Lot 38: Rare Phoenix Feather Accessory
A beautiful hair ornament made from genuine Phoenix feathers, imbued with fire and rebirth properties. Cosmetic but prestigious.
Runar bid on it: "40 billion."
Someone immediately countered: "45 billion."
Runar: "60 billion."
Counter: "65 billion."
This was getting competitive. Runar increased: "80 billion."
A long pause, then: "85 billion."
Runar was about to bid again when Celestia touched his arm. "You don't have to. It's just an accessory."
"But you'd look beautiful wearing it," Runar said, then bid: "100 billion."
Silence.
Then, from a premium suite across the way, a young man stood up, visible through the viewing windows. He was handsome in a conventional way—sharp features, expensive robes, cultivation at Planetary Core Stage 7.
"120 billion!" he shouted, glaring at Suite 3. "And whoever is competing with me should back down. I am Daemon Ironspire, heir to the Ironspire Conglomerate. This item is mine."
The room recognized the name. Ironspire Conglomerate—one of Telstra's wealthiest merchant families. Tier 6 status. Extremely powerful connections.
Runar's family tensed slightly. This was someone who could cause trouble.
Runar remained calm. "150 billion."
Daemon's face turned red. "You dare challenge me?! 180 billion!"
"200 billion," Runar said flatly, not even raising his voice.
"250 billion!" Daemon was furious now, standing and pointing at Suite 3. "Show yourself, coward! Let me see who dares compete with me!"
The auctioneer looked uncomfortable but professional. "Gentlemen, please maintain decorum—"
"300 billion spirit stones," Runar said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Final offer."
Daemon was shaking with rage. He clearly wanted to bid higher but was reaching his limit. The Ironspire family was wealthy, but 300 billion for a cosmetic item was absurd even for them.
"Fine!" Daemon spat. "Keep your trinket! But mark my words—I will remember this insult!"
He stormed out of his suite, heading for the exit.
"Sold to Suite 3 for 300 billion spirit stones," the auctioneer announced quickly, eager to move past the drama.
Caspian looked worried. "Runar, the Ironspire family has influence. If Daemon takes this personally—"
"Let him," Runar said unconcernedly, accepting the Phoenix Feather accessory when it was delivered minutes later. He turned to Celestia. "May I?"
She nodded, and he carefully placed the accessory in her hair. The Phoenix feathers shimmered against her silver locks, the fire-attribute energy making her seem to glow.
"Beautiful," Runar said softly.
Celestia blushed despite herself.
The auction continued, but the mood had shifted. Everyone was talking about the bidding war, about the mysterious buyer in Suite 3 who'd casually spent 300 billion spirit stones on an accessory.
They left the auction house as evening approached, laden with purchases and in good spirits despite the confrontation.
"That was fun," Lirien said. "Expensive, but fun."
"Worth every spirit stone," Runar agreed, walking beside Celestia.
They were heading toward the parking platform where Caspian's ship was docked, taking a less-crowded route through one of the city's upscale commercial districts.
That's when both Runar and Caspian sensed movement simultaneously.
Ahead. Six cultivators hiding their presence. Meteor Forging to Satellite Orbit levels. Ambush formation.
Caspian's eyes narrowed, his Star Fusion realm cultivation easily detecting the weaker cultivators' attempt at concealment. He glanced at Runar, noting his nephew had also sensed them.
Runar gave a barely perceptible nod: I've got this.
Caspian understood. His nephew and Celestia had demonstrated combat power far beyond what these ambushers possessed. Better to let the young ones handle it—they needed to establish their own reputations anyway. He would only intervene if things got truly dangerous.
He didn't alert Seraphina or the others yet, wanting to see how Runar and Celestia would handle this.
They rounded a corner, and the ambush sprung.
Six figures dropped from rooftops, blocking their path. Five were clearly servants or guards—Meteor Forging and Satellite Orbit realms, wearing matching uniforms.
The sixth was Daemon Ironspire, sneering triumphantly.
"Well, well," Daemon said. "The mysterious bidder from Suite 3. Let's see who dared to humiliate me."
His eyes scanned the group, dismissing the parents initially, then landing on Celestia.
His expression changed instantly—lust replacing anger.
"You," he breathed, staring at Celestia's beauty. "You're the one he bought that accessory for. Such beauty wasted on..." His eyes flicked to Runar dismissively. "Him."
Caspian took a half-step forward, ready to intervene, but Runar's subtle gesture stopped him. His nephew's eyes were calm, collected, showing no concern whatsoever.
He's not worried at all, Caspian realized. He and Celestia can handle this easily. Let them.
"Young Master Ironspire," Caspian said formally, playing his role. "This is inappropriate. We participated in a legal auction. There was no insult intended."
"No insult?" Daemon laughed harshly. "He outbid me publicly! Made me look weak! That demands compensation."
His gaze returned to Celestia, becoming more predatory. "You. Come with me. Be my companion, and I'll forget this offense."
Celestia's expression went ice-cold. The temperature around her dropped several degrees. "Not interested."
"Not interested?" Daemon's face twisted. "Do you know who I am? My family controls a third of Telstra's shipping! I could buy and sell everyone here!"
"And yet you couldn't afford 300 billion spirit stones for an accessory," Runar said calmly, still not moving. "Interesting."
Daemon's face went purple with rage. "You—fine! If she won't come willingly, I'll take her by force! Attack!"
The five servants moved instantly, converging on the group.
Runar and Celestia moved faster.
It wasn't a fight. It was barely an altercation.
Runar appeared in front of the first three servants before they'd crossed half the distance. Three casual palm strikes—not even techniques, just physical force backed by his Primordial-grade physique.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
All three servants flew backward, bones breaking, unconscious before they hit the ground.
Celestia handled the other two with equal efficiency. A single hand flick sent both flying into nearby walls, leaving crater-like impacts.
Five servants: Down in under two seconds.
Caspian watched with a mixture of pride and awe. Their control is perfect. Strong enough to incapacitate instantly but not kill. They've really mastered their power.
Daemon stared, shocked. "You—how—"
Then Runar was standing in front of him, appearing from nowhere via spatial movement.
"You threatened my family," Runar said quietly, his voice colder than Celestia's ice techniques. "You attempted to kidnap my partner. And you did it while knowing nothing about who we actually are."
He reached out, grabbed Daemon by the collar, and lifted him effortlessly despite Daemon being Planetary Core Stage 7.
"Let me educate you."
Runar pulled out his family crest—the Tier 8 insignia that Gaia had issued them. It gleamed with authority that made Daemon's eyes widen in horror.
"Tier... Tier 8?" Daemon whispered. "But that's... only families with Cosmic realm descendants or extraordinary contributions... you can't be..."
"We are," Celestia said coldly, standing beside Runar. She showed her own Tier 8 crest. "The Cross and Stormwind families. Elevated by Gaia herself."
The blood drained from Daemon's face completely.
Tier 8 families had protections that made them untouchable. Attacking them was a federal crime. And if Gaia learned someone had threatened a family she personally elevated...
"Please," Daemon began, his voice shaking. "I didn't know. I would never—if I'd known—"
"You would never what?" Runar asked dangerously. "Never threaten people unless you thought you could get away with it? Never attempt kidnapping unless the victim was weak?"
"I'm sorry! Please! I—"
Runar dropped him contemptuously. Daemon fell to his knees.
"Forgive me!" Daemon was outright begging now. "I'll do anything! I'll—"
He pulled out a dagger from his spatial storage.
For a moment, everyone tensed—even Caspian's hand moved toward his own weapon—thinking Daemon was attacking.
Instead, Daemon stabbed himself through his own hand.
Thunk.
Blood spilled onto the street.
"I'll cripple myself!" Daemon was crying now, genuine terror overriding all pride. "I'll destroy my own cultivation! Just please don't report this to Gaia!"
He didn't wait for response. The dagger rose again, aimed at his own dantian—he was actually preparing to cripple his cultivation foundation.
"Stop," Runar said.
Daemon froze.
"If you cripple yourself, you're useless to everyone," Runar continued. "Instead, you're going to do three things."
"Anything!" Daemon sobbed.
"First: You will publicly apologize to both families in the city news media. Full apology, accepting responsibility."
"Yes! I will!"
"Second: Your family's conglomerate will donate one billion spirit stones to Telstra's orphan cultivation program. In our names."
"Done! Absolutely!"
"Third: You will never approach us, speak to us, or think about us again. If I hear you've bothered any woman this way ever again, I won't be merciful a second time. Understood?"
"Yes! Thank you! Thank you for your mercy!"
Runar turned to his family. "Let's go. The air here is unpleasant."
They walked past the sobbing young master and his unconscious servants without a backward glance.
Once they were out of earshot, Caspian let out a breath and smiled proudly. "That was well handled. Both of you."
"You knew they were there from the beginning," Runar observed.
"Of course," Caspian said. "Star Fusion cultivation isn't just for show. But you two clearly had it under control, so I chose not to interfere. Sometimes the young need to establish their own reputations."
"He deserved worse," Celestia said coldly.
"Probably," Jake agreed, having caught up to the full situation. "But you handled it maturely. Firmly but without excessive violence."
"He was going to cripple himself without us even asking," Lirien noted, still processing. "Just from seeing the Tier 8 crests."
"That's the power of status," Seraphina said. "Tier 8 isn't just prestigious. It's untouchable. Gaia herself would investigate any harm that came to your families."
"Good," Runar said. "Then we don't have to worry about retaliation."
"And if somehow retaliation comes," Caspian added with a dangerous smile, "they'll have to go through a Star Fusion cultivator first. Let them try."
They continued to the parking platform, the incident already becoming a story they'd tell for years to come.
Dinner that night was held at the Cross household, but it was far from quiet.
Word of the auction incident—and the afternoon's confrontation—had spread through the family network like wildfire. Extended relatives who hadn't contacted them in years were suddenly very interested in "reconnecting."
Aunts, uncles, cousins, distant relatives—they began arriving around 7 PM, bearing gifts and congratulations.
Some were genuine:
Uncle Marcus (Jake's brother): "I'm so proud of you, Runar. To think my nephew is going to Prime Origin Academy! I remember when you were born just a month ago—well, technically."
Aunt Celeste (Lirien's sister): "Celestia, you're so beautiful and strong. I always knew you'd achieve great things. Even when you were just five years old two weeks ago." She laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Others were clearly motivated by the family's new Tier 8 status:
Distant Cousin Helena: "Now that you're so successful, perhaps you could help my son secure a position at a nice company? He's very talented, just needs the right connections..."
Great-Uncle Theodore: "I've always believed in investing in family. If you need any business advice managing your wealth, I'm available. For a small consulting fee, of course..."
Some were outright jealous:
Cousin Derek (Jake's nephew, always bitter): "Prime Origin Academy. How convenient that you just happen to be 'geniuses.' Must be nice having everything handed to you. Some of us actually have to work for our achievements."
Aunt Marissa (Always competitive with Lirien): "Well, we can't all be blessed with prodigy children who age sixteen years in two weeks. Some of us raised our children normally and they turned out just fine. Better, even, since they actually experienced childhood."
Runar and Celestia handled it with grace, being polite but maintaining distance from those who were obviously insincere.
The genuine relatives—those who'd been supportive even when the Cross family was Tier 1—received warm embraces and promises to stay in touch.
"Uncle Marcus, we'll definitely visit during breaks," Runar promised. "And I'll send cultivation resources for your children. They've always been kind to me."
"Aunt Celeste, thank you for the communication jade upgrade," Celestia said warmly. "We'll call you from the academy."
The opportunistic ones received polite but firm dismissals.
"Cousin Helena, I'm sure your son is talented. However, positions should be earned through merit, not connections. I'm certain he'll succeed on his own abilities."
"Great-Uncle Theodore, we appreciate the offer, but we have financial advisors provided by Gaia herself as part of our Tier 8 status. Thank you anyway."
The jealous ones were simply ignored. Derek's comments went unanswered. Aunt Marissa's passive-aggressive remarks were met with serene smiles and topic changes.
By 10 PM, the house had finally cleared.
The core families—Cross and Stormwind—sat together in the living room, exhausted but content.
"One day down," Seraphina said softly. "Two more to go."
"Let's make them count," Caspian agreed, putting his arm around his wife.
Jake pulled out an aged bottle of spirit wine—something he'd been saving for a special occasion. "To Runar and Celestia. To family. To the future."
They toasted together, the expensive wine warming them as much as the company.
"Tomorrow," Lirien said, "what should we do?"
"Something meaningful," Runar suggested. "Maybe visit the places that mattered to us growing up? Create more memories?"
"I'd like that," Celestia agreed.
They sat together late into the night, talking, sharing stories, making plans.
Tomorrow would bring new adventures. But tonight, they were family.
And that was enough.