The announcement echoed through the mansion's speakers, cold and final: "The Final Stage—The Taboo Round—is now commencing. Guests with Golden Clearances, please proceed to the Inner Sanctum."

Ethan stood up, the iron leash of Axhel rattling as the broken man scrambled to follow. He made his way toward the deepest part of the estate, where the atmosphere shifted from luxury to militaristic dread.

The entrance to the Inner Sanctum was a choke point of absolute security. Hundreds of guards lined the corridors. Some were modern tactical units equipped with high-caliber rifles and thermal optics, but they were merely the outer shell. Standing directly at the reinforced double doors were men who looked like they had stepped out of a dark history book—warriors clad in polished steel plate armor that shimmered with runic light, wielding massive, gleaming broadswords. They weren't just security; they were the House's elite guard.

A guard in heavy plate armor stepped forward, his visor up, revealing eyes that didn't blink. He held out a gauntleted hand. Ethan didn't say a word; he simply held up the shimmering gold card Ross had given him. The guard inspected the strange, shifting patterns on the card, then slammed his fist against his chest in a metal-on-metal salute before stepping aside.

The heavy doors groaned open, revealing a room that was surprisingly small and intimate, holding less than ten people. The air here was heavy, thick with an authority that couldn't be bought with mere currency.

A man stepped onto the podium. Unlike the previous hostess, whose purpose was to incite the baser instincts of the crowd, this individual radiated an aura of ancient nobility. His suit was of an impeccable cut, and his gaze was icy and analytical.

"I am Zwager L. Courthis, and I will be your Evaluator today," the man said, his voice resonant and commanding. "Here is my official certification issued by the Union of Supernaturals. My judgments are impartial; I serve neither the host house nor the personal interests of the bidders. My only loyalty is to the truth of the object."

Zwager made an elegant gesture, and three pedestals rose from the floor, each protected by an individual energy field.

"As is custom, we shall begin with the three treasures presented by the House of Celestial," Zwager announced, pointing to the first object.

"Before you lies the Scroll of the Two Millennia. This is no simple piece of cartography; it is a map to a lost treasure whose antiquity exceeds two thousand years. I guarantee its absolute authenticity through spiritual carbon testing. However," Zwager warned with a professional tone, "I must be frank: the location it references has not been found in modern geography. It is an enigma that requires more than human eyes to solve."

"The second item is the 'Mind Shock' Grimoire. This tome contains not only the theory but the runic matrix necessary to learn and master the mental shock spell. It was authored and sealed by the Official Inscriptionist Mage of Celestial. It is a complete Class 3 item, ideal for those who seek to subjugate the will of others before steel ever touches their skin."

"Lastly, the Blade of Eternal Flame. This sword possesses high-level fire inscriptions. Its true beauty lies in its accessibility: it allows a Knight without magical talent to unleash the power of the fire element as if they were a natural-born mage."

At a signal from Zwager, a guard knight entered the room. With a fluid motion, he unsheathed the blade and swung it through the air. A roaring plume of fire erupted from the edge, illuminating the room with an orange glow. Immediately, a guard at the entrance reacted by unleashing a defensive ice spell, causing a hissing explosion of steam.

"As you have witnessed," Zwager continued impassively, "the power output is equivalent to a Level 2 spell from a certified mage. It is formally classified as a Level 3 artifact."

The evaluator took a step back, clasping his hands behind his back.

"You now have five minutes to conduct your own visual appraisal or verify any discrepancies with my judgment before we proceed to the formal bidding."

The old man who had previously tried to buy Emily stood up with difficulty, leaning on his cane. He approached the map, adjusting a monocle that glowed with a faint blue light. After a few seconds of careful scrutiny, he let out a grunt of approval.

"Impeccable quality, as expected from a Union appraiser," the old man said before sitting back down.

No one else stood up. At this level, the word of a Union-certified evaluator was law. Ethan, however, remained in his seat, eyeing the grimoire with renewed interest. He knew that spell was exactly what Ross had used to stop him moments before.

The evaluator, Zwager, scanned the room with a hard gaze. "Since no one else wishes to conduct an appraisal, we shall proceed," said the evaluator. "As per custom, the host house has requested exchanges for assets of equal value. Celestial has not specified a target object; therefore, any Level 3 item or equivalent supernatural asset will be accepted for trade. Of course, high-liquidity credit remains an alternative, but priority will be given to equivalent artifacts."

Zwager struck a small silver bell on his podium. "We shall begin. Are there any offers?"

An middle-aged woman in the front row, whose skin had a faint, iridescent sheen, raised her hand. "For the Manuscript of Lost Eras, I offer a Vial of Siren's Breath. It is a Level 3 consumable, capable of restoring a mage's mana pool instantly or inducing a deep, hypnotic sleep in a Knight-class target," said the woman.

The evaluator nodded slightly. "A fair opening. A Level 3 consumable for an unmapped Level 3 scroll. Are there counter-offers?"

"I offer a Shattered Aegis Plate," said a man with a gravelly voice from the corner, his face half-hidden by a hood. "It is a Level 3 defensive relic. Though cracked, it can still negate three killing blows from a physical source before requiring a recharge of spiritual energy."

"The Aegis Plate holds higher tactical value," Zwager noted, marking the shift.

The bidding for the sword was equally pragmatic. A representative of a minor European sect offered a Quiver of Endless Wind Arrows, a Level 3 utility item for long-range specialists, in exchange for the Blade of Eternal Flame.

Ethan watched the exchanges with a calculating eye. These weren't the desperate, ego-driven bids of the Silver Tier.

These were strategic exchanges between organizations seeking to fill gaps in their arsenals. He felt his $982 million was far too little, he didn't know what to offer for the grimoire that had caught his attention.

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