Episode 35 Auction House Flower (1)
Night. Outskirts of Underdog City.
For some reason, high-end wagons gather in groups in an empty lot where no one usually comes.
A black tent covered the entire large clearing.
Masked aristocrats entered the barracks arrogantly.
Today is the day of the slave auction. Of course, it is a slave auction that has not been officially reported to the Baskervilles.
That is why the slaves exhibited here are undeclared products.
Originally, there were many people who could not be traded as slaves.
For example, a savage who lost his hometown, a nobleman in a distant province, or a commoner who was suddenly kidnapped one day.
They are chained and trained with rods or drugs, and their will to run away or report has been completely broken.
Or it was a product that will be like that in the future.
“Welcome, welcome. Welcome to tonight’s ‘freak show’! Nene, welcome.”
A clown dressed as a clown welcomes visitors.
Before long, a middle-aged man walked in front of the clown.
A middle-aged man with a long goatee and a somewhat sloppy appearance kept looking around to see what was so unsettling.
The clown checked the middle-aged man’s pass.
“Mr. Chihuahua Montblanc. Ah, so you come from the Montblanc family?
The clown caught a middle-aged Chihuahua named Mont Blanc while trying to let him through.
The Chihuahua is visibly upset.
The clown said with his eyes narrowed at him.
“Looking at the purpose of the visit written on the certificate, it says you came to sell slaves, not to buy them?”
“Ah. That’s right. I’m here to sell.”
“What about the property?”
“Huh? I tied it up behind me for a while. There’s only one anyway. He’s a young guy, so it doesn’t take up much space.”
Then the clown smiled and bowed his head again.
“I see. Montblanc people are always good customers who buy slaves in bulk. This time they came to sell them, so I asked because I was worried that they might be selling them because they didn’t like the ones they bought last time.”
Chihuahua wiped the cold sweat with a handkerchief and nodded.
“No. I’m always satisfied with the quality of the slaves I buy here.”
“Is that right? That’s right. We only sell carefully selected slaves. We kidnap savage women who have lost both their families and hometowns, or aristocratic young girls from faraway lands, and train them harshly. They are obedient in everything. I wouldn’t even dream of running away or rebelling. Quality is guaranteed.”
The clown bowed politely once again to the Chihuahua.
“Welcome to the Freak Show.”
* * *
A strange tension was flowing in the auction house.
Under a thick layer of hookah and tobacco smoke, masked men and women sit around the center stage.
All the rich people who move the underdog underground economy have gathered here.
A lady wearing a butterfly mask licks her lips at a barbaric male slave on stage, and a gentleman wearing a bat mask licks her lips at a male slave from a mercenary on stage.
The things that came up on the stage in the auction house had no apparent mass.
Items such as old pots, famous artworks, and sharp treasured swords were uploaded, rare animals and monsters, and people branded as slaves were also uploaded.
But for the rich people gathered here, that sort of distinction is fine.
Because they usually treat things, animals and people as the same thing.
The distinguished guests wearing masks were talking amongst themselves while covering their mouths with fans.
“I hear it’s fashionable in the imperial capital these days to capture and display bizarre-looking slaves?”
“I don’t have much interest in such trends. Slaves are just as long as they are pretty and handsome.”
“If you’re a slave, shouldn’t you be good at work or good at fighting?”
“Hahaha I’m drawn to the tragic past of slaves. That’s why I prefer those from fallen nobles or kidnapped nobles.”
“Well, anyway. I hope there are many slaves that can be used today.”
People’s attention was mostly towards slaves.
An emcee dressed as a clown stands on stage and shouts at the top of her voice.
“Yes! This sword and shield are clearly relics of an ancient civilization! 30 million gold is out! Any more!? Yes! Then the auction was successful! Applause to the man in the snake mask who will take this lucky weapon! Now, next sale! Everyone! !Look at this beautiful jewel-encrusted crown! It must have been worn by the king of a kingdom that was destroyed somewhere in the history books…”
Then.
The eyes of the spectators, who were only focused on the slaves, suddenly rushed towards one place.
The item for sale this time was not a person, but nevertheless it was enough to focus all the attention in the hall for a moment.
A black water buffalo covered in black muscles.
Huge horns, a massive body, and three red eyeballs glisten.
< Hell Buffalo 'Murcielago' >
Hazard Level: A
Size: 3m
Location of discovery: Red and Black Mountains Part 2 Ridge
– A type of cow that lives in the ‘Deep World’ of Hell.
It is said to have nineteen hearts and will not stop charging until all of them stop.
It was a gigantic monster that inhabited Red and Black Mountains.
However, the reason why no one runs away even though this monster appeared on the stage is simple.
Because this Murcielago was dead.
the moderator exclaimed.
“Come on! This sale is secretly embezzled from what the Baskerville knights hunted for! That rare, dangerous A-rank monster! There’s nothing to throw away, including skin and meat bones!”
The hell buffalo had nineteen wounds on its body.
It seems that he died only after all his hearts were destroyed.
The price of these corpses soon skyrocketed.
“100 million gold!”
“120 million!”
“140 million!”
“190 million!”
“200 million!”
“250 million!”
Even though they are not human slaves, the entire auction house heats up.
The moderator who sold the carcass of a hell buffalo at a good price led the auction in earnest to see if the excitement was rising.
“Now! From now on, it’s auction time for humans and pseudohumans only!”
Before long, various types of people began to climb onto the stage.
A savage man with dead eyes, as if he had given up on everything. A kidnapped aristocratic woman crying, begging to be returned home.
“1 million!”
“200 million!”
“250 million!”
“Get 7,000 more!”
“I wanted that bitch! No one can touch it!”
“You’re laughing. Bring more money.”
The more they cry, scream, and give up, the more the madness of the people surrounding the stage grows thicker.
Right then.
The moderator, who was excited by the actively selling items, suddenly looks puzzled.
“……Huh? Huh? Did you put this up for sale too? Ehhh? Really? Oh, I get it. I’ll see if I can sell it.”
He stutters as if he has trouble communicating with the men behind the scenes.
yet. He straightens his expression and speaks again.
“Okay! The next listing is a little different from the previous one! A different charm! This product still has plenty of room to be trained!”
That means that even the slave traders are still out of control.
The emcee, who had finished packing, dragged the slave to the center of the stage.
Unlike in the past, this time the slave came up on stage while being confined in a cage with strong iron bars.
“Quaaaaagh!”
Goosebumps erupt in succession.
Inside the cage, a barbarian girl with a black face was running amok.
Would you be 17 now?
Her black hair and silver hair interspersed in a triangular shape with pointy ears were a black face, but it looked like it had been covered with ash powder, so it originally looked light brown.
She was wearing a choker with thorns around her neck, and the animal skin she was wearing was like a piece of rag.
His body, visible through the rags, was strong and slim, but his face was unrecognizable because he was covered in ashes, and he was raging and growling so violently that no one raised a bid sign.
“!אני בת המלך. תקלל אותך. אני אהרוג אותך”
A language that doesn’t speak at all.
Moreover, the ladies were turning their heads with frowns because of the animal smell that had been wafting across the stage from earlier and the body odor as if they hadn’t washed for dozens of days.
“……Ah, who buys this?”
Even the clown watching the society is talking to himself like this, so it’s like he’s done talking.
Still, he was in a position where he had to sell his own products, so he did his best to make a comment.
“Come on! Come on! Slave traders say they’ve picked up something lying down in the depths of the jungle! Come on, don’t do that! Wouldn’t a wild slave like this taste like a new way to tame it? Whether serving at night or using it as a gladiator! It’s time to prove your mastery of slavery! Let’s start with a bid of 5,000,000! Come on! Start!”
…
But no one raises their hand.
Usually, there will be someone who will ask for the lowest bid out of respect for the emcee’s face and the atmosphere at the auction house, but this time there wasn’t even that.
“Eight! Then I’ll lower the minimum bid! Three million! You don’t have three million!”
…
“Then you won’t even break even! 2 million! Now, 2 million! I’ll say it again, you won’t even break even!”
…
“I got it, I got it! 1 million! Close your eyes and go 1 million! Take it and boil it for human meat! We only sell meat by weight!”
…
But in the end, no one raised their hand.
The moderator grumbled and gestured.
“It’s okay. This won’t sell. I told you to only post guaranteed products. Ay! Get it off the stage quickly! From now on, you’ll have to use a wind catcher or something.”
Soon, slave traders came onto the stage and pulled down the barbarian girl’s cage.
Even in the midst of this, the girl had a major accident by biting off the fingers of the merchant who was holding the bar.
The atmosphere in the auction house became chaotic.
The organizers had to somehow control this atmosphere.
Is that why?
The moderator felt that it was time to bring out the special S-class item of the trumpet.
“Now! Attention! Ladies and gentlemen, Jumo~Jade! Focus your attention from now on! From my subjective point of view, today’s best sale is coming out right now!”
yet. A man appeared on the stage.
A boy with handcuffs and heavy chains hanging from his wrists.
A young face that looked like a 15-year-old.
Even though the restraints must be heavy, the boy’s gait is unstoppable.
A faint admiration flowed from the audience at that confident and calm spirit.
Eventually, as the boy stands in the center of the stage, the torches above him illuminate the boy’s face all at once.
The boy’s appearance was revealed in a bright halo of light.
And the audience who saw it shut their mouths at once.
“……oh.”
The expressions of all the noble ladies and some middle-aged men gathered here were becoming hazy.
