The Mage of Primordial Chaos

Chapter 428 - The Auction Begins

As the minutes went by, the audience chamber down below began getting filled up with people. The red velvet seats were taken one by one, and all the big shots settled into their VIP rooms. However, all the VIPs were unable to see one another's identities, since the glass covering the walls of one side of the rooms were darkened.

This meant we could see out through our room and actively participate in the auction, but people on the outside could only see a silhouette of us. As a result, our identities were protected — mostly, anyway. They could always simply follow us outside once the auction was over, but even then, we had masks on, so there was no worry there.

I appreciated the fact that this was the way things were set up. I always liked privacy and keeping my profile hidden, so this was essentially the most perfect VIP room I could imagine.

The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying this too. They didn't like wearing masks, and took advantage of them not needing to inside this room to fawn over me, competing with one another. I didn't pay them any mind, and set my mind strictly on the auction. I did not want to get carried away here and miss out on an important item..

... Though, I must say, having a beauty like them in each of my arms was tempting, especially given their warm, voluptuous bodies and alluring scent.

Luckily, my self-control has been trained quite a bit — inadvertently — after spending so much time being surrounded by girls whom others would regard as angels or goddesses. As a result, I was able to hold back my urges even as they stroked my crotch area, whispering seductive messages into my ears.

Thankfully, after several minutes, an announcement rang across the room as a speaker got onto the stage down below. I didn't know how long I could hold on for — even I had my limits, as a healthy young man — so this was a godsend.

"Welcome, valued guests and honorable VIPs. The monthly Mordem Realm-Wide Auction will begin shortly. A friendly reminder to please remain seated at all times during the auction, and only speak when necessary. This is to avoid chaos and messiness. Thank you for your understanding, and may Death be with you."

The auctioneer's gentle female voice was broadcasted to us in the VIP room via some kind of PA system, though I couldn't find any visible speakers anywhere. Enchantments or Sound redirection Magic, I suppose.

"May Death be with you... is that a common phrase around here?" I asked, slightly perplexed. "Sounds more like a curse than a blessing."

"Don't forget, this is the Death realm~" Ling Xin giggled softly, gently tracing her fingers across my chest while leaning into my arm. "The people here worship Death like the Living Realm values Life. To them, death is  a blessing."

"Yeah... I'll never get used to this," I said with a sigh. "I'm getting out of this realm the moment I can. But Axilia... will you be okay, leaving here? It is your home, after all. Not a very good one, but a home nonetheless."

"Don't worry, darling~" Axilia beamed happily at me and clutched my arm closer, wrapping it in between her bouncy chest. "Anywhere with darling is my home~"

I smiled and stroked her hair, to which she bit on my chest gently.

"O-Ow, that hurts..."

With a smile, Axilia backed away. "Now I left my mark on you, darling. If anyone tries to take you from me... I'll kill them~!"

"R-Right..."  Stop looking so innocent while saying something like that. The worse part is, I know she'll actually do it.

"It's starting, master~" Ling Xin said with a smug snicker, glancing at her twin sister, who stared at her with a dangerous smile.

Ignoring their little competition over their names for me, Ling Xin was right. Down below, the auction was starting. The lights dimmed and the spotlight centered on the auctioneer, who for some reason had sweat on her face. When she had made the announcement earlier, she had been just fine. I wonder... oh, maybe Grandmaster Zun told her about my Golden Pills, and to auction them first. Yeah, that must be it.

"A-Ahem... this month, we have prepared something very special for you all," she began, voice quivering slightly. "It is something that has never been seen before, something that has only be spoken of in legends."

This caused a stir in the audience. People murmured to one another, each trying to figure out what she was talking about.  So much for keeping quiet.

Though... could I really blame them? Given the shock on Grandmaster Zun's face, it was clear Golden Pills was a big deal.

"Please, quiet down, everyone!" The auctioneer said, trying to calm all the audience down. Eventually, it worked, and the chamber became quiet once more. The curiosity that had been ignited in their hearts, however, could not be exhausted.

"Those of you who have studied alchemy in the past should be very familiar with this item," the auctioneer continued. "Some may have even tried to refine one yourselves. However, those experiments all ended in failure. After all, myths were only myths, and the thing  spoken of in legends did not exist."

By this point, a minority of the audience already knew what the item she was hinting at was, but none of them wanted to believe it. It couldn't be true.

"But this  thing, does in fact exist. And the person able to refine it,  also  exists. I present to you, my dear customers — a genuine Golden Pill!"

Saying this, she removed the cloth covering the cubicle storage device that had been brought on stage via a tall cart. Within the glass cube, a single golden sphere lay. In an instant, the audience was brought to a standstill, eyes glued to the item.

Their emotions were a mixture of shock and disbelief, debating whether or not what they were seeing was real. The alchemists among the audience were especially entranced, bodies shaking with excitement.

"W-Wha..."

"No way..."

"Is this a dream? This has got to be a dream, right?!"

The Golden Pill's beautiful radiance illuminated the entire audience chamber, like a miniature version of the sun. It was as if everyone could feel its warmth, its power, like a cozy blanket that washed over them. Its beauty, its perfection, its very essence — embraced everyone in the audience, captivating them to no end. Even the auctioneer, who I'm guessing hasn't witnessed it yet, had her eyes glued to the pill.

So much so, in fact, that several minutes went on without her saying anything else. Suddenly, however, she nearly stumbled backwards and pressed on her ear with her hand, signaling that someone had yelled at her through her earpiece or something. I dunno, just a guess.

"A-Ahem... the auction house assures you, this is a genuine, 100% natural Golden Pill. It has been verified by Grandmaster Zun himself, the top alchemist of this realm. As such... the starting bid for it will be 5 million mordai!"

I blinked. "5 million? Didn't that old man say 1 million or something?"

"Well... to be fair, he said  more  than 1 million," Ling Xin corrected, a smirk on her face. "Besides, are you going to complain, master? This is more profit for us."

I shrugged. "I suppose so."

And that was just the starting bid.

In an instant, the audience began raising bidding paddles one after another, raising the price by millions each time.

"7 million!"

"9 million!"

"10 million!"

"15 million!"

The cost soon skyrocketed, and I could only blink in awe as the price went higher and higher.

"Hm... hey, master~ I'm beginning to think just one night isn't enough for my reward, don't you agree?" Ling Xin giggled seductively, twisting my head around and planting a wet kiss on my lips before backing away and licking hers. "At this rate... we'll become richer than the royal family. The mordai coins here can also be sold back in the Living Realm for even more value, so we'll become wealthy back there too. Such benefits... all thanks to me~"

I sighed and pulled her closer to me, letting her rest against my shoulder. "Yes, yes... what do you want for the reward, then? I'll think about it."

"Fufu~ you'll let me decide? That's dangerous, y'know~" She whispered into my ear, biting it tenderly. I flinched, but didn't move away from her hot breath.

"Sure. You can choose whatever you want, but whether I actually will do it or not is up to me," I replied, matching her wry smile with one of my own.

"Then... I want you to marry me."

I stopped.

"Come again?"

"You heard me the first time, master. I want you, Xuan Kai... to make me your wife, before any of the other girls. It's bound to happen eventually, right? Getting married, I mean. When that time comes... I better be first~"

"Hold on, sister... technically speaking, if I hadn't brought darling to the Death Realm, none of this would have happened," Axilia argued, a dangerous smile on her face. "So... I should be first instead."

The two sisters smiled at one another from across my body, but neither of theirs reached their eyes. I was not very comfortable with this atmosphere, but then, suddenly, from one of the VIP rooms-

"100 million!"