Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Slave Night Market [2]

My brain wasn’t braining anymore.

I sat there watching this parade of depravity unfold, growing more pissed with each passing lot. These people and their twisted fetishes were beyond comprehension.

One guy purchased a young man solely because of his chiseled abs. And trust me, I saw actual drool forming at the corner of his mouth as he inspected his prize.

Several slaves, both men and women, were sold based entirely on their natural scent. Buyers literally sniffed them like wine before bidding.

And then there was this absolute motherfucker who bought a fallen noble woman just because she possessed hair that flowed all the way down to her knees, apparently carrying some intoxicating fragrance.

Among all these degenerates, I found only one cultured noble whose tastes I could respect. The man got visibly excited the moment he saw his target, an elf girl whose feet were absolute perfection.

They made her wear those teasing high heels paired with sheer stockings that accentuated every curve of her delicate arches.

Even I raised my paddle for that one.

But that rich bastard snatched her away at thirteen thousand gold coins.

These auction house bastards were cheating. They were deliberately emphasizing the slaves that caught my attention, driving prices beyond my reach.

One gorgeous woman appeared on stage, and they hyped her like royalty. A duchess who had lost her title during the last great war. A goddess of dance who could perform while seated on someone’s lap. The epitome of elegance and grace.

And then? Snatched away from me again.

Another one was even more incredible. A criminal and exiled princess with a voice like honey. Her trained specialty was listed as tongue master.

These clever bastards knew exactly how to conduct business. They made her demonstrate by rotating her tongue in the most teasing manner imaginable, then switching to a full licking motion with inhuman speed.

I didn’t even bother participating in that war. Multiple bidders, both men and women, went absolutely insane. Paddles flew until some old woman claimed her for fifteen thousand five hundred gold.

Not every purchase was stupid, I had to admit. Many buyers acquired genuinely valuable assets.

Scholars with vast knowledge. Administrators skilled in management and accounting. These slaves couldn’t defy their masters, making them perfect for handling sensitive affairs.

Others bought experienced maids and cooks. Some acquired bodyguards and brutes for protection.

A few paid premium prices specifically because their purchases possessed summons in their arsenal.

Meanwhile, I sat there raising my paddle for anything that had a pussy between its legs. At one point, I nearly raised it for a young girl before catching myself.

After losing every single bidding war, after watching my swagger crumble to dust, I finally realized how foolish and cocky I had been acting since entering this place.

My arrogance flushed away in that moment of clarity.

Then I turned to my backup plan. The mysterious woman seated beside me.

If I was poor, then she was poverty incarnate. I hadn’t seen her raise that paddle once throughout the entire auction. She wasn’t even trying to compete.

I caught glimpses of her hissing softly whenever quality stock was purchased by others. The frustration in her posture was unmistakable.

Poor thing didn’t stand a chance against these whales.

’Wait. Maybe I can exploit her poverty and lure her into becoming my aid instead.’

And once again, before I could execute my smooth-talking plan, the announcer’s voice boomed across the chamber.

“Now we present our final and most valuable slave of the evening!”

The crowd stirred with anticipation.

“Many of you received advance notification about this particular slave. I suspect most of you have been holding your purses specifically for her.”

I didn’t care anymore. How could I possibly afford their premium offering when I could not even win a single bid all night?

But then I saw the girl being escorted onto the stage.

My heart stopped.

She was literally a child. No more than six years old. Her eyes were something unreal, a mesmerizing blue with hints of violet gradient that seemed to glow faintly in the chamber’s light.

She had those round cheeks that made you want to reach out and pinch the soft flesh. Purple hair framed her innocent face like a halo.

When she faced the crowd, the staff dimmed the lights.

And her features began to glow.

A faint luminescence appeared on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Even her small palms emitted a soft radiance, revealing what appeared to be nearly invisible scales beneath her skin.

She wasn’t human. Not entirely.

“We have acquired the rarest of rare specimens,” the announcer declared with theatrical grandeur. “A race blessed by the celestials themselves!”

His smile turned predatory.

“Their near extinction makes her invaluable. But her appearance makes her irresistible. Some of you may recognize the traits. These demi humans of the Elunari race possess extraordinary longevity. They age remarkably slowly and can live up to three times the human lifespan.”

He paused deliberately, letting greed fill the silence.

“This makes her an ideal generational asset. And…”

A devilish grin spread across his face.

“She can certainly satisfy some patrons’ most particular preferences.”

The hall fell silent.

Except for me.

I was cursing under my breath, rage building with every word he spoke. How dare they portray this innocent child as some twisted commodity for these monsters?

Then the bidding began like a race at full sprint. Paddles shot up across the chamber. These bastards had no humanity left in their rotted souls.

Even I, the self-proclaimed arch-gooner of every world, possessed certain unshakeable morals. Lines that should never be crossed. Children were sacred. Their innocence was not something to be bought and defiled like this.

The price rocketed from one thousand to nine thousand in mere seconds.

In desperation, I raised my paddle to add another thousand.

Useless. The bid raced past fifteen thousand before I could blink.

My mind spiraled into dark thoughts. What if I hadn’t shown kindness to those girls at the brothel? What if I had taken this world seriously from the start and built a proper fortune?

Then I wouldn’t be sitting here helpless while a child’s fate was decided by monsters.

She would be sold tonight. She would become nothing but a toy for these ass creatures. And what could I do? Just watch? Let her suffer a fate worse than death?

What did this little girl ever do to deserve this?

CRACK.

The glass of water in my grip shattered. Shards embedded themselves in my palm. Blood dripped onto the armrest.

I felt no pain. Only rage.

I had enough.

I was ready to massacre every single piece of filth in this chamber, even if it cost me my life. Even if that perverted god never came to save me.

My mind reached for Amelia. I could not summon her alongside my other units due to limited QUOR capacity, but she alone would be enough to paint these walls red.

I was about to stand when a hand grabbed my wrist.

I turned with murder burning in my eyes, ready to destroy whoever dared stop me.

The mysterious woman beside me pressed two platinum coins into my bloodied palm which was worth Twenty thousand gold in Total.

“Hurry up,” she said calmly cold. “The bid’s about to close.”

“Last call!” the announcer’s voice rang out. “Anyone willing to raise to thirty thousand?”

My body moved before my mind could process. The paddle shot into the air.

The announcer’s eyes found me. A smile crept across his face. “Thirty thousand from Patron Sixty-Nine!”

Silence hung heavy.

“Going once…”

My heart pounded against my ribs.

“Going twice…”

The platinum coins felt like fire in my bleeding hand.

“And—”

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