“First, these four individuals—I imagine most of you have already learned about them through various channels,” the host announced with a smile. “Nevertheless, allow me to introduce them. This fox-eared maiden is named White Orchid Snow, and as for her lineage, she is the daughter of the former patriarch of the Snow Fox clan.”
The fox-eared girl in the cage bowed her head deeply, her hands clutching her skirt tightly. Indeed, such a revelation was profoundly humiliating.
“Next, this succubus lady, named Melantha, is a rare pureblood of the succubus race,” the hostess continued.
The purple-haired, red-eyed girl in the cage remained remarkably calm, her expression utterly devoid of emotion as she scanned the buyers seated before her.
“Finally, we have a pair of twins from the elven race: the elder sister, Odismona, and the younger sister, Ilos.”
These two elven maidens, with whom I had no prior contact, reacted far more naturally than the others. They huddled together, gazing fearfully at everyone below the stage, igniting a fervent, wicked desire in the hearts of some men.
All eyes then turned to the final iron cage, which remained shrouded by a red cloth.
“Her name is Ye Menghan, a rather peculiar name,” the host began, recalling that Si had not concealed my true identity when selling me to the auction house. “Why do I say her value is no less than the combined worth of the other four? The host paused, then continued, “Because she possesses King-level magic, or even higher.”
A moment of silence descended upon the room. King-level and above—that meant entry into the King’s Domain, making her a true top-tier powerhouse. If one could acquire her now, before she matured, they could properly ‘train’ her…
Even those with less substantial financial means began to entertain wicked thoughts.
With a swift *swoosh*, the red cloth was pulled away. The sudden rush of bright light caused me to squint slightly.
The hall fell into a deathly silence once more. Earlier, they had thought that someone with King-level strength, put up for sale, must be damaged goods. But now…
“The starting bid is one million. Each subsequent bid must be at least one hundred thousand. Good luck, everyone,” the hostess said with a playful smile.
“Five million!” The words had barely left her lips when a short, stout middle-aged man immediately raised his paddle, quintupling the price. He clearly intended to intimidate everyone from the outset.
However, five million was clearly insufficient to deter the majority.
“Six million!”
“Seven million!”
I sat within the iron cage, watching the bidding war unfold with a complex mix of emotions. I was curious to see which unlucky soul would purchase me, only to be instantly annihilated the moment they brought me to the King’s Domain. Believe it or not.
Moreover, these clothes were incredibly embarrassing. Coupled with the countless men leering at me with *those* eyes, as a straight man, I could only feel my skin crawl.
“Sixty million!” A scrawny old man directly shouted an exorbitant price. Everyone instantly fell silent. The old man revealed a triumphant smile, while the hostess on stage beamed even more brightly. The initial estimated value had been around thirty million, but it had now more than doubled.
“Going once for sixty million.”
No one spoke.
“Going twice for sixty million.”
At that moment, the grand doors of the auction house were gently pushed open.
“Going three times for sixty million. Sold…”
“Wait.” A handsome young man, appearing to be around twenty years old with short, light blue hair, emerged from the doorway.
“Oh, and what is your bid, sir?” The hostess’s joy intensified.
“Since each bid cannot be less than one hundred thousand, I shall adhere to that rule,” the young man replied with a smile.
“So, sixty million one hundred thousand?” the hostess asked cautiously.
“No, one hundred and ten million,” the young man said, his smile radiant.
“You—” The hostess was about to protest when a demon in a formal suit quickly walked up from backstage, stopped the hostess, and whispered a few words to her. He then turned to the young man and said, “Very well, Mr. Cowell, the auction item is now yours. When would you like to retrieve it?”
The scrawny man, who had been sneering at the mention of one hundred and ten million, froze the moment he heard the name ‘Cowell’.
“Immediately,” Cowell stated without hesitation.
“Certainly, please make yourself comfortable in the reception room. I will bring her over right away.” The man in the formal suit forced a smile, still maintaining a respectful demeanor. Fifty-nine million, just like that, gone.
Cowell naturally noticed the man’s expression but merely smiled, unconcerned. “I appreciate your trouble, then.” With those words, he departed.
“I’m absolutely screwed!” the man roared the moment he reached backstage.
“Who… who is he? He’s… he’s quite…” the hostess stammered softly, unable to voice the last word: ‘handsome’.
“One of the Thirteen Emperors of the Dark Realm, Cowell Sindralan.” The man took a deep breath, cursing under his breath. “Damn it, I never expected *that* one, who’s never shown interest in women, to show up. This is a massive loss.”
“The… *the* Cowell Sindralan?!” The hostess’s face contorted in shock.
I, standing not far from them, overheard their entire conversation. How utterly unreasonable, I thought, shaking my head. Simply overwhelmingly domineering.
*Click.* The formally dressed man approached and unlocked the cage. “Come on, don’t linger in there. Go meet your new master.”
Truthfully, I felt a pang of panic. One of the Thirteen Emperors of the Dark Realm… what if even Si couldn’t handle him?
‘Don’t overthink it,’ Si’s voice resonated in my mind. ‘Even if you weren’t sealed, given my current state, I absolutely couldn’t deal with this guy. Honestly, how can your luck be so terrible?’ Si gave me a definitive answer: no, she couldn’t handle him.
‘And you have the nerve to say that?!’ I roared inwardly. ‘If it weren’t for you, would I be in this predicament?!’
“Don’t dawdle, keep up.” It was clear that the auction’s manager was quite displeased.