At that moment, Aiden understood that unless the mystery surrounding the crystal was uncovered, there would be no chance of him purchasing it from Marcus.
But Aiden wasn't ready to give up. As long as he could examine the crystal, the system might reveal its true nature and value to him. He knew he could not let go of this god-given opportunity. Although very low, there is indeed some probability of success.
Determined, he asked again, "Then... can you at least let me see the crystal? I want to take a closer look."
Marcus hesitated, his expression uncertain. Sensing this, Aiden shook his head and spoke firmly, "If you want my help, you should at least show some sincerity. If you can't even let me see the crystal, why should I risk my life to help you?"
What would he gain from helping them?
Just a reward and a favor.
Perhaps, Aiden's background was so extraordinary that he didn't consider their favor worth anything at all.
"That crystal is with Chris. He took it with him to Ten Thousand Abyss City to investigate its mystery. If you agree to help, you'll have the chance to see the crystal when you meet Chris," Marcus finally revealed while exhaling deeply.
Despite sharing this information, Marcus couldn't completely dispel the doubt lingering in his heart. Aiden's background remained a riddle to him, and he had no way of knowing if Aiden might relay information about the crystal to his family. The thought of Aiden betraying him and the Wellings Family gnawed at the edges of his mind.
What if his trust was misplaced?
What if Aiden truly betrays him?
If informed, what action would his family take?
Thinking of several such questions, Marcus threw out an olive branch, saying: "As long as you could help us this time, if possible, I promise to sell that crystal to you. At the same time, there will be your share in the mystery related to that crystal as well."
Aiden does not have any complicated thoughts like Marcus. He is just happy that he can see the crystal upon meeting Chris, and at that time, he can confirm what that crystal is with the System's help.
As for having a share in the crystal's mystery, Aiden had already made up his mind. The intense reaction of the Dragon Pearl at the mere mention of the crystal left no doubt in his heart—the mystery surrounding the crystal was undoubtedly tied to what the Dragon Pearl sought. There was simply no way he could distance himself from it, even if others wished to stop him.
At most, he can quickly spend money to earn Eternal Points and increase his cultivation to the level where no one can force him to do something he doesn't want or stay away from something he wants to get close to.
Aiden didn't talk much. He agreed with Marcus, and after a small talk, he left the hotel, ready to leave the Green Star City.
Due to the OL Bracelet, Aiden easily found the map that marked the shortest route possible to Ten Thousand Abyss City.
After leaving Green Star City, Aiden headed south. He crossed a few large mountains in the next few days and finally arrived at a big city, Red Dust City.
Riverside City, Green Star City, Clearwater City, and names of other such cities that Aiden heard while registering for the Hidden Dragon Competition, were all located in the East Prefecture of Green Wood Region.
The Red Dust City was the biggest city in the South Prefecture. It always had the reputation of being the number one city in the South Prefecture.
Light Wind Empire had a total of eight prefectures. East Prefecture and South Prefecture were located in the Green Wood Region. North Prefecture and West Prefecture were located in the Red Flame Region. Aside from these four prefectures, Silver Prefecture and Storm Prefecture were located in Silver Thunder Region, and Iron Prefecture and Azure Prefecture were located in the Blue Water Region of Light Wind Empire.
As the number one city in South Prefecture, the prosperity of Red Dust City was self-evident. The scale of this city was huge, and it had a population of over a million. The streets were bustling with people, and the sound of peddling could be heard without an end.
It was a flourishing scene.
"The number one city in South Prefecture is quite prosperous."
Aiden strolled along the streets. He had been walking for a long time and noticed that the first three tiers of Star Warriors were everywhere on the streets. There was no lack of them. He even saw several Blue Spirit Star Warriors. The resources here were very abundant. Even ordinary people could become Third-tier Star Warriors.
He walked around for half a day, and when it was noon, Aiden felt hungry. So, he found a restaurant.
"Customer, this is the food you ordered. Please enjoy your meal."
Very quickly, the waiter served the food Aiden ordered. Aiden's stomach was already rumbling with hunger. When he saw the dishes on the table, he naturally did not hesitate to eat.
While eating, he also happened to hear a piece of important information.
"When will the Golden Auction House start the auction?"
"It seems to be in one month. This is a large-scale auction that only happens once every three years. Many people have received this news and are rushing to Red Dust City, intending to participate in this auction"
"One month later? Then it seems we have to wait for a long time. Anyway, do you know about any good item that may appear this time in the auction?"
"I don't know about that, but I'm sure there will be several good items."
"Heh, you all know nothing. This is a large-scale auction that only happens once every three years. How can there not be good items? You should know even White Dust Star Warriors will be participating in this auction."
"That's true."
Auction?
Aiden's eyes lit up.
The auction was a superb treasure hunting ground, and if he was lucky enough, he would be able to not only obtain some unexpected, good things but also spend a lot of money. Spending more means increasing his strength by several levels in the shortest possible time.
But that light in his eyes soon dimmed down.
It was a pity that the auction was in a month's time, and he could not wait that long. He has to go to the Ten Thousand Abyss City after all.
After eating, Aiden left the restaurant and continued to stroll around the city. This was his first time coming to Red Dust City, so he naturally had to stroll around.
When he passed by a square, he saw many people gathered there. Almost everyone's eyes were fixed on a golden monument that was glittering with golden light. There were many names on the golden monument that were shining with golden radiance.
"This young man from the Clear Moon City is pretty strong. He is ranked 97th and has made it into the top one hundred."
"He is a Blue Spirit Star Warrior at such the young age of 25. It is really not bad. He is an outstanding genius even in our Red Dust City."
"From the 1st place to 150th place, all of them are Blue Spirit Star Warriors. The Hidden Dragon Competition this time is going to be intense."
"Yeah, if you are slightly weaker, you will be eliminated."
"There are a lot of people who are going to the Ten Thousand Abyss City. Before going there, they come to test their strength here. The changes in the Golden Monument are quite big. Just the top 50th place has changed 15 people in the past five days."
"Yeah, seven people have changed in the top thirty, and two people have changed in the top twenty. Only the top 10 ranks haven't changed at all."
"How can the top ten change in just a few days? It's not easy to enter the top ten."
"That's right. If you want to rank into the top ten, you must reach at least Level 9 of the Blue Spirit Stage. Otherwise, it'll be impossible to rank in the top ten."
"Overall, the level of this batch's Hidden Dragon Competition contestants is much better than the previous batch. Just our South Prefecture alone has thirteen Blue Spirit Star Warriors. This number is almost twice as much as the previous batch."
"There are still two months' time until the Hidden Dragon Competition starts. It's hard to guarantee that these people won't make another breakthrough. When the Hidden Dragon Competition begins, White Dust Star Warriors may appear as well. After all, the top ten are on the verge of breaking through."
Through observing and listening to these people's conversations, Aiden roughly understood what was going on with this Golden Monument. This was a rough ranking of the young people below the age of 30 in the Light Wind Empire.
People can test their strengths here and rank if they are qualified.