If Leya’s presence already imposed a formidable aura on everyone present, then Cyborn, however, added a layer of sheer terror to that pressure.
Imagine a man nearly twice your height, with a broad back and a powerful build, standing before you like some primordial beast. The psychological impact of such a figure was nothing short of immense.
To make matters worse, Cyborn’s face bore two grotesque and prominent scars, striking fear into the hearts of all who beheld them. Many lowered their gazes, not daring to meet his cold, domineering eyes, fearing the weight of his stare.
If even the guards reacted this way, then the auction house president, Fubin, was in an even worse state.
When he heard that Cyborn represented the Sixth Prince, Fubin’s face darkened so much it seemed water might drip from it. He was utterly distraught.
As the branch president of the Guild of Roseland, Fubin understood the immense weight behind the words “Sixth Prince.”
The Sixth Prince commanded the entirety of the Kingdom’s Northern Legion. In terms of military might, aside from the Southern Garrison Legion, he was the strongest among the four princes, leading over 150,000 well-equipped, elite troops forged in continuous warfare against the Kingdom of Gasol.
To illustrate just how terrifying the Sixth Prince truly was, consider a vivid example.
The First Prince was widely regarded as an heir with power comparable to the Sixth Prince. He commanded 80,000 Royal Guards and could muster an additional 150,000 troops from various regions, seemingly outnumbering the Sixth Prince by 80,000.
However, the numbers weren’t so simple. What kind of soldiers did the First Prince conscript, apart from his Royal Guards? To put it plainly, they were reservists or city patrolmen, akin to urban security.
These were individuals who, in previous generations, had been merchants, farmers, or laborers, supplemented by patrol officers who mostly bullied common folk. Most had seen little to no actual combat, essentially conscripted by the government as cannon fodder.
They had received no systematic military training, and even their basic equipment and weaponry were questionable.
This wasn’t to say the First Prince lacked funds; quite the opposite. He controlled two of the wealthiest provinces in the Kingdom, which also served as its political, cultural, and economic heartlands.
Yet, due to various reasons, the powerful noble families in the central provinces were disunited. The two Dukes supporting the First Prince were secretly plotting against each other, maintaining only a facade of unity, while rampant bureaucracy and corruption plagued their administration.
Consequently, the First Prince now had to meticulously budget even to pay his Royal Guards’ salaries.
Furthermore, the First Prince’s central location presented an an awkward strategic disadvantage. He had to defend in all directions—east, west, north, and south—meaning his forces were spread thin, with only about 60,000 troops allocated to each front.
Despite his apparent strength, a closer examination revealed the First Prince to be, ironically, the weakest of all, a truly lamentable situation.
In stark contrast, the Sixth Prince, if he truly set his mind on claiming the throne, could mobilize over a hundred thousand elite troops to march south.
The First Prince, facing such a formidable, wolf-like elite army, would be utterly helpless.
****
Understanding all of this, Fubin was now utterly pale with fright, nearly collapsing onto the ground, a comical sight indeed.
‘Why is the Sixth Prince here?’
‘No, that’s not important right now. The crucial thing is how I can answer to save my career!’
“This… My lord… Are you…?”
“Are you deaf?!” Cyborn roared. “I said they are friends of the Sixth Prince! Dare to lay a hand on them, and see what happens!”
Fubin’s face twisted into a bitter, speechless expression.
‘Who the hell did I offend?’ he thought. ‘An inexplicable woman causes a scene for no reason, absconds with my star attraction, my biggest source of income, the sprite, and now they tell me they’re friends with the Sixth Prince?!’
“This… My lord, the sprite was captured by us with great effort. For you to simply…”
For the sake of money, Fubin threw caution to the wind, puffing out his chest and speaking with forced bravery.
After all, if this incident truly got out, it would not only be a humiliation in front of all these nobles. More importantly, if headquarters learned that a sprite had been brazenly taken from his branch, the consequences would be severe.
‘Losing my job would be minor; having enemies come to silence me later would be the real disaster!’
Seeing Fubin’s persistence, Cyborn subtly revealed a hint of displeasure. He glanced imperceptibly at the Sixth Prince, who was sipping tea on the second floor, and the prince gave a slight nod.
“Ten million spirit coins to take this sprite, plus compensation for damages. Is that enough?”
“Pfft!—H-how much!?”
“I asked, is ten million spirit coins enough?”
‘W-what?! It’s really that much!’
‘One…’
‘One thousand…’
‘Ten million spirit coins!!!’
Fubin’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Of course, it wasn’t that the money was too little; it was far too much!
What were spirit coins? Simply put, one spirit coin equaled one copper coin. However, unlike direct gold coin payments, spirit coins were a currency guaranteed by copper, silver, and gold coins, storable in a magic communicator.
In essence, it was an ‘otherworldly bank card.’
After all, one couldn’t expect someone to haul dozens of sacks of gold coins for such a massive transaction. Even if the buyer wasn’t tired from carrying them, the seller would surely get cramps from counting them.
Considering the previous purchasing power of one copper coin being equivalent to a steamed bun, in Leya’s previous life, this would be equivalent to ten million yuan. It was certainly not ten million Japanese yen, nor ten million Vietnamese dong!
Even converted to gold coins, it was a staggering one million gold coins!
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
No matter how rare a sprite was, one wouldn’t spend ten million on it, would they? Furthermore, ‘taming’ it after purchase would still be an issue.
Everyone present involuntarily gasped, stunned by the Sixth Prince’s sheer generosity.
“What, unwilling?” Cyborn’s face darkened slightly as Fubin remained silent for too long.
“This, haha, hahahahaha, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!—”
How could Fubin possibly harbor any dissatisfaction?
Setting aside whether he *dared* to be dissatisfied, this incredibly generous price alone was enough. Fubin would gladly give Erica away, even if it meant breaking his own head.
The last sprite auction had only fetched one million spirit coins, or one hundred thousand gold coins. While Erica was indeed young and beautiful, a tenfold increase in price was nothing short of a miracle in the entire auction world.
Immediately, after these matters were settled, Fubin swiftly changed his demeanor. A ingratiating, false smile plastered across his plump face, he declared, “Since His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince has spoken, how could this humble one possibly have any objections? Hehe, from this moment forward, that sprite belongs to His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince!”
Having spoken, and without waiting for Cyborn’s reply, Fubin puffed out his corpulent belly and furiously roared at his disappointing guards in the center of the arena:
“You scoundrels! How dare you lay a hand on the friends of His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince?! This is an unforgivable crime, an affront to heaven itself! As punishment, you are all dismissed from the Guild of Roseland, effective immediately!”
The assembled guards stood in stunned silence.
“I… I object!” a slightly youthful soldier stammered, hesitantly raising his hands.
“I object too!”
“Me too!”
“Exactly! We didn’t even lift a finger from start to finish!”
More and more guards, fueled by suppressed indignation, spoke out indignantly.
‘This had nothing to do with us! Your councilors were the ones provoking, and you, Mr. President, gave the order to seize her! We were just diligently following commands!’
‘Was that wrong? We hadn’t even touched the girl’s clothes, let alone laid a hand on her!’
“Hmph—object, do you?” Fubin sneered, his expression turning sinister.
“You worthless wretches aren’t fit to object! Scram! If you don’t know what’s good for you… hehe, I guarantee you won’t see tomorrow’s sun!”
“You…” One of the guards flushed with anger, glaring indignantly at Fubin, wanting to speak but ultimately too afraid.
“Sigh…”
‘Are we truly to be sent home in such disgrace?’
*Thump—thump—thump.*
The sound emanated from the center of the arena.
It was the crisp, heavy sound of a longsword striking the ground.
****
‘Ah…’
‘This is truly unbearable to watch.’
Whether it was the ten million spirit coins or the sudden appearance of new ‘friends,’ Leya found herself utterly disinclined to ponder such matters. She was, in truth, quite vexed by it all.
Now that their tedious chatter had finally concluded, Leya’s gaze sharpened. She was just about to speak.
“Heh heh, hello, Miss. My name is Cyborn. And yours?”
Leya remained silent.
Frankly, Leya was hesitant to answer. Her true form was far too weak, and having her real name discovered by someone with ulterior motives could prove disastrous.
However, it seemed he had, in some way, helped her. Though she hadn’t asked for his presence, and she particularly disliked being interrupted when she was ‘showing off.’
After a considerable internal struggle, Leya finally replied, “Artoria!”
“Artoria?”
Cyborn blinked in confusion. ‘It seemed the sprite hadn’t called her that name earlier, had it?’
‘Well, no matter. Completing the mission is paramount!’
“Then, Miss Artoria, to be frank, my master—His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince—is very eager to meet you. It would only take a little of your time. Do you have a moment?”
‘The Sixth Prince, huh…’
Leya actually had no desire to meet him.
Moreover, her transformation time was down to roughly ten minutes.
“Uh… Our Prince says that if you don’t accept the invitation, then at least please accept this magic communicator as an apology for Harvey’s actions yesterday…”
Leya was speechless.
‘This world truly is… small!’
Still, if it was Harvey’s boss, it might prove to be quite interesting.
“Alright, five minutes… take me to your master.”
Finally, with a somewhat complex expression, Leya cast a glance at the auction house. She then led Erica, swaggering, down from the platform.
It wasn’t that Leya didn’t want to continue fighting. Rather, after the recent emotional and personality shifts, the now-calm Leya felt significant doubts about her current state.
Furthermore, her objective had already been achieved.
As for the rest! ‘Heh heh, they’ll definitely learn what happens when you provoke me…’
However, Leya also clearly felt that her Saber form wasn’t entirely suited for such tasks. Otherwise, she could have simply unleashed a massacre while still on stage.