These three items, although they looked like accessories worn for vanity's sake, were anything but. They were just as functional as they were beautiful.
All three of these items were defensive treasures at the upper levels of Chaos Rank, meaning that they even had the potential to withstand blows from 4th class existences.
Well, their ability was largely subjective. There was a caveat to Chaos rank artifacts, a sort of drawback that made it so possessing them wouldn't make a lower-class existence immune to the attacks of their greaters.
In their base form, these artifacts had the ability to block a single attack from a 4th class existence, however, that was under the condition that the 4th class wasn't using all the strength in their body.
Still, a relatively powerful blow could be blocked completely, essentially giving the user a second life, or at least a chance to escape.
The true power of these artifacts could only be shown when mana was injected into them. At that time, they could block many consecutive attacks and be used as more than just a protective treasure, but as a true piece of defensive equipment.
The problem was, Chaos rank artifacts were meant for 4th class existences. They were made as such. The mana drain to use the artifacts correctly was too great for any normal 3rd class to find bearable. Even if they used all their mana, it would at most last them a few minutes.
For Damien, who now had access to an even greater mana pool after binding earth, the mana drain was slightly less of a problem. Still, he could at most grant himself 15 minutes of continuous use if he was being bombarded.
The boost he received in his mana capacity was additive. This meant that regardless of how much more powerful he got, the amount of extra mana he got from earth wouldn't increase.
There would come a time when the added mana capacity would be next to useless. That is, unless earth became a greater existence. If earth raised itself in power, Damien would also receive the benefits.
Suppose earth at the moment gave him 2000 extra points of mana. If it reached the level of Apeiron, he'd receive around 5000 points and if it reached the level of the Cloud Plane, he'd receive anywhere from 8000 to 10,000 points of extra mana capacity.
These numbers were just approximations he made using his current bond with earth, but he felt they were more or less accurate.
However, the artifacts he bought at the auction weren't for him. Even if he had all the money in the world, he wouldn't use millions of spirit stones to buy himself armor.
He could reach the point where these armors were useless to him through evolution. That was one of his main strengths. It was for this reason that besides the earring artifact he received as a prize in Apeiron and his sword, Damien never put much thought into buying artifacts.
He already knew who these specific artifacts were meant for. He had bought them with those people in mind. A fine jade, sapphire, and ruby. Just from the color scheme alone, it was clear who the recipients would be.
And although Ruyue was slightly irked that he was spending their money on artifacts instead of waiting for the final item, she didn't say anything. There was a faint hope budding in her heart that she did her best to suppress, but in the end, it got the best of her.
She could only sigh lightly and let it go, refocusing her attention on the auction.
Many hours had already passed by and countless rare materials, extraordinary pills, and Chaos rank artifacts had shown themselves. These items had mostly been snatched away by those in the crowd, but few of them managed to catch the attention of those in the private rooms as well.
Still, these people were all similar to Damien and Ruyue. No matter how much the other items called to them, they made sure they wouldn't be spending too much. Their focus lay elsewhere.
And finally, after what seemed like an eternity of holding back their greed, those in the private rooms were given the show they came for.
Fairy Lin, who had been standing on the stage with a light smile on her face the entire time, suddenly became grave.
"This next item is extremely important. For this reason, the bidding has only been opened to those who have been given the honor to sit in the private rooms during this auction."
Hushed murmurs spread through the crowd as people speculated the identity of the final item. Even though many were annoyed that they were being excluded, there wasn't much they could do about it.
They were well aware of how powerful those in the private rooms were. They were the people who lorded over the ones sitting in the normal seats. They had no right to compete with those personages even if they wanted to. Such a move was simply courting death.
Seeing that there weren't any fools who decided to act up after her declaration, Fairy Lin continued.
"The item that is about to be presented was passed down by the Lords themselves. Those persons that we cannot even fathom have graced us with such a gift. And since us lowly beings are unable to properly comprehend the words of our Lords, we have given this item a more digestible name."
A single person came onto the stage as Fairy Lin talked. Unlike the previous attendants, this person radiated an aura of undeniable might. However, even with such power, the individual was acting extremely cautious towards the vial in his hand.
"The Death Seed. This is the name we have given this item. Even the vial that holds it was specially made to contain its power. The material of the vial alone is Star Jade."
Once again, the crowd burst in fervor. Star Jade, who didn't know the name of this material? It was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, materials existing on the Cloud Plane.
And such a rare and desirable material was used solely for the sake of containing the power of the Death Seed.
As the man made his way to the center of the stage, he entered the spotlight that had been shining and those in the crowd could finally witness the appearance of this treasure.
It was a small and circular item colored in an eerie darkness. With its shape and size, one could mistake it for a marble or a pill. However, nobody doubted its identity.
The devil-worshippers may be full of various people with different goals and personalities, but there was one thing they had in common. They never used their Lords' names in vain.
If Fairy Lin said the Death Seed was given to them by the Lords, there was no need to further verify its legitimacy.
"Now, I'm sure all of you are curious about the effects of this treasure, so allow this humble one to explain. The Death Seed is a peerless treasure that can permanently raise one's stats.
"For 3rd class brings, every stat will receive at least a 100 point boost and for 4th class beings, their stats will gain at least 800 points each. And these are simply the base values. Depending on one's compatibility with the Death Seed, these numbers could very well increase dramatically."
Fairy Lin continued to ramble about the greatness of the Lords and the treasure they provided, but Damien was no longer of the mind to listen.
After all, Zara, who had been silently residing in his shadow during the journey and convention, was letting out a low and bestial growl that only he could hear.
He could feel her emotions and he could see it in her eyes. Emotions she had rarely ever shown before.
Hatred and Greed.
