It had been three days since the fight with Advanced Lich Xaren, and Healer Elara had been visiting Krog daily to tend to his wounds. Krog's health was finally starting to improve, and he was now able to walk without much difficulty. Today was the day of the auction, and Eryndor had been gathering information about the items that would be up for bid. Although he hadn't found any information about the Angel's blood, he had discovered some other interesting items, including a life-draining sword, a stealth cloak, and a higher-level protection token.
Eryndor had also taken the time to count his inventory and had liquified most of his magic crystals into gold. He now had a total of 50 million gold coins at his disposal. If Lich Xandros ever found out that Eryndor had used all his painstakingly collected magic crystals like this, he would probably hang himself in frustration.
There were also rumors circulating about a very priceless item that would be auctioned off, but the auctioneers were being very secretive about it, and no one knew what it was. As Krog had recovered enough to walk, the duo had decided to visit the clothing store Moonlit Garments to buy some clothes suitable for attending the auction.
As they entered the store, they were immediately struck by the opulent decorations and the fine clothes on display. An arrogant boy, around 18 years old, and his old butler were choosing their clothes, completely unaware of the commotion they were about to cause. The boy, named Edric, caught sight of Krog out of the corner of his eye and was instantly furious.
"How dare you let a filthy animal inside?" the boy shouted at the owner. "Does your store even allow them to...to...shit here?" The owner made a futile attempt to calm the boy down, but his anger and arrogance only seemed to intensify. Krog felt a pang of sadness and anger. It was true, he was a goblin, a lower race, and goblins could hardly afford luxurious clothes like the ones on display here.
Eryndor, on the other hand, was furious at the boy's outburst. He had already been frustrated from the previous events, and this boy was like an invitation for him to relieve himself. Without hesitation, Eryndor threw a hard punch at the boy, who fell to the ground, dazed. Eryndor then mounted the boy and started punching his face, his anger and frustration boiling over.
The owner was flabbergasted by the events unfolding inside his store, and the old butler quickly unsheathed his sword and placed it on Eryndor's neck. Krog drew his dagger, ready to strike, but Eryndor put his hands up and got up from the boy, who was now lying unconscious on the floor.
Eryndor then turned to the owner and asked him to show him and his friend Krog some clothes befitting to wear in the auction. The butler, who had been watching the scene unfold, overheard this and made a mental note of it. He then picked up the boy and left the store hastily, no doubt to tend to his young master's wounds.
As the butler left, Eryndor couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at having taught the arrogant boy a lesson. But he also knew that this was far from over, and that the boy would likely seek revenge.
A few hours later, Eryndor and Krog left for the auction. As they arrived at the auction gates, they were greeted by the Auction Staff and the guards who were checking the passes and letting people in. Eryndor had previously purchased a VIP pass worth 10,000 gold, which granted them access to the exclusive VIP area.
The ordinary bidders had their seats on the ground floor, while the VIP seats were located on the first floor, and the VVIP seats were on the second floor. The VVIP seats came with a hefty price tag of 100,000 gold coins, which Eryndor thought was a waste of gold and decided not to purchase.
As they made their way to their seats, Eryndor and Krog noticed the arrogant boy, Edric, sitting a few tables away. Edric's face was still swollen from the punches Eryndor had given him earlier, and he had two guards standing behind him. Eryndor and Krog couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Edric's bruised face, which only seemed to fuel Edric's anger. Edric commanded the two guards to kill Eryndor and Krog after the auction ended, his eyes blazing with fury.
Meanwhile, Vylonia was sitting on the VVIP floor, having come to see the priceless item that was rumored to be up for auction.
The beautiful demi-beast, Lunaria, with her rabbit-like appearance, took to the stage and welcomed everyone to the auction.
Without further ado, she began auctioning off the items, starting with a few low-priced ones that only the ordinary bidders were interested in.
The next item up for bid was a spatial ring, which had an initial bid of 1,000 gold coins. Eryndor wanted Krog to have one, so he bid 2,000 gold coins. Edric, however, was determined to outdo Eryndor and bid 3,000 gold coins, taunting Eryndor in the process. The bidding war continued, with Eryndor bidding 5,000 gold coins and Edric countering with 8,000 gold coins. Eryndor bid 10,000 gold coins, but Edric ultimately won the bid with a final offer of 20,000 gold coins. Edric mocked Eryndor for being poor, which only seemed to anger Eryndor.
The next item up for bid was a magical sword. Krog was surprised to look at Eryndor's sword, or more accurately, Lich Xandros's sword up for auction. Eryndor had no interest in keeping the sword, as it was more trouble than it was worth, and he had an evil idea. He taunted Edric, saying that he wouldn't win the next bid, and the bidding began. Eryndor bid straight to 10,000 gold coins, and Edric countered with 12,000 gold coins. The bidding war continued, with Eryndor bidding 18,000 gold coins and Edric countering with 22,000 gold coins. Eryndor ultimately stopped bidding, and Edric won the sword for 30,000 gold coins. Edric mocked Eryndor again, calling him a penniless beggar, but Eryndor just smiled evilly and thanked Edric for the 30,000 gold coins because the sword was actually his. This made Edric furious realising he was fooled by Eryndor.
As the auction continued, Eryndor managed to acquire the items he had come for, including a stealth cloak worth 50,000 gold coins, a higher-level protection token worth 100,000 gold coins, and a life-draining cursed sword worth 1 million gold coins.
Lunaria then presented the second-to-last item, a stone containing unknown energy, which was said to be a necessary item to ascend to Godhood, although there was no proof. The starting price of the item was 1 million gold coins, which seemed steep for something that might be useless.
The bidding began, but no one seemed interested in the stone, and it appeared that it would go unsold. However, just as the bidder was about to call the item unsold, Edric suddenly bid on it. Looking at Edric's nervousness Eryndor laughed evilly, assuming that Edric must need the stone and was trying to buy it without any competition. Eryndor bid 2 million gold coins, which angered Edric, and Edric countered with 10 million gold coins. The bidding war continued, with Eryndor bidding 20 million gold coins and Edric countering with 25 million gold coins. Krog tried to stop Eryndor, but he was determined to outdo Edric. Eryndor bid 30 million gold coins, waiting for Edric to bid again, wanting to hear his curses and a high bid value from Edric but there were no curses, no bid, only silence.
Edric had played Eryndor, and Eryndor had lost more than half his wealth on the stone. Edric started laughing maniacally, and the crowd began to murmur in shock. Eryndor's face turned bright red with embarrassment as he realized he had been played.
Krog face-palmed shaking his head in dismay. "Boss, what have you done?" he whispered.
Eryndor didn't wait for the last item to be auctioned off. He stood up, his face still red with embarrassment, and left the auction room, Krog trailing behind him. The crowd's laughter and whispers followed them as they exited the room.
As they walked out of the auction house, Eryndor was furious with himself, his anger and frustration boiling over at his own reckless stupidity. He had let his emotions get the better of him, and now he had lost a significant amount of gold.
Krog, on the other hand, was trying to stifle a laugh. "Well, Boss, I think it's safe to say that you won't be winning any awards for 'Smartest Bidder' anytime soon," he said, chuckling.
Eryndor shot him a look, but couldn't help but laugh too. "Hey, at least I'm consistent, right?" he said, grinning.
Meanwhile, Edric was still laughing maniacally as he left the Auction house. The streets were eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere that had surrounded the auction house just a few hundred meters away.
Edric's group was suddenly surrounded by a group of six demi-beasts. Their eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity as they closed in on Edric and his entourage, which consisted of his two guards and his old butler.
The two guards and the old butler instinctively unsheathed their swords, forming a protective circle around Edric. "What's the meaning of this?" Edric demanded, his voice laced with a mix of confusion and outrage. "What do you want?"
But before he could receive an answer, the demi-beasts charged forward with incredible speed. Edric's eyes widened in horror as he realized that he was about to be attacked. The last thing he saw was a blur of movement, and then...
Everything went black.
When the demi-beasts finally stopped moving, the scene was one of utter carnage. Edric's head, along with those of his two guards and his old butler, had been severed from their bodies with precision and speed. The demi-beasts stood panting, their chests heaving with exertion, as they surveyed the aftermath of their brutal attack.
Lionid Kieran, the leader of the demi-beasts, stepped forward and gazed down at Edric's headless body. A cruel smile spread across his face as he said, "Nothing, we're just going to be borrowing your head.", he also snatched the magical sword from Edric's waist.