355 The Underground Auction
After catching up with Rowan, I came to know that he had been doing well.
The sect actually did charge him a fee after the elders listened to his story. Of course, he didn't tell them everything.
Basically, he only told them how a rich young noble took pity on him and decided to fund his enrollment in one of the best military academies in the world.
He said he wanted to grow stronger and needed a place to live somewhere until then and the sect elders happily allotted him their robes.
Though, as it turns out, his talent in martial arts is barely average. It's fine, however. In the end, I don't intend to use him for fights.
The boy is a genius, and geniuses belong behind the scenes, not on the stage.
Oh, that reminds me, I wonder what happened to Spider and the underground auction. I hope Nero was able to secure the Petal of Ambrosia.
Since I had no way of contacting any of them, I could only hope. I mean, I could try and fix my smart bracelet using my Edit Pen, but Rowan told me that this place was full of network jammers.
So even if I was able to get my smart bracelet up and going, I could still not contact anyone on the outside since I could not access the internet.
"Haa, it's fine. Let's just focus on the training and wait for Master to return."
†
Meanwhile, the same night…
In the heart of the bustling capital of the Eastern Continent, the Iron Hand City, an upscale shopping mall was situated by a busy street. Inside, it had the most luxurious brands and boutiques.
Below this mall was a hidden and opulent underground chamber accessible only to a select few.
Nobles and high-society individuals would discreetly enter the underground chamber through disguised doors set in high-end fashion boutiques or exclusive jewelry stores.
This entrance was equipped with biometric scanners and secret passcodes to ensure only the invited guests could gain access.
The underground chamber itself was designed with lavish decor, filled with antique furnishings, priceless artworks, and ornate chandeliers.
It looked like a sophisticated ballroom, with a large staircase leading down from the mall above in the middle of it.
Security was tight, with discreet guards dressed as employees, blending in with the shopping mall's atmosphere.
High-tech surveillance systems were also in place to ensure the safety of both guests and valuable items up for auction.
Nobles and wealthy customers would bid on rare artifacts, exquisite jewelry, fine art, and other unique treasures.
But the main event of the show would be slaves – humans, elves, dwarves, even some vampires!
All these "items" would be displayed on rotating platforms or behind armored glass cases.
To maintain the guise of a high-end shopping experience, there could be live music, gourmet dining, and champagne bars.
Guests would be expected to not talk about the underground auction to any living soul.
One could only be invited to the event through word of mouth and very exclusive invitations sent by the esteemed hosts to ensure the event's secrecy.
However, none of that mattered anymore.
The secrecy of the event was now shattered, the security systems in place had failed, and even the guests attending the event were in handcuffs.
The insides of the auction hall, which should've been lavish and opulent, were now in ruins.
Even the whole shopping mall was in full lockdown initiated by the military police authorities.
The tables and seats were toppled, the food and drinks were spilled, the glass bottles shattered, and the auction stage at the end of the room was splintered and destroyed.
Shaolin Sect's official combat unit and the military police's special task force were on the scene, arresting the nobles and some of the hosts of the auction that they had managed to capture.
Most of the nobles in the spotlight were simply shouting and wailing like immature brats, threatening their arresters with their family names.
Others, meanwhile, just tried to bribe the authorities with a hefty sum of credits.
Obviously, no matter how tempting or irritating their offerings and threats were, the police authorities and Shaolin officials were ignoring it.
Nero, Anastasia, and Chase were also at the scene, dressed in black and white robes of the esteemed Shaolin sect.
Nero was conversing with a black-uniformed officer, his arms crossed, and a friendly smile playing at the corners of his lips.
The officer, dressed in a sleek black uniform, also wore a similar expression while his hands rested on the utility belt around his waist.
His name was Raymond and he had short, dark brown, curly hair. He also had a pair of light blue eyes adorning his slightly chubby face, giving him a youthful appearance.
He appeared to be only six or seven years older than Nero and the others – around twenty-four or twenty-five – and he had a sparkle of playful kindness to his eyes.
Nero had known this man since arriving in the Eastern Continent, and it was actually quite funny how they met.
On their way to the Shaolin sect, Nero, Chase, and Anastasia had decided to make a pit stop at a cafe.
In today's day and age, Shaolin was no longer within a temple or monastery due to the Central Government's disapproval.
Instead, the Shaolin sect was now a very large complex.
While they still had monks, much like the Shaolin sect of the old world, their focus had shifted.
The monks now focused on concentration, sought mental clarity, and walked the path of righteousness rather than a spiritual one.
In a way, much like Mount Hua, their core principles hadn't changed much.
However, their focus on martial arts was now more secular and combat-
oriented, which was to be expected from a martial arts sect in this war-filled world.
Anyway, while they were idly chatting in the cafe, Anastasia witnessed a kidnapping right outside the window.
A man on a bike had snatched a little boy who was strolling with his butler and sped away.
She immediately alerted Nero and Chase, and the trio dashed out of the cafe in an attempt to save the kid.
Since they couldn't use magic in the streets, it turned into a long and tiring chase before the trio finally caught up to the biker and wrested the kid from his grasp.
In a twist, the biker turned out to be a mana user, so the trio did end up casting spells in self-defense when he tried to fight them.
But ultimately, the three of them subdued him with relative ease.
Poor guy had no idea that he was just a side character in a side quest of the main characters.
So the child was saved by the heroes. The kid's rich parents generously showered the trio with money as a token of gratitude and the whole city read a published news article about their noble deed.
Or at least, that's what would've happened.
In reality, shortly after they rescued the child, the police arrived at the scene. Nero and the rest assumed the police had come for the kid because someone must have made a kidnapping report.
However, to their surprise, the police were there for them!
The thing was, in their rush to save the child, they had forgotten to settle their bill at the cafe.
The cafe owner quickly contacted law enforcement and almost got the heroes arrested.
It was only thanks to Raymond, the sharp-witted police officer on the scene, who quickly understood the situation.
Only because he didn't make a lapse in judgment, the trio was saved from ending up behind bars that day.
In the end, only the biker was arrested, the police didn't make an error, the cafe owner got his money... and the heroes were showered with rewards.
If Lucas had heard about this, he was sure to curse the protagonists and their damned luck.
