"Preposterous! First this mad Duke Moron... Then the challenger who dares to go head to head for an overpriced item... And now Duke Moron once more increasing the quantum of his waste???"

"Hahaha! What a good show... Even if we don't end up getting the items we want, at least we got a good show! Hahaha!"

A wide range of reactions erupted from the on-lookers who were discreet enough not to give away their ident.i.ties or their locations - though their not-so-whispering voices were still distinctly audible!

Duke Moron had been huffing and puffing in shame and was now settling himself down. At the same time, Host Aquino himself was also shaken by the nonsensical bids he had to call out.

It was not an issue of high amounts... Aquino had presided over auctions for items with pricetags and bids nearly a hundred times higher!

However, the shocker was the enormously wasted money for an item that, at most, should be worth only 30-35 MP... And a whale-against-whale bidding war! Obviously it was not for the item itself, it looked like there was an anonymous someone here who had a bone to pick with Duke Moron or with the Wiarno Kingdom...

"Ahem... Seeing that Duke Moron has given us such a grand generous bid, we should-- WHAT??? N-no, sorry, excuse me... Ahem, T-the bid is now 110 MP from our anonymous bidde..."

"TWO HUNDRED MP!!! I AM BIDDING TWO HUNDRED!!! LET ME SEE YOU OUTBID THAT!!! HAH!" Duke Moron roared out, hurting the ears of the nearby attendees who, some of them, were merely juniors below the Master-level or finance/ administrative officers of their employers!

In fact, some of the occupants of the adjacent rooms immediately fainted and had to be rushed off for emergency resuscitation!

While Duke Moron's entire face was flushed red and his shoulders heaved up and down from heavy breaths, Lars sat reclined comfortably against his seat smiling while Charley was biting his fingernails!

'Why oh why did I have to follow such a psychotic master... Woe is me, woe is me...!!!' Charley bemoaned the chance encounter that had led his path to intertwine with Lars as he feared for his future...

He couldn't stand the insane anxiety anymore of gambling with their hard-earned money and shakily grasped Lars' sleeve to urge him to stop!

"L-Lars!! Boss...!!! What if he hadn't raised further...?!? We would have spent almost a fifth of our auction funds on just one sword! It's not even the item you're targeting, boss! C'mon boss...!! P-please don't keep giving me heart attacks...!!!"

Lars gave his companion and employee a whimsical look as he replied, "Charley, Charley... Trust me a little! Have I ever been wrong when gambling...?"

He realised he had said something and given the wrong example when Charley grew pale and wan-faced before beginning to teeter slightly where he was seated. Lars quickly grabbed Charley's arm to keep him from swooning and falling off the sofa, then coughed as he corrected himself.

"Bro, I-I'm not gambling! Okay?! From the words spoken by the Duke and the small interactions, as well as the reactions of the others in the audiences, I can tell a few things. I'm a.s.sured that I won't get burned in this!" Lars had on his face an innocent look that also bore hidden within it a wolf-like cunning... And this expression made Charley both relieved and outraged.

That was the very same trickster innocent and sincere faced expression Lars had given him when he signed that b.l.o.o.d.y slave contract with a paltry yearly salary!

But Charley could only fume and keep quiet as he decided to stop caring and leave Lars to his devices... Whether he squandered away their wealth or not, he didn't want to care anymore!

After all, it WAS Lars' own money - and as soon as Lars had the equipment or broke through and could contend with a true Mythical opponent, it was certain that the dough would come rolling in...!

The only problem was whether it would be sooner, or much much later... Such as if they were bankrupted entirely in this one auction from a certain reckless boss' actions!

Lars had a sharp gleam in his eye and shark-like grin on his face as he sat back once more and let Aquino announce the winning bid - belonging, of course to His Grace.

However, even as Lars had a cunning look on his face... His counterpart too transformed his appearance immediately and seemed as if he were a completely different person as he smiled slightly, considering his next move against this opponent who dared to challenge him.

Instead of a fuming, angry and reckless man, the tall duke had a regal bearing, with his black hair slightly greying at the sides of his temples and stately robes making him cut a handsome figure. Most of all though, what made him an object of impressiveness were his deep, intelligent eyes that seemed to hold an entire galaxy swimming within them...

Eyes that had not even a hint of foolishness nor impulsiveness, but rather the arrogance of a schemer whose dark hand was concealed behind every move... Until the dagger sprung forth to strike down his prey!

He toyed with a small knife in his hands, flipping it around dextrously as he seemed to ignore the announcement of his winning bid; so deep in thought was he!

"Going once... Going twice..." Aquino did not pause between his words for the customary 5-10 seconds between each call, instead he rushed through the motions and quickly reached the conclusion of the round.

"Going thrice! SOLD!! Congratulations to our honoured guest who has obtained the first item!! As a special gift... We will be contributing one-third of the profits to the newly setup Leanne-Mikael Orphanages!"

A round of applause accompanied this announcement as the members of the audience were surprised at the generosity of the city's administration - of course it was from the PROFITS and not from the TAKINGS; which meant that they would still be taking a big fat paycheck just from the little tiff between two silk-pants spendthrifts!

And Lars was the most surprised, pleasantly so as he smiled and blinked happily. Charley too was warmed in his heart - and they exchanged a glance of appreciation for Duke Leanne's sincerity.

Though the both of the two shrewd foxes also decided that they would thoroughly audit and check through how the monies were pa.s.sed and whether the orphanages were just another front for crime... Especially with their new helping hands in the Celestial Shadows formerly belonging to Madam Trenel along with Susano's Sword Gate of the Underworld...

As the applause began to peter off, Host Aquino seemed to have regained his suave demeanour as he smoothly kept the good atmosphere rolling.

"Now for the next item! I'm sure you've all been waiting for the reveal of the first hidden, secret item, right...? And I'm ABSOLUTELY sure you won't be disappointed with what we have prepared, all the way from the frigid sectors of Frizo System..."

"A Legendary-Grade Cryo Core!!!"

Great gasps broke out through the crowds, while Lars looked questioningly at Charley.

Charley's lips parted as if to speak, then he made a double take before pulling out the accompanying mana tablet - of the "Magic Profound Maple" brand, or Mapple for short.

He flipped through the item compendium which displayed the goods put up for auction and saw that the first slot for the hidden items had now changed from a series of greyed out question marks to show the Legendary-Grade Cryo Core instead.

He read out the lengthy description to Lars.

"Cla.s.sified as a longevity treasure, a Cryo Core does not restore the user's life-force or blood energy. However, it reduces or may even completely halt aging for a period between 1 to 100 years depending on the grade of the Cryo Core. For this item of the Legendary-grade, it is officially graded by the Alchemical Artisans to freeze one's longevity for SIXTY FIVE (65) years! Hurry while stocks last! Note: Please consult a physician before using this alternative medicine; your results may vary; length of effect not guaranteed by seller; side effects may include extreme freezing - please be cautioned."

Lars shrugged upon hearing this. An item that was useless to him.

But he smiled as his fingers toyed with the keypad beside him, waiting to see whose resources he could drain this time.