"Hmph, of course I’ll test it." Another snort came from the Trevan Empire’s representative.
Before anyone could react, a massive hand suddenly emerged from the VIP room, lunging toward the key, trying to grab it.
The moment the massive hand touched the key, the key began to tremble and emitted a brilliant light.
"This? How is this possible?! No!" The massive hand slowly turned illusory and disappeared.
Not only the hand but its owner as well turned into a pile of ashes, completely gone. His terrified scream echoed through the hall, causing a shiver to spread through the crowd.
"How is this possible?"
"He actually died? A Divine Climber was killed just like that?"
"What the hell is this damned key?"
Everyone stared at the key with a hint of fear. Many didn’t even dare to speak and kept their mouths shut.
"Ah, I told you, only the key can choose its owner." Kyros gave a bitter smile. He and the other leaders of the House of Ten Thousand Treasures had gone through a lot of trouble because of this key.
But there was nothing they could do. Besides, they hoped they could find the key’s rightful owner and finally get rid of it.
"How do we know who the key will choose?" someone from the crowd asked.
Everyone instinctively nodded and silently thanked the person who had asked. Most of them were still in shock from what had just happened.
Even if it was possible to test it, would anyone dare to try again? A glance around the hall was enough to see that nobody had the courage.
"It’s simple. You just have to put your hand on the key. If you don’t explode, it means the key has acknowledged you," Kyros said with a bitter smile on his face.
Unfortunately, it was clear that no one here would dare to step forward. Still, he waited a bit longer in hopes that the situation might change.
But in the end, just as he expected, no one stepped forward. He sighed. Was this key going to stay with them forever? If only they could at least use it.
"Well, it seems there’s no buyer for this item—" But before he could finish speaking, a hand suddenly rose from among the crowd.
"Hm? Yes?" Kyros asked in surprise.
"I want to test the key," a young man said indifferently. When his words echoed through the hall, everyone felt for a moment like they had misheard.
Daniel didn’t answer. He stood up and began walking toward them. Andreas and Ilaris were momentarily stunned and confused, and before they could react, Daniel had already gotten up from beside them.
"Damn it," Andreas and Ilaris both tried to stand up to stop their friend from committing suicide, but it seemed some kind of force was holding them back.
"Are you sure?" Kyros looked the handsome young man up and down and asked. After all, this was a matter of life and death.
"I’m sure." Daniel nodded, then, under the astonished and bewildered gazes of everyone, he stared at the key. He felt as if the key was calling out to him.
Could it be because of his title? Or maybe the Flower of Eternity?
He was certain the key would acknowledge him — and even if it didn’t, it didn’t matter. Even if he died, nothing would really happen to him.
"Is that young man insane?"
"He actually dares to try this! Even a Divine Climber was killed."
"May God have mercy on him." The spectators didn’t think this young man would survive. They all believed he would explode just like the previous one.
The representatives of the major forces had already lost their patience and wanted to move on to the final item as soon as possible.
They didn’t care much about the death of someone they didn’t know. At best, it would be a bit of side entertainment.
Naturally, Daniel wasn’t aware of anyone’s thoughts — and even if he was, he wouldn’t care. He slowly reached out his hand toward the key.
The key suddenly began to glow. Everyone expected the same thing as before to happen, but... the glow slowly faded away, and it looked exactly like an ordinary key.
"Why didn’t it explode?"
"That guy’s completely fine! What the hell is going on here?"
Everyone was once again stunned and couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Wasn’t this white-haired guy supposed to explode on the spot?
"This? So he’s the real owner of the key." Kyros frowned slightly and muttered to himself. A glint flashed in his eyes, but it was unclear what he was thinking.
After taking the key, Daniel gave it a brief glance.
[ You have obtained an item ]
[ Name: Key of the Eternal Saint’s Tomb ]
[ Description: A key that can open the Eternal Saint’s Tomb — a tomb that has never been opened, and no one knows what lies inside. ]
[ Type: Spirit Weapon ]
He glanced at the Mother System notification in front of him, then looked at Kyros.
"Do I need to pay anything for this key?"
"Oh? Well, honestly, we never thought we could sell this key, so we didn’t set a price for it. Still, it’s not something you can just sell normally," Kyros said, looking thoughtful.
"How about this? You can just pay us a finder’s fee — one Chaos Crystal?"
Daniel nodded and took a Chaos Crystal from his inventory, handing it to him. Kyros smiled and thanked him.
"Before you ask, we don’t know where the Eternal Saint’s Tomb is. But according to some inscriptions, the true owner of the key knows its location."
"Thanks." Daniel frowned slightly, then nodded and returned to his seat, ignoring the shocked and astonished looks from those around him — especially Andreas and Ilaris — and focused his attention back on the stage.
His intuition activated again, but this time it was a danger warning! Whatever was going to happen would happen very soon.
"Well, fortunately, the third item has also been sold, and now it’s finally time for the biggest surprise for all our dear guests." Kyros raised his voice, and a large egg, shining like gold, appeared behind him.
When they saw the egg, everyone’s eyes widened. They held their breath, as if unable to believe what they were seeing.
Could it be... a dragon egg?