Chapter 280 Undertaking the Nightmare Domain <TOC> Chapter 282 Resentful Puppet
Translator: SumTLMan
Enveloped by white mist in Twilight’s Auction House, it suddenly pervaded the entire inner venue. The large screen in the outer venue was also unable to display the situation inside, showing only a vast expanse of white fog.
An enraged, aged man with a sallow complexion disappeared from the top level the moment the white mist appeared, only to reappear in the inner venue.
If Sanders were here, he would undoubtedly recognize his identity. “Azure Lion” Daedweia, the supreme leader of the Twilight Auction House. Once a wizard in the Savage Grottoes, he later left after being stuck between the first and second level wizard stages, returning to his original family to raise descendants.
His family, the Shore Lions, was also one of the families backing the Twilight Well.
Although Daedweia had not yet advanced to a second-level wizard, he was indeed a genuine wizard who had embarked on the path of true knowledge. In the entire southern wizarding world, he was a renowned and powerful figure.
Due to the final auction item, all the wizards of the Twilight Well had been mobilized. Daedweia was the last line of defense for the Twilight Auction that day, and this arrangement should have been safe.
However, an unexpected event occurred just as the auction was entering its final stage, and the final item was about to make its debut.
At first, when a strange seabird emerged from the crowd, Daedweia did not take it too seriously. Later, an apprentice wizard rushed out, but he still paid no attention. Unexpectedly, this bird and person somehow conjured a large area of white fog that enveloped the entire inner venue.
The strange white fog that filled the entire inner venue could shield all his probing methods. At this point, Daedweia could not sit still any longer. He ordered the guard team to prepare for an enemy attack and rushed to the front line alone.
He firmly believed that a hostile force must have learned of the existence of that item and wanted to snatch it. The bird, the person, and the fog were all deceptive tactics, and the real enemy had already infiltrated the auction house, intending to seize the item.
But when Daedweia rushed into the inner venue, he was completely baffled.
“Where… did everyone go?”
The white fog not only shielded all probing, but also reduced visibility to a minimum when Daedweia approached it.
Daedweia was very familiar with the facilities of the Twilight inner venue, and even without using his eyes, he would have no problem navigating. He quickly located the auction stage and called out Twilight’s name.
No one answered.
“Lord Phantom Master?” Daedweia called out repeatedly, but there was still no response.
Even Sanders had disappeared? At this point, Daedweia began to grow anxious.
At this time, several other wizards entered the inner area and gathered with Daedweia in the main hall.
“Lord Daedweia, what is the current situation? Why isn’t there anyone here?” someone asked.
“I don’t know, but it must be an enemy attack.” Daedweia was very confident, “Even Lord Phantom Master has vanished.”
“Could it be an illusion? I remember that one apprentice seemed to have set up an illusion using their own entrails?” This was a guess proposed by another wizard.
Someone immediately rebutted, “It’s absolutely not an illusion. If it were an illusion, could we freely come and go? I not only came in just now but also went out. There are no restrictions of an illusion.”
“Then is it the white fog causing this mischief?”
Someone took out a magic bottle specifically for collecting gas and began gathering the white fog. Regardless of whether the current situation was due to the white fog or not, the fact that it could shield magical probing made it worth collecting for further research.
“It’s strange, is this white fog real? Why doesn’t the magic bottle collect anything?”
“My collection bottle with an attached absorption spell doesn’t work either. Could it be that this white fog is actually illusory?”
“Can something illusory deceive our eyes?”
As the wizards debated, Daedweia’s expression grew darker and darker, “Instead of discussing these things, we should focus on finding clues. Order everyone to search carefully from the first floor, every corner.”
“Also, don’t let anyone in the outer area escape!”
As Daedweia grew more impatient, he suddenly saw a colorful light flash across his vision.
“Huh, did any of you see something? A colorful light creature?”
Because of the white fog, all magical probing methods, including mental tendrils, had become ineffective. The others didn’t seem to notice.
However, a few seconds later, a wizard suddenly exclaimed, “I just saw a clown passing through the wall!”
“A clown? Which kind of clown do you mean?”
For wizards, mentioning a clown would naturally bring to mind the unparalleled demon lord of the abyss, the Crowned Clown.
But obviously, the Crowned Clown would not appear here. Nor would his clown army appear in the southern region.
“It was the kind of clown you would see in a circus. However, what’s strange is that although it was moving, it appeared flat.”
He called the guard team, but no one responded either.
At this point, Daedweia started to feel anxious. In a single leap, he reached the location of the third-floor gold card boxes. Following the route in his memory, he stepped into one of the boxes.
The wizards searched for a while but did not find the so-called clown. Just as they thought it was an “illusion,” a discordant aria emerged from the mist.
“Even Shava praises my singing, only the old woman draped in twilight, quack, doesn’t appreciate it!”
“And the white-bearded old man, quack, the red-haired ugly woman!”
“Quack quack quack, only Shava! She’s my soulmate, quack!”
Twilight woman, white-bearded old man, red-haired woman? The characters described in this enigmatic aria seemed to resemble… Twilight? Kuber and Lydia?
Amidst a harmony of piano and aria, a frog singer and fox pianist appeared before them. Just as they were about to take action, they saw the two strange animals, one emitting green ripples, the other red ripples. The red and green ripples infiltrated their hearts, and a mysterious agitation rose from within. They barely suppressed it, only for the strange animals to disappear again.
“I think this might actually be an illusion?” someone said, “Don’t forget, Lord Sanders is involved. Perhaps this is an illusion he has set up.”
“It would make sense if it were an illusion set up by him.”
As they argued incessantly, the white mist suddenly vanished.
The white mist did not disappear through any channel; instead, it simply faded away, transforming from turbidity to clarity before their eyes.
When the white mist completely disappeared, the inner venue was once again filled to capacity. Twilight stood at the auction stage, with every seat occupied and the VIPs in the booths reappearing…
The previous white mist and the vanishing crowd were as if they had never happened.
The group of wizards led by Daedweia stood in the center of the hall, now seeming out of place.
“Are we back? Are we really back?!”
Had it not been for a wizard apprentice’s exclamation, with the word “back” clearly indicating they had left previously, Daedweia would have thought the white mist he had just seen was a dream.
“Twilight, what just happened? Weren’t you dealing with that troublemaker…?” Daedweia looked towards the corner where a person and bird had “fallen” earlier, blood and cracks present, but no one in sight.
“How could they suddenly disappear?” Daedweia hesitated, “Were they attacked? By the rebels from the Castle of Night?”
Twilight shook her head, gesturing for the other wizards to step back. She then used telepathy to inform Daedweia of the previous events, while instructing the captain of the guard to arrange the funeral affairs of the deceased and restore order to the scene.
As Twilight explained, Daedweia’s face darkened. In the end, he stared intently at booth 19 and said to Twilight, “Continue the auction first, and we’ll deal with the rest later.”
After Daedweia finished speaking, his figure slowly faded and disappeared without a trace.
Twilight observed the order at the scene gradually returning to normal. During this peculiar journey through the Nightmare Plane, three people had died, but they were all from their side. The buyers were safe and sound, except for a few wizard apprentices who had sustained minor injuries, but nothing of major concern.
At least Twilight’s reputation, even if damaged, wouldn’t suffer too greatly without any deaths.
Twilight let out a faint sigh, glancing at box number 19 with a hint of imperceptible hatred, then walked to the auction stage, “Just now, you all experienced an extraordinary adventure, which I assume is a rare opportunity in one’s life.”
“Each experience will transform into the most valuable lessons, making the path of seeking knowledge smoother.”
Twilight, rarely losing her composure, spoke eloquently on the stage, uttering a lot of nonsense, the central idea being that she hoped everyone wouldn’t mind the recent events.
The wizards had already settled their agreements in the Nightmare Plane, and naturally expressed their nonchalance with a smile.
“Now, let’s continue with the auction. Item number 172, the penultimate item for today’s auction: Gloria’s Barbie Restaurant Waitress! Starting bid of 10,000 magic crystals, with increments no more than 5,000 magic crystals!”
The eyeless man was recaptured and placed back into the iron cage, expressionless. Although he had no eyes, his head was constantly facing the direction of box number 19, where Toby was.
…
Box number 19.
Originally occupied by just Sanders, it now had two more people and a bird.
Sanders sat between light and shadow, his gaze quietly fixed on the unconscious young man lying on another couch.
“Aren’t you worried about him while he’s in the Nightmare Domain? Either he’ll be forever trapped or wake up. Worrying is pointless.” The speaker was Flora, hovering in midair with her delicate jade feet.
Flora’s words carried a hint of jealousy.
Flora: “This outfit seems to be the tutor’s. Is Angel deliberately imitating the tutor?”
Sanders: “I gave it to him.”
Flora complained: “You treat Angel so well, but you’ve never given me clothes.”
Sanders couldn’t be bothered to respond to such a pointless remark.
Flora pouted and continued to maliciously talk about Angel: “Angel even ruined the tutor’s clothes, showing just how disrespectful he is to the tutor.”
Sanders still didn’t reply, instead shifting his gaze to the auction.
The eyeless man had started the auction, with the current bid skyrocketing to 100,000 magic crystals, showing just how powerful the allure of a culinary wizard was. Even though he was only an apprentice, wizards passionate about satisfying their appetites were far from scarce.
Chapter 280 Undertaking the Nightmare Domain <TOC> Chapter 282 Resentful Puppet