Chapter 420: Shadow Beneath the Auction Hall The journey became far shorter than Ryan had expected. Thanks to the teleportation array established between major cities, the trip that would normally consume an entire day was reduced to little more than thirty minutes. The moment the spatial distortion settled and the faint pressure around their bodies disappeared, Ryan stepped forward and lifted his gaze toward the massive structure standing before them. His eyes narrowed. "So this is the place." The building looked strange. Very strange. Everything around it followed the architectural style common throughout the region. Elegant stone walls, decorative carvings, high towers, and refined designs created by craftsmen who clearly wanted people to admire their work. Then there was this building. It looked like someone had taken a giant box and d

Chapter 421: Echoes Beneath the MaskAfter finishing their discussion with the auction house manager and settling every important detail regarding their investigation, Ryan and Alavenya decided there was no reason to wander around the city any longer. The manager needed time to gather information, verify rumors, and sort through the countless reports flowing through the marketplace network.Until then, rushing around would only waste energy.At least, that was Ryan's reasoning.Unfortunately, during the walk toward the inn, he discovered something far more interesting than the investigation.Alavenya's appetite.Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.The sound followed them almost the entire way.Ryan turned his head and stared.The silver-haired dragon girl was casually chewing through yet another fruit while scanning the nearby stalls with frightening concentration.Her expression loo

Chapter 423: The Price Hidden Within PowerA hesitant knock echoed from outside the room.Then the door slowly opened.Misha stepped inside.The moment she entered, her expression immediately became awkward."Good afternoon... Ryan... Miss Alavenya..."The greeting sounded stiff.Very stiff.She couldn't help it.The scene before her was simply too strange.Just over a week ago, these two had been trying to beat each other into the ground in front of countless witnesses.Now they were sharing a room.Not neighboring rooms.The same room.Misha had spent the entire walk here trying to prepare herself mentally, yet the reality still caught her off guard.Then she noticed something else.The room was a mess.Not completely destroyed.Not anymore.Someone had obviously spent time cleaning it.Unfortu

Chapter 425: The Weight of Words"You're serious?" Ryan asked quietly.The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere inside the room changed.It was subtle at first.Then it became impossible to ignore.Alavenya's body stiffened.The relaxed discussion from a moment ago vanished completely. Ryan was no longer speaking casually. His expression had hardened, and there was a sharpness in his eyes that she had never seen before."Huh?" Alavenya blinked.Ryan stared at her for several seconds before speaking again."I'm honestly starting to question the way you think."His voice wasn't loud.That somehow made it worse.Alavenya frowned."What are you talking about?"Ryan leaned back slightly."Tell me something. Do you think ordinary people's lives don't matter?"The question hit her so unexpectedly that she froze."Wha

Chapter 427: Masks and MisdirectionThe atmosphere inside the auction house had finally relaxed.The tension that had been hanging over the entire event for days had vanished without leaving a trace. Merchants were smiling again. Guards no longer looked as though they expected an ambush from every shadow. Even the staff members who had spent the entire auction worrying about threats and robberies seemed capable of breathing normally for the first time.Misha sat across from Ryan and offered a warm smile."Thank you. Honestly, both of you helped more than you realize. The auction finished without any major incident. Just having your names attached to our security arrangements was enough to scare certain people away."Ryan rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly."You're giving us too much credit. We're still students. We didn't exactly perform some grand heroic feat."His gaze drifted toward the pouch of go