"Oh? So they were attacked too?" Daniel asked with a straight face and no expression.
"Yeah, actually only two of my siblings ā the ones with the greatest chance of succession," Andreas sighed.
Daniel smirked. He had been expecting exactly this. Even so, attacking Andreas and two of his other siblings, all on the same day, could be a very foolish move.
It was obvious they were being targeted, and sooner or later Lioran would become one of the suspects ā especially since he was the only one who hadnāt been attacked.
One thing that didnāt sit right with Danielās logic was exactly this: based on what heād seen from that person, his planning skills seemed truly excellent.
He had even managed to completely tamper with the Magic Tower without anyone but Serys noticing. Would someone like that really come up with such a weak plan?
āUnless his goal was something else entirely, and I misunderstood.ā He frowned. He didnāt like the fact that everything was starting to get out of his control.
"Are they alright?" he asked next.
"Theyāre badly injured ā especially their soul and spiritual sea. Itās not something that will heal overnight, but theyāre alive," Andreas replied.
"How did they survive? Do you know anything?"
"I donāt know much. But from what I understood, it seems like after beating them up a bit, the attackers just let them go and fled."
Danielās frown deepened. They hadnāt survived ā the attackers simply hadnāt intended to kill them from the start.
He fell into thought, various ideas and possibilities flashing through his mind, but none of them seemed logical.
The most probable thing still seemed to be that Lioran wanted to remove his rivals completely ā so killing them would be the best way.
āHe could have killed Serys too, but instead he completely ruined his own reputation. Could it be that he wants to...?ā Suddenly, as if a spark had gone off in his mind, he looked at Andreas and understood what was going on.
"Youāre really lucky Iām your friend," Daniel laughed and said.
"And where did that come from?" Andreas asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Youāll find out soon enough when you see what happens to those two siblings of yours." Daniel didnāt explain and just shrugged.
"Look over there, the auctionās starting," Ilaris motioned for the two of them to be quiet.
Their gazes turned toward the auction stage. Suddenly, several lines of light appeared from above, and elegantly dressed men and women appeared on stage and began dancing.
It wasnāt just an ordinary dance ā it was a nobleās dance meant to entertain the participants, and it served its purpose perfectly.
After a few minutes, their dance came to a slow end. Before leaving the stage, they bowed slightly to the audience, who all clapped for them without leaving their seats.
Once they left, the stage went dark again, until suddenly black smoke appeared in the center. A spotlight shone on it, and as the smoke dispersed, a figure stood there.
"I thank all of you who have honored us by attending this auction today," his clear and strong voice reached everyone.
He was a young man in his early twenties, with long golden hair and glowing purple eyes. He wore noble clothes in a blue-and-white combination.
The moment he appeared, many recognized him right away. Still, it seemed they hadnāt been expecting him, and some looked a bit shocked.
"You know him?" Daniel asked Andreas, whose face looked a little surprised.
"Yeah, thatās Kyros Velldrych, one of the candidates for succession of the House of Ten Thousand Treasures."
"So whatās with the shock?" Daniel asked lazily.
"The structure of the House of Ten Thousand Treasures is a little different from other forces. Theyāre an alliance of five extremely wealthy families, and one of those is the Velldrychs.
The reason Iām shocked is that their auctions are always hosted either by the leader of the House or by the heir. Most of the time, they use important auctions like this to introduce the heirs of each generation." Andreas explained.
"So this guy is the new heir of the House of Ten Thousand Treasures?" Daniel glanced again at the handsome young man on stage.
His aura was heavily concealed, but Daniel could still guess his strength ā somewhere in mid-rank A.
"If Iām not mistaken, yes ā heās probably the heir and successor of the House of Ten Thousand Treasures.
Still, I didnāt expect him to be chosen among the others. From what Iāve heard, he has the least talent," Andreas confirmed.
"Least talent in what sense?"
"Obviously in getting stronger. Donāt let his young looks fool you ā heās actually close to thirty years old and only a mid-stage Grand Climber, while all his other rivals, despite being younger, have already reached the peak of Grand Climber," he explained.
"I see," Daniel murmured with a hint of playfulness. If he wasnāt chosen for his strength, then he must have talent in something else.
"Iām sure many of you are already familiar with me, but for those who arenāt ā I am Kyros Velldrych, heir and successor of the House of Ten Thousand Treasures," Kyros revealed himself with a smile.
"Today, Iāll be in charge of hosting this auction. Thereās no need to worry ā I might be inexperienced, but Iāve been trained by some of the greatest people for this day."
Many of the powerful figures present nodded. He truly was worthy of being the heir to the House of Ten Thousand Treasures ā even though this was his first time hosting an auction, and one of the most important ones of the century at that, there was nothing but calm on his face.
"As you know, our House of Ten Thousand Treasures has always enjoyed surprising people, and we keep the items to be auctioned hidden until the time comes. This also applies to todayās auction ā none of you know how many items or what kind will be put up for sale today.
That said, I can assure you that the trip you made to get here will absolutely be worth it."
"Without wasting any more time, letās begin the auction," Kyros said with a smile, waving his hand.
At that moment, space split open, and a large, ancient scroll appeared behind him.
Its appearance instantly made all the attendees feel a sense of danger.