Chapter 245: The Black Crown

They watched in horror as, for the first time, the price of an item skyrocketed—100 million. Then 200 million.

Before they could even place their own bid at 250 million USC, it was instantly crushed by a staggering 500 million USC.

"Fuck," Alistair muttered. "There are other curse users in this auction."

"Worse," Nessyra added, her expression darkening. "They have money."

"A purely beneficial cursed item that has begun developing a will of its own is incredibly rare," Denodia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "We can win… but it will hurt our finances."

Nessyra’s expression darkened as she turned to Denodia. "Is this crown truly that important?"

"It is," Denodia confirmed without hesitation. "I don’t know why, or when, or if it’s simply about keeping it out of another’s hands—but we have to acquire it at all costs."

Nessyra’s jaw tightened as she steeled herself. Denodia met her gaze and gave a quiet nod.

Nessyra jumped the bid from 700 million to 1 billion USC.

A brief pause followed. They watched in bated breath, but just before the bid was accepted, someone raised it by a single million.

Exchanging another glance with Denodia, Nessyra let out a sigh before increasing the bid by another 100 million.

Once again, they watched, tension thick in the air. Alistair and Riseth struggled to process just how much of their funds they were burning through. Even for a treasure like this, the price was exorbitant.

The seconds dragged by like molasses, their eyes locked onto their screens. Alistair half-expected another cheeky bid—just a single million more to prolong the agony—but it never came.

Without any fanfare, the auction simply moved on.

It took them a moment to process, but when they did, a collective breath of relief escaped them. There was no celebration, no rush of excitement—only the heavy realization that they had just burned through the majority of their funds for a single item. The atmosphere was almost somber.

"Good thing we’ve got plenty of work lined up with the Beshin then," Riseth added, half-joking, trying to inject some levity into the room.

Denodia was the only one who looked relieved as she sank deeper into the couch. "Whatever bad feeling I had—it's gone. So we should be fine."

"I’m so glad you’re not getting bad vibes anymore, because that was painful," Nessyra muttered, rubbing her temples. "I’m half a mind to send you two over to the Beshin right now to start working immediately."

They no longer cared about upholding appearances. Though they still spoke through the Akashic Link, anyone observing them would have easily noticed that something had happened. Alistair shoved the idle thought aside.

"This was the last event we needed to attend anyway, so I’m not opposed to joining the Beshin," Alistair said.

Nessyra sat up a little straighter. "I’ll make a call to prepare our forces and have them prepare for the siege on the Everrest Sect. The first combat group will join you for the raids—they should be more than sufficient."

She paused briefly before adding, "Ah, before I forget, our liaison Rolmeros has once again requested to be stationed at Rathos. Considering we’re opening a gate with the Beshin anyway, I’m inclined to approve it."

"We’ll leave that to your discretion," Alistair replied. "You’re the one interacting with him the most. As long as you deem him trustworthy, he can come."

Nessyra tilted her head slightly. "He is trustworthy, but I have no doubt he’ll frequently report back to the Coalition. Though, I’ll make sure he runs his reports by me first so he doesn’t become a security threat."

Denodia suddenly perked up. "Shut off the auction before the last item is revealed."

The sharp seriousness in her voice ensured they all followed through immediately.

"What happened?" Nessyra asked.

"The last item was some sort of eldritch tree that could see us—even through a mere picture of itself," Denodia explained. "I don’t know if it would have caused any issues, but my intuition told me we were better off cutting the connection."

"I suppose this auction has been held in secret for a reason," Alistair muttered.

Riseth merely shrugged, stretching leisurely. "Well, that auction ended as abruptly as it started. At least we wrapped up all the business we had on this planet."

Alistair hummed in agreement, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off lingering tension. "Yeah, looks like that’s the end of this trip. I’ll reach out to the Beshin, see if they’re willing to start early. Considering how eager they were to move forward yesterday, they might not need much convincing."

"Good call." Riseth stretched, her tail flicking behind her. "Seeing all those powerful individuals at the auction was starting to give me an inferiority complex. I'd rather get back to training and fighting so we can catch up."

Alistair nodded as he connected his Akashic Link to Kujo, noting the slight pause before the connection went through.

"Hey, Kujo, we just finished our business on this planet and…"

-------

Nomura watched in awe as the price of the Black Crown skyrocketed. They had briefly considered purchasing it as a gift for the Ryser Clan, but the bidding had quickly soared far beyond their financial reach.

Given what they knew, only trusted and mostly small to moderately sized factions had been invited to this auction. The Ryser Clan was likely among them, though if they were participating, they had wisely kept that information to themselves. After all, every attendee was under the scrutiny of the Aegis Coalition.

Their shinobi had attempted to remain hidden in the shadows but had ultimately failed. It wasn’t surprising—this was the Tok'eall's homeworld, and their every movement had been closely observed, though not interfered with.

Nomura took a slow breath, the scent of the warding incense a pleasant touch to her senses. She turned to check on Hana, who remained composed, fully focused on maintaining the flow of the Verdant Shadow Array. A faint dark-green glow pulsed around them, isolating their chambers and restricting the flow of information from the outside.

The only external connection allowed was the Coalition’s provided network link—secrecy for this auction was paramount. Their shinobi had long since reported the presence of their watchers, silent observers carefully measuring their every move.

She watched as the price jumped one last time before the Black Crown was sold for a staggering 1.11 billion USC. It wasn’t impossible that the Rysers themselves had placed the winning bid—they were among the wealthiest of the small to moderate-sized factions, after all.

"Do you think the Rysers bought the Black Crown?" Kujo asked, his voice slightly distorted by the mask he wore.

Nomura considered for a moment before responding. "They’re one of the few moderately sized factions that could afford it. And considering they have a Progenitor Dragon with the Curse concept, the crown would be an incredible piece of equipment—easily worth the price."

Kujo turned to look at her, still waiting for a direct answer.

"I hope they did," Nomura admitted after a brief pause. "But I can't say for certain. They have good odds. One way or another, we’ll find out soon enough."

Kujo nodded, turning his attention back to the auction, and she did the same. She was more than satisfied with their haul from the secret auction—it had yielded several rare materials she could refine into ink for some rather powerful tattoos. They had also secured a handful of wraith and specter-based treasures, items that would prove valuable to Sakiyama and her Shinobi.

She checked the time, noting that the auction should be ending soon. Their funds were already somewhat drained, and she doubted they could afford much more even if something of interest appeared.

Eventually, their tablets pinged, signaling that the final lot of the secret auction had been reached. Curious, she pulled up the listing—an Eldritch Tree. Even just looking at the image was unsettling. The tree stared back. A grotesque array of shifting eyeballs covered its twisted branches, each one locked onto her despite being nothing more than a picture. Worse, she felt its eldritch magic pressing against the warding of her mask, trying to breach through.

With a swift signal of her hand, Hara cut the connection.

"That was unsettling as far as tests go," Kujo muttered.

"They went a bit far," Nomura admitted, her voice measured. "But I understand. Gauging the capabilities of Coalition members is necessary—knowing who can be trusted with certain requests is just as important as knowing who shouldn’t be."

"The Rysers are trying to reach Master Kujo," Hara’s voice came from behind them.

Nomura let out a soft chuckle as Kujo signaled for the connection to be established. She watched him with intrigue, noting how the tension in her husband's body relaxed almost immediately. If the Rysers had been part of the auction, whatever the tree had done hadn’t shaken or influenced them in any noticeable way—a reassuring sign. Another proof that they had found strong, reliable allies.

Kujo listened for a moment before responding. "You already wish to begin with the raids? I welcome the eagerness, though we require at least a day to organize our forces, handle private matters, and rest."

After a brief pause, Kujo responded again, "Understood. I will relay your words. Our mages are already in the process of forming the connection between the gates, so this will make mobilizing our forces much easier."

Nomura listened quietly, patiently waiting for her husband to finish as she watched him expectantly. The conversation stretched on as Kujo fell into easy banter with Alistair, and she smiled. It was good that they had not only secured strong allies—ones who could stand beside them—but also friends they could trust.

Having strong friends was a boon beyond any other in her mind, especially now that the playing field had expanded beyond her ability to see. She was grateful they wouldn’t be facing the unknown alone.

Kujo turned to her, a smile still on his lips. "It seems they’re quite eager to earn some funds," he said. "I let them know we are of the same mind. They’ll be joining us soon—I invited them and their forces to our world."

"We should prepare a small banquet," Nomura suggested. "Alistair, as I understand it, loves to try new foods, and they’ve already shared their culinary wonders with us. It’s only fitting we return the gesture."

Nomura watched as Hara took down the Verdant Shadow Array, then removed her own mask, glancing over to see Hara and Kujo doing the same.

"Inform our cooks and servants to prepare for our return and to expect guests, Hara," Nomura instructed.

Hara bowed deeply. "Yes, Matriarch," she acknowledged before quickly leaving their quarters.

Nomura glanced at her husband, noticing how his gaze followed Hara briefly before settling back on her. She smiled, stepping toward him and grasping the collar of his haori.

"It seems we will be preoccupied for some time," she murmured. "So why don’t we enjoy this brief moment given to us?"

Her mischievous smile, as always, ensnared him. His own grew, shifting into something far more eager.

"My lady seems quite impatient," he teased. "Are you sure that is what you wish?"

Nomura chuckled, sliding her hand up to grasp one of his horns before pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.

Other matters could wait—for a little while.

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