Kapitel 339: Chapter 339: Abrupt Erupting and Rupturing
So who the hell did this new bid come from? Ares didn't recognise the voice at all which meant this could either be great or disastrous. Cash was a person who was impossible to negotiate with due to the brewing animosity between him and Ares. If this new person was more amenable to reason he wouldn't risk the entire fate of the Federation over this volcano and could come to some sort of agreement after the auction perhaps? At the very least, spiting Cash by sniping the bid at the last second, despite not having bid throughout this entire auction thus far, more than likely meant they had a personal grudge with Cash or something equivalent. They may very well have always wanted the item but the timing was suspicious and would raise valid questions about the intentions of the person doing this. Either way, Ares figured this was probably a good thing overall and turned to the C.E.O to see if he had any comments to make on the matter. For whatever reason, the C.E.O seemed to be incredibly relieved at the intervention of this new addition to the bidding race as he'd sat back in his chair with his head leaning back and his hand resting over his furiously beating heart. He had every reason to not want Cash to win, as he took Ares' threats very seriously, so he must have been incredibly happy regarding this new bid.
Perhaps this new person was more reasonable than Cash or, if Ares' guess was correct, this person might even be an ally of sorts. Only the higher ups of the Federation could really keep bidding at this point, as everybody had been priced out of the competition, so if talking about this specific group of people there was one that had a reason to help Ares and the C.E.O out here. Though Ares didn't know their name, the C.E.O here did have connections to some of the upper brass of this country! If this higher up was covering for their junior, who was getting financially bullied by Cash, then Ares might get this item without having to go to drastic lengths... This thought was relieving but there was still a slight issue with this whole plan. Namely that Cash was a rich man amongst rich men and could keep going on with this bid for who knows how long. Sure the C.E.O's friend might own a lot but did he own enough wealth to keep fighting Cash on this item until the end of time?
"Shold, you bastard, why are you getting involved?!" Cash was evidently furious once again at having been denied things going his way without pushback. Shold must have been the name of the higher up the C.E.O knew and it seemed like these two elites were about to start bickering with one another.
"I could ask you the same thing!" Shold's voice came from a room next to Cash's but seemed far more carefree and energetic than moody cash's. Either Shold was in a good mood for some reason, he just enjoyed annoying Cash, or he always had some pep in his step. Regardless, he wasn't backing down from Cash at all. "You have no need for that volcano and yet you're intentionally going way over the appropriate price for it just to snub my business disciple. Not to mention you were apparently picking a fight with that Ares kid earlier as well. It's not a good look you know and you're really dragging the name of the rulers of this country through the mud."
"How about I drag you through the mud?!"
"NO THREATS ALLOWED!" The host was really on point with enforcing the rules... Of course Cash had mostly been posturing and wouldn't actually resort to violence, none of the rulers were particularly strong so it'd just be a wet noodle fight, but he was starting to get really annoyed at the stupid textbook rule-abiding-Andy down below!
"Will you shut up already?! And you, Shold, what does this bid have to do with you anyway?! Isn't that twerp Bort leaving this place? He's abandoning the Federation and taking your stupid shop with him and yet you're still playing buddy buddy with him? What do you stand to gain from this?"
Bort. The hell kinda name was Bort?! Ares was seemingly more concerned about this new revelation than the bidding war and was staring holes into the C.E.O! Ares almost wished he could unlearn this guy's name! Also, Shold and Bort?! And a guy named Cash? Come on already! This was getting ridiculous!
"Who says I'm not going as well?" Shold seemed oddly confident about this declaration but now Ares had something to say about this matter!
"Since when?!" Ares didn't recall agreeing to this! Who the hell gave this guy permission to tag along on the Red Sun ride?!
"Since always! I was going to sneak into Bort's shop and pretend to be an employee when you moved it to Red Sun!"
"Why are you openly admitting this?!" Ares could simply not fathom this guy's audacity! Sure he was being honest but shouldn't he have been honest from the start!? Having one extra person tag along wasn't necessarily an issue but this guy was serious money and status! Wouldn't up and abandoning the Federation randomly like this be a huge problem? Better yet, what did he stand to gain from doing this? Did he view Ares' soon to be planet as a potentially worthwhile endeavour to sink his teeth into? Was he like Bort and wanted to freely cultivate? There were so many questions Ares had now... And it seemed like Cash did too.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Shold? Do you have any idea how much of a problem you disappearing will cause even if you notify us in advance, let alone just springing it on us one day out of the blue?! What about all of your businesses? Have you even though this through or did that idea just fly through your dumb head as soon as you heard about what Bort was up to and go along with it?"
"So what if I did?" Shold sounded oh-so innocent despite the fact that he was clearly guilty as can be! "I wanna explore the world and have fun! This place has gotten boring. It's the same thing day in and day out. Check letters, do paperwork, contact and negotiate with other businesses, rinse and repeat. I'm boreddddddddddddddddddd! I want out and so when Bort told me what he was planning I agreed to let him. Didn't tell him I would be coming along too but I thought it would be a cool surprise! As for my businesses... I'll shut 'em down I guess. No point letting them keep running as it's not like I'll have a use for them anymore. And about a replacement for me in the ruler position... Not my problem! You guys can figure it out!"
This guy was off his rocker! Ares almost respected the blasé approach to handling his problems but just ignoring them and pretending they didn't exist until they went away was a bit much! If it weren't for the fact that this guy was also bidding on the volcano Ares would seriously not trust this guy... It seemed he was really all in on this plan and was willing to fork over all his stardust just like Bort was... No wonder they were friends, they were borderline the exact same people just with different personalities. Willing to completely upend their lives and businesses to go have fun in another domain... Well, Ares couldn't fault them too much as he understood the desire to not be trapped doing something they didn't even enjoy for the rest of their lives. Still, why did they both try to con Ares in underhanded ways?! At least Bort had the honour and decency to look Ares in the eye while he bullshitted him! Shold was just going to act like a damn stowaway!
"Shold...." Cash was growling the name of his co-worker and was close to storming into the guy's room to strangle him.
"Nope, not listening!"
"I am going to have a LONG conversation with you when this auction is finished!"
"Nuh uh, I'm running away!"
Was this guy a child?! Were all the higher ups of the Federation rich and spoiled children?!
"Gentlemen..." And oh look, the host was back! "... Could we please get back to bidding on the item. Though I'm sure your conversation is important to the future of the Federation, it is highly inappropriate to be discussing such a thing here..."
"Yeah Cash, what he said." Shold was definitely a child.
"Fuck off you bumbling moron. I'm taking home that volcano and there's nothing you can do about it. I want the damn thing. Why are you even betting anyway? Just because of Bort?"
"A promise is a promise and Bort made one to Ares. I'm technically involved now too so I shall fulfil that promise as well because I also stand to gain from the deal that was made.."
"Good for you. You don't have the money to compete with me though and we both know it, so why not end this silly game and stop wasting my money? If you do, I'll be lenient with you after we leave here."
"Hmmm. No!" It really sounded like Shold was having a blast in that room of his as some small echoes of cackling could be heard through his microphone every now and then. "How about this. My businesses going to waste must wound your aching heart so, instead of just shutting everything down and scrapping all the machinery, I'll hold an auction instead? You like buying up the remains of dead businesses don't you? I know you much prefer it when you proverbially slit the throat of the business yourself but potentially expanding your empire a teensy bit more should be appealing enough to make you change your mind? It is still an auction, so you'll have to bid for it and won't be getting any of it for free, but it's better than not getting anything surely? Also, such an auction will bring people from far and wide to the Federation for the duration of the bidding wars and you can no doubt milk that for all it's worth by mingling with the few rich folk that don't live on the Federation right? Come on Cashy boy, I know you want it!"
...
...
...
It seemed like this offer being dangled in front of him was too great to pass up on for Cash who was deliberating over his next move here. Was this volcano really worth it? For starters, Shold would drive up the price even further, way beyond what any normal person should pay for such a thing, and it would seriously eat into Cash's wealth if the bidding kept up long enough to the point even a ruler of this country was priced out. He really did like he volcano, and it wasn't just to screw over Ares, but there was a limit to what he should spend on it. Plus there was the auction for Shold's leftovers that would be a monumentally important opportunity for Cash in many ways as he was interested in a fair few things the guy currently owned. Shold wasn't wrong about people flocking to the Federation for that event too and such an occurrence was usually quite rare. The other rich people in Sheryashka tended to avoid the Federation like the plague so hooking them in with the auction was worth way more than the volcano. Really, the only reason he was still deliberating was because he thought the volcano was cool damn it!
"Going once..." It seemed like the host was getting tired of being ignored so he was taking matters into his own hands here...
"Going twice..." There was still no movement from Cash's room and he was sitting in silence as he was now the one forced to consider what to do here in a short time frame. Ares was relieved of the pressure he felt earlier and could relax comfortably knowing that he had some pretty reliable backing right now. This Shold guy was doing both Ares and the Federation some really massive favours here even if he didn't exactly know it. That guy's wish to be set free from this place was ironically saving it.
"And Shold!... I mean sold! For... 2,000,000? For 2,000,000!" The host had almost completely forgotten the previous bid as it had been that long since the petty verbal fighting had begun. He remembered in the end though and, despite getting his tongue thoroughly twisted on the winner's name, delivered the final call while congratulating Shold on his win.
"You can send it to Ares' and Bort's room, I'll be heading over there in a bit!" Shold called out and that was the last everyone heard of him... Ares wanted to meet the guy to thank him but he almost kinda wanted to run away from this clown! Shold felt like the kind of unrestrained person that was just always going to be doing unpredictable nonsense and Red Sun already had Ares to fulfil that role, thank you very much! Maybe if Ares could quarantine this guy to some random corner and never have to deal with him it wouldn't be so bad. Both Shold and Bort seemed interested in exploring, thankfully, so they probably wouldn't even spend too much time in Red Sun at all, leaving the shop to their employees... Who would also probably go on to one day feel the same way as them and want to get out and explore too! It's almost like that shop was cursed or something and everyone who worked there in any capacity sought freedom not long after. Oh well, Ares was getting the Extinction Converter and Shold had really played a big role in making sure things didn't get ugly today. What a relief...
Click
The door opened and there was the man of the hour with all the financial power. Shold was basically just a younger looking Bort which was kinda strange actually because he was almost definitely older age wise. Mentality and personality wise? Not at all. Still, he had a somewhat youthful aura to him but it was one that didn't seem entirely natural so the guy had probably eaten or bathed in resources and medicines that spruced up his features a bit. Appearance improving resources did exist but they were oddly pricey. Maybe it's because such things were typically aimed at, and sold to, clients who valued luxury over actually useful cultivation items and these people also happened to be quite rich for the most part. Anyway, Shold strolled into the room while a person working for the auction company followed him in with the mini volcano in hand. The item was placed on the table as the worker bowed and left promptly. Shold took a seat and Ares faced him with a wry smile.
"I should start by saying thank you, I think... The deal between Bort and I didn't have to extend to you so I really am grateful for your aid on this matter. You've done the Federation a huge favour today as I would have been quite willing to slaughter everyone on this country for the item... That being said... Care to explain yourself?" Ares wasn't mad or anything but he did feel like he was owed an explanation of some kind at least!
"Not much to explain really. I was going to just sneak my way into Red Sun but figured I owed you and therefore had to expose myself here today to pay you back properly. I can still tag along right?"
"... Fine. I wouldn't feel right accepting the volcano and saying no. Not that I really have a reason to say no to you anyway. That being said, I'm going to use this thing now so please don't mind me." Ares picked up the volcano and inspected it with his Omniscience to figure out where exactly he was shoving this thing. It was going to hurt regardless of where it went but he would feel a whole lot more comfortable knowing he wasn't going to have to give himself a boiling hot colonoscopy or anything.
"So what is that thing anyway? More than just an infinite energy generator I take it? No reason for someone like you to be so interested in anything plain." Shold was curious but Ares wasn't going to reveal the secret that easily.
"I don't mind telling you but I'll do that after I'm done merging with it. I'm sure you understand." Shold shrugged and went back to watching the auction which had just kicked up again. He was quite chatty though and kept giving a commentary on every item that was put up for bid, telling Bort exactly what it was worth and who here was likely to buy it. He was right basically every time which showed he had some serious talent as a businessman and appraiser. No wonder he was a ruler of this country, he had the skills to pay the bills. Also, Bort was taking his words very seriously and even jotting down notes! It made sense this guy was also talented as paying attention to his 'wise' master had done him many favours it seemed.
As for Ares, he'd figured out what to do with the Extinction Converter. He was going to be merging it with his heart... On the one hand, as this was where his pressure reserves where, the process was going to get rather complicated, he was willing to bet. It was a precarious location to begin with but adding on that little issue would no doubt mean Ares struggled a great deal more than he otherwise would even if it only extended to the pain department. Thankfully, however, this location was still somewhat better than it could have potentially been because he was intimately familiar with the heart as he'd explored it in great depth back in the pagoda already! Had it been his brain that needed to be impromptu operated on he might not have been able to do this here and now as he would need to spend a couple days feeling around in there with strands of pressure and his divine sense first. This location was both good and bad but Ares felt like it leaned more towards being a good thing overall. Who knows, maybe with this thing merging with his heart it might wind up providing unexpected bonuses! Maybe Ares would become harder to freeze and his heart would become somewhat immune to ambient cold? Poisons that affected the heart would maybe be burned away? Ares couldn't pinpoint all the specifics but had a feeling this thing would come in handy defensively here and there with some decent regularity. This treasure seriously just did it all! And the best part was that it did it all immediately. Unlike the Blade, Ares just had to get it up and running once and it would be active forever. He could wield this thing to its fullest potential as soon as it was in so he wasted no time in getting started. The sooner it was ain him, the sooner he would stop feeling anxious over potentially losing this wondrous item in some random manner. He was probably safe but why risk playing dodgy games with fate?
Ares, to the surprise of the other two people in this room, took out a sword and started gutting himself! Maybe the two businessmen were having second thoughts about being cultivators after seeing the kind of lengths more dedicated ones went to in order to improve themselves. Probably not but they were definitely not expecting this! They seemed rather interested in the process, actually, and had given up watching the bidding outside. They were fascinated by the cultivation world as the closest they ever really came to it was meeting cultivators that frequented their businesses. It's not like they got to see the cultivation world first hand very often being tucked away in the backs of their stores so this was a brand new experience for them. It was also a brand new experience for Ares too. Yes he'd chipped off parts of his heart before for the rings but he only needed to poke some small holes here and there because he just needed small chunks. In order to merge the volcano with his heart he needed proper access which was going to necessitate a pretty big wound.
About five minutes of careful digging around with his sword later, there was a relatively clean cut in his chest that allowed him to enter deep into his own body with his hand. Now for the next step! Somehow fitting the volcano inside his body... It was small, yes, but still pretty big considering what needed to be done here. It would automatically latch onto his heart when it got close enough, so that was helpful as it would begin to shrink and be less problematic, but until then Ares was going to have to painfully shove this thing through his flesh and blood... A football sized volcano with excruciatingly hot lava pouring out of it and scalding his insides? This was going to hurt... Why did everything have to hurt? Why couldn't any of these improvements ever be pleasurable in some way? Whining about it wasn't going to change anything but Ares still had a valid complaint that he felt needed addressing! The universe had to answer for the things it was making him do all the damn time!
Shold and Bort winced and grimaced as Ares picked up the volcano and just started roughly forcing it inside himself. They were shocked he was taking it as well as he was, only occasionally grunting and moaning in pain, because they knew damn well how much this kind of thing should hurt just by looking at the situation objectively. If they were doing it themselves they'd be rolling around on the floor screaming their charcoaled lungs out. Ares was able to resist the urge to do that almost entirely because he'd been through worse, honestly, and this almost felt like a cake walk in comparison. The heat was the worst of it but he'd dealt with the juicers just yesterday and they were pretty bad too. Nothing compared to this but the actual pain the scalding caused was pretty minor when looking at the other things he'd been through. Ares was pleasantly surprised, actually, because he expected a rarer treasure like this, from a higher domain, to hurt way more when integrating it into himself! Either A, this treasures specifically was smooth sailing and Ares' affiliation was helping move things along or, B;... This was just the beginning... Maybe this part was the easy part... It was entirely possible the merging process itself was going to reshape and restructure his heart in ways that were not gentle... Ares chose to believe it was the former but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be that simple. Nothing in the cultivation world ever really was...
The volcano was jammed into Ares' upper chest and lava was leaking all over him. It was dripping down his clothes and burning some of it off while the actual treasure itself was struggling to move any deeper inside Ares' body. Some lava did flick onto Ares' heart, causing him to jump and let out a small groan because that instance of pain actually really hurt. The lava kinda just sat on his heart as well meaning the pain didn't ever really go away, it just kept assailing him while he was failing to push the volcano further into his chest. Shold and Bort were starting to wonder if this was really the correct way to use this thing but that thought was stifled when the volcano suddenly disappeared! Within a blink's worth of time the volcano vanished from view and all that was left was Ares' gaping chest and the few droplets of lava that were hanging off him in various spots. He was completely still and looking inside himself with his divine sense but he couldn't see the damn treasure! Had it run away?!
Bubble
"Ah FUCK!" Ares cried his heart out when a segment of the organ in question ballooned up and burst, spewing lava everywhere and even partially melting some of his skeleton. The volcano was inside Ares' heart and slowly filling it with the burning liquid lava. The heart was occasionally swelling up and exploding but, bit by bit, it was regenerating afterwards with a more rocky carapace in its place. The carapace didn't last long though as the heart would slowly rebuild over it and apply a natural layer of organic tissue. The cycle would then keep repeating itself over and over again, leading to a series of rupturing explosions within Ares' body that left him lying on the floor and constantly being battered with palpitations that were numbing his entire body... This was going to take a short while and it was definitely not going to be pleasant. Ares could tell this was just the start...
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein