I Married A Degraded Alpha
Chapter 196: Drawing Attention

Chapter 196: Drawing Attention

Yuri’s face lit up as she successfully received three billion into her account. A faint smile was etched on her lips.

Kinx quirked an eyebrow, saying, "How about selling me those other few gems you’ve kept?"

Yuri shook her head, "Those are to be treasured heirlooms."

Choking back a surprise, Kinx asked, "When will you cut the remaining eight hundred stones? Can I watch? If the outcome is good, I’ll buy them all."

Yuri still shook her head, "I am heading to Imperia Nexus tomorrow. We may not meet again."

"Well, what a coincidence... I am also returning to Imperia Nexus tomorrow. We can travel together." Kinx responded with a light smile.

That night, Yuri booked a room next to Kinx’s. The following day, they travelled together in Kinx’s private lev to the spaceport.

Kinx helped her buy tickets for the starship – two luxurious adjacent rooms.

Once on the starship, Kinx spent each day inviting Yuri to movies, sharing meals, exercising, and visiting the game room.

Yuri never refused, accepting every invitation.

"You’re like a mystery. The more I get to know you, the more enigmatic you seem." Kinx stared at Yuri intently.

With a smile tugging at her lips, Yuri hinted, "Soon you will see my true self. Be patient."

Kinx’s gaze flickered, "I’m looking forward to it."

When the starship arrived at Imperia Nexus, the central planet of the Empire, Yuri and Kinx exchanged contact information and then parted ways.

Yuri first checked into the most expensive hotel in the Empire. She changed into fresh clothes and then attended the most famous auction in the Empire.

"Miss, we don’t accept ordinary items here." The clerk who received Yuri said in a haughty tone.

Yuri, wearing a Phoenix Shell pearl bracelet, lazily pulled her hair back to reveal her diamond earrings. Then she adjusted her collar to reveal a stone on her collarbone. It sparkled and looked similar to a starstone.

The clerk’s pupils contracted, stammering, "The necklace you’re wearing is——"

"Oh, this? It just looks like a starstone. It’s not real," Yuri casually fingered the stone.

The clerk swallowed her surprise, So it just looks similar. She thought to herself, Who would walk around wearing a real starstone?

Even if it wasn’t a starstone, it still looked exceptional.

"Do you want to auction this piece?" The clerk asked with a warm smile.

"Sell it," Yuri replied simply, removing it and casually tossing it to the clerk.

The clerk hastily caught it, and after confirming that the gem was undamaged, she finally relaxed. "Do you have anything else to auction?"

"Yes." Yuri randomly tossed a few more gems from her dimensional button. Each one was a rare treasure.

The clerk was left stunned and also quietly celebrated internally. This month her commission would multiply several times over.

The clerk recorded the information and handed Yuri a VIP pass to the auction, her voice sweet as honey, "The auction starts tomorrow night at eight. If you have time, you can come over and take a look."

Yuri noncommittally nodded her head.

The next morning, as soon as Yuri woke up, she received a communication request from Kinx.

Yuri hung up.

Kinx’s friends, witnessing his call being rejected, looked at him with disbelief.

"There are people who can refuse you, Kinx, in this day and age?"

"From kindergarten to now, is this the first time you’ve been rejected?"

"Good heavens, this historic moment, did anyone manage to capture it?"

"It happened too quickly. I’m turning on my camera now, Kinx, try making another call."

"Go on, try again. You’ve already been rejected once; one more time doesn’t matter."

Kinx looked at his teasing friends, a twitch at the corner of his mouth, he retorted, "Are you guys really that happy?"

"Yes, extremely happy," everyone chimed in.

"Alright then, I’ll play along for your amusement today." Kinx said, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, he made another call to Yuri.

This time, Yuri accepted.

A wave of disappointment echoed in the room.

Raising an eyebrow, Yuri explained, "I was still in bed and couldn’t talk, that’s why I hung up."

"Sunshine, you can reject him one more time," one of Kinx’s friends chimed in.

Yuri, confused, said, "How about I end this call now and you can try calling again?"

And with that, she really did hang up.

Kinx: "..."

The room roared with laughter.

Kinx, massaging his forehead, made yet another call, and as everyone hoped, Yuri hung up again.

The laughter was louder this time.

Unable to help himself, Kinx started laughing too. He made another call, and this time, Yuri accepted.

"Can we talk now?" Yuri asked.

Seeing her serious expression, Kinx couldn’t help but chuckle, "We can now."

"Do you need something?" Yuri asked as she was on her way to the hotel restaurant.

"There’s an auction tonight, I wanted to invite you," Kinx said.

Raising an eyebrow, Yuri replied, "You mean the Glittering Auction? Oh well, I also got an invite."

Kinx wasn’t surprised at all. Someone who could casually spend thirty billion on rough stones attending a jewelry auction seemed pretty normal.

He proposed, "Shall we go together?"

Yuri nodded, "Sure."

"I’ll pick you up at the hotel at seven-thirty tomorrow night."

After ending the call, Kinx’s lips curled up in a genuine smile, unlike the fake ones he typically wore.

His friends exchanged glances.

"You’ve fallen for her, Kinx."

"Even if she is a rare beauty, haven’t you seen plenty of those? Come on, tell the truth, what’s so special about Miss Bawu?"

"You guys are overthinking this. I’ve known her for less than ten days; there’s nothing between us. I just find her mysterious and interesting." Kinx confessed earnestly.

Kinx’s friends didn’t believe him and wanted to press further. At this moment, Kinx flipped open the catalog and pictures of the auction items for the night.

They gasped, utterly surprised.

"Is that a starstone?"

"That’s impossible, how could a starstone be in an auction?"

"Just read the item description. The appraisers of the auction said it’s only a gem that resembles a starstone and gives off a faint glow. Since it’s the first time they’ve seen this kind of gem, they’ve temporarily named it Moonstone."

"You gave me a fright, I thought a new starstone had appeared."

Hearing the word ’starstone’, a fleeting murderous intent flashed in Kinx’s eyes.

Meanwhile, inside the Empire’s palace.

"Just like a starstone?" Princess Nina, the sixth princess, asked nonchalantly.

"Yes. A beta tried to use their spirit to enter it, but failed," a subordinate answered.

"That’s too bad then. After Jira died, Father has always wanted to train another Jira. If there really is a starstone, he would definitely be overjoyed." Nina voiced her disappointment, but her face showed a smile.

Her subordinate bowed his head even lower.

"Who brought this stone to be auctioned?" Nina asked again.

"It was a woman named Bawu. Besides the Moonstone, she also brought several other gems to be auctioned, all of which are rare treasures."

"Oh?" Nina became interested, "I have no other plans tonight anyway, I might as well go and take a look."