Liline scanned the gathered bidders, her presence commanding attention.
But just as anticipation reached its peak, she raised her hand, stopping the momentum.
"Before we begin the auction..."
The crowd paused, listening carefully.
Liline smirked. "Seeing as we are offering an SS-Rank beast, we will not be accepting standard currency."
A ripple of shock spread through the hall.
"What?!"
"You’re not accepting money?!"
"Then what are we bidding with?!"
Liline remained completely composed.
"We will only accept unique materials, rare artifacts, or things of great value. Credit and normal gold hold no weight here."
Some tamers muttered in disbelief, while others—the smarter ones—narrowed their eyes, realizing what this meant.
A man in noble robes adjusted his monocle, intrigued. "They aren’t just selling a beast. They’re making sure only those worthy can even participate."
A hardened warrior crossed his arms. "Tch. Makes sense. If they accepted gold, some weak noble brat could just buy it outright. This way, only those with real power can bid."
Sallos, still watching carefully from his hidden position, narrowed his eyes.
"So they’re establishing dominance right from the start. Clever."
Liline, still floating, smiled elegantly. "Now, with that clarified..."
She raised her hand high, and in response, a large golden timer appeared in the air, counting down. "Let the auction begin."
Immediately, the first bid rang out. "I bid a Vorafang beast core! It’s an SS-Rank core!"
The crowd murmured in surprise.
"A Vorafang core? He’s bidding the core of the same species?"
"Isn’t that ironic? Buying a live Vorafang with a dead one?"
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"Still, SS-Rank cores are rare... but is it enough?"
Before anyone could discuss further, another bidder stepped forward.
"I’ll make a better offer. I bid five SS-Rank beast cores."
The crowd turned toward him, their reactions shifting instantly.
"Five?! That’s a huge step up!"
"We don’t even know what beasts they came from, but SS-Rank is SS-Rank! It’s way better than just one core!"
Liline, still floating above the stage, smirked. "You’re quite smart."
She nodded approvingly. "Quantity over specificity. A single Vorafang core is valuable, yes, but five SS-Rank cores? That gives us more options to work with."
The first bidder gritted his teeth, realizing he was instantly outmatched.
More voices rose up, their excitement building.
"I can’t let this go that easily—I bid a refined SS-Rank Magic Crystal!"
"A full magic crystal?! That’s one of the purest forms of condensed energy!"
"Not bad, but I’ll top it—I offer an artifact from the ruins of Solmaria!"
The bidding war had officially exploded into chaos.
Each new bid pushed the value higher, turning what was already a legendary auction into an unprecedented one.
Lucius, standing above on the upper balcony, smirked as he watched the insanity unfold.
"Heh… This is getting fun."
Liline grinned. "Well then… let’s see just how far you’re all willing to go."
The countdown timer continued ticking down—and with each second, the stakes only grew higher.
---
Victor Aurelius frowned, crossing his arms. "Tch… I don’t like wasting too much time."
Without hesitation, he raised his hand. "I bid the Cultivation Manual to Become a Beast King."
The entire hall fell into silence. Heads snapped toward him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Wait… what did he just say?!"
"A Beast King Cultivation Manual?!"
"That’s impossible!"
Lucius, watching from above, smirked.
"I see… a key to the next stage, huh?"
Even Sylvia, standing beside Victor, was slightly surprised by his bid.
"Are you sure you want to offer that?"
Victor simply smirked, tilting his head slightly. "It doesn’t matter. We can just give them a low-level version. They won’t even know the difference."
Sylvia chuckled, shaking her head. "You’re as devious as ever, little brother."
But before Victor could feel satisfied with himself—
"Hmm…"
Liline’s voice broke the silence. What they didn’t know is that she had heard everything.
"Your bid is quite interesting but still..."
She smirked.
"I prefer SS-Rank Beast Cores over your manual."
Victor’s smirk vanished instantly, his expression darkening.
"What?"
Murmurs spread through the room.
"They rejected the manual?!"
"Are they crazy? That’s a literal key to the next stage!"
Sylvia, however, only laughed, placing her hand on Victor’s shoulder. "Calm down, will you? Just let your big sister handle it."
Then, with a smirk, she raised her hand.
"10 SS-Rank Beast Cores, plus the manual."
The crowd erupted again.
"10?!"
"That’s a ridiculous bid!"
Even Victor clicked his tongue but said nothing.
Liline smirked, tilting her head slightly. "Now that’s a much better bid."
She then swept her gaze across the silent room. "Any other takers?"
The hall remained silent.
For now, the Aurelius family held the highest bid.
---
Liline hovered above the auction hall, scanning the silent crowd with a smirk.
The tension hung thick in the air—no one else dared to raise their bid.
Even the most ambitious tamers and nobles hesitated—not because Vorafang wasn’t worth more.
But because competing against 10 SS-Rank beast cores AND a Beast King cultivation manual was sheer madness.
A few murmurs spread through the hall.
"Damn… 10 SS-Rank Beast Cores and a manual?"
"That’s an overwhelming bid… No wonder no one’s countering it."
"I wanted to try, but even I know when to back off."
Victor smirked proudly, arms crossed. "Looks like we win, huh?"
Sylvia grinned, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Of course. No one else here can match our resources."
Liline, seeing no further bids, lowered her hand gracefully.
"Very well. Since there are no further challengers…"
She let the moment linger, allowing the weight of the deal to settle.
"The bid is closed. Vorafang, The Apex Predator, now belongs to the Aurelius Family."
A chime echoed through the hall, officially sealing the deal.
The crowd murmured in amazement, some disappointed, some relieved.
"It’s over."
"The first sale in Luxoria Castle… and it’s already history."
Sylvia smirked, satisfied. "A fine addition to the family. Cassius will be pleased."
Victor nodded. "Indeed. With this, his research into ultimate beasts will move forward faster."
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Liline gestured to the spectral staff, who swiftly moved to prepare Vorafang’s transfer.
She then turned back to the rest of the crowd, her smirk still present.
"Now that the grand opening sale has concluded…"
Her eyes gleamed.
"The rest of you—are you ready to see what Luxoria Castle truly has to offer?"
Lucius, standing on the upper balcony, grinned.
The game had only just begun.