Chapter 225 Secrets {3} - Merchandise
---Demon Continent---
The heavy sounds of wind piercing through the air and shredding against anything in sight reverberated throughout the distance.
One could see the muddy grounds bone dry. It was littered with cracks as the mud hardened and underwent desiccation in the scorching heat.
Yet, it wasn't hot.
The searing cold was followed by a neverending storm that went from being one of sand to one of snow each day.
The night would bring about the dark clouds of the north, while the day would bring the scorching heat of the south, alongside the tsunami of sand waiting to drill holes and peel off the skin of anything with life.
Yet, despite the harsh environments, in the center of those very calamities stood a city with borders that reached a hundred meters high, and buildings that scaled the clouds and skies themselves.
These buildings, while having stayed standing for hundreds of years, were simply relics of their former selves.
They were testaments to the architectural phenomena that came from the hands of the demon race.
One of those cities had bustling streets among the destroyed and collapsing buildings.
The cities were once built to completely resist the storms of the continent, yet, just like the situation with most things on the planet, nature always wins.
No matter what man's hands build, nature will always break it down to nothing before rebuilding an entire forest on top of it.
That was how the world works... Or maybe, that was what Gilea desired from her planet.
The bustling city might have been full of movement. Hell, even from outside the walls, one could hear the sounds of talk. People were speaking amongst one another, while others seemed to be preaching something.
Though, the word preach might have been slightly wrong in this context
"310." A man on top of a platform spoke while pointing at one of the men in the crowd before him.
"500!" One of the men in the crowd shouted, causing the people around him to look hesitant.
Others showed expressions of shock before their eyes slowly looked down in defeat.
There was a mixture of people in the crowd. Some of them looked sophisticated. They wore tophats and suits, while others chose to wear the outfits of an adventurer ready to leave at a moment's notice or fight when the situation called for such action.
"1000 gold coins!" Another roared with dry laughter. He had a monocle in his eyes held by a chain connected to his breast pocket.
Within the breast pocket was a visible watch, with one-third of it peaking out of the pocket itself.
He held a fine cane that looked light; it might have been made from the finest woods of the land. However, despite how tough it might have looked, the bottom part was still coated with a muddied metallic seal.
After seeing the heavy silence fall upon those in the crowd, the man on the platform showed an excited expression and pointed at the man who had last bid.
"1000 gold going once... Going twice..."
"2000 gold." Suddenly, a feminine voice spoke out of the crowd.
The moment the man on the platform heard her words, he could not help but stumble forward and almost lose his balance.
He was about to fall from the platform when one of the muscular men next to him grabbed him and patted his front.
"Woman! Do you even have the funds to spout such a price-" The man with the golden monocle showed anger on his face when he looked back to see a woman in an adventurer's outfit.
She wore a long black cloak that reached the ground, yet the man could see her dawning armor underneath from the partition, covering her physique well.
However, something hit him just when he was about to finish his sentence.
A light bulb went off above his head before a quiver reached his lips.
He recognized the metal her armor was made of.
He quickly adjusted his monocle and stepped aside with a calm expression, yet, inside, he was screaming with anger and even hints of fear.
Whoever this woman was, she was more than likely capable of not only affording the merchandise, but she probably could flatten him without even blinking.
The man looked up with a respectful glance and saw the face of the woman who had bid last.
She was a few heads taller than him. Of course, he wasn't profoundly tall either, but being that much taller than him meant that she would stand out among a crowd.
Yet, until she had spoken, not a single person had looked toward her.
It was as if she was some kind of ghost.
She wasn't profoundly pretty either. She had a slightly crooked nose, as if it had been broken many times in the past. Her face was large, and her neck was wide and muscular.
Despite there being no natural blemishes on her face, three long scars could be seen on her face, one of them running over one of her eyes.
She radiated an aura of power, yet deep within the aura, there was also a feeling that made someone respect her by just looking at her, whether that was an enemy respecting the aura of a warrior that she had, or her comrades respecting her as their leader.
"Ma'am. I have taken quite a liking toward that one. I'll compensate you with 500 gold coins if you choose to not buy it." The man spoke in a careful and respectful tone.
The woman said nothing for a while, her eyes drilling into the man.
"7-750... How about that?"
She narrowed her eyes further.
"1000. I'll give you half of what you were going to pay for." The man's eyes twitched as a pain emanated deep within his heart.
Her eyes finally moved away from him and looked toward the so-called merchandise.
There stood a young girl, no older than 16. Her eyes were empty as if
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