Chapter 154: The Ashway Bazaar (8)
"For this final lot the starting bid will be... 65 gold coins." The announcer declared.
A soft murmur spread through the crowd.
Even among nobles and wealthy merchants, 65 gold coins was not a light amount to begin with for something they couldn’t use.
Ruvian rose from his seat and walked toward the tall window panels of the private VIP lounge. Beyond the glass, the auction hall spread wide beneath them, rows of nobles and merchants sitting under glittering chandeliers.
From this height, every movement felt small, distant, almost insignificant. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the scroll below.
Then, without turning his head, he spoke.
"Go with the highest bid as we had planned."
Silvena gave a small nod. She leaned closer and reached for the crystal panel resting on the table in front of her seat.
Steadily, she entered the number onto the bidding interface. The faint glow of the screen reflected softly on her eyes before she pressed confirm.
Then, a bright chime rang clearly across the hall, signaling the very first bid.
The announcer’s expression immediately lit up, clearly pleased that the final lot had already drawn attention so quickly.
"Oh! And we already have our first bidder!" he exclaimed energetically. "Hoho~!! It seems the excitement for this mysterious scroll is even greater than expected!"
Without hesitation, he turned slightly toward the glowing display beside him and read the number aloud with the same lively momentum he had maintained throughout the night.
"Our opening bid is—"
"Three hundred gold coins!!!"
The words left his mouth with full confidence.
Then, the announcer blinked a few times.
’Ehh?’
His smile remained in place, but his eyes slowly shifted back toward the number, as if only now truly processing what he had just said out loud.
"...Three... hundred... gold?"
That was when he realised that his voice had come out softer this time, almost questioning himself.
The confident expression on his face cracked as surprise spread across his features before he could stop it.
"Ehh!!?"
"T-three hundred gold coins?!"
At first, the hall thought that he was making a joke, but now seeing his reaction was the same as theirs... a wave of shock spread through the hall almost instantly.
"Three hundred?! Did I hear that wrong?!"
"Who in their right mind starts at THREE HUNDRED?!"
"Who is even going to compete with that?!"
Several merchants looked at each other as if silently agreeing to not even bother lifting their bidding plates anymore.
A noble near the front even let out a short laugh.
Even those within the VIP lounges shifted slightly, curiosity rising as they tried to guess which room had placed such an overwhelming bid.
Meanwhile, Ruvian smiled thinly.
There was a reason why he had instructed her to begin with the highest bid from the start.
Firstly, and honestly, there’s no way anyone here can actually beat the amount Silvena’s willing to pay anyway. Sitting through some long back-and-forth bidding war would just be a complete pain.
So, it’s much easier to just slam down a ridiculous price from the start and basically tell everyone else to stop dreaming because the scroll is already as good as his.
Though, his real goal was another matter entirely, as for him, this was also an easy way to check if his theory was right.
If the ones after the scroll were really some big-shot high-class demons, then sure, they might actually have enough money to fight with the VIP bidders here.
Annoying, but possible.
But if they were just low-level troublemakers, then there was no way they could throw around that kind of ridiculous money in the open.
No matter how desperate they were, wanting something and actually being able to afford it are two very different problems.
But if they really couldn’t win through bidding, would those demons just give up and go home peacefully?
Yeah right.
No way that’s happening.
As previously stated, if they couldn’t get the scroll at the auction, then obviously they would just aim for whoever ended up winning it.
They probably already bought all the useful information about the private VIP guests as a backup plan anyway.
Getting that kind of information here was hardly difficult. After all, this auction house clearly didn’t care about order or safety. As long as the money was good, everything else was apparently negotiable.
Ruvian kept his eyes on the scroll below, calm on the surface, while his thoughts quietly moved in the background.
Whether the demon revealed itself through bidding, or through action afterward, he would know through this.
And now, it seemed his guess was correct.
’Since they are not trying to bid, the highest rank among them are probably just Greater Demons.’
The announcer’s voice echoed across the hall as the final lot entered its last countdown.
But the sound of his words felt distant to Ruvian, drowned beneath the quiet tension gathering in the air.
From the corner of his vision, Ruvian noticed a few movements from below.
At first, it looked normal. Like some guests were preparing to leave before the auction finished. But the more he observed, the more unnatural it felt.
A few figures near the middle stairway began to move almost at the same time. Then, another two stood from the far corner, their pace steady but too purposeful.
They did not speak to anyone. They did not look at the stage. No, they simply moved, as if someone had given them an order.
Then one of them suddenly stopped. The figure slowly turned his head upward, at the private VIP lounge...
At him.
Even from such a distance, Ruvian could feel his gaze clearly.
Then, a beat later, Ruvian heard a familiar voice inside his head.
—’Ruvian... you were right.’
Irene said inside his thoughts through her [Telepathy] spell.
—’Several Lesser and Elite demons have already begun moving through the corridor. Their direction is clear. They are heading toward our VIP lounge. I also found that there are only five demons in this place, whose ranks are close to Greater Demons.’
Ruvian’s eyes remained fixed on the hall below.
At the same time, he felt a bit satisfied.
It was a very good decision to teach her how to judge the demon’s strength and rank, as it helped him get the accurate information he needed.
—’I see. How many demons are on your side?’
—’For the Lesser and the Elite, at least... about a total of twenty of them approached from the main corridor. No, maybe more than that. And three Greater Demons.’
His gaze shifted toward the glass panel in front of him. The enormous window overlooked the auction hall from above, giving a perfect view of the stage.
—’Can you handle them all over there by yourself?’
A brief pause followed.
Then her answer came, steady and confident.
—’Yes. Leave the corridor to me. I should be fine. I have the strengthening potion with me. What about the two of you?’
Ruvian did not reply immediately.
Because at that same moment, the true threat revealed itself.
Below the lounge, several shadows detached themselves from the crowd.
One figure jumped and pressed his body against the wall, crawling against the vertical surface like an insect. And some were already sky-walking towards them at a frightening speed.
Six... seven...
No...
Their numbers were more than a dozen.
Ruvian exhaled slowly, the faint tension in his chest settling into cold clarity.
—’Do not worry. We’ll simply take care of this side.’
—’Also, Irene...’
—’Hm?’
—’Just a reminder. If everything turns South, don’t hesitate to flee with Silvena without me.’
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[Chapter 154: The Ashway Bazaar (8)]
