"No, that’s not entirely correct," Kiba correct his thoughts as he observed the structure within the cone.
"Obviously those nanites have a weakness or something works as a balance to counter them. Otherwise, the blasts from back then would have eradicated the entire city and then the entire world."
Exploiting potential in genes as a volatile fuel was the most terrifying ability of nanites.
Felicity was only harmed by a single nanite that was greatly weakened. This allowed him to save her life but by then, the genetic material inside her was compromised. Something which was impossible to undo despite the current technological advancement.
"And there must be something in me, or more specifically, in my power of cosmic that allowed me to overpower the nanites."
Kiba recalled his encounter with nanites. Even he has faced a lot of pain and suffering when the nanites linked with his genes. He had to summon his entire strength in order to get rid of them.
Kiba bitterly smiled as he remembered the scene. He focused on the present and looked further into the piece of rock.
The entire metallic cone was filled with hexagonal prismatic cells like a honeycomb. These cells were radiating terrifying blue glow that was somehow restricted by the metallic walls.
"Nanites and yet different the ones used by those revolutionaries," Kiba was lost in thoughts.
He has acquired a small container of nanites from revolutionaries he captured in Delta City. The nanites he had was in form of a seething blue liquid.
Before coming here, Claudia has distributed nanites in his possession into three containers. One was with Claudia while the other two he has brought with him.
Of the two he possessed; he has used one when Count Viper escaped into core region through a space gate.
Kiba checked the flow of energy to see if he could discover some clues but failed. He could not even identify the metal nor why was it inside a small piece of rock.
"If it was this easy, I won’t be here," Kiba chided himself.
"Nor Lizenea would be able to push World Government by the threat of nanites."
He retraced his vision back and his visual perspective returned to normal.
"I need to get that rock regardless of cost," Kiba decided, his eyes glued on the rock.
Not only for him but even for Lizenea and World Government, this rock would be priceless.
At the same time, on the stage.
"There is no lower limit," Wassily said with a very professional smile. "The bidding starts now."
Much to his disappointment, there was no excitement among the patrons. No one wanted to be another Vasco and waste money.
Even the presence of sexy Yasmine on the stage didn’t have any effect.
"Well, this was unexpected," Kiba was both bewildered and amused by the situation.
Earlier, he has missed the discussion among the audience. But now after thinking for a few moments, it wasn’t hard for him to guess the factors behind their hesitation.
"$1000 and a grade I - Cherry Grass," Kiba made the first bid.
Everyone instantly focused on him. They felt this bid was the weakest so far in the auction but when they saw his face, the crowd erupted into a frenzy chatter.
"He is even bidding for some rock!"
"He has bid for almost all items so far!"
"It was due to him that young master almost went bankrupt!
"Now... he is at it again!"
"Is he some collector?!"
"Or maybe he is just insane!"
At the same time.
In her private booth, Sophia snorted coldly.
"Villain! I will not fall for same trick again and again!"
She was sure he was trying to provoke her so that she would purchase this rock. She refused to fall in his scheme again and give him satisfaction.
"That’s a right approach," The middle-aged woman beside her was happy.
On the stage, Wassily’s expression turned downcast. He first looked at Kiba and then at Rashad. They both were responsible for the present lacklustre atmosphere.
"We got this rock for a lot more but now..." Wassily took a deep breath. "Never mind, the auction house has profited greatly from previous rounds. This useless rock doesn’t make a difference."
With same smile from before, he declared Kiba as the new owner of this piece of rock.
Kiba was amused by looks of sympathy he got when he received the rock.
...
In any auction, the best items would be sold at last. The worth of those items varied from person to person, depending on their background and needs.
Grade II medical leaves and flower petals that could heal heavy injuries were now being sold. Given the crisis in the forest, such valuable items were hot in demand.
Kiba, on the other hand, showed no interest in them. Before coming to the forest, Claudia has handed him hundreds of pill bottles. They dealt with every possible case, so he wasn’t in need of healing medicines.
Of course, many people here have also brought medicines from their hometowns. But they already used most of them by now, so they were in more need. Furthermore, regenerative pills contained impurities which were harmful in the long run. One might even form a resistance to such pills so acquiring natural methods of healing was a better option.
Kiba didn’t face such problems. The pills created by Claudia has 100% purity and they had no side effects. This was possible thanks to a high-tech lab.
Those in ordinary and premium seats sighed in relief knowing Kiba has no interest in bidding these items.
If he participated, even if they wanted to, they felt they didn’t have the right to compete for any item he bid for.
He didn’t seem to have any background and yet he could spend such wealth without any restraints.
It was like he has too much money and he wanted to spend it any way possible. Perhaps, the only other person with such extravagance was the young miss from one of the reserved private booths.
Thirty minutes later.
"Now, we will begin with privileged items," Wassily informed the audience. "Their owners have very specific demands for what they want in return. As such, the earlier bidding process is no longer valid."
The new process was almost like an exchange for whatever the owners wanted.
Wassily started the process and sold carcass of two Level III beasts. Corpses of both humans and beasts were precious for research purpose. In government-operated cities, one can’t get corpses, but the forest didn’t have such restriction.
As long as the corpses were intact and without internal damage, they would be in demand. Their value depended on the strength they had before they died...
Kiba was not interested in corpses but representatives from science community were excited. They were more than happy to meet the demands of the original owners.
Some twenty minutes later, Wassily brought another item on the stage. The item was not clearly visible despite it being stored in a clear glass box.
The entire box was brimming with brilliant beams like rays of the sun. They were a mixture of red and blue, emitting hissing sounds.
As the audience looked at the glass box, they felt a sharp and chilling sensation crawling up their consciousness.
Kiba’s pupils glowed and his vision zoomed on the glass box to check the source of brilliant beams.
It was a crystalline sheet.
"It seems familiar but I’m sure I didn’t see anything like this in BSE79," Kiba thought.
At the same time, Wassily said, "According to the owner, this item----"
Even before Wassily could half-complete introduction, a feminine hand rose up in the normal seating zone.
Kiba looked in the direction of the hand. He was surprised to see it belonged to Leela.
"Why would she be seated in such a place given her background?" Kiba wondered.
Between the index finger and thumb, she was holding a golden coin. The coin has an engraving of a wheel.
Dharma Chakra.
In the front seating row, a man - whose features were hidden by a bamboo hat - rose to his feet.
"Deal," The man said.
On the stage, Wassily was taken aback.
"Sir, you demanded---"
"My item, my rules," The man interjected. "Besides, you already have received your commission."
Wassily was helpless and all he could do was give a nod in acknowledgment.
Leela flipped the coin in the air and it was enveloped by telekinetic energy. Like a beam of light, it shot forward and arrived in front of the bamboo-hat man.
He took the coin in his hand and pressed it tightly.
"You could have done a direct exchange," Leela’s voice entered his ears. "Without all this."
The bamboo-hat man didn’t reply. He put the coin in his pocket and left the auditorium.
Leela also rose to her feet and took her leave.
Almost everyone was baffled. They felt the item must be truly special for it to be sold this late in the auction, and yet, its owner was satisfied with some coin.
A few people in the front seating row knew what the inscription on the coin meant but even they were surprised. They knew the coin denoted Dharma Chakra but were oblivious to its significance.
Only one individual knew the value of the coin.
Sophia.
"Promise of Dharma!" Sophia’s misty blue eyes turned wide. "Dad has only two!"
While curious, Kiba didn’t think about the golden coin. Instead, he tried to remember why he felt the crystalline sheet familiar.
"The main components of the satellite used by Akshobhya have similar crystal structure!" Kiba recalled three blue crystal cubes. "This sheet was emitting both blue and red beams... Then that would mean..."
Kiba has a faint idea of why Leela wanted to acquire this sheet.
"Let’s move to the next round," Wassily said to the audience.
At the same time, a group of staff members placed around ten container jars on the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let me present you the vital organs of a level V reptile: Three-headed Cobra," Wassily gave a brief introduction.
The entire auditorium instantly broke into a chaotic discussion. The very mention of level V was more than enough to overwhelm everyone.
Level V?!
That was almost like a legend for the masses. Most mutants were struck on either level I or II, and further advancement was not only difficult but extremely costly.
So, it wasn’t hard to guess how shocked the audience was.
Ashlyn turned her head towards Kiba as she recalled him wanting the gall of this snake. Just as she expected, he was pleasantly surprised.
"Iron Blood Mercenary Corps hunted this cobra," Wassily informed the audience. "It took them months of preparations and execution along with the sacrifice of hundreds of their comrades... The auction house pays respect to those fallen heroes."
Wassily knew secret details of this hunt. From what he heard, the cobra was at its weakest after it laid eggs and the corps used it as a perfect opportunity.
They set a trap of explosives and used the eggs as bait. Yet, despite the preparations, over a hundred died. This was besides the drones and droids that were destroyed.
"This must be the reason why they are auctioning here instead of transporting the corpse to a city," Wassily thought. "They are in urgent needs of resources."
No one in the audience truly cared about how the losses incurred by mercenary corps. All they wanted was for the auction to start.
"A representative from Iron Blood Mercenary Corps is here and he will decide the winner of every bid," Wassily pointed to an individual in the front seating row.
He was a large and well-muscled man.
The virtual screens beside the stage displayed this representative.
He was broad in the shoulders with white hair gathered into a topknot. The left part of his face was covered by a mask in which only his red pupil was visible. The right part of his face was normal though his eye was shut tight.
"Maddox from Iron Blood Mercenary Corps!" Many in the seating rows identified him.
"He is one of the strongest in Gamma mutants! He is just a half-step from Beta!"
"He is also greedy and abuses his strength to get what he wants!" A few silently muttered in their hearts.
"We will be first selling the heads," Wassily informed the audience. "For the first head, Maddox has demanded over ten Grade III or higher herbs focused on enhancing regenerative abilities."
Very few had the capability to participate in this bidding round.
Kiba silently waited as one organ after another was sold.
"The next item is the gall," Wassily pointed to a container jar. "It is very useful for research purpose, especially in genetic engineering."
There were other uses as well but Wassily was aiming for rich patrons who were representatives of corporations and scientists.
"It would be exchanged for any item that is capable of extending lifespan," Wassily stated the demand. "At the very least, an extension of six months."
The entire auditorium instantly turned silent.
Extending lifespan?!
Even items capable of giving an extra hour were rare much less six months.
The mutants who possess such items would not sell. After all, who doesn’t want to keep such item for self or for loved ones?
And those that might sell, there is no way they would spend it just like this.
Wassily shook his head in disappointment. He knew Maddox was asking for too much but he had no say in it so he just stated demand.
"Since no one is betting then I would," Kiba’s voice broke through the silence like a sword.
Almost everyone in the hall had their breath taken away. They glanced at Kiba and saw fruit in his hand.
"No way!"
"A vitality enhancing fruit!"
"It is raw so, at most, it might extend lifespan by a year! That’s twice the original demand!!"
"Damn!"
"Why would he sell such precious fruit?!"
"He must be crazy!"
Everyone inhaled sharply in disbelief and wonder. Most of them wanted to snatch that fruit from his hand but they didn’t dare.
Inside a private booth.
Sophia and her middle-aged woman were startled.
"He has such a fruit!"
Sophia looked out of the glass wall and focused on the fruit in his hand.
"He could have easily won previous rounds if he wanted!"
The middle-aged woman nodded and said, "Yes, he could, if he wanted."
"Scoundrel was hiding his wealth!"
If Sophia had acquired such a fruit, she wouldn’t be allowed to use it. She would be obliged to hand it over to her family.
After all, the ones who feared death the most were the old and powerful. An aristocrat family didn’t lack such people.
An aristocrat descendant might enjoy a lot of privileges, but this also made them shackled to the ties of blood...
Outside the booth, everyone was chattering about the fruit. They still found it hard to believe Kiba was spending it here.
"He is throwing away a treasure!" Wassily muttered to himself. "What a waste"
"Wonderful!" Maddox’s pupil brightened in excitement.
"Wait, his expression is nonchalant despite him agreeing to exchange such a fruit! That would either mean he has more such fruits or, he is so desperate for that gall that he doesn’t care about the fruit! Or even both!!"
Maddox inwardly sneered as he reached this conclusion.
"Wassily, you seemed to have mistaken my demands," Maddox turned towards Wassily and said. "I wanted two items and not one. That fruit might have double vitality to what I wanted but it can be only consumed by one person, so it hardly makes a difference."
"What?!"