Big Goldtooth watched the colorful expressions on the faces of the people below, especially Rivaz, and felt a satisfaction he hadn't known in days. It was as if all the frustration he'd endured had vanished in an instant. He glanced down smugly, then fixed his gaze on Andy.
The Elves were an ancient race. Aside from a few who had been enslaved in ages past, they had practically disappeared from the world. Even at formal gatherings, they rarely showed themselves. Rumor had it that after some kind of upheaval, the Elves had split into two factions. But whichever faction they belonged to, they seldom appeared in public anymore.
Rivaz's eyes gleamed with excitement. So it really was an Elf! In all his life, he'd only ever read the briefest descriptions in books. But as the leader of Booty Bay, he had excellent self-control, and his startled expression quickly vanished. He secretly glanced back at the others. They were a disgrace, their greed plain to see. Rivaz also noticed a few people in the crowd staring lecherously. Disgusting. That Elf was obviously a man!
Rivaz looked away and coughed discreetly. The auctioneer onstage finally came to his senses, swallowed, and stammered, "One Elf, starting at... Uh, starting at..."
"No starting price. Highest bid wins!" Big Goldtooth shot the auctioneer a disdainful glance and shouted.
Big Goldtooth had assumed the Elf wouldn't fetch much, even if nobody had ever seen one before. After all, he was a man. Big Goldtooth would've been satisfied with eighty or a hundred gold coins. But he hadn't expected the crowd to react so strongly—not even Rivaz could resist. Well... heh heh. Only a fool turned down a chance to make money!
Andy was the most shocked of all. From the moment they took off his hood,