"Oh? What's this—ah, right! A participation slip," Zarrif said, taking the slip from my hand with surprise. Then he smacked himself on the head with it. "Forgive me, Michio-sama. I'm still a bit unfamiliar with the rules of these big auctions, so I was momentarily caught off guard. But yes, yes—I must deduct 1,000 Nars from the winning bid of 300,000 Nars. I remember now," he added with an apologetic bow.
I raised an eyebrow at his antics but stayed calm and simply nodded.
"I am eternally grateful for your grace today, Michio-sama. The final amount comes to 174,900 Nars," he said, flashing me a big grin full of pearly white teeth.
Ouch. That's such a low price. I actually winced hearing it. Jasmine already felt like a steal at 30 Gold, but not even 20? That's just robbery. I did feel a little guilty—momentarily. But that didn't stop my hands from quickly handing over the payment: 17 gold coins and 49 silver.
That officially made her the least expensive girl I had bought in this auction so far.
I glanced at Zarrif, concerned, but he took the payment with the same enthusiasm as if I had paid double. Maybe my 40% Discount skill was affecting his perception, making him believe this was some kind of amazing deal?
Without delay, he moved to begin the ceremony. This time, even I couldn't hide my excitement as I raised my left hand, with Jasmine mirroring the gesture in front of me.
Zarrif launched into the chant with theatrical flair—waving his stubby arms, jumping from one side to the other like a street magician trying to impress children. His voice rang out dramatically, as if the sheer volume could add more power to the ritual.
I glanced at Jasmine, who gave me a wry smile, clearly apologetic for the overly dramatic performance.
At last, with a grand, sweeping bow, Zarrif brought the ceremony to a close.
[Jasmine – Female, 16 years old, Desert Warrior, Owner: Kaga Michio]
"I vow to serve you with my utmost devotion, Master," Jasmine said, presenting her Intelligence Card as she knelt.
"You don't need to do that," I said, stopping her and gently helping her back up, my fingers brushing her soft arm. She gave a small nod of understanding.
"Here, take a look at mine too," I added, showing her my Intelligence Card, which now had her name on it.
[Kaga Michio – Male, 17 years old, Adventurer, Free Man, Slaves: Roxanne, Sherry, Lillia, Anastasia, Miria, Vesta, Setsuna, Ram, Rem, Viviana, Shea, Jasmine]
"Such a benevolent Master you are, Michio-sama," Zarrif interrupted our moment with a happy laugh. "Jasmine is surely a lucky girl!"
Jasmine nodded with a gentle smile.
Wanting to be rid of this clown as soon as possible, I quickly ushered them toward the waiting room. It did strike me as a bit odd though that he hadn't mentioned anything about my duties as her Master or even taxes related to Jasmine.
"I would say we will meet again—but I don't even know where your establishment is," I said, baiting him to see if he would finally reveal the name of his city.
"Ahaha! I believe in fate, Michio-sama. If the Three Gods will it, we shall meet again—even in the scorching sands of the Great Desert," he replied, bowing deeply. So deeply that his white turban nearly fell off.
I had questions about the Three Gods he mentioned, but I figured it was better to ask Jasmine about those things later.
As we made our way back to the auction room, I found myself almost giddy holding Jasmine's soft hand. I couldn't clearly remember much about my childhood, or if she was truly my first crush, but I was sure she had been one of my earliest ones—and now she was mine.
Still, in Jasmine's case, I was far more interested in her personal story. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her—but I would have to be patient.
"Welcome to my family, Jasmine. I am thrilled to have you join us," I said with a warm smile, glancing at the brown-skinned beauty.
"Thank you for accepting a mojin— a desert person like me, Master," she replied, blinking her long lashes as her big brown eyes locked onto mine.
Haa... Even her gestures were seductive. It only enhanced the appeal of her already sexy body. Or was that just my horny mind again? I reined my thoughts in with some effort and gave her a calm smile before explaining the essentials.
When we returned to our seats, Shea excitedly introduced herself and the others to Jasmine. Thankfully, no one outright rejected her—that was a good sign.
Just as I sat down, Anastasia alerted me through the party link about the next exhibit.
I smiled wryly. Thanks to Zarrif's dramatic antics, two whole auctions had passed while I was gone. And now, the turn of another girl I had my eye on had already come. Although even if I hadn't returned in time, I was sure Anastasia would've handled the bidding easily—but my presence would definitely put her more at ease.
As soon as Rosten announced, "Next exhibit!" a Level 17 Slave Merchant walked onto the stage. And behind her came an energetic female Catkin.
She strode confidently to the center of the platform, head held high, proudly gazing toward the audience.
It was Remu.
"Let's have a good auction," the Slave Merchant said with a bow.
"The next exhibit is a sixteen-year-old female Explorer. She is a Catkin from the Panther tribe. The minimum bid is two hundred thousand nars. Begin," Rosten announced loudly.
"200,000 Nars."
"210,000 Nars."
'She should be a popular one, right?' I asked Anastasia through the party link, watching as the bids climbed rapidly.
'Yes, Master. Her price could go up to 800,000 Nars, especially since Explorers are ideal for Labyrinth-diving parties. Most people won't care much about her former ties as a Bandit either, so we won't have much leverage there. But… I think we can be more aggressive this time—catch them off guard and maybe get her at a lower price,' Anastasia said confidently. 'And I am sure everyone is wary of your wealth now, Master.'
I smirked at her comment and pulled her thin waist closer, resting my other arm across the back of the seat like some royal big shot.
In front of me sat a row of beautiful slaves of various races and sizes, a lovely Slave Merchant was practically on my lap, bidding in my place. All I needed now was a few gold chains and a pair of slaves massaging my shoulders, and my thug-rich fantasy would be complete.
I chuckled to myself at the image.
True to her word, Anastasia launched into an aggressive bidding spree. She barely paused, raising the bid by 50,000 Nars each time without hesitation.
"670,000 Nars!" she shouted boldly.
I was slightly worried about her throat from all the loud yelling, especially during the last few minutes, but with her body pressed against mine, I could feel how excited she was. If this wasn't such a serious setting, I might have checked if she was wet down there too.
'Amazing,' I told her through the link as the room fell silent. All the other bidders—Adventurers, Merchants, even the Knights—had fallen out one by one. No one dared raise the price again.
"Sold!" Rosten declared, knocking his gavel three times.
Remu glanced up at me with a small grin, and I smiled mentally—satisfied that we had secured her at such a bargain.
I slid my hand along Anastasia's waist in praise for a job well done, then stood up to go and get her.
"Congratulations on winning the bid. I am Selbin, a Slave Merchant from the city of Trenval," the Level 17 Slave Merchant said, bowing along with Remu as I approached.
I smiled and greeted them, and we proceeded toward the inner room. I noticed that Remu was far more composed than before, walking behind us with disciplined attention.
"The easiest way to reach Trenval is through Valencia City," Selbin explained when I asked about his establishment's location. "What? Michio-san, you don't know where Valencia is? It's one of the most famous cities in the Empire—just southeast of Quratar."
He lit up with excitement after realizing I had never heard of it, and honestly, if the room hadn't been so close already, I feared he might have given me an entire travel brochure on the spot.
Once we stepped inside, Selbin went to speak with the Merchant, leaving me with Remu.
"Is something wrong? Why are you so stiff, Remu?" I asked, noticing her rigid posture.
She blinked her green eyes, surprised. "Nothing, Master. I was just trying to show my discipline."
"That's quite cute—but you don't have to be all stiff like that," I said with a chuckle.
"C-Cute?" she asked, visibly flustered.
Before she could react further, I handed Selbin the slip—honestly, I should just start calling them Magic Slips, because they really work like magic.
"Yes, let me deduct this from the price of 670,000 Nars. Also, I wanted to thank you for the generous bid today, Michio-san. Your total comes to 401,400 Nars," he said with a small grin.
My 40% discount Magic Slip had worked again—knocking the price down from 67 Gold to just 40 Gold and 14 Silver, which I promptly paid.
Remu was still a bit flustered, but as she raised her left hand for the ceremony, she managed to collect herself. I couldn't help but watch her twitching cat ears with amusement as Selbin finished the chant.
[Remu – Female, 16 years old, Explorer, Owner: Kaga Michio]
"Please take care of me," she said, her green eyes looking up at me with hope.
"Yes, gladly," I replied with a smile, which made her break into a bright grin.
As Selbin began listing off my duties as a Master, I offered to show her my Intelligence Card as well.
[Kaga Michio – Male, 17 years old, Adventurer, Free Man, Slaves: Roxanne, Sherry, Lillia, Anastasia, Miria, Vesta, Setsuna, Ram, Rem, Viviana, Shea, Jasmine, Remu]
Looking at her obedient behavior, I couldn't help but chuckle. It felt a little odd that Remu hadn't immediately requested fish from me—something a certain catgirl I know had practically demanded right after her contract was done. Then again, maybe as a member of the Panther Clan, she wasn't as fond of fish?
On the way to the waiting room, Selbin slipped right back into his role as Valencia City's most passionate tour guide, going on and on about how it was the best city to stay in.
"Michio-san, even if you can't visit my establishment, that's fine—but please, do visit Valencia! You will definitely fall in love with it too," he said earnestly, shaking both my hands like we were lifelong friends. He only let go after I promised I would.
"I'm sure he wanted to take me there himself just to show off his one real love Valencia," I said with a chuckle as I walked away with Remu.
"Pftt." She let out an adorable laugh, and I couldn't help but feel proud of my joke.
"Welcome to my family, Remu," I said warmly, taking her small hand in mine. She immediately stopped laughing, suddenly self-conscious.
"I will do my best, Master," she said with quiet determination.
"I have another catkin girl in my family, and I am sure you two will get along well," I added with a chuckle, noting how obedient Remu looked in comparison.
"Yes, Master," she replied, nodding seriously.
I smiled and began explaining the basics she needed to know as we made our way back to the seats.
When we got there, I guided her to sit beside the lineup of my girls.
That's when it hit me: her name might be Remu, like Rem, but everything else about her was more like Ram.
I nearly opened a party link with Sherry just to tell her the joke—but, unfortunately, she wasn't in my party at the moment. Oh well, when they meet, I will make sure to share it with her. She would definitely get it.
I chuckled to myself at the thought.
'Something funny happened Master?' Anastasia glanced at me, asking me in the party link, surely puzzled by my sudden amusement.
I just pulled her close and looked down at her breasts and replied with mock seriousness, 'I thought of a joke but you need to have a certain boobset to get this joke.'
She still looked thoroughly confused.
I gave her waist a gentle pinch to bring her back to focus on the next exhibit we had to win.
***
[AS1291 has redeemed an Extra Chapter from previous week]
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