Extravagant Spending

This is the best pair of elves ever captured for auction. Miss this chance, and who knows when the next will be…”

The beautiful auctioneer’s face held an extremely alluring smile.

“No more empty words, esteemed guests will naturally understand their value. So now… the auction begins!”

The auctioneer pulled back the curtain covering the goods, signaling the official start of the auction.

“One hundred thousand gold coins!”

The curtain had barely been drawn, and the beautiful auctioneer’s introductory words were still unfinished when they were abruptly cut off. Everyone’s heads snapped around, their gazes gathering in the far corner of the venue.

A masked gentleman in a refined suit, wearing an exquisite wristwatch, proudly held up his bid card.

“VIP No. 72, are you sure you said one hundred thousand gold coins?”

The beautiful auctioneer’s small gavel hung suspended in mid-air, her voice betraying a hint of disbelief, stunned by the huge number.

Thirty thousand gold coins!

For some minor nobles, that was a sum capable of emptying several family fortunes, and for middle-tier nobles, it was an extremely painful amount.

Yet, this gentleman, who outwardly did not appear to be an aged family head with real power, showed no hesitation in his eyes, the auctioneer noted.

It was as if 30,000 gold coins were merely a few small coins he casually tossed to a beggar on the roadside.

The invited guests around couldn’t help but gasp at hearing this number.

Although most of them had expected the bidding for elf maids to be exceptionally fierce, prices were usually slowly driven up, right?

Who just overturned the table right from the start?

100,000 gold coins—this was almost the maximum ceiling price for the elf sisters.

The appraisal experts in the auction house would likely set the highest price at this figure.

But slowly bidding up and reaching the price in one go were two different concepts.

After all, saving a little money was still saving money. Who in this world would have trouble with money? Moreover, spending more money was not an honor, but a sign of foolishness.

But just as everyone thought this most important auction item would be set at one price by this noble young master, a clear, cold voice suddenly spread throughout the entire venue.

“Five million gold coins!”

The tone of the voice was casual, as if stating an insignificant number.

Almost instantly, everyone’s gazes were drawn uniformly to the upper left of the venue.

Those who could be seated in VIP boxes on the second floor, overlooking the entire auction, were distinguished guests, and their targets were mostly the final, items.

“Is some big shot personally coming down to compete with us on the first floor?”

Amidst the crowd, a masked man couldn’t help but ask.

“Heh heh heh, do people on the second floor not consider money to be money? Coming up and multiplying it five times right away? You’d need a mountain of gold and silver at home to squander like that.”

Discussions erupted among the crowd.

Inside VIP Box 23, Aileen sat, her expression as cold as a queen presiding over a grand banquet.

Selina, who was originally sitting in her arms, had disappeared.

“Ten million gold coins!”

The first masked young master who bid seemed somewhat surprised, glancing at the second floor.

Bid card 72 called out this shocking price.

However, before the price he called out could elicit a reaction from the entire audience, that familiar cold voice once again cut into the young master’s triumphant dream.

“Fifty million gold coins.”

The opulent hall fell silent for a moment, then it exploded like a burst pot, the whispers turning into a clamor, rising and falling.

‘Was this still the auction they knew? Did the numbers they were calling out still represent gold coins? That really was gold coins, the most common currency on the entire continent, indeed the most expensive unit, without exception!’

‘Million-level bidding increases, are young people today really this extravagant?’

Many bid cards, secretly held and ready to join the bidding, froze in mid-air. They questioned their hearing while awkwardly withdrawing their cards. Those jaw-dropping numbers made their hearts pound.

If the young master’s initial bid of 100,000 gold coins had ignited the atmosphere of the venue, then VIP No. 23’s two subsequent bids, increasing the price by multiples, were like a great mountain pressing down on the guests on the first floor.

It was clearly the soft, clear voice of a young woman, yet every number she called out was like a massive iceberg floating on an icy sea.

That extreme cold and overwhelming pressure quickly extinguished the newly heated atmosphere.

The cold sensation spread like a bone-chilling serpent over everyone’s bodies, making them thoroughly experience what it meant to have their perceptions overturned.

As for the beautiful auctioneer on stage, she hadn’t even recovered from the first round of 100,000 gold coins.

The appearance of the subsequent three strings of numbers pierced her nerves like sharp swords.

This feeling was like being pushed to an unexpected height on a swing.

The excitement faded, replaced by a strong sense of unreality. This incredibly unbelievable bidding method even made her feel somewhat…

…eerie.

Stirring the guests’ desire to bid was originally her duty, but she hadn’t even finished her opening introduction, and the price had already soared to 50 million gold coins.

The excitement in her heart gradually receded. Her intuition told the beautiful auctioneer that this auction was probably not just a simple profit-making endeavor.

In her heart, she even felt a urge for this part of the auction to end quickly!

Thinking this, she hurriedly raised the small gavel in her hand and began the first confirmation.

“Fifty million gold coins, going once!”

The beautiful auctioneer’s voice echoed through the venue, finally pulling back the guests who had been stunned.

Their eyes, as if they had seen a ghost, stared at Box 23, all secretly guessing the identity of this veiled female VIP.

“Damn it, someone’s actually fighting me for a s*ave?!”

The noble young master’s words carried a hint of indignation.

However, this was his first time attending a black market auction alone, and his pride would absolutely not allow anyone to steal his thunder!

“Fifty million and one gold coin!”

The noble young master gritted his teeth, raising his bid card again.

Although he also wanted to multiply the price several times like VIP No. 23, so that no one would compete with him for these two beautiful slaves, he had to suppress this impulse upon remembering his father’s strict restrictions on his funds recently.

‘It’s just for elves, there’s no need to spend so much money.’

‘These funds still have a great use for me.’

Avia in VIP Box 23 raised her bid card again.

This time, she didn’t even bother to say the gold coin unit after the number, but the number she simply called out was enough to seize victory with an overwhelming price.

“Damn it, where did these two madmen come from?”

Someone asked in a low whisper, baffled.

“With this kind of bidding, I feel like even having mountains of gold and silver at home isn’t enough. This must be a money-minting factory!”

Someone gritted their teeth, shaking their head, unable to hide the shock in their heart.

The numbers they called out represented a colossal fortune that many people in this world might never see in their lifetime, yet here, this fortune was only to be exchanged for two captured elf slaves.

Seeing this, the noble young master furiously slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair.

He had figured it out: the woman upstairs was genuinely determined to compete with him.

They were just two slaves, and 60 million gold coins already far exceeded their original value.

“Sixty million.”

‘If only my funds weren’t restricted recently, if only that old man hadn’t been watching me so strictly, how would I be suffering this silent frustration and entangled with people like this?’

“Hey, esteemed lady, those elf slaves have caught my eye. They are quite good, I like them very much. It just so happens that I lack a few serving women by my side. I see you don’t seem to lack attendants either. Why not yield these two elves to me? I will surely repay you in the future.”

One must bow under the eaves of another.

In a situation where he couldn’t reveal his true identity, the noble young master uncharacteristically spoke of human courtesies, which in Avia’s eyes, were full of flaws and hypocrisy.

“One should do as much as one is capable. In the black market, no matter what your status is outside, here, money and wealth are the hard truth. If you truly like those two elves, then bid them from me with more gold coins. Otherwise, please stay cool on the sidelines…”

These cold words left no room for negotiation.

The sarcastic tone further wounded the noble young master’s proud self-esteem.

He clutched his chest, a disgusted expression on his face.

He looked up from below, only to meet Avia’s crimson eyes.

In an instant, the young master’s body, which had been trembling with anger, immediately froze.

He seemed to have seen something terrifying, and promptly fell back into his seat.

Crimson eyes, bone-chilling coldness, as if capable of materializing into killing intent—these characteristics combined instantly made him understand the other party’s identity.

Some people concealed their identity to protect their own safety, while others concealed their identity merely to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Those noble yet blood-stained eyes, the noble young master had seen before.

He was not an ignorant wastrel. On the contrary, his noble but awkward position had long taught him the principle of picking the soft persimmon.

He had originally thought that such a shady place wouldn’t attract many people truly at the pinnacle of power.

However, he had consistently overlooked one thing: humans were hypocritical and cared about saving face, but not everyone in this world was human, and some did not care about “face.”

They were stubborn madmen, capable of anything to achieve their goals.

His words, actions, and even expressions just now had very likely offended the princess in Box 23. That momentary eye contact had sent shivers down his soul.

It was truly laughable.

Just moments ago, many people around her had called her ‘Your Highness’ as if she were a servant, and now, he too had to address that woman as ‘Your Highness’ in his heart.

There was no helping it. Although he and that woman were essentially the same, the actual inherited dukedom and marquisate belonged to him.

The actual ‘prince’ was merely an illegitimate child born of that old man after a drunken accident…

Although vampires were despicable creatures living in the shadows, in reality, compared to vampires, their own existence was even more unpresentable, a lifelong stain in the old man’s eyes.

The noble young master clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.

His body trembled continuously, either from fear or anger.

He wanted to resist, but that glance had made his legs weak, leaving him with no strength to stand up.

Thus, everyone gripped their bid cards tightly, yet no one dared to raise them again, because the intimidating aura from Box 23 seemed capable of overpowering all challengers.

“Sixty million, going once!”

“Sixty million, going twice!”

“Sixty million, going thrice!”

Finally, the beautiful auctioneer’s wooden gavel struck, making a crisp sound as it hit the wooden board, clearly echoing in everyone’s ears.

This frenzied auction had finally ended.

Everyone below sighed in relief, and the beautiful auctioneer on stage also couldn’t help but breathe out.

She knew that such a large business deal had long exceeded her expectations.

If any mistake had occurred midway, the owner of the auction house would not have spared her, a frail woman.

“Let’s congratulate VIP No. 23 for successfully bidding on this precious pair of elf sisters!”

The beautiful auctioneer cheered, but no one applauded below.

Because this auction was simply too crazy, so crazy that it made people feel a bit disoriented with the world.

Just as the beautiful auctioneer was about to wave her hand to introduce the next auction item, suddenly, from the distinguished Box 23, Avia’s identity card was raised again.

“Although I’ve acquired these two elves, I’m somewhat unsatisfied with the smaller one. I personally prefer adult elves. I remember your auction house should have a method to make her grow quickly, right?”

Avia’s voice, from high above, fell into everyone’s ears.

The beautiful auctioneer was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

“If the esteemed guest has any other wishes regarding the auctioned items, our auction house will try our best to fulfill them. There are indeed ways to make an elf grow quickly in a short time, but this young elf is too young. If you insist on trying that method, she might very likely die…”

After speaking, the beautiful auctioneer glanced with a hint of pity at the young elf huddled in the arms of the older elf, and reminded her again.

“We only provide the service here. If the young elf accidentally dies during the injection of the alchemical potion, we are not responsible. If you agree, we can…”

“I agree. Weak elves have no need to survive. If she dies, she dies. If she can’t endure it, it means she doesn’t deserve to live at all.”

Before the beautiful auctioneer could finish her sentence, Avia coldly interrupted her again, her words devoid of any reverence for life.

Inside the box, Avia intentionally or unintentionally glanced at the two elf sisters locked in the iron cage.

The older elf sister was staring at her with desperate and hateful eyes.

“Heh heh, what stubborn eyes, but very good…”

“I have already sent my sister to the backstage. She will supervise your entire process of turning that elf into the appearance I desire. I hope you don’t disappoint me…”