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In the end, Sloth won the auction for the last artifact order card, and she had already dozed off comfortably in her wheelchair. Her presence, or lack thereof, added a sense of awkwardness to the auction hall.

The auction resumed with the five artifact weapons that Daniel had created in the first batch. These weapons had been thoroughly tested and proven to increase the user\'s magical power potency, as well as enhance their physical strength, speed, and agility.

The crowd in the auction hall became lively once again, and a fierce bidding war ensued. However, this time the prices were more reasonable, as Sloth, the only bidder who had previously bid exorbitantly, was now sound asleep in her wheelchair.

The cheapest artifact was bid at 8 million Origold, while the most expensive went for 18.5 million Origold. As it was the last item up for auction, a heated argument between bidders nearly turned violent over who would get to purchase it.

The auction came to a close, and Daniel was left stunned by the amount of wealth he had acquired in a single day: a staggering 150 million Origold.

Converted to USD at the rate of 30 USD per 1 Origold, this equated to approximately 3 billion USD. It was a mind-boggling sum, and Daniel couldn\'t help but marvel at the sheer wealth of the mages in the auction event.

Back in the Stenmark clan VIP room, Daniel remained in a state of shock as he processed the events of the day. The room was abuzz with excitement, and congratulations were being offered as Maria nearly wanted to open a bottle of champagne but was stopped by Michaela who noticed that Daniel was still in the middle of processing his newfound wealth.

"Kid, you\'re rich!" Ragnar exclaimed as he patted Daniel on the back.

Daniel smiled, feeling grateful for Ragnar\'s generosity. He knew that Ragnar wanted to bring him into his sphere of influence, but from the information he had gathered from Maria, he believed that Ragnar was one of the "good ones," so he didn\'t mind joining his faction.

"Thank you, Lord Stenmark," Daniel said gratefully.

Ragnar\'s expression turned serious as he asked, "Kid, I know you never wanted to negotiate with the Royal Family in the first place. But just to be clear, you\'re not going to kill the king, right? He\'s a councilor, and that would be illegal according to the Hightower law."

Daniel\'s heart grew cold at the mention of the Tessia Royal Family. Despite his intense hatred for them, he had agreed to come to the auction house to negotiate. He knew that he couldn\'t show his hatred too openly and needed to keep up the appearance of being willing to negotiate.

"Well, I don\'t plan on killing anyone, Lord Stenmark. But I still don\'t respect them," Daniel replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "I\'ll try my best to keep my cool during the negotiation, but I can\'t promise anything."

"That\'s all I ask. Let\'s go," Ragnar said with a nod, leading Daniel, Maria, and Michaela out of the VIP room and towards the meeting room.

— Prosperity Auction Hall - Meeting room —

When they arrived, Daniel found Montgomery waiting for them.

Montgomery tried keeping a low profile in the room, unsure of how Daniel, who was capable of using ancient magic, would react to his presence. But Daniel didn\'t even spare him a glance; he\'s not that petty and simply waited for the negotiations to begin.

"The minutes ticked by, and Ragnar\'s impatience grew. Did that idiotic king always have to be the center of attention? After 30 more minutes passed, even Daniel, who had a lot of patience, was close to losing his cool.

He checked his wristwatch and saw that they were now 40 minutes late. Daniel knew about the grandeur tendencies of the Tessia Kingdom\'s royal family, but he no longer considered himself under the rule of such a bastard king.

Without saying a word, Daniel stood up and headed towards the meeting room entrance, considering the negotiation a waste of time.

Ragnar wanted to stop Daniel, but he hesitated. He knew that Daniel had reluctantly agreed to this negotiation because he had requested it.

Suddenly, the double doors leading to the entrance of the room swung open, and a man in an elegant black suit and a monocle walked in, followed by Victor and Klause, who were protecting him, and several of Victor\'s attendants.

The man had black hair and a stylish black mustache that made him look like he came from a European noble lineage. His eyes exuded an air of oppression and arrogance, as if he believed he was above everyone in the room. Daniel couldn\'t help but dislike this newcomer; he didn\'t like the way the man looked at him."

"Where do you think you\'re going, outlaw? You are under arrest," the man said in an arrogant tone, not even acknowledging Ragnar who stood beside Daniel.

"And who the hell are you? A new enforcer?" Ragnar asked, trying to place the man\'s face.

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ "Allow me to introduce myself, Lord Stenmark. My name is Kyros Alchemont," the man said with a smirk, his eyes scanning Ragnar with a hint of superiority.

"Alchemont?" Ragnar repeated, his eyes growing sharp. He recognized the name as that of his clan\'s enemy.

For centuries, the Stenmark and Alchemont clans had been at odds with each other, their rivalry steeped in a history of bitter animosity. Despite this, they still coexisted within the Curtained World - largely due to the Alchemonts\' significant political influence.

The Alchemonts held a monopoly on the creation of homunculi - artificial bodies that allowed mages to achieve immortality.

Their technique was unparalleled in its ability to produce homunculi that were as powerful as their original bodies. As a result, they were highly sought after by powerful mages who valued their longevity and self-preservation.

The patriarch of the Alchemont clan held a seat on the Hightower High Council, cementing their influence over the magical world.

The Stenmark clan, on the other hand, had a different area of expertise - the production of high-quality runestones. While this gave them some measure of influence, it was not as essential to a mage\'s longevity as the Alchemonts\' homunculus creation technique.

However, when it came to combat and military strength, the Stenmark clan was unmatched. Though they employed fewer mages and combatants than the Alchemonts, each one of them was a force to be reckoned with. Their ferocity on the battlefield was renowned, and even the Alchemonts knew better than to cross them lightly.

Kyros spoke with an air of superiority. "Yes, Lord Stenmark. I hope you won\'t interfere with us in apprehending this criminal."

Ragnar raised an eyebrow. "May I know which law he broke?"

Kyros chuckled. "Oh, it\'s just some minor offense, nothing to worry about. He overstayed his welcome in Tessia Kingdom, interfered with King Victor\'s family business affairs, and caused him to lose several million USD. He also lacked an ID card."

His eyes sharpened. "From our perspective, it\'s just a minor offense, and we could easily fine Mr. Magitek for the damage he caused. However, gathering enough evidence for his transgressions could take some time, and we don\'t know when it will be completed."

What Kyros means is that he would imprison Daniel until further notice or for as long as possible, and he might even resort to underhanded methods to extend Daniel\'s stay. Ragnar observed as he turned towards Victor.

"So this is what you call negotiation? You bring in enforcers over minor offenses such as a lack of an ID card? Do you want to drag the entire Hightower into this conflict?" Ragnar asked coldly, expressing his disdain for underhanded and dishonorable tactics.

"Please don\'t be angry, Lord Stenmark. We\'re just doing our job. I accidentally found out from King Victor that Mr. Magitek didn\'t have a mage ID card, and upon checking, I found out that he knows the method for creating Atlantean artifacts. If he uses that as collateral, we\'ll immediately back off and provide him with a special ID card that can be used anywhere under the Hightower\'s influence," Kyros explained.

[So this is the Alchemont\'s true motive,] Ragnar thought to himself.

The Alchemont wanted to use the Atlantean artifact creation method as collateral and might use that chance to copy or learn the method. Of course, they would also try to befriend Daniel by providing him with what he needed most at the moment - the mage ID card. But they also don\'t want to completely offend the one who could make an artifact with the Atlantean artifact creation method after all.