Date- 7 April 2321


    Time- 11:20


    Location- Southern Region, Southern Capital, Southern Card Creation Association, Auction House


    "What, the auction is dyed? When will the auction start?" Aba blurted as she was looking forward to this auction. The sense of being weaker than her peers was eating away at her so she wanted to fill that hole with her expensive cards as fast as possible.


    "Sorry, Miss Aba, due to some variables I am unable to answer that," the auction house director answered Aba awkwardly. He was genuinely ashamed that he could not assist Ann entertain her friends.


    Instead of the auction, I was getting more interested in the auction house director, he not only knew Ann but Aba too, however, Aba did not seem to know the director. The surprise on Aba''s face, as the director called her by her name, made it clear. There was something about this director, I shook my head not bothering to pursue my doubts any further, as it was not surprising for a director of the auction house in the southern capital to know a few key figures such as Aba. As the only daughter of Demigod Windsor, Aba was a pretty big deal even if she doesn''t show it.


    "What seems to be the problem?" Ann asked as she found the atmosphere in the auction house not quite festive as it usually used to be. Ann nned to help the auction house to the full of her prowess and authority.


    The auctions held by the Southern Capital''s card association attracted a lot of traffic from all over the southern region and the other regions. It was an event as important as an extravaganza to the economy of the city and dy in such an event did not reflect well on the Southern Capital''s card association and indirectly on the Southern capital itself. Because of this small incident, this event can get a bad reputation and in the future, the traffic attracted by this event would decrease affecting the economy of the southern capital directly affecting the southern region''s tax revenue. So, Ann decided to help the auction house in any way possible.


    "Your Highness,this morning a card creationist traveled from the western region and challenged our card association. This challenge attracted a lot of attention from guests from other regions who wanted to attend the auction. So we had to find a big venue for everyone to witness the challenge. As a result, the main hall of the auction house which nned to hold the auction was chosen as it was only the venue that the card association coulde up with in a short time which was big and luxurious enough to entertain all the honorable guests from other regions."


    "Isn''t that dumb? If you are nning to hold the auction in the main hall then why would you use it as the venue for the challenge, you could have used other halls," Aba uttered looking at the auction house director.


    "Miss Aba, we thought the challenge will be done by now but unfortunately the card creationists of our card association have fallen shortpared to the card creationist from the western region," the director sighed because he never excepted that a single individual would embarrass their card association to this level.


    "A card creationist from the western region using my southern region as a stepping stone to make a name for himself? Now that doesn''t surprise me, however, I am more shocked that my people are not able to defeat a Westerner. Exin to me why is that?" Ann''s brows frowned hearing the card association was having a hard time handling a challenge from an individual, that to a Westerner no less. Not to mention, due to the auction, many influential people from other regions witnessed the challenge. Somehow all this did not seem a coincidence but a conspiracy to embarrass the southern region.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." listening to Ann''s question the director went silent because he could not think of any good reason for the card association being embarrassed by a single person from the western region.


    "Was Minister Lorn notified about this?" Ann asked the director as Lorenzo was the head of both the southern array master association and card association.


    "Your Highness, the challenger is a young golden-grade card creationist of the card grandmaster realm," the meaning of the director''s words was clear since the challenger of the lower realm it did not warrant alerting the association head.


    "A grandmaster realm golden-grade card creationist? Tell me how a challenge from the lower realm was able to attract so much attention?" Ann asked in suspicion. A challenge from the grandmaster realm card creationist might cause amotion in a third-tier city like Sky Blossom City but not in the Southern Capital.


    Anything short of Card Emperor did not attract much attention at the heart of the southern region. Yet a challenge from a card grandmaster to the card association was able to attract huge attention, now Ann was certain there was a conspiracy afoot here.


    "Your Highness…" the director''s eyes wandered not knowing how to exin the events that lead to the current situation to Ann.


    "Out with it," Ann ordered the director.


    "Well, your highness, the challenger tried to enter the Card association dressed like a beggar and smelling like filth. So, when the customersined about the smell our staff had no choice but to confront the challenger and deny him entry to the card association.


    The staff in question was very respectful and polite to the challenger, they only denied him entry to the card association after he reject the staff''s offer to use a cleansing card on him to remove the filthy smell that bothered other customers.


    However, the challenger grew angry and used that incident to challenge our card association by disying his card creationist badge certified by the Western card association.


    Then the onlookers blew the story out of proposition leading to the current situation," the director exined awkwardly as he knew no matter how he narrated the incident it did not show the southern card association in good light.