It was evening now, and the luxurious limousine pulled smoothly up in front of the Loosebelt Auction House.
The building was massive... far larger than Lucius had anticipated from the photographs.
It stood five stories tall with an elegant façade of polished white marble and gold trim that caught the fading sunlight.
Elaborate sculptures of mythical creatures flanked the main entrance, and a red carpet stretched from the curb to the massive double doors.
This was clearly an establishnt that catered exclusively to the wealthy elite.
Lucius stepped out first, his expensive Italian leather shoes clicking against the pavent with satisfying authority.
He wore a custom-tailored suit that had cost nothing less than two million royals... an astronomical sum by any reasonable standard but it was worth every single coin.
The fabric had been woven from the processed fibers of an A-rank monster, making it damn near bulletproof while remaining soft as silk against his skin.
The suit moved with him perfectly, never restricting his movents despite its protective qualities.
It also ca with a personal pair of thin tal-frad glasses that made him feel like he was starring in so kind of high-budget spy film.
’What’s the use of accumulating money if you aren’t going to spend it properly?’ Lucius thought with satisfaction, adjusting his cufflinks.
The girls erged from the limousine monts after him.
All of them wore elegant black suit garnts in various styles... Selene was in a form-fitting blazer and slacks that emphasized her curves, Amber in a more conservative three-piece ensemble, Vanessa in sothing with a military edge, and the others in their own variations.
Lucius liked the coordinated look imnsely.
But there was one accessory they were all wearing in common.
Masks.
Because apparently, to attend the Loosebelt Auction House, one needed both a formal recomndation from an existing patron and an elaborate mask to maintain anonymity during bidding.
The masks ranged from simple domino styles to full-face venetian designs decorated with feathers and jewels.
Lucius wore a sleek rabbit mask painted in silver and black, which had seed amusing when he selected it but now felt oddly fitting.
All of them approached the imposing entrance together, and the massive doors swung open automatically to reveal the auction room beyond.
The interior was breathtaking.
The main auction hall featured rows upon rows of comfortable leather seats arranged in a gentle slope, all facing an elevated stage with professional lighting and sound equipnt.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, and the walls were decorated with priceless artwork from various eras.
The atmosphere scread wealth and exclusivity.
The rules of the Loosebelt Auction House were relatively simple, according to the information packet Selene had provided.
Each attendee would receive a bid paddle with their assigned number printed on it.
The seating was arranged according to these numbers, with lower numbers indicating more prestigious positions closer to the stage.
From your seat, you could raise your paddle to place a bid on any item presented.
You wouldn’t pay imdiately during the auction itself... Instead, paynt was collected at the back of the stage when you went to claim your purchased item after the event concluded.
However, there was a severe penalty for overbidding.
If you placed a bid above what you could actually afford to pay, you had better be prepared to serve serious jail ti.
The outstanding amount would be automatically borrowed from the world bank in your na as a mandatory loan, and you would spend the rest of your natural life paying back that debt.
The interest rates were intentionally predatory.
So it was strongly advised to not even approach the Auction House unless you had sufficient liquid assets to back up your bidding.
’As for what I personally plan to accomplish here today...’ Lucius thought while surveying the opulent surroundings, ’I’ll simply relax and observe.’
They had excellent air conditioning... he could already feel the perfectly controlled climate washing over him so he could rest comfortably and just watch the proceedings unfold without pressure.
Maybe make a few strategic purchases if sothing particularly interesting appeared.
The uniford guards stationed at the inner checkpoint asked for identification.
Lucius and the girls all brought out their phones simultaneously, displaying their virtual tickets on the glowing screens.
The guards scanned each one with professional efficiency, verifying the encrypted codes.
Finally, they were granted entry into the main venue.
Lucius looked around with genuine appreciation for the setup.
Their tickets had specific seat numbers printed on them, and they moved through the gradually filling hall to locate their assigned positions.
Since it was both Amber and Lucius attending together as Selene’s personal guests, she had naturally secured them front-row seats directly next to her own premium position.
Selene held number one... the absolute best seat in the entire house, positioned dead center with perfect viewing angles.
Lucius was assigned number two, directly to her right.
Amber received number three, to his right.
The rest of the girls... Vanessa, Luna, Elena, and the others were scattered randomly across different sections of the auction house, their numbers placing them in the mid-range seating areas.
They settled into their assigned seats.
The chairs were even more comfortable than they had appeared from a distance... genuine leather with built-in heating and massage functions that activated automatically.
Lucius felt Selene imdiately rest her face against his shoulder the mont he sat down.
It seed the woman had completely forgotten the fact that they were front and center stage, in full view of every other attendee in the auction house or rather, she simply did not care about appearances whatsoever.
Lucius’s rabbit mask twitched slightly as he glanced down at her.
"What do you plan to purchase from here, my love?" Selene asked sweetly, her voice muffled slightly against his expensive suit.
Lucius stared ahead at the stage, watching as preparations continued.
Maids had begun circulating through the rows, distributing the bid paddles to each numbered seat. But these weren’t ordinary human maids... they were beastkin, each one sporting distinctive animal ears and tails.
Lucius’s eyes widened as one approached to hand him his number two paddle.
She had adorable cat ears that twitched expressively atop her head, and a long fluffy tail swished behind her. She wore a classic maid outfit modified to accommodate her non-human features.
The cat-girl maid curtseyed gracefully, her tail curling upward.
"Thanks for ow~ coming today, kind sir!" she said with practiced cheerfulness, adding a playful ow sound in the middle of her sentence.
Then she moved on to deliver Amber’s paddle.
Lucius stared after her, his mind suddenly racing with possibilities.
"Can I buy a beastkin?" Lucius wondered aloud, turning to Selene.
She looked at him for a mont, then chuckled softly with obvious amusent.
’So he’s one of those types of n...’ Selene thought, though without any real judgnt.
She could understand the appeal, honestly.
Beastkin were objectively beautiful by most standards, with exotic features that set them apart from humans and they had those impossibly fluffy tails and expressive ears that were genuinely hard to resist wanting to touch.
"No, unfortunately you cannot purchase them outright," Selene explained patiently. "This isn’t the Old Age when such transactions were legal. However..."
She smiled mischievously behind her elegant mask.
"I can easily hook you up with the owner of this establishnt. He can arrange to hire one for you as personal staff. It’s a common arrangent among the wealthy."
Lucius reached over and patted her head affectionately.
"You really are the absolute best," he said with genuine appreciation.
Selene flushed visibly behind her mask, color rising in her cheeks.
She rested her head more firmly against his shoulder, practically purring with contentnt.
Amber didn’t even pay them any attention whatsoever.
She was far more interested in studying the stage setup, her analytical mind already cataloging the security asures and magical protections she could detect and then, gradually, the ambient lights began to die down.
Everyone had taken their seats, and the excited murmur of conversation faded to expectant silence.
There was a dramatic shuttering sound as powerful floodlights suddenly basked the entire stage in brilliant illumination.
A tall, blond man stepped confidently into the spotlight.
He was handso as hell... classically attractive with sharp features and perfectly styled spiky hair that defied gravity. H
e wore a suit similar to Lucius’s expensive ensemble, though his featured bold pinstripes that created an eye-catching pattern.
The man held a wireless microphone with ease.
He cleared his throat with theatrical flair.
"Testing... testing..." he said, his voice carrying perfectly through the hall’s sound system.
A few won in the audience imdiately began laughing courteously at this non-joke, the sound was artificial and grating.
Lucius’s eye twitched behind his mask.
’I swear... what is this absolute cringe?’ he thought with barely concealed annoyance.
The forced laughter finally ended, and the auctioneer adjusted his tie with a smooth gesture.
"Welco, distinguished guests, to the Loosebelt Auction House!" he announced with practiced enthusiasm. "As you all know, our organization travels extensively around the world, acquiring the finest and rarest items from every corner of civilization. And today, we’re right back in our beloved hotown with a collection ready to blow your minds!"
Polite applause rippled through the crowd.
"Our dedicated explorers and procurent specialists worked incredibly hard on assembling this particular set of items," the auctioneer continued, building montum. "And I sincerely hope you all appreciate their efforts!"
Just then, two beastkin staff mbers... these ones with dog ears and wagging tails carefully pulled a wheeled table onto the stage.
On the table rested an item concealed beneath a specialized mana-conductive cover that prevented detailed analysis.
The auctioneer reached over and dramatically whipped the cover away.
Revealed beneath was a fist-sized crystal glowing with deep crimson light.
It looked disturbingly organic... almost like a crystallized heart, with veins made of liquid mana crawling across its faceted surface.
The pulsing glow matched the rhythm of a human heartbeat, creating an unsettling visual effect.
Lucius imdiately sensed powerful blood magic radiating from the object.
And it was high-grade... Extrely high-grade.
If Vanessa consud or integrated sothing like this into her existing magical system, she would almost certainly rank up to S-rank imdiately. The sheer quantity of concentrated blood-attribute mana contained within that crystal was staggering.
And if she ranked up successfully, and managed to get a few more of her key workers to achieve S-rank as well through similar thods, then Grimmaw Guild could legitimately apply for National Guild status.
National Guilds raked in absolutely obscene amounts of money from governnt contracts and exclusive dungeon access rights.
Vanessa would practically beco one of the richest won alive within a few years.
’I have to invest in this,’ Lucius thought, his eyes beginning to glow with intensity behind his mask. ’It’s ti to go all in on supporting her advancent!’
The auctioneer allowed the crowd to absorb the sight of the crystal for several long monts, building anticipation.
Then he began his prepared speech.
"This magnificent item is known as the Heart Titan Core," he announced with reverence in his voice. "It is an extraordinarily rare artifact specifically suited for blood mages, and was retrieved directly from the heart of an S-rank Boss monster recently killed during a World Dungeon Raid conducted in the eastern territories."
Excited murmurs spread through the audience.
"The Heart Titan Core can be implanted directly into the user’s body, or alternatively integrated into a weapon as an enhancent component," the auctioneer explained. "It grants a permanent three hundred percent increase to mana regeneration rates. This ans that a blood mage using this item to facilitate a rank-up would gain access to vastly increased mana pools with minimal recovery ti."
He paused for effect.
"However, we strongly advise that this item only be used to facilitate a rank-up from A-rank to S-rank specifically. The imnse amount of concentrated mana can potentially kill individuals with insufficient magical capacity or control."
Several people in the audience shifted nervously.
"Additionally," the auctioneer continued, his voice rising with excitent, "the Heart Titan Core enables the user to briefly access one of the original Boss monster’s signature abilities. This skill is known as Blood Overdrive."
He let that na hang in the air.
"Blood Overdrive temporarily multiplies the user’s physical statistics... strength, speed, durability, and so forth as well as dramatically enhancing the user’s inherent ability to manipulate blood magic. The multiplication factor is over twenty tis normal capacity."
Gasps echoed through the hall.
Twenty tis was absolutely insane.
That kind of temporary boost could allow an S-rank mage to fight on par with SSS-rank opponents for short durations.
The auctioneer allowed the tension to spread naturally through the room, watching faces behind masks light up with desire.
In the back sections, Vanessa’s hand twitched involuntarily.
She hadn’t actually planned on bidding for anything tonight... she had co primarily as Lucius’s guest and backup. But now, staring at that pulsing crimson crystal, she was prepared to bid with everything she had.
This was her chance.
Her opportunity to break through the barrier that had held her back for years.
"The starting price of this exceptional item is two hundred million royals." the auctioneer declared. "Please begin your bids!"
Imdiately, dozens of paddles shot into the air.
"Two hundred and ten million!"
"Two hundred and thirty million!"
"Two hundred and fifty million!"
The bids climbed rapidly, voices overlapping as wealthy attendees competed desperately.
"Three hundred million!"
"Three hundred and twenty million!"
"Three hundred and fifty—"
But it was over before it truly began because Lucius calmly raised his number two paddle.
And spoke with absolute authority.
"One point five billion royals."
The entire auction house went completely silent.
You could have heard a pin drop.
People who had been shouting bids monts ago simply froze, their mouths hanging open in shock.
Several paddles that had been raised slowly lowered back down.
Lucius didn’t need to shout his bid.
He didn’t need to repeat himself or add any additional comntary.
The sheer magnitude of the number spoke for itself.
He had just bid seven tis the opening price in a single statent, completely obliterating any possibility of competition.
The auctioneer stared at him for a long mont, clearly not having expected such an overwhelming bid so early.
Then his professional training kicked in.
"Going once..." he said, his voice slightly shaky.
Nobody raised their paddle.
Nobody even moved.
"Going twice..."
Still absolute silence.
The auctioneer’s gavel ca down with a sharp crack.
"The Heart Titan Core has now been sold to Number Two for one point five billion royals!" he announced, genuine awe coloring his voice.
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the auction house.
People weren’t clapping for the item... they were applauding the sheer audacity of the bid itself.
’The work is done.’ Lucius thought with a smile as the item was carted to the back.
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