Though production items rarely interested the denizens of Xenith, the hammer’s design was too eye-catching not to give it a second look.

Despite the lack of explanation regarding its effects, many attendees looked at the hammer with glistening eyes, simply because of its appearance.

“How pretty. That’d make an excellent addition to my showcase.” Someone remarked in the stands below the VIP suites.

“That gorgeous red color would complement my wardrobe well. I must have it,” a wealthy lady added, her fingers dancing across her lips.

In the meantime, Kieran squinted.

“Lord Aatrox, that item seems pretty good, don’t you think? Then again, it might not hold any value to you since, as far as I’m aware, you don’t possess a forging profession,” Max said, blinking several times.

Even he had to admit that the hammer that Ameena showcased was beautiful.

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. Although I don’t hold a forging profession, I am acquainted with quite a few forgers,” Kieran answered.

Surprisingly, this reply gained Max’s genuine disbelief as he stared at Kieran with his mouth agape. “Are you telling me that you’re also acquainted with members of the Brotherhood of the Forge?!”

Looking back on his revelations thus far, Kieran could see how Max misinterpreted his words. After all, his connections to Isadora and Agatha were baffling enough to cause anyone’s disbelief.

Unfortunately for Max, his assumptions were wrong. Kieran didn’t have any connections with the Brotherhood of the Forge, though he did have a force of skilled forgers he was cultivating.

“No. Not at all. If I did familiarize myself with any forgers, it wouldn’t be those loud fools that attempt to mimic the original. I’d go straight to the source—the Dwarves,” Kieran replied.

A second later, he turned his attention to Ameena, who began to explain the effects of the Frostflame Hammer.

“While I wouldn’t daresay this hammer is the best there is, it’s quite unique in its effects. As you all know, one of the key factors in forging is tempering the material. In this regard, the Frostflame Hammer is the perfect tool,” Ameena revealed.

After a brief pause, she continued to reveal more about the hammer. “Through the fusion of hot and cold properties, this hammer can greatly increase the success of forging items beneath the Epic grade. Beyond that becomes iffy territory.”

As Kieran listened to Ameena reveal more information on the hammer, he employed his True Unveiling Eyes to obtain more details on it from afar.

「 Frostflame Hammer (Production Tool)

Item Rank: Epic

Item Level: Grandmaster Profession or below

Item Usage: When used in forging, the hammers increase the odds of success by as much as 20%. When used to forge Epic Items, the increase in success rate drops to 10%. (Attempting to forge items above this rank may lead to damage.)

Description: A hammer created through the fusion of pure hot and cold energies for the sole purpose of tempering to perfection. However, as perfection is relative, it may only realize what one can envision.

Durability: 20,000

/20,000 」

‘Increases the success rate by 20%?! Some might think 20% is extremely small, but it’s not. Even Hamon, the one lauded as the Godhand Hammer in the future, has a less than 10% success rate when forging. If we include an item like this along with the Continuity Flame… we can reduce the time he needs to become a forging monster!’ Kieran inwardly exclaimed in shock.

Due to this thought, Kieran’s decision to bid whatever was necessary to get it was stuck in his mind. He would not lose grasp of this item.

Following her explanation, Ameena revealed the starting bid. “We’ll start this off at 1,000 Gold with increments of nothing less than 50 Gold.”

“1,500 Gold!”

“2,000 Gold!”

“3,000 Gold!”

The bid quickly piled up, reaching upwards of 10,000 Gold within seconds! At that time, however, Kieran stepped in and made his move.

“15,000 Gold,” Kieran bid, keeping his voice calm and disinterested. Because of this behavior, people believed it to be a decision made on a whim and not one backed by fervent desires.

After all, if this was something this VIP could bid on a whim, what would happen once they reached the truly interesting items?

However, unlike the materials that didn’t garner much interest, there were quite a few people present that liked shiny things.

“16,000 Gold!”

“17,-“ραпdαs `n?ν?| сom

“20,000 Gold,” Kieran interjected, calling out in the same disinterested tone.

Unlike before, people began to sweat, wondering if this was worth it. For them, it was a collector’s item. But to Kieran, it was an express ticket to making an insane amount of money.

Fortunately for him, Kieran eventually won the closing bid, spending 25,000 Gold for the Frostflame Hammer.

Seeing as how he had just spent a quarter of the reward Isadora’s quest gave him, Kieran decided it would be best to remain lowkey for now until something else of immense value sparked his interest.

Though, it had to be something that was only valuable to players to avoid breaking the bank.

Then again, if he really needed to, he could always use one of the special benefits of a Premium and Honorary Membership with the Merchant Association—opening a line of credit applicable to in-house auctions or mass purchases.

‘I’m not exactly sure how much buying power they’ll accredit to me, but I do know that an Honorary Member can access ten times that of a Premium Member,’ Kieran thought.

As Kieran considered this option, he glanced to the side and noticed Max staring at him incredulously. “L-Lord Aatrox! Don’t you think that purchase just now was kind of unreasonable? It cost so much!”

“Perhaps if it were made for a silly reason, then yes. However, I intend to recoup what I just lost and more. In the end, it’s all an investment for me. You must be willing to take some risks,” Kieran answered.

“Must be willing to take risks,” Max parroted, muttering to himself. He contemplated Kieran’s words because they went against the safe business practices that his father instilled in him.

For him to make such a deal, Max would most likely have to pull some teeth first.

With his attention split between the auction going on and the Player Auction that he continued to revise, Kieran failed to come across any other items in this segment that were worthy of his participation.

There were quite a few pieces of equipment here and there, but Kieran wasn’t interested in securing those, especially not with how heated the competition grew.

A single Epic Weapon had sold for nearly 200,000 Gold! That was nearly half of the remaining Gold Kieran had access to. Besides, if he truly wanted to obtain some Epic Items, Kieran knew where to look.

That way, he could obtain it without having to shell out ridiculous amounts of Gold.

Roughly thirty minutes later, after Ameena introduced the next segment of items to be auctioned up, Kieran’s chest suddenly started to burn up. This was a sensation he had only felt once before, which was relatively recent.

‘The Dormant Arcane Symbol is reacting violently. That must mean they’ve managed to procure a fragment of the Realm Key!’ Kieran thought, his expression focused.

As the mahogany curtains were pulled back, Ameena quickly took to the stage. “Here we have our Favored Items, the second to last segment of the auction. Many of these items possess unknown origins leading to an unusual appraisal. In fact, because of this issue… it couldn’t become part of the Highlight Showcase.”

Ignoring her words, Kieran focused on many of the stage showcases, especially the one that held the Realm Fragment. Who would have thought that such an essential item would have wound up in a place like Aeredale?

Although it didn’t change the fact that he would still require three more pieces, it made the search more manageable.

“We’ll begin with this unknown shard,” Ameena said, shifting all attention to the Realm Fragment that Keen failed to identify. 𝐨𝘃𝗹.

Considering that the Arcane Dominion vanished from history hundreds of thousands of years ago, it was understandable. To recall someone like the Arcane One and his legion of subordinates, one would have to be an ancient existence.

Because of the air of mystery surrounding the Realm Fragment and the fact Keen failed to appraise it, everyone stared at Ameena awkwardly after she asked for bids. It was evident that no one wanted the item.

“Does this item not interest anyone? The minimum bid is 5,000 Gold,” Ameena muttered, his expression becoming somewhat defeated. If there was anything an auctioneer hated, it was when an item failed to receive even one bid.

After another round of silence, Ameena tried to win them over once more. “Who knows? The fact that Chief Appraiser Keen failed to unearth its worth may mean that it transcends his knowledge! This could be an absolute steal.”

Sadly, Ameena’s tactics failed to win anyone over. Some could easily squander 5,000 Gold, but not today. Not when the Highlight Showcase was around the corner!

All of a sudden, Kieran’s deep voice sounded from within the VIP suite. “I suppose I’ll take the chance then. 5,000 Gold.”

“!!” Max’s eyes widened as he sputtered continuously. “L-Lord Aatrox! There’s a reason no one has bid on this item!”

“Yeah? Well, unlike them, I can see the worth of the item. Did you forget that I’m related to the Mystic Mistress?” Kieran replied, leaving Max a faint chuckle.

Hit with realization, Max slapped his forehead and groaned because of his foolish display.

“Thank you for the generous bid, Sir VIP! The item is yours. Moving along…” Ameena returned to her cheerful self and immediately shifted back to handling the auction.

As she spoke, Kieran noticed his attention kept returning to a strange crystal whose color resembled blood. ‘Another strange item? The way I see it… this segment is more valuable than the final one, but fear of the unknown changes their opinion.’