The auction interface had exploded to life so suddenly that Rajendra barely had time to breathe before the void swallowed him.
He found himself in the virtual chamber—a neon-lit sci-fi circle floating in endless darkness, surrounded by thousands of glowing cubes.
But before panic could settle in, the system pinged:
[ Host #4128 — Please register your auction items. ]
Raj frowned."What items? I didn't bring anything!"
Another ping.
[ Auto-Inventory Scan Complete ]
A list popped up in front of him:
Earth Cotton Sample (Low-quality organic fiber)
Tomato x3 (Primitive organic vegetable)
Onion x1
Bhindi/Okra x1 packet
Raj blinked.Twice.
"What??"
He opened his real-world bag mentally—that instinctive motion you do even when your body isn't physically present.
The system showed a snapshot.
His cotton sample?Gone.
His vegetables?Gone.
His onion packet?Gone.
He shouted in disbelief:
"THE SYSTEM STOLE MY VEGETABLES!?"
The chat system flashed:
[🤣🤣🤣][Primitive Host yelling over vegetables.][Bro put groceries into an interdimensional auction LMFAO.]
Raj felt his blood pressure spike.
"System! Why did you take those?!"
[ Host was carrying these items physically.Auto-Inventory Extraction is ON.All items on the Host's body are eligible for auction. ]
"That is NOT consent!" Raj yelled.
[ Consent assumed at Host Level 0. ]
Raj stared at the screen with pure betrayal.
A holographic scan displayed his items floating in neon outlines:
[ Plant Fiber – Earth Variant ][ Tomatoes (Unprocessed, Primitive) ][ Onion – Primitive Root Vegetable ][ Abelmoschus Esculentus (Bhindi) ]
The chat erupted:
[HAHAHA IS THAT… FOOD?][Primitive Host selling SALAD.][Vegetables?? At a cosmic auction??]
Raj wanted to crawl under his neon floor panel.
Then a strange cube flickered violently at the edge of the hall.
A black silhouette.Sparks.Glitches.A name-tag on top:
MAD SCIENTIST
Class: UnknownReputation: EccentricBehavior: Chaotic
She typed furiously:
[Organic. Primitive. Unprocessed. Valuable for baseline readings. I want.]
Raj blinked."Wait, someone actually wants this stuff?"
No one paid attention to him.They were too busy laughing or mocking.
But the Mad Scientist cube shook like its occupant was bouncing with excitement.
Raj had no idea who—or what—she was.
Screens around him flickered with other hosts' items.
Raj's soul left his body.
★ QUANTUM INFANT STAR-CORE (Fragment)
Sold for 112,000 Void-Coins(₹11.2 Crores)
★ NANOFORGER DRONE MK-III
Sold for 27,000 VC(₹2.7 Crores)
★ PERSONAL BATTLE AI
Sold for 19,000 VC
★ ENERGY CALCULATOR
Sold for 3,100 VC
★ BASIC HEAL CARTRIDGE
Sold for 650 VC
Raj whispered:
"I'm… I'm competing with god-level Amazon catalog items."
THE AUCTION STARTS
Neon lights dimmed.
[ Item #1: Earth Cotton ]
Auctioneer:[ Starting Bid: 1 Scrap Coin ]
Chat:
[Bruh.][Fiber trash.][Use it to wipe tables.]
Then—
MAD SCIENTIST:
[1 VOID-COIN]
Everyone paused.
[She's buying TRASH again.][Classic Mad Scientist behavior.]
Auctioneer:[ SOLD — 1 VC ]
Raj's eyes widened.₹10,000 for cotton.
ITEM #2: Tomatoes
Auctioneer:[ Starting Bid: 1 Scrap ]
MAD SCIENTIST:
[5 VOID-COINS]
Entire chamber:
[FIVE???][She's insane.][Does she eat garbage??]
Auctioneer:[ SOLD — 5 VC ]
Raj's heartbeat quickened.
₹50,000 for tomatoes.
ITEM #3: Onion & Bhindi
Auctioneer:[ Starting: 1 Scrap ]
MAD SCIENTIST (instantly):
[10 VOID-COINS]
Another bidder:
[…Why?]
MAD SCIENTIST:
[None of your business.]
Auctioneer:[ SOLD — 10 VC ]
Raj stared at the total:
1 + 5 + 10 = 16 Void-CoinsEquivalent to ₹1.6 Lakhs.
For vegetables.
He whispered, "The system didn't steal my vegetables. It upgraded them."
AUCTION RESULTS
[ Session Complete ][ Host #4128 Earnings: 16 VC ][ New Friend Request: Pending ]
Raj froze.
A message attached to the payment remark:
**"Add me as a friend in the Auction Hall.
— Mad Scientist"**
Raj blinked.
"…What kind of buyer leaves a remark like that?"
Before he could think, her cube vanished.
Auction ended.
His virtual body dissolved—
A massive lab flickered with broken runes and half-dead machinery.
Greenish light pulsed from crystal tubes.
A distorted silhouette—MAD SCIENTIST—leaned over a scanning device, holding an Earth tomato slice under the lens.
Sparks flew.
The scanner beeped uncontrollably.
Her distorted voice whispered:
"…Unmutated cell structure…""…Primitive… pure… baseline organism…"Her breathing trembled."…Maybe… maybe this can help…"
The lights flickered violently.
The scene cut to black.