Chapter 156 – Preparations 

“Big brother! What happened to you?”

As Calron awoke with great difficulty, Roran’s worried voice immediately filled the room

“Just a headache from exhaustion, Roran. Let’s get out of here.”

Calron replied while glancing at the surrounding onlookers around them.

It seemed that his initial of cry of pain had alerted the nearby crowd.

“I hope everything is fine, lad. We better go now if you are done with the auction.”

Balis spoke from the side as he looked with concern at the youth and indicated with his glaring eyes for the crowd to leave them alone. He could sense that something had happened with Calron and that the boy did not want to talk about it for the moment.

“Yeah, let’s go, big brother.”

Roran helped Calron get back onto his feet, and the latter swept off any dirt sticking to his clothes.

Well, this was embarra.s.sing.

Calron reflected, noticing the crowd dispersing back into the direction of the auction.

“We need to visit the auction hall to pay for the slave bid.”

Calron gritted through his teeth as he began walking towards the main auditorium.

“Big brother, we can do that later. You should sit down and rest for a bit.”

Roran cut in front of Calron, the memory of the previous incident still fresh in his mind. He had never seen his brother abruptly faint like that, so it made him feel apprehensive about his health.

“I am fine, Roran. By the way, how long was I unconscious for?”

Calron smiled at Roran, gratified by his little brother’s unconditional affection for him, but trying to glean some information pertaining to the time that he was unconscious for.

“Eh… you fainted only for a few seconds or so. Otherwise, I would have picked you up and brought you to a healer.”

Roran answered, as he followed Calron to the hall. Meanwhile, Balis silently trailed behind the two youngsters and wordlessly tuned in on what they were conversing about.

“Hmm, were there any gold-black robed people near us when I fainted?”

Calron furrowed his eyebrows, frowning.

“I don’t think so…”

Roran muttered, his face scrunched up as he tried to recollect his memories. 

Who were those two robed people I saw before I fainted? Was it just my imagination? Anyways, it looks like I cannot use the Divine Perception carelessly in the future until I learn more about the Dark Psylockers.

Calron pondered, but stopped his thoughts as he had finally reached the auction hall and was standing in front of the open-door room where one collected their slaves.

“May I please see your number plate?”

A slender and pretty young woman approached Calron when he neared the entrance of the room.

Calron handed her his number plate and waited for her confirmation.

“Thank you for your patience, customer. I will go and check to see if you have any successful bids.”

The woman smiled at Calron and gracefully walked inside.

After a short minute, she returned to Calron with an imposing slave walking behind her.

“Luckily, your bid was at exactly 100 gold, so we deducted that amount from your earlier deposit. However, we take 5 percent of the bid as commission, so after you pay the 5 gold, you can take the soul stamp of this slave.”

The young woman said in a pleasant voice.

“Here.”

Calron did not want to talk with the people from the auction house any more, so he gave her the 5 gold and received Avor’s soul stamp.

“Thank you for the business.”

Immediately after that, the young woman turned around and left.

Soon, an awkward and tense moment took place where Avor silently stared at Calron and the rest of his group.

Calron simply smiled and waited for Avor to speak, whereas Roran fidgeted under the strange awkwardness.

“How did you know my real name? Even the auction people did not know it.”

Avor’s dark-brown eyes bore into Calron.

“I will explain everything to you once we get back to our room. Tell me, Avor, what do you desire in your life?”

Calron returned Avor’s gaze and challenged him with a question of his own.

“Ha! Desire? I am a slave… my only desire is to break free from this bondage and live my own life. Don’t ask me of my desires when you cannot fulfil them.”

Avor retorted bitterly. There was a hint of worry on his face, as if he was afraid that Calron was offended by his att.i.tude and would use the soul stamp to inflict him with some pain, if not more. 

“You are wrong. I asked for your desires, precisely because I can fulfil them.”

Calron responded with a slight smile, his azure eyes s.h.i.+ning brightly at the stunned expression on Avor’s face.

*kacha*

Calron then crushed the soul stamp within his hand.

Although the stamp still existed inside Avor’s mind, Calron was showing his resolve to Avor that he would not attempt to control the slave, by destroying the physical stamp given to him. Calron had done the same when Ellie was taken by him.

“In the future, I will remove the soul stamp within you as well. Follow me.”

Calron voiced with confidence and turned around to leave the auction place, Roran and Balis following in tow. Calron did not turn back to see if Avor was accompanying them or not.

However, Calron soon detected the blonde slave slowly trailing behind him.

No, he was not a slave anymore.

He was a free man.

This kid’s got some charisma.

Balis chuckled with wonder as he gazed at Calron’s calm and confident back.

………………………….

Back at the inn, inside Calron’s room.

*crackle*

Violent bursts of lightning darted all over Calron while he remained seated in a meditative pose on the floor.

After finding out that the Divine Perception was releasing small amounts of dark energy within his mind and soul, Calron decided to stop creating any more G.o.d Tiles until he understood this foreign power.

This was why he was currently pus.h.i.+ng himself to break through into the ninth rank of the Vajra stage. According to the strange woman he met in the other dimension, once he reached the Saint stage, he would be able to better comprehend the powers of the Dark Psylockers.

Roran was currently at the Azure Pavilion with Ellie and was selling a bit of the G.o.d Tiles stock that Calron had prepared beforehand. 

*Rumble*

The sound of thunder echoed throughout his room, the bolts of lightning dancing around Calron’s bare skin.

I think it’s time to visit the Raizel clan now.

Calron thought while closing his eyes, realizing that he needed to know more about his lightning in order to break into the Saint stage.

This would be his first time entering one of the towers of the city.