When he was making the game, Nol paid attention to popular trends.
Among these, "thwarting opponents' key plans by using knowledge from a rebirth" was a particularly satisfying trope for many. Now, he suddenly had a concrete feeling of it, albeit from the perspective of being "inexplicably thwarted".
The Eternal Church could create time-reversion blood potions, so it was inevitable that Star Stealer Sol would possess similar capabilities. Perhaps unbeknownst to them, Star Stealer Sol had quietly intervened.
Otherwise, where would such unreasonable obstacles suddenly come from?
Fortunately, the "laws of time" were unrelated to the system, and the torrents of the past were destined to remain unchanged. Not even gods could transcend the cosmic order itself.
Even if Star Stealer Sol returned from a future point in time, he could only change minor details—each member of this four-person team was a heavyweight, and Star Stealer Sol couldn't make them die prematurely.
Nol lay at the bottom of the cage. His mouth was between his paws as he quietly thought.
If everything was truly "coincidental", that would be best. If Star Stealer Sol was secretly hindering them, it indicated their investigative direction was correct. Since their lives were temporarily safe, the priority was to continue with the original plan.
Figure out a way to infiltrate the White Light Castle. Figure out a way to infiltrate White Light Castle… Right, they seem to have a Pope lying in solitary confinement.
They could turn a mistake into an opportunity, delivering the goods passionately by presenting Fischer disguised as the White Demon. The Eternal Church was also a seller at the auction, and since they couldn't act as sellers themselves, why not hitch a ride on this opportunity?
[Fischer.] He prodded Teest with his mind, and the cat knight immediately perked up his ears.
Teest instantly understood. [You want to use the Eternal Church.]
Since Fischer was one of theirs and they had all the necessary intelligence and evidence, they just had to lie about being undercover Eternalists to infiltrate the auction.
Thus, after the dinner, "Pope Fischer", holding a large cat, appeared in the Eternalists's room.
Nol immediately saw the real Fischer in the cage.
Mr. Pope diligently played the role of the White Demon, but his gaze inevitably lingered on the white cat. Fortunately, Mr. Mad Monk's appearance was cute enough. It was normal for children to be interested in cats.
"May everything be eternal. We have been looking for you."
The masked cultists bowed one after another.
"I have my own matters to attend to." Nol cleared his throat, adopting a thoroughly villainous tone as he gently petted the cat in his arms.
Without a High Priest accompanying, there were only some high-level cultists here. "Fischer", as the boss, naturally didn't need to explain his schedule to his employees.
Teest looked at these once-standard prey, and his paws alternately kneaded Nol's arm.
"This time, the auction is managed by Markus and Brice. Hand over the seller's proof. I want to replace them," Nol said casually, nodding towards Mentor behind him.
For secrecy, they had specifically sent away Golden Sword Billy, saying they would find a way to obtain the identity proof.
According to Billy's words, if the seller was a group, it was permitted to temporarily change representatives.
As long as they passed the identity verification, the auction only recognized the group's identity tag—after all, some people didn't want to expose their personal identities, especially shady organizations like the Eternal Church.
Mentor now wore a black cloak, his face hidden in the shadows. Just add a cultist mask, and he looked exactly like a villain.
Faced with the Pope's direct order, the fanatical Eternalists naturally didn't question. Only Fischer held the cage's metal bars tightly, staring intensely at the large white cat.
[No wonder both sides chose zealots for their high ranks.] Nol scratched the soft cat ears.
[They would commit suicide immediately if you asked them to.] Teest replied with a purr, his disdain unmistakable even beneath the rumbling. [Ridiculous guys.]
Saying so, he pushed his other ear forcefully into Nol's palm.
"That thing, remember to send it on time." Mentor suddenly spoke up, his staff pointing at Fischer in the cage. His tone was very natural, filled with authoritative commands.
True to his reputation as a seasoned professor, even Nol tensed for a moment.
"As soon as the auction ends, we will send it immediately." The Eternalists by the cage hurriedly bowed. "Of course, we will have the elders confirm again."
"Good." Mentor stroked his chin, and he took the identity proofs handed over by the cultists.
The moment the proof was in hand, a magical black fog surged up. When it dissipated, the "Pope" and his subordinates vanished. Fischer withdrew his gaze in disappointment—his silver-white God had only glanced around upon entering, then spent the rest of the time looking towards Nol without any eye contact with him.
God was always like this. But this time, he had successfully made an offering, and God would remember.
Fischer closed his eyes, continuing to pray within the iron cage.
...
Thanks to the sponsorship of the Eternal Church, the group successfully entered White Light Castle.
The interior of White Light Castle was even more luxurious than the exterior, cleverly avoiding any sense of extravagance.
Deep into the night, White Light Castle remained as bright as day.
In the corridors, there were no overly complicated crystal chandeliers, only elegantly designed wall and ceiling lights, with the lighting arranged just right. Each light was adorned with gem-made floral patterns, each of which could be sold as top-tier jewelry.
The elegant wallpaper was decorated with expensive artwork. The air was filled with a blend of herbal fragrances, which was invigorating to smell.
Beyond the archways were dreamlike gardens, leading to more archways. White Light Castle had a vast interior, with corridors leading everywhere, but the path to the auction was marked by a magical fence, ensuring anyone trying to leave prematurely would hit an invisible wall.
Billy and Mentor, wearing black robes and masks, confidently moved forward. Teest now walked on the ground, following closely to Mentor. The white cat's paws were restless, touching the thick magical protection.
[Remarkable defenses,] the Mad Monk commented. [Billy was right. We can only break through from inside the auction.]
[Are you sure there's no problem?] Nol was still a bit worried.
He hid under Mentor's robe, trying to contain his presence. They had already forged transaction documents, with Nol's identity as "a sold alchemical magical pet". Even if discovered, the Alva Merchant Group wouldn't find any fault.
However, the combination of a large white cat and a small black dragon was too rare, and Nol didn't want unnecessary attention from onlookers.
Anyway, they wouldn't be searched upon entry, only repeatedly screened for offensive weapons. As an ultra-miniature God of Creation, there was nothing more harmless than him in the world.
He was worried about other issues at the moment—
According to their original plan, "alchemical magical pets" were generally priced low and would be auctioned in the front part of the auction. They would be released after the auction, allowing everyone to move freely.
However, the Eternal Church submitted much more, including rare items. Staff would occasionally check in with them, meaning Mentor and Billy, the two "seller representatives", couldn't leave until everything was auctioned.
With time pressing and both their combat abilities somewhat lacking, Nol could only stay and rely on Teest, a single cat, to scout ahead, planning their route in advance.
[Have you forgotten? I excel at infiltration.] Teest's tone was relaxed and comfortable. [Take the chance to enjoy the auction, honey.]
Through Mentor's robe, Nol could see the four white paws at the edge of the robe. The paws moved, stopping always close to him.
The lights brightened and dimmed, with one of their key objectives close at hand. The auction room was much smaller than Nol had imagined, resembling a private theater rather than a large venue.
The box door silently closed, and Nol shot out from Mentor's robe like a cannonball.
As one of the major sellers, the Eternal Church owned a nice upper-level box. The box was prepared with various wines and desserts, even thoughtfully including a menu—Nol glanced at it, noting items like "Eye of the Cave Beholder (unsalted)" and "Wine-Soaked Giant Spider Abdomen", clearly not meant for human consumption.
Teest elegantly circled to Nol's side, ignoring Mentor and Billy. His tongue lightly licked the tip of Nol's mouth.
"I'll go first." This time, he didn't use telepathy but spoke with a purr.
Before leaving, his gaze swept over Nol's small backpack. Then, with a flick of his tail, he vanished into the shadows like melting snow.
Teest left gracefully.
Nol suddenly felt a chill at his side. He waved his paw, pouring himself a dish of sweet sparkling wine, trying to stay calm as he licked it. From this height, he could overlook the entire brightly lit auction room.
This was his first time attending an auction in his life.
"Now that we have the Church's account, can we buy something?"
Mentor examined the identity proof provided by the Alva Merchant Group. It was a large round plate made of pure gold, decorated on the front with the Alva family crest and on the back with the Eternal Church's divine emblem, along with a series of magical inscriptions resembling an account.
The proof bore a faint magical fluctuation. Nol narrowed his eyes, discerning for a moment—the inscription was activated, indeed connected to something.
"Typically, these identity proofs have a limit… But you guys have some skills, managing to get the password along with stealing the identity proof."
Billy helplessly poured himself a glass of ice water and gulped it down.
"So, there's a password." Mentor showed just the right amount of surprise. "Seems like we can only randomly shout out bids now."
Golden Sword shrugged. "It would indeed be strange if the Eternal Church didn't buy anything."
Mentor: "Looks like we need to carefully pick our targets to avoid suspicion, and we'll need your help later on…"
The two smoothly carried on the conversation.
Nol had no interest in joining the discussion. After licking his dish clean, he flew to the edge of the box, pressing his nose against the window glass.
The auction started, and the glamorous male host took the stage. Exactly as Billy described, the opening featured various rare but not precious trinkets, mostly from individuals or small trading groups.
A cursed compass that could track the owner of unknown bloodstains, a putrid potion that could regenerate teeth indefinitely, a beautiful ghost fixed within a cage crystal, legendary lost masterpieces…
"Alchemical pets" were indeed banned. Nol perked up for over an hour, not spotting any alchemical pets, only some potions and tools.
As time passed, Nol's nose, which was pressed against the glass, started to hurt.
With the small items auctioned off, the goods from large trading groups began to appear. The display projection started to show precious weapons from high-level dungeons, unique blessed jewels within the system, and a cursed crown capable of instantly erasing thousands of people… Nol's pupils gradually narrowed.
Behind him, Mentor also began to randomly bid.
This person specifically targeted popular yet malicious items, only to "regretfully withdraw" at the last moment. Just minutes ago, they "lost" the cursed crown by a mere hundred gold wheels.
Nol stood still, not participating at all.
He was just silently discerning those tools, identifying which were made by beings of this world, which were his designs, and which the system autonomously generated during his absence—those expensive items came and went in those blue eyes, grinding away time second by second.
There was no unusual news from Teest's side, Nol thought. The situation seemed stable for now.
The auction was running as usual, and there was nothing odd about the items, at least nothing he could detect. The few times staff came in to communicate about the items, they managed well.
Was the difficulty of infiltrating solved just like that? Was he overthinking? Did Old Duke Alva really just whimsically change the type of auction items?
"…The next item, from the Rizzi Caravan, 'Supreme Blessing'!"
On stage, the host announced in a passionate voice.
"Guaranteed by the magicians of the Alva Merchant Group, this miraculous feather pen can remove all known curses. Note, all. Known. Curses!"
"So far, no craftsman has been able to decipher its making. It must be a creation of God, because even the wrath of God can be calmed by this pen!"
"Humanity can't infinitely provoke the dignity of God. I must honestly inform everyone. This pen can only be used once. But believe me, it's absolutely worth it—it can save any creature you wish to save. Imagine, if you saved a dragon…"
Nol straightened up.
He didn't catch the rest of the words. His gaze was firmly fixed on that pen.
It was a product of the system—designed by the system itself as a "quest reward" during his absence, emitting undeniable power.
To others, this item might indeed be precious, but not the highlight.
Nol glanced at his status bar, where [Physical Destruction [Indissoluble]] was listed.
He couldn't be sure yet if this item would be useful. If its function was real, to him, this item could be considered priceless.
The next second, he saw a bid from another box.
It was the Alva family's box.
The author has something to say:
As an adult who has outgrown advanced tastes, I was momentarily confused when I first typed "thwarting*".
*Clarity: She's referring to the second paragraph of the chapter where the word "thwarting" is mentioned. The word is (搞黄) which can mean various things (depending on context). In the context of the paragraph, it means to sabotage, ruin, thwart… However, it can also mean "turn something yellow" as the yellow [huang] (黄) is slang for explicit contents (which could mean "to engage in porn"). So if you replace thwart with creating porn… Well, let's just say the game Nol would be making wouldn't be an MMORPG…
Sorry…