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Within the walls of Viscount Yelu’s residence, an unnoticed black shadow swiftly glided through and stealthily made its way into the living room. In the grandeur of the living room, Viscount Yelu sat tranquilly at the table, calmly sipping his tea.

“He hasn’t returned yet. Something must have happened,” he murmured to himself.

“Yet, it’s expected. Given the priceless nature of those items, extra caution is understandable. Regrettably for you, I’ve already bribed your top appraiser!” he chuckled triumphantly.

Viscount Yelu’s laughter echoed through the room following his declaration. He fantasized about the Imperial Auction House fading into obscurity, imagining the furious yet powerless reactions of the two women involved.

“Serves you right! That’s the price for crossing me!” His excitement grew with each thought, feeling as if he were sipping fine wine rather than tea, even feeling slightly tipsy.

This euphoria was all in his imagination, a simple case of basking in his own perceived glory. So engrossed was he in his reverie that he failed to notice the black shadow that had initially entered and then silently departed—an unsettling oversight.

Outside a specific room, the black shadow halted and revealed its true form. The shadow was none other than the strikingly beautiful Yaeger.

“The residual aura I detected confirms it; the genuine articles are inside,” she whispered to herself while clutching a quail egg-sized black crystal. Indeed, she was using the subtle aura emanations to locate the authentic items.

“It appears to be deep within. There might be a secret chamber,” Yaeger speculated, sensing the strong residual aura.

Effortlessly, she unleashed her aura into the door lock, causing it to open. This method was how she had previously infiltrated Irene’s room.

After securing the door behind her, Yaeger scanned her surroundings, which were bathed in opulent golden hues.

“Such antiquated decor. This must be Yelu’s chamber,” she noted.

She then diverted her attention, following the trail of the residual aura. Directly ahead was a bookshelf, cluttered with an array of antiques and volumes.

Employing her aura once more, she swiftly located the switch to a hidden chamber. Upon activating the switch, the bookshelf swung open automatically. Before her, a staircase descended into the darkness.

“Just as expected, it leads downward.”

Illuminated by magic crystal lamps, the passage was clearly visible. Yaeger descended the stairs, soon arriving at a stone door. On the door was a large rotary mechanism, functioning as a password lock.

Upon closer inspection, she discerned magical runes engraved on the door.

“Entering the wrong password will likely trigger the security traps,” she mused.

A palpable sense of danger intensified as she neared the door.

“This is going to require considerable effort.” With time pressing, Yaeger’s expression turned grave, her thoughts accelerating.

For a moment, it seemed as though time had come to a standstill. Yet, Yaeger was in continuous motion, her aura threading through the intricacies of the password mechanism.

In this heightened state of focus, her control over her aura was extraordinarily precise, allowing her to decipher the lock’s mechanism and ascertain the correct password almost instantly.

Time resumed its normal flow.

“Exhausting,” Yaeger sighed, her expression weary.

“Let’s get this started.” Without pausing for a break, Yaeger positioned her hands on the rotary lock and meticulously entered the combination.

A mistake here could have dire consequences.

Clack, clack, clack— sharp, rhythmic sounds echoed as the mechanism engaged. Suddenly, with a definitive click, the door began to swing open slowly.

“I’d be wasting my potential if I weren’t a thief,” Yaeger declared with a hint of pride.

Even after the door swung open completely, Yaeger hesitated to step inside.

“These floor tiles look suspicious.” She sensed imminent danger. “There are likely two traps in the second row. Jumping over the first could land me right into one.”

Yaeger scrutinized the floor tiles of both the first and second rows meticulously.

‘I’m sure there’s a switch to deactivate these traps, but searching for it would take too long. I need to press on.’ She needed to act swiftly and exit as soon as she secured the items.

Otherwise, the delay might alert others, especially since the obese middle-aged man had yet to return.

With a calculated leap, Yaeger bypassed the first row of tiles, landing directly on the third tile of the second row. Suddenly, a wall mechanism activated, launching a barrage of steel needles.

The attack was so swift that no ordinary person could have reacted in time. But Yaeger was far from ordinary. Anticipating the direction and timing of the attack, she swiftly countered with her aura, deflecting all incoming steel needles.

Immediately after, the sound of clattering steel echoed throughout the secret chamber. Unfazed by the assault, Yaeger continued to move deeper into the chamber. The path ahead bristled with traps.

Yet, these posed little threat to her. She simply had to push through.

‘As long as I avoid triggering an alarm, I’ll be fine.’ Upon reaching the second door, Yaeger paused to employ the same technique. It was effortlessly simple.

With a deep rumble, the massive door swung open on its own.

“Wow, what a great find!” Yaeger exclaimed with delight upon seeing the myriad of items lining the shelves.

Curbing her excitement, she swiftly located the box that Viscount Yelu had set on the shelf. Peering inside, she counted exactly ten Black Magic Crystals.

“I managed that too easily. Quite unremarkable,” Yaeger muttered in mild disappointment as she stowed the box away in her spatial ring.

She surveyed the surrounding shelves and spaces, all brimming with various materials.

“This clearly isn’t the main vault, but the contents are impressive nonetheless.” She noted that these materials seemed particularly valuable.

Upon casually selecting an item, its information immediately popped up.

“A magic core from a Swift Black Dragon. Excellent find.” As she spoke, she secured the magic core within her ring.

“Feathers of the Great Roc bird. Quite valuable.”
She tucked it away.

“Fangs of a poison spider. Very useful.”
She claimed it!

Initially inspecting their details, Yaeger realized time was of the essence and promptly vacuumed up everything within the secret chamber.

Like a ghost, she slipped out of the Duke’s residence. It took her about five minutes to exit the inner-city district. Once back in the outer-city district, she made her way to the auction house’s backyard and entered the appraisal room.

Forgoing any chatter with the appraisers, Yaeger swiftly administered needles to the two writhing figures in the break room. In no time, she had transformed them into two compliant human puppets. Of course, this was only a temporary measure.

“With the props, actors, and stage all set, it’s time for the show to begin.”

Though tired from the ordeal, Yaeger couldn’t help but smile dazzlingly, feeling a rush of indescribable joy.

The players in the main lobby remained enthusiastic, akin to a drought-stricken land receiving much-needed rain—an immensely satisfying sight.

Meanwhile, Taurus and S.K.Y., inside the VIP lounge, were preparing to depart. Their subordinates could manage the trading of materials; there was no need for them to remain.

However, just as they opened the door, a staff member entered and handed them an invitation to an upcoming auction.

Taurus accepted and reviewed the invitation. His expression was initially unchanged, but his eyes widened in surprise upon seeing that a masterpiece Equipment was listed for this auction.

The item was of Epic rank!