to bid?”

A noble near the front leaned toward his companion and whispered something.

His companion shook his head.

The auctioneer tried again.

”One hundred Demon Gold. An ancient cultivation material with a preserved energy structure is not something we encounter every day. Surely one of our honored guests possesses a constitution suited to its refinement?”

Nobody answered.

Until Gray finally moved and raised his hand.

”Two High-Grade Uncorrupted Mana Crystals.”

The words were not particularly loud, but for an entire instant, the entire private viewing hall went silent.

The auctioneer stopped speaking.

Several nobles turned their heads so quickly that their chairs creaked.

Even the attendants beside the stage froze.

The Crimson Moon Princess slowly turned toward Gray.

Elira’s smile vanished.

”...What did you say?”

Gray looked at the stage.

”Two High-Grade Uncorrupted Mana Crystals. I’ll exchange them for the Heartseed.”

The auctioneer stared at him through his silver mask. For a moment, he seemed unable to decide whether he had heard correctly.

”Your... pardon me, honored guest. You said two High-Grade Uncorrupted Mana Crystals?”

”That’s right.” Gray nodded.

The auctioneer swallowed.

”Both of them are high-grade?”

”Yes.”

”And completely uncorrupted?”

Gray’s expression remained calm.

”Not a trace of Demonic Energy.”

The auctioneer went still again, and then he looked toward the auction house manager standing beside the stage.

The manager’s face had changed too.

He immediately whispered something to an attendant, who hurried away toward the appraisal rooms.

The atmosphere in the hall was no longer merely quiet.

It was tense.

Everyone here understood the value of what Gray had offered.

High-grade Mana Crystals were already extraordinarily rare in the Underworld.

The Underworld’s resources were primarily suited to Demonic Energy, and opportunities to obtain materials saturated with pure Mana were limited. Trade with the Human Realm was difficult, dangerous, and tightly controlled through the few routes available.

Most Mana Crystals that reached the Underworld had passed through countless hands before arriving at the market.

Many had been exposed to Demonic Energy.

Others had lost part of their purity during transport or storage.

Finding a high-grade Mana Crystal without a single trace of contamination was difficult enough.

Finding two was another matter entirely.

And these were not ordinary high-grade crystals.

They were Uncorrupted Mana Crystals.

A single one was worth hundreds of Demon Gold, depending on its purity and the buyer’s needs.

For cultivators who required clean Mana, such a crystal was a treasure in its own right.

Two of them represented an enormous sum, and Gray had offered both for an item most guests considered difficult to use.

The Crimson Moon Princess slowly turned her entire body toward him.

”Gray...”

He glanced at her.

”Hm?”

”You do realize how much those crystals are worth, don’t you?”

”Of course.”

”Then why are you offering both of them for a Heartseed that started at one hundred Demon Gold?”

Gray gave her a puzzled look.

”Because I want it.”

She stared at him.

”You could buy dozens of ordinary cultivation resources with that amount of money.”

”I don’t need dozens of ordinary cultivation resources.”

”Even so, two High-Grade Uncorrupted Mana Crystals are rare enough that some of the major clans would fight over them.”

”Then they should have bid on them,” Gray shrugged his shoulders.

Elira stared at him from the other side.

For once, she did not immediately make a joke.

She leaned closer and lowered her voice.

”Gray, where did you get those crystals?”

”Does it matter?”

”Of course it matters. People spend years searching for resources like those. If you truly possess two uncorrupted high-grade crystals, you could exchange them for a tremendous number of treasures, or save them for a future breakthrough.”

Gray smiled faintly.

”And I am exchanging them for a treasure I want.”

Elira studied him.

”You really don’t care about losing money.”

”I only care about getting what I need.”

The Crimson Moon Princess looked toward the stage, then back at Gray.

”You’re not even trying to negotiate.”

”There is nothing to negotiate. I want the Heartseed, and I know what I’m willing to pay for it.”

The princess fell silent.

She was beginning to understand something about Gray... he liked money, obtaining resources, and gaining advantages whenever an opportunity presented itself.

But he wasn’t attached to money itself.

When he encountered something he truly needed, he was willing to spend an absurd amount to obtain it.

Elira slowly leaned back in her seat.

”...I suppose I understand.”

The auctioneer finally recovered from his shock.

”Honored guest, please allow us a moment to verify the offer. An exchange of this value requires formal appraisal, even within the private auction.”

”Take your time.”