Hello everyone, a new work has been released! If you find it appealing, kindly take a moment to check it out and consider adding it to your library.. [Ashes of God And Devil]
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{Chapter: 197: The Prodigal Lord and the Emerald Scales}
Regarding Dex's reckless spending, the prodigal actions, the crowd of bidders reacted with a mixture of disdain and irritation.
Some clenched their fists in frustration, while others whispered behind folding fans or jeweled masks, their voices dripping with bitterness. It wasn't just envy over the object itself—they were angry that something so valuable, a legendary artifact, had been tossed like a trinket into the lap of a slut.
From their perspective, a mere plaything of flesh had snatched away a relic meant for someone of status and substance.
A legendary item in this world wasn't simply a decoration—it symbolized legacy. Whether it was a living being, who could single handedly change the fate of a territory, or an artifact, which could outlast bloodlines and kingdoms, anything of such caliber bore a gravity that made kings kneel and demigods take notice.
The crown Dex had just purchased—an heirloom crafted in the ancient courts of a sunken empire—was now resting casually atop the silky hair of a curvaceous woman who practically purred every time she looked at him.
To some, it felt sacrilegious. To Dex, it was just another Tuesday.
Even in the most savage corners of the Abyss, such treasures could buy armies or command fealty. And yet here he was, offering it up like a rose to a lover's breast.
In the viewing box above, a beautiful woman with long raven-black hair and a gown as sharp as her gaze narrowed her eyes. She had sent a team earlier to probe Dex's background, but they had come back empty-handed. No noble ties, no merchant guild records, nothing. It was as if he had walked out of a myth.
Her full lips curled in contempt, though a touch of envy tinted her words: "Tch... Just another fool letting a pair of tits do the thinking."
She spoke with mocking venom, but the bitter tang in her voice betrayed more than just annoyance. She had bid for that crown. She'd held her breath during every raise. But halfway through the competition, her purse had lost its power.
She'd bowed out with grace, only to watch another woman—some buxom, pampered hussy—receive the crown like a spoiled princess from a doting king.
Humiliation pricked at her pride.
Her hand rested on her hip as she glared at Dex with fire in her eyes, her voice low and bitter: "If I didn't have to save enough coin to fight for the real prize later…"
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Down below, Dex had heard every word—of course he had. His hearing was sharp enough to pick up the rustling of serpents in the dark, the breathing of lovers behind closed doors, and the flapping wings of carrion birds miles away. That woman's complaints? They were background noise, no more significant than a fly brushing past his ear.
He could hear everything in the auction hall—whispers from the wealthiest nobles to the bitter murmurs of commoners watching from the balcony. The accusations of waste, the insults of "pervert," "degenerate," and "gold-drunk fool" were all laid bare before him like the pages of an open book.
But Dex didn't flinch.
He had crawled out of the Abyss, a place where profanity was an artform and insults were weapons. In that foul pit, words were not just hurtful—they were curses, oaths, weapons of war. Compared to that, the gossip here was as tame as a kitten's mewl.
He found it amusing, almost cute.
There was something perversely enjoyable about it all. The way they glared, helpless and green with envy. The way they wished they could take his place—or his wealth—or even just his women.
He sank deeper into his seat, one arm draped lazily over each of the women beside him. Their bodies pressed tightly against him, warm and eager. The one on his left was still glowing with pride, her new crown catching the candlelight and casting prismatic glimmers across her cheeks.
The other, not to be outdone, leaned in with deliberate slowness. Her lips brushed against Dex's neck as she whispered in a voice like honey and fire, "Mmm… D@ddy spoils us so much. You're going to make us melt~"
Her breasts squished firmly against his arm, as if trying to swallow it whole. Her thighs shifted closer, brushing against his, the heat from her skin making his blood stir.
Then came the next item.
It was a pair of exquisite earrings, crafted in ancient elven fashion. Their shape curled like wisps of forest magic, carved directly from the scales of a long-dead Emerald Dragon—one of the proudest and most difficult creatures to slay. They pulsed faintly with mana, promising power and prestige.
The woman on his right gasped softly, then turned to him with eyes glittering with desire—not just for the earrings, but for the experience of being chosen.
"They'd look sooo good on me," she said, fingers playing with the tip of her ear suggestively. "Wouldn't you agree, my lord?"
Dex smiled faintly. "Then let's get them."
What followed was less a bidding war and more a massacre.
Gold flowed like wine. The price shot up into the hundreds of thousands, and yet Dex showed not a single flicker of hesitation. In the end, he threw down a sum that silenced the entire hall. The other bidders fell away, either stunned or too fearful to challenge him again.
The maid arrived, cradling the box as if it contained holy relics.
Dex handed over the payment without so much as a blink. The amount could have bought an estate, perhaps even a small kingdom. To him, it may as well have been pocket change.
He opened the box himself, the emerald earrings gleaming like bottled springlight.
He took the woman's face gently in his hands and brushed her hair aside with fingers as careful as a lover's caress.
The moment he clasped the first earring onto her ear, she shuddered, biting her lower lip as her body arched slightly toward him.
He leaned in close and murmured, "Perfect."
Flushed and trembling, she threw her arms around his neck, breasts heaving against his chest, and moaned softly, "You're so good to me… It's not fair. I'm going to get addicted to this…"
Her words dripped with sultry sweetness, tinged with something wicked and wild.
The crown, the earrings, the money—it wasn't about the items themselves. It was about what they represented: dominance, power, and pleasure.
To Dex, this world was nothing but a grand theatre. And he? He was playing the lead.
Faced with her clinging embrace, Dex didn't bother to ponder whether the woman was genuinely moved or merely putting on an act. He simply let her drape herself over him, purring in a syrupy tone that could melt even the coldest of hearts.
Truth be told, it didn't matter.
He couldn't even recall her name.
The only reason these two were by his side at all was because they were most beautiful among women who approached him—nothing more, nothing less. He hadn't chosen them for their personalities, their histories, or any deeper meaning. They were eye candy. With least sexual contacts. Pleasant distractions. Toys that fit well in his arms.
Why complicate things with feelings and romance?
He wasn't some lovestruck bard composing ballads beneath moonlight. He was a proud pervert, and perverts should have the self-awareness to enjoy beauty for what it was without deluding themselves with notions of love.
Compared to his detached calm, the other woman by his side did not hide her distaste. Watching the coquettish display, her brow twitched slightly, her cherry lips tightening in subtle disapproval. Deep inside, she wanted nothing more than to kick the simpering bitch away and grind her heel into her perfect smile.
But she resisted the urge.
A refined woman couldn't allow herself to show pettiness in front of a man like Dex. Especially not when she was still vying for his favor.
Instead, she leaned in gracefully, the swell of her ample chest brushing ever so lightly against his arm, her scent teasing his senses with notes of exotic jasmine and something darker beneath. She smiled sweetly, voice smooth as velvet, and asked, "We've been the ones buying everything up until now... don't you want to treat yourself a little?"
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Hello everyone, a new work has been released! If you find it appealing, kindly take a moment to check it out and consider adding it to your library.. [Ashes of God And Devil]