The final item

"Ah! Baron Sandir, why did you..."

At first, Furon had thought Puxin wanted to buy the Deep Blue Giant Tiger for himself.

Who would have guessed that after winning the bid, Puxin would hand the pet contract to Furon?

"It's all right. It's just a small token of my regard." Puxin smiled.

After all, he had already spent several thousand gold coins today. Spending another two hundred was like plucking out a few hairs after having a leg chopped off.

A mere drop in the bucket. A mere drop.

"No, absolutely not. You've already given us more than enough today." Furon firmly refused.

She was gradually starting to feel that something was wrong, too. She might be innocent, but she wasn't stupid.

After all, no matter how close he was to Garros, giving away so much would still hurt.

Who spent over two thousand gold coins just to entertain his sister-in-law?

"Mother, we've all received presents, but First Mother hasn't!" Lin Ke said innocently beside her, his eyes bright.

Furon frowned slightly at that.

That's right! Sister Antova has always treated me so well. How could I have no present for her?

I'll just buy this little tiger from Baron Sandir! Furon glanced twice at the Slave Contract in front of her and was about to speak.

Having already seen right through Furon, Lin Ke spoke first. "Baron Sandir, why don't we count this Deep Blue Giant Tiger as your gift to my First Mother? As a gesture of friendship toward our Azan Castle and goodwill toward the Brando Family."

The Brando Family... Puxin had been somewhat hesitant, but after hearing that name, he could only agree.

Otherwise, if word got out that a mere baron like him begrudged even a two-hundred-gold gift to a lady of the Brando Family, how could he show his face again?

Besides, he had plenty of private dealings with Antova Brando.

Still, he couldn't help feeling that giving Furon a gift was far too difficult.

Everything at the pet shop had counted as gifts for Lin Ke, and now this gift had become one for Lady Brando.

So he had been spending all that money for nothing!

It's all this crafty Lin Ke's fault! Baron Puxin glanced at Lin Ke.

After several more auction lots, they reached the final item of the day.

With the arrival of the final item, the somewhat subdued atmosphere grew lively again, and everyone began discussing what it might be.

"Today's item is one insignificant piece from the collection of a great Heavenly Tier Professional. It possesses extraordinary historical and practical value. The starting bid is... ten thousand gold coins!"

The alluring woman onstage announced that enormous sum, throwing the entire room into an uproar.

"Andrew's Leg! What the hell costs ten thousand gold coins?! Is it His Majesty's toe? Hahaha!"

"Forget His Majesty's toe. Even a strand of the Heavenly Melody Saintess's hair wouldn't be worth that much, would it?"

"Haha, maybe it's a divine artifact of Zernital, the former King of the Gods?"

As soon as that last remark came out, someone nearby laughed and jeered, "A divine artifact? Who wants an ancient relic like that? Only an idiot would treasure one."

At that moment, a certain "idiot" seated in the upper gallery had also been stirred by the alluring woman's words.

"I never imagined even a small auction would have something worth ten thousand gold coins. I wonder what auctions in the big cities are like." Lin Ke couldn't help looking forward to them.

Large auctions in major cities would surely offer not only things from the Nasengge Continent, but items from many other planes as well. There would undoubtedly be far more goods.

Seeing that she had successfully stirred the crowd, the alluring auctioneer immediately had someone bring up a tray covered with a red cloth.

"This is tonight's final item!"

As she spoke, the auctioneer lifted the red cloth, revealing what lay beneath.

It was rather ugly, looking for all the world like a shriveled, irregular tree root, with half of it missing.

"What is that?!"

"Why does that thing look like my wife?"

"Nonsense! It obviously looks like my wife!"

"I don't believe you. Not unless you let me try her."

The low-ranking adventurers' attention quickly veered in some strange directions.

They certainly wouldn't have ten thousand gold coins anyway. If they did, they wouldn't be scraping out a living around the Great Swamp, so they were merely running their mouths for a little amusement.

Their dirty jokes, however, provoked considerable displeasure among the nobles above.

Looking at that ugly thing seemed to have reminded them of their own wives, too.

That left them feeling deeply irritated, and they planned to visit the city's Pink Street that night to find some satisfaction.

"This... could this be..."

Just then, a lord suddenly stood up, gripping the railing with both hands, his eyes wide.

"What is it, old man?!"

"Tell us already!"

Seeing that someone recognized it, the adventurers below immediately urged the old man to explain.

This was a chance to broaden their knowledge. Although those nobles were stingy and arrogant, they were generally well educated.

After coming back to his senses, the lord instinctively looked around at the nobles on the second floor.

There were two barons, one of whom was the ruler of Parrot City. Lady Furon and Young Master Lin Ke of Azan Castle were even seated nearby.

All their eyes were fixed on him, seemingly prompting him to speak.

I probably can't keep this information secret... The lord weighed his options. Speaking now would earn him some goodwill. If he refused, who knew whether Parrot City's powerful baron might have him eliminated afterward in a fit of anger?

And so the lord spoke calmly, though his voice trembled. "This is... merfolk root!"

"Merfolk root? What's that?"

"Haven't merfolk been extinct for years? They don't even have a single plane left."

"Root? Could it be a Fishman's thing? Is it really that ugly?"

"It's obviously a plant, all right? Besides, there must still be merfolk on some planes. Nobody's been to those planes, that's all."

Adventurers always focused on the strangest things.

And now the difference in education and knowledge between nobles and commoners became clear.

Baron Puxin, seated beside Lin Ke, frowned, then suddenly rose and walked to the railing. "Eleven thousand gold coins. I'll take it! I am Sandir Azan," he declared in a deep voice.

His tone carried confidence and arrogance. He also swept his gaze around the room, paying particular attention to several distant relatives.

They were his main competitors.

He also told the auctioneer below, "Pack it up and have it delivered straight to me."

The auctioneer gave a wry smile. "Lord Sandir, that isn't in accordance with the rules..." The bidding hadn't even begun!

Puxin waved his large hand, making the fat on his belly wobble twice. "I am the rules in Parrot City!" He felt that he positively radiated authority as he said it.

Afterward, he glanced back at Furon with feigned casualness, but she was talking to Lin Ke and hadn't noticed him at all.

That disappointed him a little, but he turned his attention back to the merfolk root below.

As long as I get the merfolk root!

"My dear cousin, do you think a mere eleven thousand gold coins will buy something like merfolk root?"

Suddenly, a rather thin, small man with a sinister air stood up and raised his hand. "Fifteen thousand gold coins!"

"Baron Robert, you intend to compete with me? With the financial resources of that village of yours?" Puxin sneered.

The thin man replied indifferently, "Of course not. With the viscount's family behind my wife, and my outstanding children's standing within that family and control over its assets."

"Hmph." Puxin's face darkened at that, and he wasted no more words. "Sixteen thousand gold coins."

The thin man waved his hand. "Twenty-one thousand gold coins!"

After a round of bidding, a light sweat had appeared on Puxin's forehead, while the thin man's expression was no longer as relaxed as before.

"Are they crazy?! That's so much money!"

"They're mad. Two lunatics!"

"What exactly is merfolk root? It isn't an aphrodisiac, is it?"

"Don't compare a stupid stud like yourself to nobles."

The adventurers kept chattering below, discussing the two powerful nobles' behavior.

They had no ties anyway and weren't afraid of nobles holding a grudge over their words. At worst, they could just slip into the Great Swamp.

What they wanted to know more than anything now was what merfolk root actually was.

Even Lin Ke was intensely curious.