The System seemed to perceive his thoughts, offering another explanation in a straightforward, crude, and thoroughly irritable manner.
"It lasts half an hour. If the host's external avatar jumps from a building, anyone who witnesses it within that thirty minutes will retain the memory."
"After half an hour, everything vanishes. Regardless of the state of the body, regardless of any surveillance or digital recordings, it will all be erased."
Luis's mind sparked with an idea, but before he could voice the question forming in his thoughts, the System delivered another prompt.
"External Avatar. For thirty minutes, all sensory, psychological, and physiological perceptions remain entirely unaffected."
"Time limit: half an hour. Everything disappears."
Who knows which perverted otaku with far-ahead-of-their-time ideas conceived this item, but the fact it could materialize as a System item proved it was a widespread fantasy, its purpose being to evade consequences after committing misdeeds.
To put it bluntly, its primary function was to cater to the wicked, shadowy corners of one's heart. Frankly, the very existence of this item was sinister from its inception.
"Ding… Host, activate?"
Luis had even entertained the fleeting thought of using the Aphrodisiac Incense (Male) to control the avatar into jumping. But in the end, Luis wasn't that kind of vicious, brutal person; he couldn't bring himself to cross that line.
This External Avatar… it seemed like it could be used to vent some frustration.
Precious System items were best saved for life-or-death situations, especially this External Avatar, which felt exceptionally powerful. Using it on that bastard felt like a waste, he was somewhat reluctant.
"Ding… System Prompt: Use one attribute point to enhance physical capabilities?"
He'd almost forgotten about this. Currently, only Charm and Stamina were available for enhancement. His Charm was at 7, which was fairly sufficient, at least he wouldn't be unpleasant to look at, possessing a decent level of attractiveness.
As for Stamina, it was currently capped at a limit of 9. According to human physiology, pushing it further would likely become a burden.
Luis instantly accessed the system interface. To his surprise, his Stamina, which was originally 9, had dropped to 7. How could this value decrease?
"Ding… Enhancing the specialized combat skill. While there is no sports injury, the host's body lacks foundational training and muscle memory. Therefore, Stamina decreases by 1 as a cost."
"Ding… Host has overindulged in lust. Related organs and systems are under excessive strain. Stamina decreases by 1 to prevent negative damage."
So the System had begun self-adjusting. Not only were item data being modified, but even his own personal stats were undergoing bug fixes.
The explanation was clear enough, and Luis understood the implication. Maintaining his Stamina at the peak of 9 would actually be detrimental.
The overindulgence part… thinking about it, it was true. He did feel somewhat weak now.
"Add it to Stamina."
"Ding… Host: Luis. Charm: 7. Stamina: 8."
"Ding… Stamina value increased. Physical fatigue and consumption repaired concurrently. Stamina and organ functionality restored to peak."
In that instant, Luis felt movement throughout his entire body, his bones, meridians, blood vessels, even his internal organs…
His mind cleared in a flash, imbued with an incredibly refreshing, clear-headed sensation. His energy surged to a vigorous, wolf-like state. The sight of the two captivating beauties, one on his left and one on his right, stirred an even more intense restlessness within him.
At that moment, a new auctioneer took the stage.
"The real highlights are saved for later. These earlier items are just minor warm-ups."
Despite appearing as husband and wife with Dominic and putting on a show of affection, it was evident Bella maintained a certain distance from him.
Even after being caught in the act of infidelity, she remained remarkably composed. She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Bid on whatever you like!"
The jewelry, jade pieces, calligraphy, and paintings were all contributed by various entrepreneurs. The proceeds from the auction were reportedly to be donated to charity in the name of the City Chamber of Commerce.
"Lot Number 19. The LV women's handbag, latest Summer collection. This is the first set available at domestic counters."
"Starting bid, 12,000 dollars."
The eyes of the young women in attendance all lit up. This latest model was also a commemorative edition.
Even within the same brand, items ranged from expensive to cheap; some retained value while others did not. But undoubtedly, such a rare piece was bound to be popular.
Unable to resist the coquettish pleading of their companions, the wealthy young men began raising their paddles one after another, driving the price up to 36,000 dollars.
Originally, Luis had no interest in such things. However, David's voice suddenly rang out from nearby. "40,000 dollars. Don't anyone dare outbid me."
Looking back, Luis saw David with his arm around a delighted Deewa, his face the picture of smug satisfaction.
His phone buzzed with a notification. Glancing down, he saw it was from his ethereal elder sister-in-law. He looked back to find her seated at the very last table, number 19, practically bordering the general seating area.
At the moment, she was chatting somewhat distractedly with a few girls behind her. Those girls were casting unmistakably envious glances toward Deewa, suggesting they were acquainted.
The message from his fairy-like elder sister-in-law contained just one emoji, one expressing deep grievance and unwillingness to accept it. Luis understood her meaning instantly.
Daniel, that fake rich second generation, that real official's son, simply didn't have that kind of money.
The calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry auctioned earlier went for mere thousands or tens of thousands. There hadn't been much malicious competition, with items selling at reasonable prices. The most expensive piece was only 30,000 dollars, which he could probably manage.
This handbag was something Daniel would absolutely never buy. It was far beyond his spending power. Today, he was purely here to drum up business.
"Excuse me for a moment."
With those words, Luis discreetly made his way to table 19 behind him. He stood behind the couple and spoke in a hushed tone. "Elder Sister, bid on this bag."
Daniel panicked upon hearing this. "What nonsense are you spouting? That's your elder sister's classmate."
"You still remember her? Your memory is truly impressive," Nancy retorted with a sarcastic snort.
Daniel frowned, lowering his voice further. "Don't be insane. Do you know who that pretty boy is? He's Dominic's son. Are you out of your mind trying to compete with him on wealth?"
After David's shout, the others exchanged looks, and no further bids came. Some recognized him and wished to avoid offending him.
Another factor was the scarcity of young people in the VIP section today. It was predominantly filled with middle-aged and elderly entrepreneurs.
Even those willing to lose a little money for reputation opted for items like jewelry or calligraphy and paintings, tangible assets that retained or even appreciated in value. They were a pragmatic bunch.
Bidding on a handbag? Forget it. Those who brought female companions today brought their lawful wives. Who would be willing to spend that much on a tigress?
The young rich kids might succumb to coquettish pleading, but it also depended on the amount. Dropping tens of thousands on a bag was somewhat excessive.
Thus, David's shout inadvertently provided an out for many. One could almost call it a blessing for men.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.