Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　He then pushed open the door to the necromancy laboratory, walked through the passageway inside the magic guild, and headed towards the alchemy laboratory.

　Now that the latest Vampire Transformation Dagger has met his needs, he naturally wants to start making this magical equipment that can transform ordinary people into the lowest rank of vampires.

　Although Moros's alchemy skills were disgraceful among legendary spellcasters.

　However, thanks to his legendary rank and decent knowledge among exemplar-level spellcasters, he is still able to craft low-level magical equipment like the [Wraith Jar] and [Vampire Conversion Dagger] with an acceptable efficiency, even with his immense strength.

　three days later.

　Looking at the ten [Vampire Transformation Daggers] neatly arranged on the alchemy table, Moros felt a great sense of satisfaction.

　Although these [Vampire Conversion Daggers] are standard one-time consumables, and their quality is not outstanding among low-level magic equipment, he is still very proud to be able to mass-produce ten of them in just three days.

　After all, compared to the relatively simple [Wraith Jar], the [Vampire Transformation Dagger] obviously requires a higher level of skill.

　Then, he directed the skeleton servants to bring ten exquisitely carved, luxurious wooden boxes, placing each [Vampire Transformation Dagger] into its corresponding box to ensure they were properly stored.

　As a commodity to be handed over to the powerful and wealthy in Fuyuan City, Moros felt that those who were in power should feel that it was worth the price.

　Unfortunately, for Moros at this moment, the power of wealth and authority still needs to be taken seriously.

　Having experienced the abundant resources that came from cooperating with the powerful and influential in Fuyuan City, Moros never wanted to go back to the days when he had to meticulously plan for a magic experiment.

　After ordering the skeleton servants to clean up the alchemy laboratory, Moros opened a demiplane portal to Fuyuan City.

　With the location set by the vengeful spirits already positioned in Fuyuan City, the demiplane portal precisely connected the two locations.

　Almost in the blink of an eye, Moros traversed a vast distance, returning from Osaka City in the far east to Fuyuan City on the Mu Continent.

　Given the technological level of this era, the powerful and wealthy in Fuyuan City quickly learned of Moros's return, even before he deliberately used magic to conceal his whereabouts.

　Upon learning of his return, many elderly dignitaries with white hair immediately showed eager anticipation in their eyes.

　The older a person gets and the higher their status, the more they fear the arrival of death.

　For these elderly people who stand at the pinnacle of power, Moros is their biggest lifeline for prolonging their lives.

　It's worth mentioning that the other lifeline was named Möbius.

　It wasn't just the old folks in Fuyuan City; the elderly elites throughout the entire Mu Continent, no, the entire world, were hoping that Möbius's research in the field of biology could prolong their lives.

　It is precisely because of this that even though Mebius blatantly violated the resolutions of the Moth Chaser Council, the Moth Chaser Council could only threaten to cut the funding of the First Research Institute and dared not do anything excessive.

　The members of the Moth of Fire Council are not yet that crazy, as they are not going to confront the elderly elites around the world who are eager to prolong their lives through Möbius's research.

　Getting back to the main point, during the last [vampire transformation ritual], none of the wealthy and powerful in Fuyuan City dared to try it themselves due to concerns about the potential risks.

　However, as time passed and with in-depth research into those low-ranking vampires transformed from rituals, the old guard among the elites of the city cluster centered around Fuyuan City gained a greater understanding of this life form.

　Admittedly, lower-ranking vampires have many problems, such as fear of common things like sunlight and flowing water, and a thirst for blood.

　But through their research on those low-ranking vampires, the old folks of Fuyuan City became convinced of a crucial...

　An important fact—vampires do indeed have extraordinary lifespans.

　For these privileged elites who longed to prolong their lives, that was enough.

　However, just when the powerful and wealthy of Fuyuan City were convinced that vampires lived as long as Moros had described, they learned that Moros had left Mu Continent and gone to the Far East.

　If Moros hadn't unleashed the level-five dark magic [Curse of the Underworld] in Xinke City, whose power was comparable to a nuclear weapon, those anxious old men would probably have resorted to any means to force him to return to Fuyuan City.

　After all, they are very old, and the end of their lives seems to be approaching at any moment.

　Their fear of death made them desperately want to seize any opportunity to prolong their lives.

　But there is no if in reality.

　Since Moros has demonstrated his power through his actions, even if the old folks in Fuyuan City are unwilling, they can only swallow their anger and acknowledge and respect Moros's status.

　Their desire to become vampires stems from a desire to prolong their lives and continue enjoying their current wealth and luxury; therefore, they would never take any risky actions.

　But that's all in the past.

　Upon learning of Moros's return to Fuyuan City, the white-haired dignitaries immediately ordered their subordinates to begin negotiations with Moros.

　No matter the cost, they must obtain a spot that allows them to become vampires.

　The necromancer, having anticipated these urgent requests from the powerful and wealthy, did not immediately grant their demands.

　Moros was well aware of what the ten Vampire Transformation Daggers he had crafted meant in this era.

　Therefore, he decided to take advantage of this opportunity to gain greater benefits for himself.

　Of course, Moros did not refuse the powerful and wealthy people of Fuyuan City.

　He crafted these vampire transformation daggers, which he himself would never use, to use as bargaining chips.

　If it weren't for the purpose of a transaction, why would he waste time and resources making these ten daggers?

　Moros's polite refusal at this moment was actually a clever way to add leverage to the upcoming deal, in order to secure more favorable terms for himself.

　As expected, when the powerful and influential learned that Moros wanted to auction off vampire conversion slots through a trade fair, they coordinated the process with unprecedented efficiency.

　With the support of the powerful and wealthy throughout the metropolitan area, the most luxurious hotel in Fuyuan City was booked, and a high-end auction quickly entered the preparation stage.

Chapter 95 A Special Auction

　The next day.

　The conference hall of the most luxurious hotel in Fuyuan City.

　One after another, gray-haired dignitaries arrived at the venue, surrounded by heavily armed bodyguards.

　The weapons equipped by their bodyguards were all cutting-edge equipment enhanced with Honkai energy, including many advanced models that even the Mu Continent government had not yet equipped.

　As the dignitaries arrived one after another, the atmosphere in the conference hall grew increasingly tense. Everyone harbored their own expectations and purposes, preparing for a fierce competition at this auction.

　Behind the scenes of this auction, the necromancer sat quietly to the side, calmly observing everything in the venue as the sole seller of the only ten items in the auction.

　Yes, this high-profile auction only features one item: the Vampire Transformation Dagger, which can transform humans into low-level vampires.

　This is also why those elderly nobles with gray hair and high positions resolutely leave their well-equipped and rock-solid old nests and step into the ever-changing auction venue.

　Having carefully studied the detailed information delivered by the messenger, the nobles already knew that the vampire conversion slots offered by Moros this time were presented in the form of a magical equipment.

　By now, the powerful and influential in Fuyuan City have begun to doubt the origins of the power Moros uses.

　In their view, since vampires, creatures from mythology, have already appeared in reality, the existence of magic is no longer so far-fetched.

　Getting back to the point, when they learned that the only way to use the [Vampire Transformation Dagger] was to pierce the heart, with no other restrictions, all the nobles who longed to become vampires decided without hesitation to participate in the auction themselves.

　There was no other way; they were afraid that the items they had spent a lot of money to buy might end up being used by themselves or other people during the transportation process.

　After all, not everyone wants to see these elderly people, who should have been taken away by time, continue to live.

　Especially their children, those carefully groomed heirs, may not expect to see their parents turn into vampires.

　The reason for this is not hard to understand.

　Only when these elderly elites pass away will their children have the opportunity to inherit their wealth and status.

　Once they transform into vampires, their children will forever be overshadowed by their elders, with little chance of ever rising above them.

　Therefore, considering their own power and status, manually seeing off their elders is a tactic that the heirs might take.

　These ones

　Elderly nobles, having experienced the ups and downs of their families, are well aware of the dark side of human nature.

　To prevent betrayal, they would naturally choose to attend the auction in person to ensure that everything is under control.

　These powerful figures have a clear idea: once they get their hands on an item, they will immediately stab it in the heart, leaving no room for anyone to create an accident.

　With the arrival of the last dignitary, the atmosphere in the meeting hall suddenly became tense.

　All eyes were focused on the central auction stage, where ten bone daggers were quietly displayed in exquisite wooden boxes.

　"Is this... the [Vampire Transformation Dagger]?"

　A powerful figure murmured softly, his voice, though low, sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet environment.

　With this murmur, the auction officially began.

　The auctioneer described the rarity and value of the Vampire Transformation Dagger in an exciting and enticing tone.

　"Distinguished guests, I'm sure the value of these items needs no further explanation. They are the legendary [Vampire Transformation Dagger], capable of granting humans the mysterious power to transform into vampires..."

　The auctioneer's words were like pebbles thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

　The dignitaries participating in the auction all showed excited and eager expressions, as if they could already see themselves using a dagger to become immortal vampires.

　Just then, the auctioneer announced news that would have caused a huge uproar in a regular auction.

　"Given the special needs of the bidders, this auction will adopt an unprecedented bidding method—a dual pricing approach of physical goods and cash."

　However, since the powerful and wealthy were already aware of Moros's needs, the news did not cause any stir.

　For these powerful figures who control enormous amounts of non-cash resources, this auction method actually provides them with more flexibility and options.

　Not every powerful person can easily mobilize billions of dollars in liquid funds.

　But when non-cash assets are also taken into consideration, the value of tens of billions or even hundreds of billions is no longer an unattainable dream.

　This dual-pricing bidding method undoubtedly opens a window for those powerful and wealthy individuals who yearn for transformation but lack sufficient funds.

　For Moros, the Mu Continent currency, which cannot be converted into actual resources, is nothing but worthless waste paper.

　"...Starting bid: 5 billion!"

　The atmosphere in the room was instantly ignited the moment the auctioneer announced the start of the bidding.

　The powerful and wealthy ordered their subordinates to raise up bidding paddles, determined to seize the Vampire Transformation Dagger.

　"Ten billion!"

　"Six billion, plus an iron mine with an estimated reserve of 1 million tons and a copper mine with the same reserve!"

　"Eight billion, plus a listed company with a market value of 15 billion, and a wholly-owned non-listed company with unique technology!"

　"..."

　As prices continue to rise, competition among the wealthy and powerful becomes increasingly fierce.

　Finally, after fierce bidding, the first [Vampire Transformation Dagger] was sold for an astonishing price.

　The country possesses 15 billion Mu currency, two iron ore mines in Africa with reserves exceeding one billion tons, and several gemstone mines in South America with abundant reserves.

　Indeed, Moros had already communicated with the powerful and influential people in Fuyuan City before the auction began.

　He made it clear that he would not accept the mines located on the Mu continent as an additional condition for the bidding.

　Although this decision provoked dissatisfaction and complaints from some powerful figures, Moros's attitude was firm, so in the end they had no choice but to accept it.

　To the powerful figures in Fuyuan City, Moros's decision seemed to stem from his fear of the Mu Continent regime and his unwillingness to hold assets under its control for an extended period.

　However, they clearly did not understand the real reason why Moros refused to accept the Mu Continent mines.

　This is quite normal.

　If he hadn't played the game, Moros wouldn't have foreseen that the Ninth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Rock, who would descend upon the continent of Mu in the future, would be able to devour the entire continent with an artificial black hole.

　After handing over the documents symbolizing the mine along with cash to Moros, the wealthy man who had suffered a huge financial loss finally obtained a [Vampire Transformation Dagger] contained in a wooden box.

　Without any hesitation, he gripped the dagger tightly and plunged it into his heart without a second thought.

Chapter 96 The Auction with Unexpected Trouble

　"what!"

　A scream shattered the silence of the hall, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the white-haired old man.

　Faced with this sudden scream, no one felt that anything was wrong.

　When have high-ranking and powerful figures ever experienced the excruciating pain of a sharp blade piercing their chest? It's perfectly normal for them to cry out in pain.

　Compared to the brief pain, the immediate transformation effect made the dignitaries participating in the auction even more convinced that buying the [Vampire Transformation Dagger] was a wise choice.

　They saw that although the old man was in great pain, he subsequently displayed an extraordinary ability to recover.

　As the bat wings symbolizing his vampire identity slowly grew from his back, the old man, who looked to be in his eighties or nineties, reverted to his appearance in his thirties in just a few minutes.

　When he entered the auction hall, the newly transformed vampire still needed to rely on a wheelchair to move around, but now he can walk freely with agile steps and no longer needs any assistance.

　This dramatic transformation not only gave every witness present a strong visual impact, but also gave them a deeper understanding of the true effectiveness of the vampire-transformed dagger.

　Those who witnessed this scene realized that the value of the remaining nine [Vampire Transformation Daggers] had reached a new peak.

　Meanwhile, the wealthy and powerful who participated in the auction also noticed another detail.