While fighting broke out in parts of the Sabaody Archipelago, Grove No. 1 remained peaceful for the moment.
This was one of the most notorious places in the Sabaody Archipelago-nominally an "Employment Agency," but in reality a Human Auction.
The building's interior resembled an elegant theater. Deep crimson curtains hung from the vaulted ceiling, and luxurious crystal chandeliers provided the lighting.
Rows of red velvet seats filled the tiered stands in several fan-shaped sections, all facing the central stage.
The guests were a mixed crowd: merchants, nobles, pirates, underworld figures, and the "Celestial Dragons" who appeared from time to time.
They eagerly discussed the slaves that might appear next.
Most of the guests were relatively "practical." Their targets were human slaves.
At the front and center, in the best section, stood VIP seats with ornate canopies.
Three Celestial Dragons sat there, with the surrounding guests keeping a little distance.
Although the Celestial Dragons had, to a degree, accepted the auction's rules and "mercifully and generously" allowed these people to participate without kneeling...
...They were even willing to pay a full 500 million Beli for a mermaid with a starting price of 70 million, buying her with real money.
Even so, the guests stayed out of the Celestial Dragons' sight as much as possible.
Rosward sat upright in the middle, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses.
Charloss slouched in the chair beside him, snot hanging above his upper lip as he stared at the stage like an overgrown infant.
Shalria sat on the other side, her posture elegant, though the sneer at the corner of her mouth did not quite match that elegance.
Diamante knelt beside Rosward's seat.
He was on all fours, a metal collar around his neck, with the other end of its chain fastened to the chair's armrest.