The Sky-High Auction and the Origin Bank

As the starting bid rang out, a deep, forceful voice immediately accompanied it from one of the VIP boxes:

"This Inheritance Crystal belongs to my Hulu Clan! Anyone who dares compete makes an enemy of us!"

"Get lost, you damn gnolls!"

"Heh... a filthy gnoll clan. What exactly can you do to us Elves? This Inheritance Crystal — the Sala Tribe is claiming it."

"B321, bidding 1.2 million Spirit Crystals."

"Everyone, there's no need for all this hostility. Why not let the Wimi Consortium have it? No sense in souring anyone's relationships."

"B303, bidding 1.4 million Spirit Crystals."

"If you'll permit us — the Tianfu Consortium would like to make a bid as well!"

"B301, bidding 2 million Spirit Crystals."

"B247, bidding 9 million Spirit Crystals."

"B348, bidding 10 million Spirit Crystals."

Inside the box, Gelin's group was still reeling from the figures already being thrown around, barely keeping up.

Lu Yuan settled back comfortably into the sofa, picked up an apple, and took a leisurely bite. He watched the VIP boxes descend into chaos with the serene detachment of a man here purely for the entertainment. None of this had anything to do with him — but it was a fine show.

*So that was all it took.* The earlier lots simply hadn't been worth fighting over. Now that something genuinely worth the trouble had appeared, the pretense of composure had evaporated. Every composed, dignified bidder from before was now one step away from questioning the ancestry of their competitors.

This sort of thing — let the heavyweights sort it out.

Lu Yuan glanced at his group and smiled.

"Why stress over it? None of this has anything to do with us. Forget ten million — could we even cover the starting bid?"

Everyone: "..."

*That hit where it hurts.* Why was the gap between people so enormous?

Zhuo Ming laughed despite himself. "When you put it that way, Brother Yuan — you're absolutely right. Something like this, only the major powers can even play."

At this moment, every pair of eyes in the box was fixed on the bidding war playing out among the VIP sections above. The hall that had maintained such impeccable composure throughout the earlier auction had shed all pretense of restraint.

He'd half-expected there to be some rule against arguments inside. During the regular bidding, everyone had been so disciplined. Apparently self-control had its limits. They'd practically been ready to personally greet each other's entire families.

While the bids escalated, Lu Yuan's thoughts drifted. *A standard piece of high-tech weapon technology — just a Freeze Cannon blueprint — could command this kind of price. What would Black Steel Force go for?*

If he'd had the foresight, he could have brought it to auction and made a real fortune.

He pushed the thought aside. Black Steel Force had given him too much to think about parting with it lightly.

*Still — once I have the chance to package it into an Inheritance Crystal someday, selling a copy would be worth considering.*

He was starting to feel a touch of regret.

Watching the price of the Inheritance Crystal blast through ten million, even Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a flicker of genuine envy.

His thoughts wandered further. He was barely getting started — not yet a figure of note even on Great Qi Star, never mind beyond it. A smile spread across his face.

The Construct presiding over the auction remained completely unruffled throughout. The surprise appearance of the Inheritance Crystal, sold at an astronomical price, was apparently not remarkable to it.

In the end, after fierce and chaotic competition, the 'Frost Wolf' Freeze Cannon Inheritance Crystal sold for 22.64 million Spirit Crystals — claimed by the occupant of VIP box B233. This time Lu Yuan happened to know who it was: members of the Elf race. A tribe capable of producing that many Spirit Crystals in one go was clearly no minor faction.

*Can you imagine what this Inheritance Crystal must be worth.* He shook his head in quiet wonder.

"This auction is now concluded."

Everyone finally snapped back to their senses.

Zhuo Ming leaped to his feet, practically vibrating. "Today's auction — I am going to be talking about this for the rest of my life!"

The group filed out of the VIP box and found Liu Xi stepping out of hers at precisely the same moment.

Zhuo Ming and the others hurried over.

Liu Xi's expression carried a shade of regret. She spotted Lu Yuan and made her way over, venting immediately:

"Lu Yuan, what a shame — you didn't manage to get that last Inheritance Crystal. If you had, this trip would've been perfect."

Lu Yuan smiled. "Manager Liu picked up quite a few items today herself. That's not a bad result."

Liu Xi laughed. "Ha — fair enough! Are you all heading to collect your Spirit Crystals?"

Gelin stood and grinned. "We consigned a Gene Armament as well — let's all go together."

"I'll go collect my Spirit Crystals first," Lu Yuan said.

A Construct led the group to the consignment pickup area.

It was crowded — several hundred people were there collecting items and Spirit Crystals.

Lu Yuan went first. Inside the small room, the Construct swept a scanning light across his Gene Battle Mark and spoke:

"Human, your consigned items sold for a total of 270,000 Spirit Crystals. After the ten-percent service fee, the net amount is 243,000 Spirit Crystals."

Lu Yuan had expected as much.

The Construct produced a white card engraved with intricate, unfamiliar patterns.

"This is an unbound Origin Bank card. Your Spirit Crystals are deposited inside — you can withdraw from any Origin Bank at any time."

Lu Yuan took the card and focused his attention on it. The balance appeared in his mind immediately.

243,000 Spirit Crystals. Confirmed.

He slipped it into his pocket. He'd go open an account shortly and transfer the funds over.

When he stepped out of the small room, it was Gelin's group's turn.

Zhuo Ming and the others waited outside while only Gelin went in.

He came back out moments later with a broad smile, visibly in excellent spirits.

Seeing the expectant looks from Zhuo Ming and company, Gelin laughed:

"Too many people around here. Let's find somewhere quieter to divide things up."

The whole group filed out of the Auction House.

Outside, Gelin turned to Lu Yuan with a grin.

"Lu Yuan, today was a huge gain for us — and you took us into a VIP box and showed us something we'll never forget. Let us treat you to a meal."

Lu Yuan considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "Not today, I've got a few things to take care of. Next time."

Hearing that, Gelin didn't press. "Fair enough. Then I won't tag along either — I've got plenty to deal with from everything I bought today. Come find me for a visit sometime, brother."

Liu Xi smiled warmly, said her farewells, and led her team away.

Lu Yuan said goodbye to the rest of the group, then turned and set off across the plaza alone toward the Origin Bank.

The Origin Bank of the Land of Origin sat on the far side of Central Plaza, directly across from the Auction House.

It was the tallest structure Lu Yuan had ever laid eyes on in Sandy Rock City — considerably taller even than the Training Hall. The entrance alone was fifty to sixty meters wide, with four towering Construct guards standing sentinel on either side. Like the Auction House and the Dueling Arena, it was a designated special building of the Land of Origin.

He looked around. Compared to the other special buildings, the Origin Bank was remarkably quiet. He spotted only a single Gene Warrior heading inside through the main entrance.

As he walked toward it, Gene Warriors in the surrounding area kept glancing his way — surprise, admiration, and envy in varying degrees.

People who could walk through these doors were rare. Opening an account required 100,000 Spirit Crystals. Anyone who could produce that sum was firmly among Sandy Rock City's elite.

*Why is the gap between people so enormous?*

He stepped inside.

The interior lobby was breathtaking. Floors and walls clad entirely in gold. A ten-meter ceiling hung with elaborate crystal chandeliers whose worth was obvious at a single glance. Every surface radiated deliberate, staggering opulence.

*This is truly where money lives.*

Lu Yuan found a Construct and asked for directions; he was pointed to the account-opening hall without difficulty.

He found it. It was completely empty — not a soul inside except for him.

Along one wall stood four counters, each staffed by a Construct attendant.

Lu Yuan walked to the first counter on the left.

The Construct looked at him. "Human, do you want to open an account?"

"Yes."

"Do you have 100,000 Spirit Crystals?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "Yes."

The Construct glanced at him once. A white card appeared in its hand — every surface covered in intricate, unfamiliar engravings.

"Place the card against your Gene Battle Mark."

Lu Yuan raised his right hand and pressed his Gene Battle Mark to the surface of the card. Faint threads of light pulsed from the mark and flowed silently into the card.

"Done. It is now your exclusive bank card."

Lu Yuan blinked. "That quickly?"

The Construct held it out to him.

He accepted it — with a vague sense of uncertainty — and information immediately surfaced in his mind:

【Origin Bank Card (Common)】 【Exclusive: Lu Yuan (Private Information)】 【Balance: 0 (Private Information)】

He examined it. Both the 'Exclusive' and 'Balance' fields were marked private — visible only to him, unless he chose to reveal them.

*Even in the real world, bank cards had different tiers depending on your deposit level. It makes sense Origin Bank cards would have grades too.*

*Does the Origin Bank Card come in different tiers?*

He set the thought aside and handed over the unbound card. The 243,000 Spirit Crystals needed to be transferred in.

Spirit Crystals stored in the card could be spent directly at any consumption area within the Land of Origin. For transactions with other Gene Warriors, the other party would need their own Origin Bank card as well.

A bound card could only be used by its registered owner. An unbound card could be used by anyone.

Before today, Lu Yuan had poured nearly every Spirit Crystal he earned into the Evolution Cube — he'd never accumulated a comfortable enough surplus to bother with a card. Now, unexpectedly, he'd walked out of the Auction House with an unbound one handed directly into his hands.

It had practically sorted itself out.