It was a location crafted specifically for the purpose of absolute security and defensibility, smack dab in the centre of the city and nearly 100 metres below surface level. Lars and Charley were guided from their private viewing booth overlooking the Gorun Stadium battle arena by a pleasant male servant who led the way quietly, though he continued smiling all the time.

They followed him through some deserted pa.s.sageways and finally to a dead-end, where the servant pulled out a nondescript looking badge from his chest pocket and held up to the wall. When he did so, the wall slowly faded away like smoke and revealed a long and dark pa.s.sageway with magical light sources lining the walls.

They entered after their guide and followed his pace as they walked along.

During the process of the walk, to their surprise they did not encounter a single other person - if they weren't sure that this auction was legitimate, they might even have feared that they were about to be kidnapped and their organs stolen!

As they walked, Lars and Charley noticed that there was a constant wind and the drone of an engine running in the background, reverberating through the walls. Here and there they would also notice cracks running along the ceiling, the walls and the flooring - signs of the devil's attack not so long ago.

After about 6-7 minutes of walking through the winding, dimly lit and dreary underground pa.s.sageways that kept on twisting and turning like a maze, they began to see signs of light - and of life.

They could hear hushed voices speaking, echoing through the long hallways and off the resonant walls. Further on they could also see flickering lights, though based on how far they were away and how it was still so bright, it should be a very large hall and one brightly lit.

When they drew nearer, they realised that the hall in the distance was cavernous and lit not by fiery torches but by magical lighting to avoid lowering the oxygen content and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the underground area.

Once they reached the exit of the hallway, the servant stepped aside slightly and paused at the entrance then bowed his head, inviting Lars and Charley to enter first. As they did, they stepped through the doorway of the room and took a look around at the only room connecting with the long maze they had followed.

They emerged not in the an entrance or receiving room, but immediately into a small private lounge that looked to be fit for a maximum of 3 or 4 people. Even then, it was not s.p.a.cious; those 4 people would have to be sitting shoulder to shoulder on a long but cushy sofa while there was only room for a table for drinks and nothing else.

Despite the luxurious decor of the room draped in fine curtains and lush fabrics, it was clear that s.p.a.ce-saving was the focus and not only comfort alone.

They peered out the opening of the private lounge and found that they were looking down from a high angle at a semi-circular shaped theatre stage with a very, very high wall behind it. There were no rooms directly opposite theirs, probably to ensure that each partic.i.p.ant would have absolute privacy except for the sounds of their neighbours voices.

"Esteemed sirs, I hope you find yourselves comfortable. I would like to deeply apologise for the long journey and the rather, ahem, cosy s.p.a.ce you have here. Due to ensuring there were sufficient private viewing booths for the ill.u.s.trious guests, we were forced to make some, ahem, compromises to the width of each lounge..."

The smiling servant spoke professionally, however it definitely sounded like a memorised speech as it came out too mechanically. He bowed to express his apologies and paused a moment to see if his guests had any comments or questions before carrying on.

"You are in room number 83--" He pointed to a wooden panel with the numbers "83" carved into it, "...And if you wish to bid for any of the items, all you have to do is input your bid amount onto the number pad on the arms of the sofa."

Lars and Charley looked over at the sofa from where they were standing in front of the entrance to the lounge and saw there truly was a number pad with a large b.u.t.ton that read, "BID". They nodded, indicating that the servant should carry on.

"And finally, before I bid my leave, if you would have any other requests, feel free to press the b.u.t.ton underneath the number plate, and one of the servants will attend to you immediately." The male servant in his late teens kept a warm smile on his face, but appeared to be in a hurry to set off to his next job - whatever it was he had to do.

Lars glanced about and took note of the b.u.t.ton labelled "SERVICES" and thanked the servant before allowing him to leave.

He put his hand into the right pocket of his pants to ensure that his bank card was there and felt the inscriptions on it just in case. Once he confirmed that the cards which held his combined total wealth of nearly 600 million platinum coins was safe and sound, he stepped towards the ledge of the lounge balcony and leaned over to take a look around, both above and below their booth.

Lars was surprised to realise that the auction booths were designed such that the aesthetic curtains surrounding each balcony also protruded out further than a person could lean forward, thus effectively denying his attempts to take a peek at the other booths.

This together with the meandering path to arrive here

Satisfied that this also meant they had complete privacy, he walked over to the sofa where Charley was already seated and sipping on the high-grade juice.

"Do you have the list of items to be auctioned off...?"

Charley nodded but added, "Yes, apart from the premium items they claim to have secured for the auction. Those ones are only marked by starting price and their category. Such as this one that says, "Life Rejuvenating Pill - 142 MP". Oh, the "M" stands for "Million" and the "P" for "Platinum", so 142 MP means 142 million platinum coins."

Lars looked amused as he replied, "I knew that."

Then he picked up the jug and poured himself a drink as he sat down to wait for the auction to begin.

He was looking forward to making good use of his wealth... To power up and no longer fear other better-equipped Legendary opponents...

And also, he had thought about it and decided to secure some fitting equipment for his peak-Elite level alter-ego, such as high-grade weapons, armour, accessories and runes with low requirements on the user. After some deliberation, he had discussed with Charley (the only one who knew about his disguise as both Mikael and himself, Lars) and they had decided to apportion only about 15% of the money for strengthening his contestant form.

The rest would need to be carefully invested to make sure his real powers were strongly augmented, as that was what was truly important.

Nevertheless, they still chose to allocate 15% instead of just a paltry sum as Lars had insisted on how important and valuable the Battle Through the Heavens was...

Of course, he could only quote Duke Leanne, as there was absolutely no way he could reveal that he was a demon's contractor to any living human!

Lars then blinked and a thought came to mind as he asked Charley about something he had a.s.signed him to do.

"Oh, by the way, have you or the rest gotten any info about that goat the devils are looking for...?"

Charley froze in place for a split second upon hearing that question, but as he once more felt a mix of warm, soft fur and cold, sharp teeth against his skin in his pants, he slowly shook his head and replied, "No, there's nothing at all... No one seems to have any idea about a special goat that they could be looking for... Though, there ARE rumours of a two-headed goat born from a woman..."

Lars tapped his chin as he shook his head, "No... I don't think it would be something so simple or trivial as a mutated goat born... It's just that, well... Ah, nevermind..." Lars leaned back against the sofa as he had no idea what he should be looking for, while Charley gave him a sheepish and guilty grin and continued to drink his juice, though with a chill that ran up his spine at the close shave he had once more with the little goat in his pants.

* * * * *

While Lars and Charley were idling and waiting for the auction to begin, suddenly the lights shut off and everything turned dark all around for a brief second. Immediately after that, a great, bright spotlight lit up a certain spot on the theatre stage down below and revealed a well-dressed and stately looking man in a mask.

He wore a tuxedo and a white b.u.t.ton-up s.h.i.+rt on the inside. Together with his bow tie and top hat, he gave off the appearance of a magician crossed with a maestro of an orchestra; a look fitting for the host of an auction.

"Good evening, your graces, your highnesses, esteemed elders, n.o.ble lords and ladies and all guests here today! My name is Aquino, and it is my great honour to be your host for this year's bi-annual Gorun Auction!"

"Now, for those who are not familiar with the rules, they are very, very simple! First of all, the minimum increments for bids are at least 100,000 platinum coins. Secondly, every 5 times a bid is increased by the minimum, the next bidder will have to up the bid by at least 1 MP! This is to avoid too much time being wasted or... Other manipulation by any dishonest party. And thirdly, the safety of every guest is sacred and guaranteed by the reputation of Gorun City! There shall be no cheating, no dishonesty, no violence, no stealing! Or it will be punishable by... DEATH! Of course, this punishment will be carried out by her Grace Duke Leanne and the Four Great Houses..."

Somehow, when the man said that, Lars could feel the host smiling predatorially even though his face was covered by the mask.

"With that covered... And without any further ado..." The host paused for emphasis as he swept his long coat-tails back as he flung forth his right hand and produced a long and expensive looking walking stick from thin air. Then abruptly, the curtains covering the high wall behind him parted in an instant, revealing a great array of items on display.

Then he declared with a powerful voice fit for the theatre, "Let the bidding begin!"

"The first item..."

"Legendary-level Spellsword, Krieg's Slayer! Starting with a minimum price of 17 MP, this sword has been equipped with 5 enchantments: Sharpness, Indestructibility, Haste, Strength and s.h.i.+elding, all at least with a rating of Grandmaster-level!"

Aquino paused and gave a moment for the auction partic.i.p.ants to absorb the information before continuing.

"But if that were all, there would be no way this item could warrant either the price, it's rating as Legendary-level or even appear in this auction! Haha! The reason it can appear here is because it is also imbued with a Level 7 spell that can be used up to three times a day - Level 7: Finger of Death!"

Upon hearing this, a greater clamour of discussion arose as the audience began to murmur in appreciation of the versatile weapon.

Lars craned his ears carefully and could pick up some of the discussion going on.

"Very interesting..."

"What an exquisite surprise attack... At first using brute force and then when your enemy lets down their guard..."

"Brother, what do you think of this weapon...? Does it suit you...?"

"Take note - set our budget to 35 MP for this item! I want it for the young master!"

Then he rubbed his chin and gave a glance to Charley who shrugged and nodded, saying, "Up to you, boss. It's not a bad item among the list of what they've revealed to us..."

Nodding, Lars reached over to the screen by his side and input the numbers for his bid...