The prince smiled and handed the merchant his jade token.
"You can use my royal card. The Royal Family will cover it. You'll just pay me back later—no interest."Prince thought if I give you normally you will not take it.But if you take loan from me you will remember me. When I became handsome I will go to you.
Lin Yuan blinked, stunned.
"Wait... I'm completely broke right now. Are you sure?"
The prince chuckled.
"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Consider it a loan between friends."In his mind when you marry me you don't have to pay me.
Lin Yuan hesitated, eyes flicking between the shimmering treasure and the prince's calm face.
"…Then thank you. I'll pay you back. Every coin."
"I know you will." The prince's smile softened. "That's why I trust you."He thought if you love me I will consider you paid me.
The auction hall was filled with incense and pressure—some from the incense, most from the spiritual beasts coiled silently beside their masters.
Lin Yuan sat straight, hands in his lap, glancing at the jade catalog. He didn't recognize half the materials. Fortunately, the auctioneer gave a brief introduction before each item.
The first item floated up: a dull gray chunk with faint red veins.
"Beastbone Iron! Enhances beast bones, physical resilience, and brute strength. Starting at 30 mid-grade spirit stones."
Lin Yuan leaned closer. "For heavy, physical beast types. Hmm... the armadillo is small, but it rolls like a boulder. It might help." He raised his hand.
"Thirty-five," someone countered.
"Forty."
Lin Yuan hesitated, glanced at the prince beside him. The prince just sipped tea, relaxed.
"…Fifty," Lin Yuan offered calmly.
The hall stilled. No one raised again.
Huh. First win. That felt... good.
---
The next item gleamed like crystallized moonlight.
"Soulsteel Nectar Ore—melts in the mouth, strengthens the soul, enhances spiritual sensitivity."
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. "Wait, beasts can cultivate soul force too?"
He turned to the prince. "Is that safe for small beasts?"
"If their soul isn't too fragile. Give a drop, not a bite."
Lin Yuan nodded and raised his hand again.
---
When Sunfire Gold Marrow appeared—liquid gold sealed inside a clear crystal—his heart skipped.
"The little one has fire affinity… and its bloodline is weak. This might ignite it."
"Seventy," he called out.
A noble lady raised to eighty.
"Ninety."
"One hundred."
The bidding went back and forth until Lin Yuan lifted his royal token. "One-fifty."
Silence.
Sold.
"Ouch." He winced inwardly. "That's more than all my snacks for a month. Maybe two."
The prince whispered, "You don't eat that much anyway."
---
One by one, divine metals appeared:
Moonmilk Silver – calming properties. "Perfect for when he panics."
Thunderchew Ore – raw energy crackling. "Speed? He's always slow... this might help."
Gluttonmetal – shimmered hungrily. "Eats metal? That's just like him. Probably dangerous."
Dragoncore Alloy – ancient and golden. Lin Yuan just blinked. "Too impressive. Am I worthy?"
Windfang Platinum – "He can barely jump. Maybe he'll finally be able to hop up stairs."
Nightshade Ironleaf – "For stealth... he sleeps all day, so maybe not now, but… later?"
Heaven-Eating Ore – rare and pulsing darkly. "Uh. Should I be worried about this one?"
Phoenixfire Mercury – a glowing red liquid. "Rebirth and healing... just in case."
Spiritjade Metal – calming and instinct-enhancing. "That'll help him when I'm not around."
Netherbite Bronze – Lin Yuan tilted his head. "Aggression boost? He's already a grumbler…"
Celestial Molten Ore – warm and golden. "Courage enhancer? Hah. He gets scared of his own tail."
Mythgold Flakes – "Snackable tribulation metal. That's… oddly cute."
By the end of it, Lin Yuan had a growing pile of divine metals—and a growing feeling of guilt.
He glanced at the prince. "I'll pay you back. Eventually. Maybe in… five lifetimes?"
The prince chuckled. "Just feed the armadillo well. I want to see what it becomes."
Lin Yuan smiled faintly, fingers brushing his beast pouch.
"Me too."
As the afternoon wore thin, the auction hall dimmed. Spirit lamps floated above like miniature stars, casting warm light on bidders and scrolls.
Next came rows of ancient talismans—some fluttering with invisible wind, some burned with fire runes that pulsed like heartbeats.
"A Thousand-Mile Tracking Talisman!"
"Soul-Swap Escape Talisman!"
"Ninefold Beast-Sealing Glyph!"
Lin Yuan stared, mouth slightly open.
"These things are basically cheating."
He reached for a few—especially the ones that protected weaker cultivators.
Then came formations—inscribed slabs, formation flags, crystal arrays with embedded beast essence.
"Heaven-Tethering Cage—binds flying enemies."
"Spirit-Nurturing Nest—perfect for beast eggs."
"Mountain-Stabilizing Dome—used to suppress spirit beasts during rampage."
Lin Yuan raised his hand often.
"Useful, useful… and useful if Xiao Hu does something dumb again."
Even the prince raised an eyebrow. "You're building a fortress?"
"Maybe a nest," Lin Yuan mumbled, thinking of his growing beast pouch.
The crowd stirred as the weapon segment began. Swords, spears, hidden blades, spiritual needles… each glowing with seals and reputation.
Lin Yuan didn't bid at first—he already had his bow, and most of these were too aggressive for him.
Until…
"A rare item—an impartial weapon. Not biased by karma, bloodline, or cultivation path. Will bond with the most compatible soul."
A long blade floated up, black as starlit ink, pulsing softly.
The hall fell silent.
Lin Yuan stared.
The sword stared back.
He felt a faint tug in his chest—but not pain. Not invitation either.
Just… observation.
He didn't bid. Just watched.
It went to a masked elder.
He exhaled slowly. "Not mine. Not now."
By the time the moon rose, most of the guests had either left or fallen into lazy silence.
And then—
"Our next items are… divine soils!"
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up like firecrackers.
Patches of dirt? Other nobles chuckled.
But Lin Yuan leaned forward, eyes burning.
"Everfrost Soil—ice beasts thrive in it."
"Sunsear Ash—boosts fire-type plant growth."
"Voidroot Loam—holds space-element qi."
"Lifeleaf Muck—infused with wood spirit."
"Abyssal Clay—used for dark-type spiritual gardens."
"Beastwomb Dust—beast eggs hatch faster within."
"Sacred Meadow Soil—contains faint Heaven Dao aura, extremely rare."
Each one was auctioned like trash to most people. But Lin Yuan raised his hand every time.
"Sold. Sold. Sold."
Even the auctioneer paused. "You… want all the soils?"
Lin Yuan stood up, full of life despite the long day.
"Yes." His voice was clear. "I'll grow a world from them."
Someone in the back chuckled.
The prince just nodded, hiding his smile behind a tea.
---
The crowd hushed as the next item was brought forward—not an object, but a chained figure cloaked in silence and grace.
A beautiful demon lady, pale as moonlight, her eyes glowing faintly with suppressed pride. Her robes were torn, but her presence remained unyielding.
Lin Yuan's breath caught.
He clenched his fists. His heart pounded—not with desire, but with fury.
"She's not a thing."
Whispers filled the room.
"Former vice general of the Crimson Sky Demon Army…"
"Once killed three elders in a night…"
"She refused to submit. Broke her own core."
Lin Yuan stood up without thinking, his face dark.
The prince beside him blinked, then slowly rose.
He raised his voice—loud, clear, noble.
"I'll take all the ladies."
A silence.
He added louder, "No one is stupid enough to buy something the Prince wants."
The air cracked with tension.
Lin Yuan turned, startled.
"Why would you—?"
The prince gave him a look. Firm. Silent. Unapologetic.
---
Lady Mingyan's voice echoed through a spirit transmission into Lin Yuan's mind.
"You don't need to buy them. This is politics. People will follow. Once they know you care, many will protect the weak on their own."
Lin Yuan's jaw trembled, but he nodded slowly.
"Better to save them than let them be humiliated. But not all can be saved."
The demon lady stared at him. Her eyes softened slightly.
The auction moved on.
---
Then came the last item—a family of demon-blood dwarves.
The hall erupted in confusion.
"Wait… 123 members?!"
Some were toddlers. Others were just one mouth old. Broken, wounded, old.
"The Black Ironheart Clan. Once the smiths of the Star-Demon Empire."
"Now stripped of lands. Their bloodline is still strong."
They stood in rows—silent, heads bowed. Some wept.
"Starting price: 1000 high-grade spirit stones."
People bid 2000,5000,1000 and gradually bidding.
Until Lin Yuan did.
"...One hundred thousand," he said quietly.
Gasps.
The prince stared, stunned.
Lin Yuan stood tall. "They are not trash. They are future ancestors."
The prince's mouth twitched. "I thought I was spending recklessly."
The auctioneer announced, "Final total under Royal Token #23: 1,060,570 high-grade spirit stones."
The entire hall turned to stare at the prince.
He swallowed.
Lin Yuan, unaware, was already comforting a dwarf child in his arms.
The prince approached quietly, smiling stiffly. "So... how exactly do you plan to pay me back for a million spirit stones?"
Lin Yuan looked up innocently.
"My desendence will pay you."
The prince choked on air.He thought Lin Yuan and he have a children and that children will pay him by calling him dad.
And the little armadillo inside the pouch rustled exexcitedexWould you like the next scene to be Lin Yuan trying to mix the soils and discovering their efeffec