Auction

“Sister, is there anything on the auction list you want?”

In the semi-open, luxurious VIP box, Avia pointed to the list of upcoming auction items in her hand and asked the girl in her arms.

“No.”

Selina’s answer was a little stuttered, the softness she felt from leaning against Avia was extremely uncomfortable for her.

‘So, why couldn’t such a large black market’s distinguished VIP boxes bring in two chairs?’

She heavily grumbled about this issue in her heart, but looking through the half-concealed screen to the other VIP boxes, most guests were either accompanied by their female companions or their maidservants.

The female companions mostly sat intimately on the main guest holding the invitation, while if maidservants were brought, they stood respectfully beside a chair.

One invitation represented one seat, and VIP clients could bring one additional companion.

This was an unwritten rule of the black market.

It had to be said, the black market’s security was quite good.

At least everyone present, even the staff, wore masks. These specially made alchemical magic-imprinted masks could conceal a person’s aura.

Selina found it almost impossible to determine a person’s true race wherever her gaze fell.

Avia’s Box 23 was on the second floor, offering an exceptionally broad view. Through the translucent screen, one could almost see the entire auction hall.

At this moment, on the auction stage, a woman in revealing and sexy attire genuinely pointed to an item on display, passionately introducing the treasure in the showcase.

“Esteemed guests, this is today’s third auction item. This item is named the Fiery Thunder Five-Shot Blaster. This magical firearm is the proud work of a Grand Magus who is half a step into the Transcendent rank. This magic-guided device has already been fully charged and can fire five consecutive exploding bullets with mixed lightning and fire attributes at once. If all five consecutive bullets hit the same enemy, its power is no less than a Tier 3 High-level magic spell!”

The beautiful auctioneer’s highly seductive introduction attracted many below, who were filled with greed for its terrifying power.

From ancient times until now, anyone who could reach High-level, whether a mage or a warrior, possessed strength sufficient to influence a small battle.

Among the various kingdoms and races, High-level mages and warriors were also the most elite forces.

The true identities of the guests invited to this auction were all invariably wealthy and influential.

Money was merely external possessions to them, while powerful strength could help them seize more power and wealth.

The moment she saw the magical firearm in the display case, a momentary daze appeared in Selina’s eyes.

This wasn’t because she was very familiar with this weapon.

On the contrary, as a former thief, her preferred weapons were mostly cold weapons.

Even when using hidden weapons, they were mostly those that required charging and crossbows.

‘There’s nothing to be done, I was a thief, not an assassin. My professional duty was primarily to silently steal items from a predetermined target. Most of the offensive methods I mastered were for creating good operational conditions and self-defense.’

‘Even if an unavoidable battle occurred, the vast majority of the time, I aimed for a quick resolution to minimize any large commotion. While the firearm’s power was strong, if a magic-charged firearm was fired… then forget about covert operations. Probably half the city’s guards would be alerted by the commotion I caused.’

“What’s wrong, little sister? Are you interested in this magic-guided device?”

Avia inadvertently noticed Selina’s slightly different gaze and asked.

“No, I just saw the way this weapon is triggered, it reminded me of a country across the ocean that excels at American-style Iaijutsu.”

“What Iaijutsu? Is it some special sword technique?”

“No, it’s simply a close-range, instantaneous gun-drawing technique. Quickly drawing a hidden firearm and pressing it against the enemy’s head, making their brains explode like a flower.”

“Ah, this…”

The dense whispers from above and below made the beautiful auctioneer’s smile grow even wider.

In this auction, her goal was to maximize each client’s desire to purchase, thereby making them truly bid up the price of the same item to elevate its profit and value.

Seeing that the atmosphere was sufficiently built up, the beautiful auctioneer began to announce the reserve price.

“After appraisal by our auction experts, the minimum price for this magical firearm has been set at 100,000 gold coins!”

On the Seraphis Continent, the purchasing power of one gold coin was roughly equivalent to 100 Renminbi on the former Blue Star. And a total of 100,000 gold coins meant that this single firearm, with no aesthetic appeal and actually extremely cumbersome, had a minimum price reaching the million-level.

The moment the reserve price was revealed, dozens of bidders on the first floor simultaneously raised their signs, showing that everyone was very satisfied with this third auction item.

“I bid 200,000 gold coins!”

“300,000 gold coins!”

“Does adding a thousand at a time truly show aristocratic bearing? 500,000 gold coins!”

“600,000 gold coins, I must have this auction item.”

Watching the increasingly heated bidding war among the auctioneers on the first floor, even Selina, who was no longer short of money, couldn’t help but click her tongue.

It had to be said, the black market was indeed the black market.

This lavish display completely showed that they didn’t treat money as money.

A price of 10,000 gold coins in any slum would be enough to significantly raise the living standards of the poor there.

Unfortunately, the nobles’ money would never flow into the hands of commoners.

Ultimately, this magic-guided device named Fiery Thunder Five-Shot Blaster was acquired by a customer at the exorbitant price of 1,200,000 gold coins.

On the auction stage, the beautiful auctioneer counted to three one last time before bringing down her wooden gavel, clinching the deal perfectly, causing her smile to stretch almost to her earlobes.

In this grand auction, apart from the invited guests, everyone else worked for the auction house.

Her perfect completion of this task should earn her a substantial commission.

Thinking of this, the beautiful auctioneer couldn’t help but throw a flirtatious glance at the customer who had acquired the third auction item.

At the same time, her curvaceous figure subtly swayed in the air, creating an alluring arc.

“Tsk, what a vulgar body…”

Because they were so close, Selina heard Avia’s faint murmur clearly.

Selina tightly tensed her twitching facial muscles.

She had originally thought that Avia, being a daughter not born directly to the Vampire Empress, wouldn’t have much obsession with her own figure.

In the past few days of their interaction, Avia hadn’t shown any such inclinations. But unexpectedly, even she was no exception.

Sure enough, any bloodline inheriting the Noct bloodline held no affection for mature-figured women.

As this thought crossed her mind, Selina’s body suddenly shivered.

‘Wait, at the same age, my own body’s figure also seems exceptionally mature. So, does that mean I also fall within Avia’s definition of “vulgar”?’

Thinking of this, Selina felt her back ache even more from leaning against Avia. She squirmed, struggling to get down.

“What’s wrong, little sister? Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, I just sometimes find standing more comfortable than sitting.”

Even though Selina’s answer was very subtle, she still distinctly felt Avia’s grip on her body visibly stiffen.

‘Crap, I think I just stepped on a landmine of the Vampire Royal Family…’

Selina’s face went pale, with only this thought left in her mind.