Emperor of the Source

Chapter 291: The Auction Registration

Adrian arrived within the UNI-Hub. This time, he did not head toward the UNI-Market district. Instead, he walked toward the central regions of the vast structure, passing through spatial transition corridors that connected the hub's primary sectors. The UNI-Market was merely one of many internal districts within the UNI-Hub. The entire hub was enormous, containing numerous regions dedicated to different purposes, including UNI-Residence, UNI-Bank, UNI-Auction, and many other facilities designed to support large-scale intergalactic commerce and administration.

Adrian made his way toward the UNI-Auction to register the Willforce Recovery ring.

Soon, he arrived before a massive building. Unlike the smaller commercial centers inside the UNI-Market, this structure resembled the UNI-Bank in both scale and design. The entrance stretched wide enough to accommodate thousands of beings entering at once. The interior was clearly constructed to accommodate millions of visitors at any given moment without congestion.

As soon as Adrian stepped inside, a small floating sphere approached him. The construct was roughly the size of his fist. From the sphere, a holographic figure materialized, forming the appearance of a courteous attendant in humanoid shape composed of translucent light.

"Welcome to UNI-Auction," the holographic attendant said politely, "Please let me know if you wish to purchase tickets for today's auction or if you would like to register an item."

"I want to register an item," Adrian replied.

The attendant nodded slightly, "Please present your UNI-OS account for the appraiser arrangement."

Adrian reached into his spatial ring and retrieved his UNI-OS Token. With a small motion of his will, the device projected his UNI-OS account interface into the air.

The holographic attendant scanned the data instantly.

"Commercial UNI-Authority detected," he announced. "Peak Rule Stage cultivator. Elder of the Crimson Vital Sect. Appraiser assigned. Please follow me."

Adrian dismissed the projection with a thought, returning the token to his spatial ring.

His identity was already known throughout much of the Andromeda Galaxy. Although his presence within the galaxy remained limited for now, many cultivators had at least seen his image through public records or forum discussions. His recent appearance at the Thousand Veils Sect negotiations had ensured that. And he had been constantly using UNI-OS, so identifying Adrian was not a big deal for UNI-Sect.

The holographic attendant began moving forward while the sphere that generated the projection floated above it, gliding smoothly through the air.

Adrian followed quietly while observing his surroundings. Just like the attendant assigned to him, he noticed that most visitors were accompanied by similar floating spheres. These spheres were sophisticated constructs created through a fusion of advanced runic formations and technological systems. These attendants were not living beings but artificial intelligences developed through runic frameworks.

Adrian could see that they were not as simple as the spheres back in the sect. The spheres back in the sect only had subtle inscriptions, and they could be said to be mostly pure technology, but here they were actual formation minds. His Source Eyes caught glimpses of the intricate rule structures woven into each construct, fragments of Logic, Response, Memory, all bound together through principles he had not yet fully comprehended.

The great sects such as the UNI-Sect had developed their runic technologies to such an advanced level that they could create such intelligent formation minds. These entities were far more sophisticated than the formation minds Adrian had created back in the Milky Way. The Azure Garden's defensive system were crude by comparison. In theory, these constructs could even function as a defensive force if necessary.

While following the attendant through a corridor, Adrian recalled another piece of information he had recently discovered while browsing the Astral Archive Pavilion forums. Even Adrian had been surprised to find it because information about great sects was usually extremely difficult to obtain. However, the UNI-Sect was far more active throughout the universe than many other great sects, so certain details about its structure had gradually spread across premium information networks.

The information he got to learn was that great sects like the UNI-Sect maintained numerous subsidiary sects beneath them. These subsidiary sects could be minor sects or even major sects, and they retained their own identities, ideologies, divine concepts, and authority techniques. However, rather than operating independently in the economy, these sects functioned under the directives of the great sect that oversaw them.

Before learning about this information, Adrian had believed that the officials and even the attendants he encountered earlier, such as the officials from UNI-Enforcement, attendants from UNI-Bank, and the residents, were direct disciples of the UNI-Sect. Now he knew that was not the case. Even those enforcement officials were not true disciples of the UNI-Sect. They were members of subsidiary sects operating under the authority of the great sect.

The reason for this system was simple. Managing operations across the universe required an enormous administrative network. UNI-Hubs had been established in most developed galaxies across the universe. However, the universe itself contained billions of galaxies. The UNI-Sect could not simply send its own disciples to manage every UNI-Hub.

According to the information Adrian had found on the forums, great sects generally possessed far fewer disciples than minor or major sects. The reason was that the cultivation methods within great sects relied on Ultimate-tier divine concepts. Such concepts were extremely difficult to comprehend, meaning only a limited number of cultivators could successfully follow those paths.

Therefore, subsidiary sects handled the vast majority of operational responsibilities across the universe, while the great sects themselves monitored and supervised those operations from above.

As Adrian continued following the floating sphere and holographic attendant deeper into the colossal UNI-Auction complex, his thoughts gradually settled.

Soon they arrived at the appraisal section, which contained numerous small private cabins designed for secure and discreet evaluations. The cabins stretched along both sides of the corridor, each door identical save for the designation glowing above it.

The holographic attendant slowed and stopped before one of the doors. Above the entrance, a glowing panel displayed the cabin designation.

"Cabin A-47," the attendant announced, "Your assigned appraiser is already present."

The energy barrier covering the doorway parted smoothly. Adrian stepped inside.

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The interior of the cabin was simple and efficient. A single desk stood at the center with two chairs positioned on opposite sides. The walls contained faint inscriptions designed to suppress energy fluctuations and ensure confidentiality during the appraisal process.

Seated behind the desk was a man who appeared to be in his middle years. His appearance was humanoid, but Adrian immediately sensed that he was far from ordinary. The moment Adrian entered the room, a subtle pressure filled the air. It was not hostile, but it clearly indicated the presence of a powerful cultivator, at least at the High Rule Stage.

Furthermore, the divine concept emanating from the man carried a sharp, stable pressure far stronger than the mid-tier concepts Adrian had encountered within the Andromeda Galaxy. This was a High-tier Divine Concept.

Adrian instantly understood why UNI-Auction had assigned such an individual to handle transactions from cultivators like himself. Although the appraiser was technically one cultivation stage below Adrian, the superior divine concept granted him a significant advantage. With roughly sixty percent authority, the appraiser possessed enough strength to safely counter any sudden hostility from most Peak Rule Stage cultivators who possessed seventy percent authority.

In other words, even if Adrian attempted something reckless, the situation would remain under control.

The man rose calmly and greeted Adrian with professional courtesy. "Welcome, Elder Adrian of the Crimson Vital Sect. My name is Remus. I will be responsible for evaluating your item today."

Adrian nodded and took the seat opposite him.

Remus settled back into his own seat, folding his hands on the desk. "Before we begin, I must inform you that all transactions conducted through UNI-Auction are protected by UNI-Contracts. Your identity, the details of your item, and the terms of sale will remain confidential unless you choose otherwise."

"Understood."

Remus gestured toward the desk. "Please present the item you wish to register."

Adrian raised his hand and retrieved the ring artifact from his spatial ring. The ring floated gently across the desk and settled at the center.

Remus picked it up carefully and began examining it. His fingers turned the ring slowly, his gaze sharp. For several seconds, he studied the inscriptions silently. As a professional appraiser, he had inspected countless artifacts throughout his long career. At first glance, the ring seemed rather ordinary. The base material was not particularly rare or exceptional. Void Alloy and Graviton Steel composite. Standard and nothing exotic. Compared to many artifacts he had seen over the millennia, it appeared relatively simple.

However, Remus knew that the true value of an artifact rarely lay in its material alone.

Remus looked up slightly. "May I activate it for testing?"

Artifacts typically consumed the divine essence stored within embedded divine crystals during activation. As an appraiser, Remus needed to test the ring's function, and he required the client's permission before using such energy.

Adrian nodded, "Go ahead."

The ring contained a divine crystal with two hundred thousand mana units. Both he and Hestia had already used it once, so the energy had already been partially consumed. However, as long as the crystal still contained around one hundred and fifty thousand mana units, it would still allow approximately fifteen activations.

Remus injected a thin thread of mana into the ring. The runes ignited instantly, and a golden essence flowed from the artifact and entered his body.

The moment the energy reached his mind, Remus froze. His willforce began recovering noticeably faster than normal. For a brief moment, he simply stared at the ring in silence.

He recognized this artifact: Willforce Recovery Artifact.

Seeing this triggered a distant memory of his. Many years ago, during a private internal auction within his own major sect, he had participated in bidding for an artifact that produced a nearly identical result. That artifact had been crafted from far higher-grade materials and possessed stronger acceleration effects with lower essence consumption.

He had lost that auction. The final bid exceeded 2 billion UNI-Coins.

Compared to that treasure, this ring was clearly inferior in both construction and efficiency. The material couldn't compare. The acceleration effect was weaker. The essence consumption higher. However, the function itself was unmistakably similar.

Remus slowly lifted his gaze toward Adrian. In his mind, he immediately assumed that Adrian must have discovered the artifact inside a relic. It never even crossed his mind that Adrian might have created the artifact himself. Such a feat would have been extremely unlikely for a cultivator from a minor sect within the Andromeda Galaxy.

For a brief moment, Remus felt a powerful temptation to obtain the ring for himself.

His fingers tightened fractionally around the artifact. He could see that even after his activation, the remaining divine essence within it would allow him to activate it fifteen times! If he possessed this ring, it meant he had 15 chances to use it in dangerous situations; he could even take risks within dangerous relics.

But the temptation died as quickly as it arose. As an official appraiser working under UNI-Auction, he had signed numerous binding UNI-Contracts upon accepting his position. Those contracts strictly prohibited any interference with client transactions. He could not privately purchase the artifact, nor could he manipulate the seller in any way. His duty was simply to evaluate the item.

Violation would mean death. The UNI-Sect did not tolerate corruption within its subsidiary operations.

Remus placed the ring back on the desk carefully, releasing it with visible reluctance.

"Elder Adrian," he said calmly, though his tone now carried subtle seriousness, "this item is extraordinary. It easily qualifies as a main-event artifact in our upcoming auction."

In most auctions, only a handful of items were classified as main-event artifacts. These items were reserved for the final stages of the auction and served as the primary attraction, drawing powerful buyers to participate.

Adrian nodded slightly, unsurprised. "I require complete anonymity. I do not want my identity to be revealed."

Remus agreed immediately. "That can be arranged."

He tapped the desk, and a holographic contract materialized in the air between them. The terms scrolled past in neat rows of text. Standard confidentiality clauses, seller protection, bidding procedures, and commission rates.

"The standard commission for main-event artifacts is five percent of the final sale price," Remus explained. "In exchange, we guarantee security, anonymity, and access to the wealthiest buyers across the galaxy."

Adrian read through the contract swiftly, "Okay."

Remus gestured, and the contract shifted toward Adrian. "Please sign the contract."

Adrian extended his hand and sent a small mana thread towards the contract. The contract flashed once, then dissolved, the terms now binding.

Remus then reached beneath his desk and retrieved a sleek black card. After scanning it briefly with his own UNI-OS node, he slid the card across the desk toward Adrian.

"Elder Adrian," he said, "please accept this. It is a UNI-Credit Card linked directly to your UNI-Bank account. The credit limit is one hundred million UNI-Coins. Consider it a gesture of appreciation from UNI-Auction for bringing such a valuable item to our platform."

Adrian picked up the card and examined it. A UNI-Credit Card.

This was the first time he had seen one in person rather than in forum descriptions. These cards were extremely rare and not something ordinary cultivators could apply for. Even many minor sect leaders did not possess one. Such cards were granted only when the UNI-Sect formally recognized a cultivator's value, though the criteria for receiving one were never publicly disclosed.

The card is linked directly to the owner's UNI-Bank account and allowed spending beyond the current balance up to the assigned credit limit. In Adrian's case, that limit was one hundred million UNI-Coins. That amount alone exceeded the financial reserves of the entire Crimson Vital Sect at this moment in time.

"Thank you," Adrian said calmly, storing the card in his spatial ring.

Remus inclined his head.

"When will the auction take place?" Adrian asked.

Remus replied, "Given the rarity of this artifact, we will schedule the auction one week from now. This will allow sufficient time for information to spread throughout the Andromeda Galaxy so interested buyers can prepare their funds."

Adrian nodded. One week was reasonable. By that time, news of the artifact would likely spread throughout the entire galaxy.

Remus stood from his seat and extended his hand. "I will personally ensure the registration process is completed."

Adrian rose and shook his hand.

"If you have other artifacts to sell in the future," Remus said quietly, "please consider returning to this cabin. I will prioritize your requests."

Adrian met his gaze, "I'll keep that in mind."

Remus then escorted him out of the cabin as the energy barrier parted once again. The corridor beyond remained as quiet as before, cultivators passing like shadows.

The holographic attendant reappeared, its sphere flickering back to life. "Thank you for using UNI-Auction services. Would you like an escort back to the main entrance?"

"No need."