At this moment, the auctioneer on stage quickly began her introduction.
"Gaia Fine Steel is said to be a type of steel that naturally grows deep beneath the earth over tens of thousands of miles. As for its uses, I won't go into too much detail."
"Now then, the starting price for this item is five million Geo, with each bid increasing by at least thirty thousand."
At this time, Viktor's quiet exchange with Gwen was noticed by August.
He saw that Viktor's gaze was fixed on that piece of Gaia Fine Steel.
Soon after, August raised the plaque in his hand.
In that instant, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone knew that in the top private box on the second floor sat King August.
And they had also heard that the king was accompanying two distinguished guests from the Calencia Empire.
Among them, there seemed to be some madman named Viktor Clavenna, who liked to bombard things indiscriminately.
So at this moment, not a single noble dared to raise their plaque to bid.
It wasn't out of respect for the king, but because no one wanted to wake up the next day to find a massive crater blown into their home.
In the end, this piece of Gaia Fine Steel was easily won by August without any competition.
The auctioneer felt a bit surprised, but her professionalism kept her from dwelling on it, and she quickly brought out the next item.
"Mahazak Tail Wing Spike."
"This is taken from the tail of the ghost-like Mahazak that dwells among the mountains. It is a staff material that mages dream of."
"The starting price is three million Geo, with each bid increasing by two hundred thousand!"
This item didn't draw much interest from the crowd.
After all, most people present were warriors. This was clearly meant for mages, so what use did they have for it?
So, just as her words fell, August raised his plaque once again.
Viktor turned his head, his gaze falling on August.
August also turned and said to Viktor with a smile, "Since Lord Viktor is interested in Gaia Fine Steel, then I believe this Mahazak Tail Spike will be useful to you as well."
"If you have no use for it, I can also gift it to Princess Aurelian."
"I believe that, as a mage, she should have a staff of her own."
Viktor said nothing. He only glanced silently at Aurelian.
As if he understood something, he gave a light snort and said no more.
After that, none of the remaining auction items caught his attention.
Those antiques full of collectible value all seemed too ordinary in his eyes.
But collectors and nobles who appreciated deeper meaning were extremely enthusiastic about these antiques, waiting calmly and patiently for the right moment to bid.
Viktor even spotted antiques among the items that had been exported from Duke Levi's household.
No wonder Duke Levi's family was absurdly rich.
Even their antique business had been pushed into foreign markets.
But Viktor didn't believe that no one in the Empire was smuggling his magic potions. It was just that his potions had yet to appear here.
Perhaps it was because mages were scarce in the kingdom.
Or perhaps the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce didn't dare to openly auction his goods, not wanting to be targeted by a powerful mage.
Viktor thought about it.
Maybe selling those recovery potions here in the kingdom would have a better market.
Soon, one item after another was auctioned off.
After all the rare materials and ancient bones had been displayed, the auction entered its final stage.
The beautiful auctioneer gracefully raised her small hammer and lightly tapped it on the table.
The heavy sound echoed through the quiet hall.
"Everyone's enthusiasm has deeply honored our Cassidra Chamber of Commerce."
"Next, I believe this final item will be of great interest to all of you."
She leaned forward slightly, as if paying respect to a worthy opponent.
"This is something our Cassidra Chamber of Commerce obtained at great cost, willingly exchanging the lives of several brave warriors."
With her gesture, a red-orange glow lit up the curtain, and a series of iron cages were pushed forward.
Inside those cages were all kinds of demi-humans.
Fox ears, deer antlers, antelope tails, each belonging to extremely rare demi-humans.
There were both males and females, curled up in the corners, their bodies covered in wounds.
Under the firelight illuminating them, the fear in their eyes became even more obvious.
The moment these demi-humans appeared, Vanilla behind Aurelian had all her fur stand on end, her pupils shrinking.
Even Aurelian was momentarily stunned.
She had never heard that the final item of this auction would be demi-humans for sale.
Among this group of rare demi-humans, there was an especially large iron cage placed in the center.
"Of course, our most precious treasure today... half-beasts!"
The auctioneer shouted loudly and pulled away the black curtain covering the cage.
At that moment, the faces of the lords were filled with frenzy, and thunderous applause erupted.
Inside the cage were two robust tiger-people.
Aurelian felt especially surprised.
Half-beasts... this was her first time seeing such a race.
They were an extremely special branch among demi-humans.
Perhaps because their bodies had not fully evolved, aside from being able to stand and walk upright, their structure was almost no different from animals.
Their bodies retained all the features of beasts.
Like the two tiger-people on stage.
Their fur had not receded at all, and with tiger heads atop their bodies, they looked like two upright-standing tigers.
"Seeing that you have a demi-human guard with you, I figured you might be interested in these demi-human slaves."
August said with a smile as he looked at the visibly affected Aurelian.
"Coincidentally, the chamber has many demi-human slaves this time. What do you think?"
At this moment, the auctioneer pressed her hand downward slightly, signaling the nobles to quiet down.
Then she began announcing the auction rules, "The other rare demi-humans start at one million each."
"As for this pair of male and female half-beasts, the starting price is ten million! Each bid must increase by no less than one million!"
As her words fell, the hall erupted with noise.
The nobles, faces full of excitement, raised their plaques one after another, afraid that this pair of half-beasts would fall into someone else's hands.
Those nobles who could afford to bid on demi-humans were all wealthy and deeply established.
Perhaps these demi-humans could be unruly at times, but these noble lords didn't care.
To them, these demi-human slaves were powerful tools to display authority and control the populace.
But before their voices had even settled, a calm voice came from the top private box, "One hundred million. I'll take them all."
The voice wasn't loud, but it spread clearly throughout the entire auction hall.
Hearing this, the nobles frowned, their expressions changing slightly.
They realized someone had ruined their excitement, and a trace of displeasure rose in their hearts.
"Who is that? Only offering one hundred million and trying to take all these precious demi-humans?"
"Brother, that's a bit too much. We're competing fairly, how can you do this…"
Suddenly, their voices grew much quieter.
Because they followed the source of the voice.
In that private box, at some point, a man in a black coat had stood up.
His expression was calm and composed, as if he regarded everything with indifference.
At that moment, all the nobles fell silent.
'This person seems… somewhat familiar?'
Buzz!!!
Almost instantly, a terrifying magic formation expanded behind Viktor.
With a sharp, resonant hum, the surrounding magic power erupted violently.
The elements in the air became chaotic, and the magic energy turned sharp.
Under the dual pressure of immense magic and elements, the surrounding space began to stiffen, twist, nearly shattering.
"My meaning is, the one hundred million Geo isn't for just two half-beasts.", Viktor's voice was low and firm.
"It's for all the demi-humans."
His cold gaze swept across the auction hall, making every noble present feel an invisible pressure.
Like a freezing winter wind, biting and harsh.
As if countless invisible blades were hanging above their heads, sending chills down their spines.
"If I can't take them away today..."
"Then I'll take all of you."