Chapter 697: Rank Up! (1)

The Rank Up! started at 1 million Blue Credits.

That was so far beyond anything else that had shown up tonight that even Grey paused when the opening number settled onto the display. However, that pause lasted all of a second before bids started pouring in from every direction.

The number climbed so fast that Breejara barely had time to announce one increase before the next one replaced it.

"One million, one-point-one, one-point-three, and there goes somebody’s retirement fund before we’ve even gotten comfortable," Breejara called out brightly, her voice carrying across the hall as if watching people ruin themselves financially was the whole reason she’d taken the job. "Do remember, darlings, poverty may be temporary, but terrible decisions have an extraordinary habit of becoming family stories."

Grey put in another bid as the price kept going up.

Within minutes, the first extra million was already behind them. The second went almost as quickly, the smaller bidders dropping off one after another, until the number crossed 3 million Blue Credits and only 4 lit-up bubbles were left in the entire auction hall.

Breejara’s smile widened as the names appeared on the main display.

"Now this is much more like it. Grey Temolt, Aelthar Infernis, Saelira Othryn, and Lyssara-0, our four beloved Betting Favorites."

The crowd roared.

Grey ignored them and raised the bid again. Aelthar answered almost immediately, Saelira followed, and Lyssara-0 pushed it higher before Grey had even finished leaning back.

The increments were in the hundreds of thousands now. Even so, Breejara never lost track, turning every single increase into another reason for the audience to laugh, cheer, or wince at how fast the numbers were spiraling.

"Three-point-six million from Saelira Othryn, which apparently wasn’t offensive enough for Lyssara-0, who has decided four million sounds much prettier. Grey Temolt answers with four-point-two, still bidding with money he technically doesn’t have yet. I personally find such courage truly inspiring."

Grey clicked his tongue and pushed it higher.

"Four-point-four from Aelthar Infernis. I also like him quite a bit more too since he has wisely chosen not to insult the woman currently announcing all of his financial decisions to the universe."

Grey snorted at that. Though, his eyes stayed on the four names as the price went past 5 million and kept climbing.

Saelira was the first to finally slow down. Her violet bubble stayed lit through a few more increases, then dimmed once the price hit 5.8 million.

Breejara immediately raised two hands toward the audience.

"And then there were three. Crown Daughter Saelira Othryn has rediscovered good judgment at five-point-eight million Blue Credits. Will her decision making be contagious? I fear not."

Grey only glanced at Saelira’s bubble for a moment before turning his attention back to Aelthar, his eyes narrowing as another thought started bugging him.

The Fire Elemental had more than enough reason to hate him. After everything Grey had said to his face, it was entirely possible that Aelthar didn’t even want the Rank Up! all that badly, and was just enjoying the chance to bleed him dry.

’You better actually want this, you firefly bastard.’

Grey raised the price.

Aelthar answered.

Grey’s lip twitched as he stared at the display. "You better fucking need this."

Amunet looked over at him with a faint smile. "You do realize he cannot hear you."

"Doesn’t matter. I need the universe to know."

Before either of them could say anything else, Lyssara-0 raised the price again, dragging the total past 6.5 million and pulling Breejara right back to the center of the hall.

Her excitement had only grown as the pool shrank. By now, everyone understood they were watching three of the most dangerous Candidates in the Games test how badly the others wanted the same thing, and every new bid drew more eyes than the last.

"Six-point-seven million from Lyssara-0, and Grey Temolt answers with six-point-nine. Aelthar Infernis appears to be deciding whether seven million Blue Credits is worth the privilege of telling the other two they were too poor to continue."

Aelthar’s bubble stayed lit while the hall waited.

Several seconds went by.

Then, the light around him finally faded.

The audience erupted.

"And our favorite flaming gentleman has remembered that even pride occasionally comes with a budget," Breejara declared, spreading her arms as Aelthar’s name greyed out. "Aelthar Infernis withdraws at six-point-nine million, leaving only two."

Grey leaned forward, his attention locking onto Lyssara-0.

The Synari had barely moved during the entire bidding war. She sat with an almost unnatural stillness while the mechanical parts built into her body made tiny adjustments around her.

Half flesh and half machine, she didn’t look like someone being pressured by a price at all. If anything, she looked like someone calmly working out exactly how much she was willing to give up before the cost stopped making sense.

Grey raised the bid to 7.1 million.

Lyssara-0 answered with 7.3. Grey pushed it to 7.5, and she came back so fast that the crowd barely had time to react before the number went up again.

A low buzz spread through the hall. Neither of them had shown even the slightest sign of hesitation.

Breejara laughed.

"Oh, I do hope everyone appreciates what we’re seeing now. On one side, the newly crowned Emperor of Earth, a man whose preferred financial strategy appears to be fucking around and finding out later. On the other, we have Lyssara-0 of the Synari, whose people have succeeded in engineering stubbornness directly into the body."

The reaction nearly shook Grey’s bubble.

Grey didn’t laugh this time.

The price went through 7.9, then 8.1, then 8.4 million Blue Credits, and neither of them slowed down. Bit by bit, the crowd stopped cheering after every increase.

Everyone was just waiting now, watching the names trade places and trying to guess which one would drop out first.

Lyssara-0 pushed it to 8.8 million.

Grey stared at the number for several seconds.

This was getting stupid.

He still had no idea how much his blueprints would sell for. Grey personally thought they were worth far more than this, but tonight had already taught him that what something was worth in theory and what it went for at auction weren’t always the same thing.

Every extra 100,000 he burned here was another 100,000 that couldn’t go toward Blue Cyber Cores for Prometheus. And if Lyssara was willing to keep climbing forever? This could turn into exactly the kind of hole Grey didn’t need.

His fingers hovered over the interface. Then, his eyes drifted to another option.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"Fuck this."

Grey pressed the challenge button.

Every display in the auction hall flashed crimson at once, and for a fraction of a second, the whole place was too stunned to react.

—

[DIRECT CHALLENGE ISSUED]

[GREY TEMOLT → LYSSARA-0]

—

Then the hall exploded.

People shot out of their seats and conversations turned into shouting. Even Breejara was caught off guard, though her surprise turned into delight almost immediately.

Her eyes went wide and her smile stretched across her face. When she finally spoke again, it was obvious Grey had just handed her exactly the kind of moment she lived for.

"Oh, you reckless little bastard."

The crowd roared even louder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Grey Temolt has issued a direct combat challenge at eight-point-eight million Blue Credits, and I would like every single one of you to appreciate that this man did not even have the patience to wait and see whether Lyssara-0 intended to withdraw."

Grey leaned back against the couch and shrugged. "Why waste time?"

Breejara pressed one hand dramatically to her chest.

"Why waste time, he says, while casually asking one of the most dangerous Candidates in the Genesis Games to settle an eight-million-credit disagreement with violence. Grey Temolt, please never change, preferably at least until this auction ends and you actually pay the enormous balance currently attached to your name."

Laughter rolled through the hall again. However, it died down bit by bit as everyone’s attention turned to Lyssara-0’s bubble.

Her dark eyes stayed fixed on Grey’s projection. The machinery along one side of her skull rotated once and went still, and her expression cooled enough that the whole audience seemed to cool along with it.

Breejara let the silence build before lowering her voice.

"And now our lovely Synari has three choices. She can keep bidding, she can withdraw and surrender the Rank Up!, or she can accept Grey Temolt’s challenge. What will she choose? Oh boy, the anticipation is killing me!"