The academy was still in an uproar.
It had actually gotten worse.
What used to be curiosity had turned into full-blown obsession.
The name "Void Artisan" was no longer whispered with doubt. Spoken with excitement and greed.
The exchange hall was filled. This time it was not just students but also senior disciples and instructors.
They did not even bother to hide their presence
Kael stood among them calm as always.
His appearance was still masked by an artifact that made him forgettable.
His eyes missed nothing as he observed the energy in the room.
Every conversation told the story.
People were no longer curious they were invested.
Riven looked like he had not slept properly his eyes locked onto the stage.
"I've made a decision " he said seriously.
Mira blinked. "That already sounds dangerous."
Riven nodded firmly. "I will marry the Void Artisan."
There was a pause.
Mira stared at him.
Tarin stopped walking.
Even Kael almost reacted.
"…You what?" Mira asked slowly.
Riven crossed his arms. "Think about it wealth, unmatched talent, mysterious aura. This is clearly the life decision."
Mira tilted her head. "What if its a man?"
Riven froze.
"…I will reconsider " he said after a moment his voice less confident.
Tarin exhaled. "You're an idiot."
Lyra did not laugh she was watching Kael again.
"…You're not reacting " she said quietly.
Kael glanced at her briefly. "Should I?"
Lyra held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary before looking. "…Maybe."
The hall suddenly shifted the auctioneer had arrived.
With him silence.
It spread quickly cutting through the noise like a blade.
The auctioneer began, his voice steady but carrying a hint of excitement.
"Welcome back it seems our anonymous contributor has again chosen to bless this academy."
A ripple passed through the crowd this was it again.
"But this time " he continued, "the item is neither a pill nor a formation."
That alone caused a shift in the atmosphere something something unknown.
The tension grew.
"…A weapon."
The word hit like a spark in grass excited whispers burst out.
The item was brought out slowly placed at the center of the stage a sword, in appearance unassuming at first glance.
The moment it touched the platform something changed the air around it felt heavier not oppressive, but dense.
Kaels gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Good " he thought, very good.
The auctioneer gestured toward the evaluator Selene Arctis stepped forward.
She did not rush, did not dramatize the moment but the instant her hand touched the weapon her expression shifted.
She lifted it tested the balance let a thread of Aether flow through it.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"…This is absurd " she said softly.
The hall erupted Selene rarely reacted like that.
Which meant this was not normal.
"This weapon " she continued, "has perfect energy conduction the internal structure amplifies flow instead of resisting it."
She paused, then added, "…It is better than instructor level weapons."
Silence, then chaos.
Riven grabbed Miras shoulders. "I'm serious now I don't care who it is I'm proposing."
Mira shook him off. "Focus!"
Tarins gaze hardened. "…This changes combat standards."
Lyra didn't speak,. Her eyes shifted to Kael again and this time she frowned slightly.
Because he was calm, too unaffected too familiar with this level of result.
Before the reaction could settle another figure stepped forward Arion Vale.
His presence carried authority and the moment he approached the weapon the hall quieted again.
He picked it up examined it tested it and for the moment he smiled.
"…Consistent " he said, that one word confirmed everything, creator no doubt left.
The auctioneer did not wait, "Starting bid five hundred Aether Stones."
"Eight hundred!"
"One thousand!"
The escalation was instant and violent the numbers rising fast it almost felt unreal.
A new voice entered the chaos, "Two thousand."
The hall froze all eyes turned Darius Vell stood there calm, confident.
Riven whispered, "I hate people."
Mira nodded. "Same."
The bidding did not stop, "Two thousand three hundred!"
"Two thousand five hundred!"
"Three thousand!"
The hall shook with intensity then another voice, cold, controlled, "Three thousand five hundred."
Veyron Kade stood near the back his expression
Kael did not look at him. He felt it "…Persistent " Kael thought.
The tension climbed higher "Four thousand!"
The number rang out like a challenge, silence followed no one moved no one spoke.
Even Darius hesitated, then the hammer fell, "Sold."
The explosion of noise that followed was overwhelming, disbelief and excitement crashing together.
Riven looked like he might collapse. "Four thousand… I can't even imagine that number."
Mira exhaled slowly. "We're living in a different world."
Tarin nodded. "…We are."
Lyra said nothing her gaze remained on Kael "…Who are you?" she thought.
Kael as always gave no answer not in words, not in expression but inside he was already thinking ahead.
Because this was the beginning new figures had started to appear within the academy.
A young blacksmith prodigy, an alchemy specialist, a formation genius, none of them had names yet. They would soon.
And they would not be background figures because the stage had expanded the players had increased.
The game, had become far more interesting.
As the group began to leave Riven suddenly spoke again his voice unusually serious.
"…What if the artisan's, inside the academy?"
Mira blinked. " Course they are, where else would they be?"
Riven shook his head. "No I mean… close, like… closer than we think."
A quiet pause followed Lyras eyes shifted slowly toward Kael.
Kael kept walking, "…That would be inconvenient " he said calmly.
Behind that calm the game had already begun to shift and this time everyone was stepping onto the board whether they realized it or not.