Director Kurnich adjusted her glasses before she continued. "Prior to joining Root Genesis, I was once a student in White Diamond Institute's Magi-Beastiary Department." "But even without that, it is common public knowledge that a Haunt Gate closing has nothing to do with the extraction of its relic core, but rather the rift depth index." Several patrons nodded in agreement with the logical fact that had just been pointed out. Yet despite the shift in public sentiment, Eloise remained perfectly calm. She finally addressed the major source of doubt. "Just like the mana fruits that were introduced earlier, this Gate Key is a treasure that defies established logic." Amidst her speech, Eloise snapped her fingers. Less than a dozen seconds following this somatic gesture, two auction staff wheeled in a flat wooden vertical object onto the stage. Shaped like a cardboard, the object was as tall as an adult male and possessed the width of two well fed adults combined. Under the intense g

"I bid a thousand Dinar-M Credits!" For a while, a graveyard silence enveloped every square inch of the Grand auction hall. By the time the patrons processed the statement they just heard, a cacophony of sharp intakes of breaths ensued in a sequential manner. "One.. One thousand?" Director Kurnich suddenly seemed to have aged several decades while she slowly withdrew her raised paddle. A Thousand Dinar-M Credits was worth roughly a hundred million dollars! As someone affiliated with a Casato Family, Director Kurnich was no stranger to business transactions worth thousands of Dinar-M Credits. But this was the first time she was witnessing an item being sold at such a price, at an auction event! With the amount of funds she currently had in her possession, beating that kind of bid was a hundred percent impossible. Excluding the fact that her personal wealth was far from reaching the thousand Dinar-M Credits threshold, the Gate Key in question wasn't worth that much. Maybe a hundr

"Bow out?" Mei giggled. The stubbornness in Henri's eyes didn't elude her. "Although he goes by that surname, Rochester is actually a member of House Le Roy." She added. "Although he isn't seen as one by the rest of his family members. He is what they call a pretender." "So, I suggest you—""I bid three hundred Dinar-M Credits." Henri directly raised the bid by a fifty percent. Stunning not just the rest of the patrons in the auction hall, but even Mei who sat with him inside the private lounge. "Three hundred Dinar-M Credits.. going once.." Henri held his breath when he heard the voice of the announcer. Although he felt purchasing the Calgary Crown Flower for the whooping sum of thirty million dollars was a like burning money unnecessarily, he didn't regret doing so. The Exotic Herb was just too important! ".. Going twice.. and sold!" "The Calgary Crown Flower has been sold to the private guest at lounge number twelve." A relieved smile broke across Henri's lips once he

Henri inhaled sharply. "Considering how you seemed to have planned for this moment, I doubt you'd be satisfied with me just owing you a favor." Mei nodded cheerfully. "That's correct. So what is your answer?" "In exchange for using that card, do you agree to work for me?" Without so much as a flicker of hesitation, Henri shook his head. "I think I'll pass." "Oh?" the smile on Mei's expression instantly froze. Of all the response she anticipated hearing, this definitely wasn't one of them. It took her quite some time before she fully digested Henri's response. And when she did, her eyes flared with incredulous puzzlement. "Perhaps, you need some more time to—" Henri cut in. "Whether you give me a month or a year, my response will still remain unchanged." His gaze swept towards Mrs. Veronica's direction. "Considering how close the both of you are, I am certain you are aware that I once worked for the Colorado Eagles gang." Mei didn't gaslight Henri's suspicion. She nodded. "Are

"The Monarch of Envy.." as Henri softly muttered this, his already sullen expression grew a shade worse. Although the System tasked him with unlocking the Monarch of Envy, it conveniently failed to drop crucial breadcrumbs. Say, like what he was supposed to do in order to unlock the so-called Monarch of Envy.—[ Daily Quest Unlocked; Flex On Target—LEAVE YOUR MARK IN THE WORLD] "Another Quest?" Henri had to admit, this was the first time he had unlocked so many system quests under a tight window.—[ Daily Quest; Flex on Target ]—[ Daily Flex Target: 0/1 ]—[ Daily Quest Completion: 0% ]—[ Quest Penalty: None ]—[ Quest Reward: 10 Spite Coins ] Just as Henri was beginning to wonder what "flexing" meant, he received yet another system notification—but this time, it was a tidbit pop-up.—[ System Tidbit 01: Having unlocked the Supreme Envy Maximizer, the Player can earn Impression Points by shattering the egos of targets either by action or with words.]—[ System Tidbit 02: Player