Though he could not see the girl’s expression, the Diviner could sense the faint astonishment and slightly rigid stance emanating from her petite form. He smiled knowingly and gently stroked his beard.

“Looks like Miss Dawn indeed recognizes this item. It is a precious gift from the 【Divine Fox】, a spatial treasure that can instantly traverse distances of millions of miles. It is thanks to this treasure that Minglan and others could cross the East Sea and freely travel between the internal and external regions. Naturally, this item is so rare and valuable that even within the Merchant Guild, it is seldom seen and only used by the higher-ups, so you needn’t worry about outsiders seeing it.”

However, the old man’s words inadvertently triggered some suspicions in the girl’s mind.

“Ah… How interesting~ A gift from the 【Divine Fox】, really… quite fascinating. This visit to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild has been worthwhile indeed~”

“Ugh!”

The girl, wearing the white fox mask, slightly raised her head. Though her voice remained light and even carried a hint of amusement, the sudden release of an overwhelming, terrifying pressure due to her emotional shift was enough to make even the 【Diviner】, accustomed to powerful and incredible things, instinctively step back a half-step and show a hint of awkwardness. It was as if he had heard a creature’s primal, instinctual whimper.

“Oh, sorry. I lost my composure.”

Noticing the reaction from those around her, the terrifying aura, akin to an ancient beast awakening, quickly retracted and returned to the girl, making it seem as if everything that had just happened was merely a figment of the old man’s imagination.

The white fox girl turned and nodded gently.

“Alright, let’s go in quickly. To be honest, I’m quite looking forward to this so-called auction now.”

With that said, the girl, seemingly having used the silver door countless times before, stepped through it without hesitation and quickly disappeared within the glowing light.

It wasn’t until she had fully teleported away that the President of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, the so-called Diviner, let out a sigh of relief. He took a tissue from his sleeve and wiped the sweat that had gathered on the black blindfold covering his eyes, revealing a hint of emotion.

“The aura of a single thought is so terrifying. Truly deserving of being recognized as the strongest within the Spirit Veil Tribe, the 【Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden】 who commands such authority that no foreign enemy dares to invade the East Sea realms… Perhaps, aside from the elusive true gods, there are few who could match her in the world.”

“Alas, with the 【Divine Fox】 appearing, the world is bound to be thrown into chaos. The reappearance of the 【Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden】, who has been absent for a millennium, suggests that these peaceful days may soon be over…”

…………………………

After passing through the 【Invisible Spatial Portal】 of unknown origin and experiencing a familiar and seamless short-distance spatial leap, Violet soon found herself in another secluded room.

Clearly, this could not be the actual auction site. However, as the Diviner had mentioned, the 【Invisible Spatial Portal】 is a high-grade tool that surpasses the current technological level of spatial manipulation by several generations.

Its intrinsic value is beyond measure by mere money, and thus, it should not be seen by too many outsiders.

After waiting for a short while in the room, the President, the Diviner, also arrived through the connection, without needing to say much. He then led Violet out of the room.

The Spirit Veil Merchant Guild was not the kind of secretive underground organization that needed to maintain an air of mystery.

There was no need to set the auction site underground. If Violet guessed correctly, they were still in Bright Light City, inside a large yet exquisitely elegant castle.

Similar styles of architecture were quite common in the Holy Empire. Many of the long-lived beings seemed to favor these classical-style residences. Their accumulated wealth from centuries of life was more than enough to support such extravagance.

After all, as long as they didn’t openly violate church prohibitions, the temple wouldn’t concern itself with the lifestyle choices of others.

Perhaps because they were using a private passage, Violet did not see anyone else along the way. The two of them chatted as they walked until they entered the second floor of a particularly spacious hall from a side entrance. Only then did the surrounding environment become lively.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, indeed. Miss Dawn, please have a seat.”

Compared to the floor below, the second floor was not very large, with just a row of luxurious sofas arranged in parallel.

The Diviner guided the white fox girl to sit in the empty central spot, and he himself did not leave but chose to sit beside Violet, placing the ancient abacus, whose purpose remained unclear, on his lap.

Soon, a maid arrived with a tray of exquisite pastries and drinks. The priestess did not hesitate and accepted everything offered.

The 【Dominion of the Fox Mask】 was no ordinary mask. As a Semi-Divine artifact, its quality was on par with Violet’s usual set of divine jewelry.

While its value as a single item was somewhat lower than the complete set, it still didn’t pose basic issues like being unable to eat while wearing it.

As Violet eagerly stuffed the well-made pastries into her mouth from beneath her mask, she also kept a keen eye on her surroundings.

This area was likely a hall on the middle level of the castle. Although it was night, bright but non-glaring magical lights illuminated the interior as if it were daytime. The hall’s overall structure resembled a theater, with an upper and lower semi-circular design.

The platform directly in front was evidently where the auction items would soon be displayed. Violet and the Diviner were situated on a second-floor platform, which was out of sight from the first-floor view but allowed them to observe the entire venue easily while remaining discreet. This was clearly a reserved spot for distinguished guests.

“From this, it seems that even in the Holy Empire, which values light and equality, class distinctions are still ever-present. It’s somewhat ironic. I wonder what Her, the Goddess of Light, would think if she saw this.”

Hearing the white fox girl’s pointed comment, the elderly man, understanding her meaning, responded with a slight smile.

“Miss Dawn, absolute equality is impossible. Even within the same race and family, there have always been differences in innate abilities and talents from birth. Anyone who wishes to earn respect and preferential treatment must demonstrate corresponding qualifications.”

“Hmm? It sounds like you, Mr. Diviner, might be somewhat skeptical of the goddess’s teachings. Hehe, in the western capital of this Holy Empire, one must be cautious with such remarks~”

Unperturbed by Violet’s teasing remarks, the elderly man, as the president of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, merely smiled and remained silent.

Meanwhile, in the main venue below, the crowd had gradually filled the spacious area over time, creating a constant hum of noise. The variety of races present had also become increasingly diverse, and Violet even spotted one or two familiar faces among them.

However, she paid little attention to the crowd below. Instead, she looked around and turned her gaze to the elder beside her, who seemed more like a reclusive sage from the mountains than a chamber president, with a hint of confusion on her face.

“By the way, why is it that no one else is here on our level? There are still about ten or twenty seats left. It can’t be just the two of us, can it?”

“Hmm~ Originally, it was indeed booked to full capacity, but since Miss Dawn has graciously come, I had them all sent down to the lower level to avoid disturbing your peace.”

“……Ah?”

Hearing Mr. Diviner’s calm and nonchalant tone, as if saying, “How about we have beef ramen tonight,” Violet was taken aback despite having anticipated the vast energy contained within the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild.

Goodness, this shows no consideration for the other distinguished guests at all. It could even be said to be completely fearless.

But it didn’t matter much to her. In fact, it was quite welcome. Miss Violet was more than happy to avoid meaningless social interactions if possible.

At that moment, Mr. Diviner spoke up again with a smile.

“Of course, it wouldn’t be accurate to say it’s just the two of us. A distinguished guest will also be joining us shortly. After all, she is an important partner of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, and it’s important to give her the recognition she deserves. Please don’t mind, Miss Dawn, hehe~”