Lars bit his thumb nail in anxiety as his forehead throbbed, the stress getting to him.

Kizorik was no better off - this was a chance for him to break through the current sealed state and begin to release his powers as more than just an imaginary friend - he would be able to perform scouting, scanning and even fight as an extra pair of hands... Err, flippers.

He couldn't bear the thought that the precious item (underpriced too) could possibly slip them by just because someone was toying with them!

'Lars! It's still not that expensive, even if it were selling for like, 200 million platinum coins, it's still a bargain! Even those goods on sale for nearly 500 million can't even net you half the Abyss Points... Right! Don't you have stuff to sell? Or like, anything to trade in to raise money? You gotta have something right...? Lars...? Lars!!'

"SHUT UP!!!" The golden-haired boy snapped and raised his voice at Kizorik before catching himself and realising - he had just roared out loud!

Charley looked at Lars, spooked.

Was this the so-called hearing voices in your head...?

He began to inch away on the sofa and looked nervous as he stared at Lars while pretending not to look.

"To h.e.l.l with it! I'm going all the way, even if it costs me a fortune! BID!!!"

Then, not having the time of day to explain himself to Charley, Lars shook his head and decidedly input his new bid.

Down below, Aquino who was in the middle of his count suddenly froze, stunned as he received the newest bid. Then he was greatly pleased and all smiles as he recited the new leading bid amount.

"Ladies and gentlemen... It looks like we have a clear leader now! At a grand price of 50 million platinum coins for this item, this represents the biggest increase in bid price versus starting price we've seen this whole auction! Now, with such a decisive raise, it's almost safe to a.s.sume that the bidder has made his stance clear - this is his final price! If anyone else is planning to contend for this item, they should be prepared to at least pay this much to challenge our current leading bidder."

The well-dressed host coolly folded his arms at that point while a wind from who knows where made his coat tails flutter. Then after that momentary pause, he continued.

"Very well! I shall begin: 50 MP going once!"

While Aquino recited these words that they had heard a thousand times over, the various members of the audience yawned or grumbled, feeling like their time was being wasted right now. They had been just about to complain to the head organisers and the n.o.bles to skip this pretentious farce for such a worthless item - but were pre-empted by the close of this bidding.

Simultaneously, Lars had risen to his feet, standing tensely with his back bent over in concentration.

If he could mind control everyone else at this moment, he would surely do it and command them, "DON'T BID!!!"

He stood with fists clenched tight as he mumbled to himself a mantra: 'Please please please please please.... No one bid, please!! No one interfere!!'

"Going twice!"

Aquino swept his gaze over the hall quickly, and just before anyone could protest or urge him to hurry up, he declared the words Lars was waiting for.

"50 million platinum coins, going thrice and SOLD!! Congratulations to our lucky winner of this bid! And now, on to our next item..."

But from there, Lars could not pay attention anymore to what was said - he hurried over and pressed the b.u.t.ton to request for service so that he could pay for his items, collect them and leave.

There was another round of shopping to be done, this time from the Abyss collection!

* * * * *

At the same time, a middle-aged man was slumped on the floor in his viewing chamber, nearly fainted from the tension and excitement consuming him at this moment.

Everaldus Slith could barely believe his luck! No, he could not at all believe it!

That random piece of hide picked up from some barren wilderness by his dad... Chucked into some abandoned cellar and hidden under piles and piles of worthless junk...

It turned out to be worth a whopping 50 milloion platinum coins...?!?

"Thank you... Whoever you are, thank you...! Thank you thank you thank you for buying my rubbis.h.!.+ Heavens, earth, sky, G.o.ds, deities... Whoever it is! Thank you for this buyer!!! Bless this buyer everyday!!!"

And it wasn't just Everaldus who was thanking the heavens at this moment - his CFO Bernie was also on his knees, his hands and lower lip trembling in amazement as he could barely stutter out a few incredulous words.

"Are... are...."

"ARE THEY CRAZY!??! Who would even spend 15 million platinum for that mangy piece of hide...??? It's not even resilient enough to be used as normal leather armour! It's just that the patterns and characteristics are still unknown... I don't... It's just..."

Bernie began to trail off into garbled mumbling as he slowly slumped to the floor, exhausted from his earlier worrying about the 40-something million platinum deficit - a worry that was now completely exacerbated.

Then to his confusion, someone shook him and began to drag him off the floor and to his feet.

"W-what!! What are you doing!! Get your hands off of me!!! Let go, let go--Oh, young master, it's you." Bernie cried out in panic as he was disoriented for a moment, before his eyes refocused and he realised that it was his young master Everaldus who was pulling him to his feet.

"Bernie! Bernie, hurry up! Quickly! We've no time to waste! We've gotten our longevity treasure, one of the ice element even! And now we sold our worthless item for just the right amount, what's there left to wait for...? Let's hurry back to father's side and cure him, quickly!! Let's get moving!!"

Everaldus, though he was already past 45 years of age, turned into an excited young teenager as his eyes began to tear up when he spoke. He rushed and urged and hara.s.sed Bernie to get up and nearly dragged him to the door while they waited for the servants to arrive and bring them to collect their money and the goods they'd purchased.

As he stood anxiously waiting for the manservant to fetch them from their room, Everaldus muttered pa.s.sionately to himself.

"Father... Father... We thought it was all good and over... But now, we have a chance at survival...! And most importantly... Not just by ourselves, but together with you! It's meaningless, to continue on and grow if it's without you, father..."

* * * * *

In a dimly lit room, wide and with just one chair and a small round table placed in the centre. On the table were 4 small figurines, all painted black and nearly imperceptible in the gloomy room: A black sword, a black goblet, a black skull and a black diamond.

And in this room deep below the auction area, hidden within the honeycombs of the tunnels, a certain conversation was taking place even as those above began to move to collect their items as well as their payouts.

A lone figure in a metallic looking cape stood cloaked, face and bodily features masked completely by the wrappings.

However, one could tell three things about the figure.

Firstly, he was tall, broad in shoulder and wide in girth, yet did not look overweight, but instead, incredibly powerful.

Secondly, he was a man as his calm and yet icy voice sounded out in the darkness.

"...You have a mark on our target...?"

He spoke to no one in particular, as there was not a soul nor a sound around him anywhere the eye turned or one's spirit sense roamed.

And yet, the reply rang out, responding to his commanding voice.

"Yes, milord... The three true Lords of the Underworld are ready and waiting for the marks to move. It is expected that anytime now they will begin their journeys..."

"Good. Proceed. And the moment that perpetrator LARS appears..."

The lone figure stretched his hands out in front of him, before lightly touching the black sword figurine.

And though it was made of adamantium, one of the hardest un-enchanted materials known on the Yiluo planet, his lightest brush against it reduced it instantly into glistening black metal dust!

"Slay him... And that traitor Susano..."

The man's face rose slowly, revealing a grim reaper's mask, chilling in it's visage, gruesome and horrifying. It was completely embossed in silver, but that was not the most noticeable aspect of the mask.

The most outstanding feature was what was on it.

A smile.