Harry did not use the full extent of his powers to give Lex a shave, for influencing Lex’s soul was much too difficult. That didn’t mean he didn’t give him a decent shave.

In fact, Lex felt so relaxed afterwards that he took a small, thirty minute nap afterwards, waking only when the auction was actually beginning.

"Forget a barber shop, you should open up a sleep clinic or something," Lex said as he got up.

"That’s not a bad idea," added Z, who had somehow removed the marker from his face. He supposed it was a bit much to expect him to be unable to remove it. He wasn’t an ordinary immortal, after all. Especially not after surviving the gauntlet that was Abaddon.

"Thanks for the support guys, but aesthetics is a big part of my Glamor Sorcery. Ever since I upgraded my Soul Pool in the back of the shop, my growth rate has skyrocketed. I think I might just become the sorcerer equivalent of a Heaven Immortal before any of you."

Lex raised an eyebrow.

"Don’t rush it," Lex said. "You don’t want to rush through the cultivation realms. It’s better to maximise the gains from each realm instead."

Harry shook his head, smiling.

"That’s just it. I’m not rushing. I’m actually trying to slow down as much as possible. But the essence of growth in Glamor Sorcery is working on souls, and with me getting so many immortal customers everyday, I literally cannot keep myself from growing even if I want to."

Lex shook his head. Yup, everyone at the Inn was completely broken. He’d never heard of anyone doing their best to keep their cultivation low, but it kept on rising. No, wait, that sounded a lot like him too.

The three of them continued to chat while sampling some of the snacks laid out in front of them. On stage, the auction was beginning.

*****

Mary looked at herself in the mirror one last time before going up on stage. She was dressed quite formally today, unlike her previous time at the auction, where she went for a bombastic look. A long, formal black skirt, white shirt and blazer made her look like she was ready to strike a multi-billion dollar deal. Only her bright pink tie broke from the strictly-business look she had gone for - but hey, all outfits were incomplete without some color.

She hadn’t needed to do the entire auction herself. In fact, Lex originally wanted to have the first segment be divided into multiple smaller segments based on category, and hold them all concurrently. That would make the auction go by faster.

Mary had been the one to convince him otherwise. It might be slower, but time was the one currency most cultivators had in abundance. Even if they were not immortal, their lifespans would normally be increased significantly, as such they tended to do things slowly, and at a gradual pace.

Lex could keep rushing through things, especially since he had his own goals with this auction. Yet if he maintained his sense of urgency in every action of the Inn, people would begin to notice the trend eventually.

After all, being relaxed in their actions was not an easy thing to fake. He needed to learn how to slow down, at least where it didn’t make a huge difference. For example, even if the auction was held in one stream instead of multiple, the overall difference was only a few days for the auction to conclude.

That, in itself, was already a very fast conclusion in the eyes of many. Lex thus, reluctantly, allowed her to host the entire auction by herself.

Mary smiled at herself in the mirror before spraying a cologne on herself. Of course, the cologne was also just a projection she had conjured up from memory, but the impeccable projection capability of the system made it seem as if it were entirely real.

So, in one very simple move, Mary was able to recreate the scent of one of her favourite colognes from back when she had a real body. It was a scent that could no longer be created since the ingredients no longer grew naturally. Only a Dao Lord, who could create whatever environment they wanted, could cultivate those resources and then use them to create this specific scent.

It was such a tiny detail, but it would add more credibility to her claim of being a Dao Lord. Some might even recognize it, but that was irrelevant for it was a popular scent back in the day. It wouldn’t drop any hints as to her previous identity.

These minor details were things Lex didn’t have to pay attention to because the system kept him entirely isolated, making him seem mysterious. She, on the other hand, wanted to increase her credibility as much as she could.

Something still felt incomplete, though. After another glance at her outfit, she added a silver colored watch to her right hand, and a ring with a pink gem to match her tie on her left hand. That was better.

With a confident smile, Mary walked out onto the stage surrounded by darkness. It seemed like she was all alone, surrounded by the void, yet she knew that she was being watched by millions of beings across the Inn.

Good thing she no longer looked like what she used to back when she was a Celestial, or there would be a scandal.

"Good morning, guests, and welcome to the largest auction ever held by the Midnight Inn. We don’t typically hold auctions, so I hope you all enjoy this one as much as possible. There’s a little something here for everyone, whether you’re a mortal entering the path of cultivation, or an immortal who has mastered it. So, without wasting any time, let’s get into it.

"I will explain the rules for those of you attending an auction for the first time, so please pay attention. It would be a shame if some of you missed out on getting your hands on what you want just because you made a mistake."