Free Web NovelChapter 103: Chapter 103:The Auction Preview
The morning light in Solaris City arrived just like that.
It poured over the marble balconies of the Golden Sun Pavilion in a flood of liquid gold, so bright it made the white stone glow from within.
Damon stood at his own balcony door, already dressed in simple, high-quality black robes he’d bought in the city.
He watched the capital wake up far below, a sprawling tapestry of gleaming roofs and bustling streets that hummed with a distant, powerful energy.
Last night’s work was done.
The memory of Lumina’s shattered composure, the feel of her trembling skin under his hands, was a pleasant aftertaste.
He didn’t dwell on it. The seed was planted. Now he waited for it to grow.
A soft knock sounded at his suite door.
He didn’t turn. "It’s open."
The door swung inward, and Mei walked into the room.
She was a vision of predatory elegance in a deep crimson dress that hugged every devastating curve of her mature body.
The silk seemed to drink the morning light and pulse with a darker heat.
Her deep purple eyes found him immediately, and a knowing smile played on her vividly painted lips.
"Good morning, Boy~." she purred, her voice like smoked honey. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"I trust you slept well? Or perhaps... not at all?"
Damon finally turned from the view, his golden eyes meeting hers without a flicker. "The bed was not bad."
Mei’s smile widened.
She glided closer, the scent of night-blooming flowers and something dangerously sweet trailing in her wake.
She stopped just inside his personal space, close enough that he could feel the subtle, potent aura of a Saint Spirit Realm expert wrapped around her like a second skin.
"Not bad, huh..." she repeated, licking her lower lip slowly. "And what about Lark? Where is he?"
She was fishing, and they both knew it. Damon had felt her presence in the shadows last night, watching.
"Lark is still trying get used to the capital’s climate, It’s warmer than he’s used to." Damon said.
A low, throaty laugh escaped Mei. "I’ll bet it is." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"You have a gift with woman you know, Damon Arcknight. It’s a fascinating talent. One I find myself increasingly... interested in."
She let the double meaning hang in the air between them, her gaze heavy with promise and assessment.
Before Damon could reply, another, more hesitant knock came from the hallway.
Mei stepped back, her smile turning feline. "Ah. Speak of the devil."
Damon called out, "Enter."
The door opened more slowly this time.
Lumina stood there, once again disguised as ’Lark’. She wore the same simple, travel-stained robes from the day before, her posture stiff.
Damon’s can saw them instantly.
The faint, lingering flush at the base of her throat that her high collar couldn’t quite hide.
The minute tension in her jaw, the way her eyes refused to settle on him for more than a heartbeat before skittering away to stare at a point on the wall.
[Lumina’s Interest increased by 20 points, +2000 lust points!]
’Good.’
"Lady Mei." Lumina said, her voice carefully even.
She bowed slightly to Mei, then gave Damon the barest nod of acknowledgment.
"Damon. The concierge said we depart for the auction preview at the eighth bell."
"Then shall we go?" Mei said, with her amusement filled.
"Come along, children. The Great Solaris Auction House does not wait for dawdling disciples."
****
The Great Solaris Auction House wasn’t a building, it was a monument.
It dominated the central plaza of the capital’s trade district, a colossal structure of white celestial marble and veins of solid gold.
Towers shaped like sunbursts pierced the sky, and the main entrance was a set of doors thirty feet tall, carved from a single piece of fire-opal that shimmered with captured daylight.
The plaza around it teemed with life. Cultivators in the colors of a dozen different sects and clans mingled with merchants in rich silks and guards in polished armor.
The air thrummed with conversation, the clink of spirit stones, and the low, powerful hum of countless restraining formations.
Mei led them through the crowd like a queen parting waves. People instinctively moved aside, their eyes widening as they took in her robes, her aura, the undeniable air of absolute power that radiated from her. Whispers followed in their arrival.
"The Azure Dragon Sect’s Mei Nightrider..."
"A Saint Realm expert here in person?"
"Who are the disciples with her?"
Damon ignored it all, his gaze taking a look at the guards if front the opal doors.
’Earth Spirit Realm, at least’
Lumina walked stiffly beside him, her head down, doing her best to look like a nondescript male follower.
At the doors, a steward in immaculate gold-and-white livery bowed so deeply his forehead nearly touched the ground.
"Lady Mei! The House is honored by your presence. Your private room is prepared, as requested."
"Lead on." Mei said, not breaking her stride.
They passed through the opal doors, and the noise of the plaza fell away, replaced by a hushed, reverent silence.
The interior was even more breathtaking. A vast, circular hall rose several stories high, with a central stage of polished black obsidian.
Tiered seating of dark, fragrant wood surrounded it, but Mei’s steward guided them to a sweeping staircase that led to the private levels above.
Their VIP room was more of a luxurious lounge. One entire wall was a single sheet of one-way glass, offering a perfect, unobstructed view of the stage below.
Plush velvet couches were arranged around low tables laden with exotic fruits and a steaming pot of spiritual tea that smelled of jade and lotus.
"The preview catalog, Lady Mei." the steward said, presenting a heavy, leather-bound tome edged in gold leaf.
"The viewing of the major item that will be action will be shown in the central gallery shortly. Shall I escort you?"
"We’ll find our way." Mei dismissed him with a flick of her wrist. The man bowed and vanished, closing the door silently behind him.
Mei dropped onto a couch with a sigh of contentment, stretching her long legs out.
"Much better than the rabble below. Now, let’s see what treasures the Solaris Empire has scraped together this season."
Damon took the catalog from the table where the steward had left it. It was heavy, the pages thick.
He opened it.
