Even if it would seem like Nial's main objective was to earn a fortune at the annual Gier auction, this was actually not the case.

Nial was mostly focused on meeting the heads of the big families that were in control of Liondra, to meet the leader of the organizations and guilds in Liondra, the military's higher authorities, and the people working in the government.

There were many people to meet and even if it was not Nial's plan to get overly friendly with any of them, it was certainly important to know all of them.

While there was a chance that he might come across some arrogant humans, Nial was certain that he would encounter at least one incarnation of a God.

He didn't hope that to be the case because he was merely trying to get his hands on more information about the Heaven's Gates organization but Nial was quite sure about some inevitable encounters he was fated to have by attending the auction.

"And is it really fine if I join you? Not that my attendance at the Gier auction will create many problems for you." Nial once again asked Miranda, whom he had asked to sell his goods at the Gier auction.

She had told him to join her at the auction, which was why Nial thought about meeting all the powerhouses to get his hands on more intel about the Heaven's Gates.

Because he could get his hands on a lot of other information as well, he readily agreed. However, he was still slightly worried considering the possibility of a God's Incarnation being present on that day was high.

He feared accidentally exposing the Darkness God's power within him and dragging Miranda into unnecessary trouble, which was not what he wanted to happen.

"Of course it's fine. In fact, I want both of you to join so you can get to know how strong the most powerful Originals are and to get to know the value of higher Tiered runic armaments!

I believe you guys just sold your ungraded and Tier-0 runic armaments to make some quick cash before. The two of you, probably, didn't even try to barter a lot with the merchants. Just watch the auction and you guys will learn a lot."

Miranda was not worried at all, and she seemed a little bit excited as well. Thus, Nial didn't say anything.

'I just won't use any dark energy for the next three days. By then, there shouldn't be any dark energy remnants left around me…'

Nial hoped that everything would be fine as long as he didn't release any dark energy. As such, the following three days were dedicated to the creation of runic armaments, research, and reaching the perfect mastery with the Control of the Ancient Monarch technique.

It wouldn't be long before he would achieve said tasks and at most, two more months would be required in his opinion.

By then, he should have reached the 10th Origin rank as well, which was why he was ready to go all in.

The moment he reached the 10th Origin rank, the real struggle would begin.

But he would worry about it later. Right now, the Gier Auction was far more important.

After wearing a customized tailored tuxedo Miranda had ordered to be made for him and Mathias, they left the mansion on the day of the auction.

The shuttle brought them to a huge building near the center of the city, which they entered once they got out of the shuttle.

A bunch of Guards was stationed around the building's entrance. They took note of their Originals IDs, wrote something on a holographic screen, and let them in afterward.

"Is it really necessary for Guards to be here? They shouldn't have more than two or three Origin rings either way. I mean that is strong and all, but aren't there only powerhouses at the Gier auction?

Well, excluding us and possibly a few other disciples of the other powerhouses that is..."

Mathias was a little bit confused.

In his opinion, it was quite wasteful to hire Guards to protect anyone or anything during the Gier auction.

If a participant wanted to stir trouble, they would do it even if the Guards were to jump in with their life on the line.

In the end, they would just die before the troublemaker would have to be stopped by the other powerhouses.

It was simply illogical for someone weaker to protect a bunch of people, who were far stronger than them!

However, Miranda merely smiled, while Nial shared his opinion about this arrangement.

"Isn't it just for show? First of all, lower-ranked Originals won't be able to enter the auction house without the necessary permission, and second… The fact that they can hire dozens of high-ranked Guards and equip them with strong armors and weapons is just a means to show off their wealth and the power they hold.

I guess so, at least."

Miranda remained silent even after hearing what Nial had said but her smile had widened a little bit. There was no need for her to say anything because it was true that no one, except the disciples of the powerhouses, needed protection.

And they had the strongest bodyguards, either way; their Masters.

Nial's theory was not completely right, but he was actually not far from the truth either. There were a few reasons to hire high-ranked Guards but it was mostly for the sake of convenience and to show off their resources and power.

Miranda didn't care about any of that because she usually didn't like to show off. But for a change, the Witch of the South was ready to give her all to show off what she and her disciples had accomplished during the last two months.

'No one else was reported to have created their first runic armament, yet, a few powerhouses got their hands on books from within the ancient ruin's dungeon.

However, without someone like Nial, or extremely detailed books about the creative process of runic armaments, they might not have created their first runic armaments until now!

Meanwhile, we have successfully forged more than 500 ungraded runic armaments so far!'

Their achievements were more than enough for Miranda to be proud and to feel like showing off for the first time in an eternity.

Entering the auction hall that was constructed similar to a huge lecture hall one could find in any university, Miranda approached the front rows without hesitation.

Every powerhouse was given a special seating area that could accommodate more than 9 people at a time. Miranda's place was in the middle part and quite close to the front.

She was right next to the areas of the military and government authorities.

The big families always threw them together in one bunch even if both the government and military worked independently, yet, together.

Miranda didn't actually belong to the military or the government. She helped out both sides whenever she could as long as they didn't obstruct her from tinkering in her mansion.

But because she didn't actually belong anywhere, Miranda was, in most cases, considered an outsider. It was not as if no one wanted to speak with her but her attitude and behavior were different than that of most other people.

For most families, it was already weird to see that Miranda chose to attend an event that was mostly used for the purpose of interacting with other families and powerhouses.

Of course, the Gier auction always had numerous treasures to sell as well but the most important part about the Gier auction was still to strengthen their connections with influential folks.

That was what all of them knew, yet Miranda had never bothered about this as she felt that it was not necessary to do so.

Even now, she went straight to her place without greeting anyone.

However, there was still something that bothered a few powerhouses as their attention had been on Miranda for quite a while.

"Since when did the Witch of the South start to take in disciples? Two at that…"

"Forget about the disciples, why the hell would she attend the Gier auction? She never bothered about that before."

"She is smiling as if she has planned something huge… I suddenly don't feel so good anymore…"

Many powerhouses knew that Miranda was not a combat-oriented Original. If that were to be the case, she would be amongst the strongest powerhouses present as she would have focused on increasing the number of Origin rings around her mana core, instead of her knowledge.

Furthermore, the abilities she chose might come in handy in combat if used properly but they could also be used for other means, such as saving lives or investigation and mind control.

Thus, despite being stronger in various ways, most powerhouses didn't even think of doing anything stupid to irk Miranda, even if she were to act up all of a sudden.

Many would have complaints against it but it was not as if they could do much against Miranda, simply because they didn't have many talented Alchemists, let alone someone like Miranda herself, whose alchemy knowledge and overall common knowledge exceeded that of most.

However, there were still a few powerhouses, who dared to approach her, including the highest authorities of the government, the military General, and so on.

"Hello Miranda, how are you doing? I heard you were present in the Teradan military camp when the incident with the Dryx occurred. The information you provided about them was very helpful. Without your intel, the entire situation would have ended even more disastrous."

A young-looking man in his early 30s spoke to Miranda in a friendly tone as he tried to engage her in a conversation.

He smiled kindly and seemed to have a rather informal personality. Mathias tensed up the moment he heard the man but he calmed down a moment later.

'I am not timid anymore. I should calm down and act properly!'

Nial bowed his head to the man without saying anything while Miranda replied with a smile.

"No problem, it's good that the information was helpful. I'm doing perfectly fine, though, my schedule is probably busier than ever before."

Miranda looked at Nial for a moment, knowing that the information about the Dryx, which she had forwarded to the others, had come from him.

However, that was not something she would mention right now, simply because it would attract too much attention on Nial, and the question about where he got to know the said information from.

Nial wanted to maintain a rather low profile and avoid trouble if possible.

Thus, she didn't even think of telling the truth for the time being. A moment later, a middle-aged woman, who was followed by a veiled woman approached them as well.

"Kirlia? You're here as well?" Miranda suddenly asked before her gaze involuntarily flicked toward Nial once again.

For a quarter of a second, Miranda seemed to be unable to control her emotions because there was something she had completely forgotten to tell Nial.

And this something had to do with the woman in front of her. Kirlia Maverick was a good childhood friend of Miranda and the only person she knew, who belonged to a particular organization, Nial was very interested in.

Kirlia Maverick…was a member of the Heaven's Gates!

**

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