I Prefer Corpses

The auction was being held in the public dining car at the front of the train.

When Rein arrived at the appointed time on his invitation, quite a few people had already taken their seats in the dining car, which had been temporarily converted into an auction hall.

Only then did he realize that the front carriages, which he had thought held very few people, actually contained so many passengers.

Rein swept his gaze across the seated guests. Aside from the extravagantly dressed nobles who were obvious at a glance, even more were Scavengers dressed like adventurers.

The Scavengers had all kinds of distinctive outfits, carrying long guns and short firearms with them. Quite a few wore masks or external Mechanical Skeletons. Rein's Crow Mask and Mechanical Arm outfit no longer seemed particularly conspicuous.

Rein's personal maid-uniformed attendant led him to the seat number listed on his invitation.

As he walked over, appraising gazes repeatedly swept across him.

Rein's expression remained unchanged, but he muttered inwardly, There seem to be quite a few powerful Scavengers here.

Veteran Scavengers all carried a certain vicious air. Used to traveling the wilderness, their eyes were always as sharp as wolves', and they scrutinized everyone as though assessing prey. They were easy to recognize.

And there were clearly quite a lot of such people at this auction.

"Strange. These people don't look like ordinary Scavengers. They look more like managers from some famous large gangs."

Rein also noticed that many of them wore Scavenger Gang insignias.

These identity-plate-like items were usually a way for large Scavenger Gangs to flaunt their status and strength.

Rein did not know these people, but he recognized several of their badges.

"Iron Boots Scavenger Group," "White Eagle Scavenger Group," "Three Musketeers Scavenger Group."

They were all fairly famous large Scavenger Gangs from Oma's three southern provinces.

Clearly, it was somewhat unusual for all these people to appear on the same train.

They probably boarded during the previous stop for repairs?

Without betraying anything, Rein found his seat and sat down.

These people had clearly come for the auction.

The dining car reserved for VIP passengers was lavishly decorated. There was a small bar counter at the front, where bartenders mixed brightly colored cocktails. Scantily clad bunny girls carried trays of fine liquor around to serve the guests.

Rein ordered a Margarita. One sip left a sweet-and-sour taste on his tongue.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, almost all the seats had been filled.

Only then did a curvaceous woman in a cheongsam arrive fashionably late.

Her arrival instantly drew the attention of nearly every man present.

Judging purely by her figure, she was a mature beauty in full bloom. Her exquisite cherry blossom cheongsam perfectly outlined her graceful body—lush and firm, beyond compare.

Even Rein could not help giving her another look.

Her long legs were simply too alluring. The high-slit cheongsam revealed those beautiful legs in their entirety, and every movement she made carried the seductive charm unique to a mature woman.

She was the kind of woman who, without even looking at her face, could make men's imaginations run wild merely by looking at her legs.

Unfortunately, a black gauze veil covered her face, and she wore a broad-brimmed pink hat that matched her cheongsam, concealing most of her features and preventing anyone from seeing her true appearance.

It was precisely that hazy, half-hidden quality that made people want to uncover the truth all the more.

The passengers in this VIP dining car were clearly people of status. No one made any strange noises over such a beautiful woman. Even the lustful gazes quietly disappeared.

Perhaps because Rein had grown accustomed to Ymir's nearly perfect figure these past few days, his resistance to beautiful women had increased considerably.

He merely glanced at her before withdrawing his gaze. Yet unexpectedly, the woman in the cheongsam swayed gracefully toward him.

Holding her invitation, the beautiful woman checked the seat number, then compared it with the number plate on the table before confirming that this seemed to be her seat.

She looked at Rein, pointed at the invitation, and smiled gently. "Hello, sir. I'm in seat sixteen. May I sit here?"

Rein replied without any fluctuation in his tone, "Of course."

The way the beautiful woman concealed her face was the complete opposite of his. He showed his eyes and covered the lower half of his face, while translucent black gauze covered her eyes, revealing only her luscious red lips.

For some reason, Rein felt something strange. Whenever she spoke, his gaze was unconsciously drawn to those red lips. They seemed magically captivating, stirring the soul and making his lower abdomen burn without his realizing it.

Just then, the Mind Core's system notification rang in his mind.

Ding! Abnormal mental energy fluctuation detected. Please remain vigilant.

"Hm?"

This notification was not a danger warning, nor was it an attack from some charm spell. It was merely a standard notification of mental energy fluctuations.

Roughly speaking, the system would issue this alert whenever someone developed lust upon seeing beauty.

Rein immediately became wary.

Just watching those red lips part was enough to make someone's imagination run wild?

His intuition told him that this beautiful woman was more mysterious than she appeared.

One compartment had two seats, and among over a hundred seats in the hall, she just happened to sit opposite him?

Rein did not take this as some windfall romantic encounter. It might well be a disaster falling from the sky.

Eyes could not lie, yet she had covered hers.

From the moment she had walked through the gazes of men who seemed eager to strip her naked and calmly taken her seat, Rein had guessed that this woman was definitely not simple.

After taking her seat, the woman in the cheongsam did not seem inclined to start a conversation. She sat on the sofa opposite Rein, elegantly picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, and fell silent.

No one would likely have imagined that this beautiful woman was none other than Canossa J. Clofiler, vice president of the Black Gold Merchant Guild.

As someone standing at the apex of the monetary empire, she had naturally learned at the first opportunity that Princess Oma Ymir Spuglin was still alive.

Once she traced the Eldest Princess's movements, it was not difficult for her to guess that the person who had happened to send a telegram from the train several nights ago was that very Princess.

Heh heh. The Eldest Princess, renowned as the Imperial Family's Frost Princess and never once rumored to be involved with any man, had actually shared a room with a strange man?

That gossip was far more interesting than any palace coup.

"Good evening, esteemed guests. I am Romon, auctioneer for the Thornbird Merchant Guild."

As the auction began, a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat presided over it.

"Next up is a complete Gene Origin Power Cultivation Method, the Holy Shield Knight Breathing Method, a hereditary secret technique of the Lester Viscount family. Starting bid: thirty million Lisuo."

"Next is a Second Tier Silver Potion from the Elementalist sequence: Element Manipulator. Starting bid: three million Lisuo."

"..."

It was no different from the auctions in Rein's previous life: display the treasures, call the bids, strike the hammer, complete the transaction.

The treasures listed in the catalogue sold one after another for high prices, and some of them interested Rein.

For example, the Gene Origin Power Cultivation Method.

After advancing to Transcendent, he happened to need a higher-level breathing method for cultivation.

But he had no intention of revealing his wealth during this journey.

A mere young intern doctor purchasing something too expensive would definitely attract the attention of certain people.

It would be safest to buy one from an established merchant house after reaching his destination, even if it cost a little more.

More than half the auction had passed, yet Rein had kept his gaze straight ahead the entire time and had not looked at the woman in the cheongsam opposite him even once.

Although they sat facing each other and those beautiful legs were fully visible, at certain angles he could even catch a glimpse of lace trim beneath her sexy high-slit cheongsam. Yet he acted as though he had no interest whatsoever.

That only made Canossa, who had originally been curious about him, even more curious.

The fish had not taken the bait, so she could only take the initiative.

After thinking it over, Canossa put on a bored expression and started a conversation. "Sir, are you a doctor?"

Since she had taken the initiative to ask, it would not be polite to ignore her.

Yet Rein did not want to engage with her, so he simply replied, "Yes."

Canossa blinked and gave the line she had prepared long ago. "Oh, if I hadn't seen your doctor's coat, I would have thought you were a mechanical fighter."

"..."

Rein shrugged noncommittally, considering that a response.

Seeing how cold he was, a trace of surprise flashed through Canossa's eyes.

Only then did she realize that this man seemed genuinely uninterested in her, rather than playing hard to get like some experienced womanizer.

What exactly was he to the Eldest Princess?

Her personal doctor? Oh, he looked more like a doctor's apprentice. How could Her Highness the Eldest Princess possibly keep such a young doctor by her side?

Canossa became increasingly interested.

Since she had chosen to test him, she had no intention of giving up so easily.

Her eyes shifted, and she pretended to frown while pressing a hand to her forehead. "Oh dear, I've been riding this train for several days, and I feel a little dizzy. I wonder if I'm sick."

Her voice was soft and delicate, making one's bones feel weak and numb just from hearing it.

Normally, any man who heard a beautiful woman say such a thing would at least offer some polite concern.

Especially a doctor.

Her words were not explicit in the slightest, yet they carried a strong suggestive ambiguity: You are a doctor, so you can rightfully put your hands on me and examine me.

As soon as she said that, the system notification came again.

Ding! Abnormal mental energy fluctuation detected. Please remain vigilant.

Rein glanced at her. He really did feel an impulse to follow along with her topic, and agitation rose in his heart.

But the system's warning ruined the mood, immediately making him wary. This woman is targeting me?

Clearly, he did not believe that, wearing a mask and looking like this, he could make a stunning beauty lust after his body.

In an instant, the restlessness in his heart vanished.

After thinking it over, he decided to kill the conversation completely.

"Oh, how unfortunate, madam. I wish I could help ease your troubles myself. But as you can see, I'm actually a veterinarian."

Rein pointed at his Mechanical Arm and spoke with a straight face. "You know, veterinarians occasionally treat large magical beasts, which is why I have a Mechanical Arm equipped when I go out."

A veterinarian?

The woman was visibly stunned by those words.

What a load of crap!

A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes. Even with Canossa's steady composure, she could not help feeling a little resentful as she said softly, "You're very humorous."

At first, she had merely been probing him for fun. But after being shut down repeatedly, she began to doubt herself. Could it be that I truly have so little charm?

Hm.

Then suddenly, another thought occurred to her. Could someone so close to the Eldest Princess be in some ancient court profession?

No, that was not right!

She sniffed lightly with her delicate nose. That rich, healthy hormonal scent—he was a normal man.

With that in mind, Canossa's smiling eyes turned foxlike. Once again, she took the initiative to start a conversation, teasing in a soft, sweet voice, "Mr. Veterinarian, you are the most amusing man I've met recently."

After a pause, she extended her slender hand and introduced herself. "You may call me Madam Vanessa. I'm from Sand Ridge Fortress in Angelos Province. It's a pleasure to meet such a humorous doctor."

Since the lady had voluntarily given her name, etiquette demanded that anyone respond with equivalent information.

Only then did Rein turn to look at her. As expected, this woman is scheming. Time to use my ultimate move!

Canossa saw those eyes looking directly at her, and joy rose in her heart.

She was not afraid of him taking a little advantage. She was afraid that he would not look at her at all!

But before she could display her charm, she heard Rein speak again in that irritatingly smug tone.

"Honored madam, it is also my pleasure to meet you. I am Nicholas Jesbon, from an insignificant remote village."

Rein looked Canossa up and down with the chilling gaze of someone examining a corpse on an autopsy table.

Then, in an incomparably low voice, he said, "But as you can see, I'm not good with words. Compared to living people, I prefer corpses."

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