Our battle raged on, and now we were barely making any increases as we both realized our limits.
“475,000 gems!”
“480,000 gems!”
The tension in the room was palpable as we neared the 500,000 mark.
Our bidding increments had shrunk to mere thousands, a stark contrast to the impulsive dozens and hundreds of thousands at the beginning.
Although what I was doing was undeniably stupid and reckless, I couldn’t bring myself to back down.
My mind kept pushing forward, compelling me to press the button as if some unseen force was driving me. This wasn’t normal at all. Sure, Clara’s smug smirk annoyed me, but I wasn’t usually this impulsive.
Wait, something was off. I knew I wasn’t normally this rash. Clara’s smirk was irritating, yes, but not enough to justify this irrational bidding war.
It didn’t make sense. Why was I this angry? Aside from that look she gave me, there was nothing substantial to warrant such intense animosity.
There hadn’t been any previous conflict or deep-seated rivalry. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I harbored a strong hatred for her right now.
It felt strangely natural, almost as if it was the most logical reaction in the world, despite the clear absurdity of it all.
I glanced at Seo, hoping to find some clarity in her eyes. She, too, looked bewildered by my actions. This wasn’t just about the auction anymore. Something deeper was at play, manipulating my emotions and decisions.
Wtf was going on? “495,000 gems!!!!!!! From the young man at the back!!!!” The announcer was practically screaming his lungs out as he pointed at me.
Fuck, when did it reach almost half a million? Hadn’t only a few seconds passed? This was really getting the better of me now.
“Riley, I think you should stop…” Seo’s voice, usually apathetic and emotionless, was laced with worry as she looked at me. Despite appreciating Seo’s concern, a part of me didn’t want to stop.
[Warning!!!]
[Warning!!!]
[Foreign influence detected…]
[Fate: A Dragon’s Sacrifice is shaking]
Wtf? Why did I feel hurt now?
“Riley…!” Seo shouted in shock, her voice breaking its usual monotone. Fuck me, what was going on? And what did the system mean by ‘foreign influence’?
“Riley, I think we should get out of here. You’re really hot…” What did she mean by hot? I felt completely fine, just slightly dizzy.
[Foreign influence analyzed]
[Please evacuate current position immediately. Detecting high signs of Doom Wisteria pollen in the area. Any more exposure could lead to severe consequences. Please leave immediately!]
Panic surged through me.
“Doom Wisteria? Excuse me?” The moment I read that line on the system message, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Doom Wisteria was an extremely rare flower found only in the southern edges of the Great Dragon Valley. Its formidable location mirrored its sinister uses.
Doom Wisteria flowers were typically employed by assassins and devotees of the goddess Lamella, the deity of death in this world.
These flowers were highly prized for their effectiveness in torture and assassination, and their market was tightly controlled by Lumelion, the most powerful assassin’s guild on the
continent.
The effects of Doom Wisteria pollen were infamous: high fever, hallucinations, extreme diarrhea in the worst cases, and intense anger spikes.
Almost all the symptoms I was experiencing right now.
If I didn’t have even a bit of strength in my stats, I would have died on the spot.
Why the fuck is such an extremely rare and toxic flower being used to contaminate my area? And why isn’t it affecting Seo or the other people around me?
Doom Wisteria pollen? was no joke you know so it was weird seeing all this people dong fine despite the really obvious.
The plant’s pollen was known to mess with the mind, causing hallucinations, irrational behavior, and in extreme cases, severe harm or even death. I glanced around, realizing how hazy the room seemed, how distorted my thoughts had become.
Although I couldn’t see the pollen, as it was an invisible and odorless type of poison, the fact that it was only affecting me meant that someone was targeting me.
Was it Clara? Glancing up, I saw her still in a state of contemplation, wondering whether to fight me to my last bid.
Seeing her look of focus, that couldn’t be the case at all.
As someone who practically knows Clara inside and out, I didn’t think she would resort to something like poison if someone annoyed her. She’d much rather use her magic swords than anything else.
Although it could be very possible that she was the hidden assassin, considering her high- level skill command of telekinetic magic, manipulating something as lightweight as odorless pollen wouldn’t be that much of a problem for her.
But I just didn’t see her doing all of that. Seriously, what did I do wrong?
Suddenly, the ground shook. Fuck, now it was an earthquake.
As if things couldn’t get any worse….
Now a natural disaster was occurring.
…..
“I don’t
ing pranks like this is appropriate for someone of your stature, Liany…” a
man said as he adjusted the tip of his mustache, approaching a cross-legged lady dressed in
revealing clothing.
With her darker complexion and three pairs of earrings adorning her long ears, it was clear she was an elf, but not just any elf-she was a dark elf, a rare species even among the elves.
Only the highly praised high elves of the north could match them in prestige, purity, rarity,
and appearance.
She was stunning, and if the black and purple veil covering her face were to be removed, anyone would immediately fall for her.
Liany, the master of the House of Lust, the largest and most prestigious legal brothel chain in the entire world, looked annoyed at the man who was slowly approaching her. “Boseman, huh? Tsk… what are my bodyguards doing? Did those bastards let you in again? I’m pretty sure I told them not to let anyone inside, especially a snake like you.” Boseman smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Your guards are quite diligent, but not diligent enough, it seems,” he replied smoothly, his tone dripping with mockery.
“You should hire better ones if you truly want to keep people like me out.”
Liany’s eyes narrowed, her annoyance palpable. “What do you want, Boseman? I don’t have
time for your games.”
“Oh, come now, Liany,” Boseman said, feigning hurt. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?
I merely came to offer some… advice.”
“I have no need for your advice,” Liany retorted, her voice cold. “Especially not from
someone who would stoop to petty tricks to get my attention.”
Boseman laughed, a low, sinister sound that echoed through the room.
As always, their relationship wasn’t going to be fixed anytime soon.
This was already the fourth time something like this had happened, and in that short amount
of time, Liany was already having trouble finding new, strong bodyguards she could hire.
Not even some random rogue knights out there would work for her now due to her constant streak of changing bodyguards.
Although Boseman and she were once best friends, that didn’t mean they liked each other’s
presence that often.
Even back in their school days, the only reason they hung out was because of their common friend, who was now the Duke of the Heaven Duchy-the largest and strongest dukedom in all
the empire’s governance.
With strength that was only second to the empire, it made sense why such a person would always be busy. But because of their individual ambitions and purposes, their relationship
had strained to this level.
Looking at her annoyed face.
Boseman’s smirk widened as he spoke, “Now, now, it’s not really their fault. All I did was offer them around five times your normal wage rate, hoho…”
Liany’s eyes flashed with anger and frustration. “So you bought them off. Typical of you, Boseman. Always using your wealth to manipulate others.”
He chuckled, twirling his mustache with a sense of smug satisfaction. “It’s called leveraging resources, my dear. Something you should be quite familiar with, given your business
acumen.”
She sighed, rubbing her temples in exasperation. “This is the fourth time, Boseman. How am I supposed to maintain any semblance of security with you constantly undermining me?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Perhaps you should consider treating your people better. Loyalty can’t always be bought, but it can certainly be swayed with the right incentives.”
Their history was complicated. Back in their school days, they were inseparable, bonded by their mutual friendship with the Duke of the Heaven Duchy.
The Duke, with his immense power and influence, was a common thread that kept them
connected.
But as time passed and their ambitions diverged, their relationship deteriorated.
Liany focused on building her empire within the House of Lust, while Boseman pursued his
own mysterious ventures.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than to sabotage me?” Liany snapped, her frustration boiling over. “Or is this just another one of your twisted games?”
Boseman leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing with a mix of amusement and menace. “You
misunderstand me, Liany. This isn’t just a game. Consider it a reminder that in our world, power is fleeting, and trust is a luxury few can afford.”
She clenched her fists, trying to control her rising anger. “What do you want, Boseman? Just
spit it out.”
“How about you?” he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“No…” Boseman replied calmly.
“Can’t you at least think about it?” she pressed, though it was clear she wasn’t expecting a
different answer.
“Would you?” Boseman countered, raising an eyebrow.
“Hmm, no, not really,” she admitted. “But I would do it for a golden statue of you, though.”
“Ew, that’s just disgusting,” Liany grimaced.
“Hmm, there was nothing disgusting about swimming in gold coins, right?” Boseman
smirked.
“Sly old bastard… So, why did you come here? If you’re here to lecture me, don’t. The kid pissed me off,” Liany said as she continued manipulating the wind around her to carry the
pollen towards the young man.
Why did she get mad at him?
‘Simple-because he was very beautiful’
And another being that the spirits around her kept warning her to get rid of the young man,
which was something she couldn’t really understand.
‘Old bastard huh….’ Boseman couldn’t help but shake his head at the irony of her insult, considering she was much older than both his and the duke’s combined ages.
Although he wanted to refute her words he chose to stay quite knowing how loud the woman
can be.
Approaching the empty chair in front of her, Boseman sat upright, enjoying the view from her
balcony.
Although his own balcony had its unique quirks, there was something about Liany’s tendency
to have themed rooms that elicited a sense of excitement and wonder inside him.
But anyway, ignoring his thoughts, he focused on what he came here for.
“You should stop now, Liany…”
“Huh? Why should I stop?” she snapped, her annoyance flaring.
“The young man you’re tormenting right now… is his son-in-law,” Boseman said, his voice
steady and serious.
Liany froze, the wind around her ceasing its movement as she processed Boseman’s words. “His… son-in-law?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” Boseman confirmed. “The young man you’ve been targeting with your pollen. He’s the
soon groom of the duke’s daughter, and her very beloved fiancé”
For a moment, Liany was silent, the gravity of the situation sinking in. If the Duke of the
Heaven Duchy found out she had been targeting his son-in-law, the repercussions would be severe. Her position, her empire, everything she had built could be destroyed in an instant. “What did you just say?” she asked, still struggling to grasp the situation.
“Hmm? That young man is Luther’s son-in-law,” Boseman repeated, his tone nonchalant.
Liany let out a bitter laugh. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her emotions and
mind raced to understand the context behind this revelation. “If he’s his son-in-law, does that mean Luther has a child now?”
“Hmm, didn’t you know? I thought you would’ve been the first one to know of it,” Boseman wondered aloud. Although Luther was quite secretive about his private life, he was rather open with the people he trusted. It seemed strange that Liany wouldn’t be informed about
something as significant as this.
Liany’s mind reeled. Luther, the Duke of the Heaven Duchy, was not only a powerful ally but also someone she had once considered a close friend.
The fact that he had a child, and that child was now married, was news to her. How had she not known? Then, suddenly, something clicked in her mind. She watched Boseman closely, her ears perking up as a forgotten detail came back to her.
“Wait a minute,” she said slowly, piecing things together. “Luther… Luther’s daughter is
getting married to that young man?”
Boseman nodded. “Yes, and it’s in your best interest to be on good terms with him. The duke
doesn’t take kindly to threats against his family.”
Liany’s shoulders slumped slightly as she absorbed this new information. Her anger and
frustration began to ebb away, replaced by a growing sense of urgency. She needed to rectify
this situation before it spiraled out of control.
“Liany, how long has it been since you’ve checked your mail?” Boseman asked, a knowing
look in his eyes. “Around 16 years, I believe…..” she replied absentmindedly.
The two then had a realization and slumped to their feet, especially Liany, who smacked her
forehead in exasperation.
She hadn’t kept up with correspondence, a failing that now seemed monumental.
Meanwhile, Boseman struggled to hold back his laughter.
To think he would see the day this elven woman would get caught up by her own perception of
time…
He couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle in the whispering air.
In the end, no matter how powerful, no matter how noble, no matter how pure, weak, or
strong, everyone makes mistakes.
“You’ve really ruined my mood now, Boseman. Was that intentional?” Liany asked, glaring at
him.
“Hmm, who knows? I think you’ve ruined everybody’s mood now though” Boseman said as he closed his eyes and put his cane down, making subtle glances at the people below.
Most of them got hit by a few small debris from above when Liany had stomped the floor in frustration.
Liany sighed deeply, feeling the weight of her oversight.
She had allowed her emotions and negligence to create a potentially disastrous situation.
She needed to act quickly to make amends and prevent further complications.