Chapter 81: Relocation and Grand Opening

A few days earlier, Qi Xiao had already spread the word that, on the first day of his alchemy shop’s grand reopening, he would auction off a finely crafted alchemical longsword. Because of this, there were already some people lingering nearby, curious about the progress of the renovations. The exact date hadn’t been set before, but now it was confirmed—Qi Xiao scheduled the auction for the day after tomorrow and placed a sign at the entrance.

He had already interviewed all twenty-something sorcerers who’d come seeking employment. In the end, he hired two senior apprentice sorcerers and three intermediate ones, all with prior experience in the trade. He also recruited a number of ordinary folk. Qi Xiao made Demote the chief sorcerer and Marshall the overseer of the ordinary staff, giving both of them a secret wage increase. With these arrangements in place, he returned to the laboratory to focus on alchemy, preparing a generous stock of potions for the opening and no longer concerning himself with personnel matters.

Whenever Qi Xiao delved into his alchemical work inside the shop, Marshall would occasionally come by and watch. Qi Xiao could see the longing and ambition in his eyes, but he didn’t find it bothersome. After all, everyone has dreams—especially in a place where supernatural powers truly exist. It was only natural for an ordinary person to yearn for such abilities. If, after crossing into this world, he’d been just a commoner, he might have chased the opportunity to transcend mortality and become immortal just as eagerly.

According to Senior Sister Eve, in a while, their senior brother Rupert Kesweld—the one who had truly transcended mortality and achieved the rank of a full sorcerer—would return from his travels. Qi Xiao found himself looking forward to it.

The alchemy laboratory was stiflingly hot, yet after spending two days and nights inside, Qi Xiao felt no discomfort at all—not even a drop of sweat. Marshall, witnessing this, could only click his tongue in amazement.

When the furnace was finally extinguished, and the sounds of commotion outside reached his ears, Qi Xiao knew the time had come. He carefully stored away all the potions he’d concocted in recent days, changed his clothes, and stepped out of the shop.

At the sight of Qi Xiao, the crowd quieted, afraid to disturb this promising alchemist. Qi Xiao, wishing to get things over with swiftly, didn’t waste time. Smiling, he retrieved a sword case from his spatial technique and took out the “Stellar Rift,” holding it in both hands as he introduced it:

“The sword is three feet, five inches, and three tenths in length, forged from Void Copper and Clustered Wood, tempered in the fire of the stars. When drawn, starlight bursts forth...”

Seeing that most found these words impressive but incomprehensible, Qi Xiao smiled, chose not to elaborate further, and decided to demonstrate directly. With a sudden motion, he drew the Stellar Rift from its scabbard.

In that instant, the blade seemed to carry with it the radiance of the entire cosmos. Starlight flowed from the tip down the blade’s length, resembling the most brilliant river of stars in the night sky—dazzling and mesmerizing.

With a gentle sweep of the sword’s wings, under the shimmer of starlight, deep blue-black hues interwove with the surrounding astral glow, forming a breathtaking tableau of a starry night. Exclamations of astonishment arose from the onlookers; Qi Xiao smiled calmly and channeled his magic into the sword.

With the infusion of magic, the starlight began to swirl along the blade, tiny star-points occasionally leaping forth, as if the stellar power within was communicating with the starlight outside. The crowd watched as the starlight traced mysterious patterns across the sword, as if following some unknown cosmic law—imbued with an indescribable sense of harmony and order.

Satisfied with the crowd’s awe, Qi Xiao sheathed the sword and explained its features: “I won’t say too much about its power, except that it surpasses the average for weapons of this grade.

“As for its functions, you can all see for yourselves—they revolve almost entirely around stellar power. To be candid, I was inspired after visiting Vestalia.

“For a sorcerer who practices the way of the stars, this sword is a perfect match, a union made in heaven. But even those who specialize in other disciplines will find it invaluable—owning it is like gaining access to an entirely new branch of spells, and it provides a distinct advantage against star-system sorcerers.

“I won’t reveal any further specifics, lest too much information leads to trouble for the future owner.” Qi Xiao stroked the sword tassel and announced softly, “The auction begins now. Starting price: five thousand magic crystals.”

The bidding was fierce, but Qi Xiao remained indifferent. When the calls finally slowed, he brought down the gavel mechanically.

In his estimation, the sword ought to fetch between twenty-seven and thirty-five thousand magic crystals. His real interest lay in the feedback the system would grant him after the sale, not the process itself.

After a frenzied ten minutes, the price had climbed to twenty-seven thousand magic crystals, which Qi Xiao found satisfactory. After all, the Void Sight Helm had sold for a similar amount, and though the Stellar Rift was an alchemical weapon, in his view, its value was on par with the helm.

Perhaps it was the effective publicity and the foundation laid by previous auctions; this time, the sorcerers came well-prepared with their magic crystals.

One must remember, the Void Sight Helm had rewarded him with an exceptionally powerful third-level spell, and with that head start, learning first- and second-level spells had become much easier for Qi Xiao. Its worth went far beyond that of an ordinary third-level spell, which made him all the more eager to see what would come of this auction.

By now, only three bidders remained—a blond, blue-eyed young man with striking good looks; a pale, sickly-looking sword-bearing youth who coughed incessantly; and a scholarly gentleman exuding an aura of intellect.

The young man, nearly at his financial limit, risked offending the shopkeeper by shouting at the older scholar, “Hey, old man! If I’m not mistaken, you’re a summoner of the arcane order, aren’t you? Why compete with me for this?”

The blond was an apprentice of the star system, initially here just for the excitement. But the moment he laid eyes on the sword, he fell in love—enough to spend his entire fortune. His father was also an alchemist—not as monstrously talented as the shopkeeper, but still wealthy.

As for the sickly youth, it was easy to see he too practiced stellar magic and wielded a sword—so their rivalry made sense.

But the old man! Normally so amiable, yet now he was pulling this stunt.

The handsome young man gritted his teeth, but the scholar only smiled, “My friend is very fond of this sword. He’s followed me for so long, and this is the first time he’s asked for anything—so of course, I’ll buy it for him.”

The blond’s spirits fell; clearly, the scholar’s summoned companion specialized in the way of starlight as well.

“Very well, let’s continue! Who’s afraid of whom? Twenty-eight thousand! Magic crystals!” The blond’s voice boomed with determined bravado.

Qi Xiao, of course, hoped the competition would grow even more intense. He spun the gavel in his hand, ready to bring it down and begin the final countdown at any moment.