That actually sounded nice, but Ves had become so high-
profile that he would definitely become the center of attention if he appeared in a crowd.
"Can I gain a preview of the listings if I speak to the manager?"
"No. That is expressly forbidden by the rules set by Estaban Leeds. Either everyone or no one gets access to this information. Since surprise is part of what makes these exclusive auctions more dynamic and exciting, the auction house does not have a habit of sharing this information in advance."
"I see. That's fair. I guess I will just have to wait for the grand auction to get going. Let's move."
Ves, Lucky and Kelsey moved straight to their private box and settled in for a comfortable wait.
In the meantime, more and more distinguished guests arrived and met each other in the reception hall and other spaces.
The absence of Ves in these public gatherings did not dampen the excitement among the participants.
Not only did they talk about routine business affairs, they also showed a lot of enthusiasm as they exchanged their opinions on explosive subjects such as cultivation, the Red Collective and what it all meant to their respective states or organizations.
Nobody remained unaffected by the changes sparked by the historic public inquiry!
Many people stood to suffer a lot of losses, but there were others who saw brand new opportunities advance their interests.
None of these powerful people wanted to remain stagnant and fall behind the latest development. Regardless of whether they supported or opposed the recent changes, they all sought to capitalize on the latest trend if only to ensure they kept up with their rivals.
This was why even the likes of Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson attended in order to represent the interests of the Fifth Enforcement Fleet.
Of course, her galactic citizen tier was not high, but she came in the company of a more senior RF officer.
The same applied to Jovy Armalon and Vector Loban. They arrived with their respective buddies from the same faction and eagerly helped to identify new opportunities for cooperation.
The eagerness to forge new partnerships was a clear indication that the latest turning point had shook a lot of parties.
It became impossible to maintain the old status quo because Ves single-handedly shook the very foundation of human society and the Red Two!
Cultivation should have been an open secret for at least a few more years. That would have given all of the major players a comfortable head-start.
Since Ves had spoiled their plans, they all scrambled to adapt in order to strengthen their positions in more immediate ways!
Ves smirked when he thought about what he had done. Those elites sought to deprive the common folk of essential benefits in order to satisfy their selfish interests. They had what was coming to them as far as he was concerned.
Only by serving the common folk would humanity be able to realize its greater potential.
Many powerful folk rightfully feared that giving ordinary people access to cultivation would lead to a lot of instability, but that was precisely why the Red Collective became necessary.
Time slowly passed by. Ves spent much of his time petting Lucky while allocating much of his attention to catching up on his advanced studies in his mind.
Soon, hundreds of high-tier galactic citizens and many more followers steadily began to fill up the upper hall.
The lighting of the cozy venue gradually began to dim. The only sources of light came from the fluorescent fish and aquatic plants that occupied the submerged space. Their inconsistency added a lot of novelty and created a special atmosphere in the upper hall.
Jovy and Vector both entered Ves' private booth after a while. Their energetic expressions showed that they had likely participated in a few successful ventures.
Before the two mechers could share their experiences, the highly anticipated event commenced.