Chapter 555 Core Skill for Participating in the Exhibition—Show Off Food
After some introductions, I finally understood that this Heart of Cold Wave doesn’t seem to belong to the All-Purpose Association.
Earlier, I heard the Store Manager say that the All-Purpose Association has one of these items as part of that Crown; the absence of that part caused the fragmentation of Extraordinary Knowledge, and at first, I thought it was just that piece.
Now it seems that is not the case; there are many pieces.
This piece is not the one belonging to the All-Purpose Association, but rather one that a seller entrusted the association to auction at this event. There’s also a little story: the association wanted to buy it directly, but the seller refused and insisted on auctioning to maximize profit.
If you ask me, this operation is simply a master of igniting a fire.
If the two Children of Fortune from the Witch Academy want to compete to gather a complete set of Extraordinary Knowledge, that’s just internal competition. However, since this has been put up for auction, it will be quite apparent.
If we don’t consider other factors, this is a clash that pits financial resources against each other, perfectly aligning with the All-Purpose Association’s stance on fortune and scripts.
Moreover… through the sharing of the Knowledge Tree, I’ve learned that Luxien received an investment from the All-Purpose Association, which is that Heart of Cold Wave. There was originally also a Great Knowledge Seed, but they didn’t expect me to get to it first.
In this auction, both Luxien and Tan Han have been invited here, and what happens next is naturally self-evident.
What the All-Purpose Association wants to do is to gradually support Luxien and slowly replace Tan Han’s current position, bit by bit seizing her opportunities.
Although the Great Spellbook is unattainable for them, the competition and ownership of Extraordinary Knowledge is enough to sway too many matters; this can be seen as a microcosm of the Struggle of Fortune, embodied in one word: “strive.”
In fact, even without encountering the so-called script, do the Children of Fortune not compete for existence?
Of course, they do!
The All-Purpose Association is not the only dominant force in the Witch Academy; there are many entities as substantial as the association, or even more formidable. For instance, the Witch Secret Realm Association. Although there is often cooperation between the two associations, competition still exists.
The emergence of the Children of Fortune merely shifted the form of their struggle.
Yet all of this is only in an ideal state—let’s not forget that there is currently an external enemy in the Main World: those players.
I’m sure the information I shared with them a few days ago has made them realize just how dangerous this auction is right now, right?
Even if this is just a private auction, even invitation-only, there is no wall that doesn’t let the wind through.
Earlier I hadn’t paid much attention, but now as I look around, I notice there are still many upperclassmen in this hotel venue.
Dressed in uniforms, they are intentionally or unintentionally patrolling the area. It seems that the All-Purpose Association indeed takes my words seriously, but that might still not be enough.
I then turned to Jiao Xiaoshuang, who was still introducing things by my side. I really admire her eloquence for being able to speak this long—though I can tell her words are formulaic, her skill in reading the room is impressive.
“Thank you, let’s stop here for now,” I gestured, intending to interrupt her introduction.
“Okay.”
“By the way, can I ask you a few personal questions?”
“Of course, Teacher Xiao Han.”
“I noticed you seemed to have a good relationship with President Xing Anlei. She takes good care of you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, Senior Xing Anlei is my mentor; she indeed takes great care of me, but I’m not the only junior she has looked after.”
“Since she invited you to participate in planning and coordinating this auction, she must have explained some things to you, right? Did she mention that the Heart of Cold Wave is a big trouble?” I pointed to the asymmetric gem on the podium.
At this moment, I leaned toward that direction, and I could feel the temperature in this area drop significantly, accompanied by a mysterious pressure seeping outward.
“A big trouble… so Teacher Xiao Han is worried about this? Senior Xing Anlei has naturally explained this matter to us, and she made a special reminder. During the exhibition, the security arrangements made by the All-Purpose Association are sufficient to protect its safety.”
“Is that so? It seems I worried too much.” I chuckled lightly and chose not to elaborate further.
I didn’t want to remind her of more matters; otherwise, I would overstep.
After all, I am a guest invited here, not one of their security experts. If the All-Purpose Association falters in front of the players, it would be a lesson learned for them.
This is indeed the first time the students from the Witch Academy have encountered such an enemy.
However, reasonably speaking, I still hope those players get their comeuppance.
“Yes, please don’t worry too much. Since we, the All-Purpose Association, are organizing this auction, we will naturally consider emergency situations.”
“Well, then let’s continue to look around… hmm?” Just as I was about to say something, I suddenly noticed a commotion in another area far away, “What’s happening over there?”
“That area… oh!” Jiao Xiaoshuang instinctively glanced at the time when I asked, “Currently, the pre-exhibition set up by this hotel includes a special food area at specific times over these two days. After all, we can’t let guests coming from afar go hungry. The food is provided for free and is made by the hotel’s top chefs. Of course, during this time, the hotel’s dining services will still be available. If you prefer not to dine in this atmosphere, you can also…”
“No, I’m very interested.”
“Uh, okay.” Jiao Xiaoshuang didn’t continue speaking and simply followed me to the food area.
This area clearly appeared to be a temporary setup.
Exquisite food was displayed on countertops, and here, kitchen staff were gradually arranging food from carts in the most appealing manner.
At this moment, I could only sigh that this somewhat dull auction preview could only be alleviated by these delicious foods.
However, when I looked over, I found most of the foods consisted of delicate desserts and some beautifully plated dishes. They also provided hot tea, and so on.
That makes sense… after all, this is not a formal dining area, so there isn’t much in terms of large quantities of meat; this setup feels somewhat like a tea break but looks a bit more lavish.
It seems like the setup here was just finished, and the people in this area divided into two waves.
One wave seemed a bit shy or perhaps not hungry, just glancing at the food and not showing much interest. The other wave, however, showed no shyness at all, directly diving into the food and even picking and choosing.
They looked like regulars, completely indifferent to the fact that this seemed to be an exhibition. Some even carried bags, casually stuffing food into them, while others walked off with plates of food to share with friends in the distance, resembling model best friends.
Indeed, in such places where social anxiety isn’t prevalent, it can still be seen.
Those were invited students, only a few years older than me, some appearing to be from my batch.
They also seemed to be participating for the first time and arrived early just like me.
I approached the food table, scanning the exquisite dishes, and finally chose a small cake with a paper tray.
I gently scooped a spoonful and brought it to my mouth; it was chillingly cool and melted instantly.
Even though I’d rather not dwell on this, tasting food is indeed a highly effective form of sensory training, so before I knew it, as I walked along, I sampled nearly every dish that caught my eye, leaving Jiao Xiaoshuang beside me quite astonished.
But I didn’t mind.
Having a reception staff like her accompanying me blocked off considerable bother; I hadn’t encountered any unwanted conversations nor any face-slapping scenarios.
Most of those who could come here hold significant status; they are either geniuses from various academies or wealthy individuals from the outside world. The only class differences are between ordinary people and students who wield extraordinary powers.
Moreover, I noticed that the wealthy individuals who could come here maintained a very low profile.
This auction had been held twice a year for who knows how many years; it’s likely that the bratty rich kids have been filtered out completely.
After Jiao Xiaoshuang blocked a guy who attempted to initiate conversation with me, my attention was drawn to a middle-aged man passing by on the other side of the table.
Of course, it wasn’t that this man was particularly handsome or charming; in fact, I wasn’t looking at him but rather at a thread of fortune entwined with him.
However, I didn’t keep my gaze on him for long to avoid drawing his attention. Just as I diverted my stare back to Jiao Xiaoshuang, that middle-aged man seemed to sense something, turned his head, and when his gaze landed on me, his pupils dilated at once!
But quickly, he realized I wasn’t paying attention to him, and he hurriedly pretended as if nothing happened and left.
“Thank you; I really don’t like chatting with those men,” I said with a smile.
Who needs to strike up a chat, especially in a hotel? Even if lost, you should ask the service personnel here instead.
As someone who used to be male, do I really not understand what they are thinking?
However, everyone who can come in here has been screened, so they should be more genuine, which means their interactions are purely about interests. I clearly understand that I have no intersection with these ordinary people; it’s better to sever fantasies from the start than to get entangled.
I don’t know if it’s influenced by my witch transformation, but I currently have no interest in men, even though I used to be one.
That said… back when I was a guy, I still didn’t have many friends. Perhaps I indeed have no fate with men.
I should have listened to Sister Bai; I should have come later.
Coming this early feels as if I can finish viewing the exhibits in a short time, and I keep encountering people wanting to establish connections, which is indeed troublesome.
“That’s what I’m supposed to do,” Jiao Xiaoshuang quickly replied, not trying to claim credit.
After I directly refused a man’s approach for the first time, she took the initiative to block everyone else from then on, and I accepted her actions.
Her insight is quite good, especially since she knows better than anyone what kind of people they are—rich individuals from the outside world trying to lure inexperienced students into money traps.
Students from the Extraordinary Academy are not all wealthy; the saying that money can do anything applies here too.
Money can corrupt many people.
Not all students in the Extraordinary Academy make advancement to extraordinary status their goal; some may not even know that there’s a larger world outside.
Beliefs are incredibly hard to alter; power brings them the sweetness of dominance in this world, and identity allows them to enjoy the flattery of others—this is an inescapable temptation for ordinary people.
Just like in my last life, everyone knows that studying hard can lead to becoming a scientist, a doctor, or designing and creating powerful weapons, even national treasures, but not everyone can achieve that.
There are too many details behind failures—study habits, uncontainable laziness, etc.—ultimately condensing into the excuse “I don’t have that talent,” which allows this excuse to bear all the failures.
Thus, both Jiao Xiaoshuang and I don’t think this harsh refusal is wrong. Perhaps those turned down will grumble behind our backs about being pretentious or overly sentimental, but so what?
These aren’t things I should be concerned about.
In the end, I picked up a freshly placed cup of ice cream and grabbed a small wooden stick beside it before preparing to leave.
Since I’ve locked onto my target, it’s time to go watch a good show.
I didn’t expect to find a player who has masqueraded as a rich person. Well, should I commend the players for their intelligence in gathering information?
“Teacher Xiao Han, are you going to…”
“Just saw something interesting…” I casually replied, following along while employing the Earth Vein Identification Technique to gather the other person’s information.
Since he hasn’t taken action and is instead roaming around in that identity, I won’t act just yet.
When I saw him suddenly stop at the display of the Heart of Cold Wave, it became clear.
He’s definitely dazzled by the Extraordinary Knowledge.
Seeing him standing still, I produced a Book Box and held it in front of me; with just a thought, I could immediately quell most troubles.
Then I simply did nothing but took on the demeanor of someone watching a show.
I was waiting to see whether he would act directly; based on their previous behavior, I think he might act impulsively. Even though they had been more low-key during this time, one’s nature… who knows?
At this moment, Jiao Xiaoshuang noticed my subtle actions but didn’t know what to do; she didn’t know what this box-like item was.
Though she wanted to remind me, he seemed to have no intent to act.
While she was in a quandary, my voice rang out.
“Tsk—coward… so boring.” At that moment, I looked at him wearing a restrained expression and scoffed.
Then, I watched him subconsciously glance around, clearly assessing the surroundings.
Perhaps he thinks being alone isn’t safe.
Nonetheless, I kept track of this person’s movements. Through the information locked by the Earth Vein Identification Technique, once I model the surrounding area, the marked individual’s movements will be updated in real-time as long as they are recorded by the Earth Veins.
This time, I finally have peace of mind.
“Jiao Xiaoshuang, could you tell me if there’s a quiet place in the hotel suitable for reading?”
“Of course, there’s a book lounge on the upper floor of the hotel. It provides a comfortable reading environment, and its collection is quite equivalent to that of a library. Let me take you there.”
“Great, then I’ll trouble you to show me the way.”
