"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the halfway point of the final segment," Trake announced with a wide smile.
"And from here, things are about to get insane, as you have no idea what's coming next."
He paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
"The third and fourth beasts of the final segment are..."
Two ladies emerged from behind the curtains, each sliding in a round table with a red cushion on top.
Resting on the cushions were two small creatures with four legs, leathery wings folded neatly on their backs, and two tiny horns crowning their heads.
One was completely black with piercing blue eyes, while the other was pure white, also with striking blue eyes.
"...Dragons."
Silence
Complete silence fell over the auction hall.
Everyone sat frozen, too stunned to process what Trake had just said.
"As I'm sure I don't need to explain anything about dragons, let's begin the bidding for this adorable little white dragon," Trake announced, breaking the silence.
-----------------
In the VIP room,
Theon and Vivienne's eyes sparkled with excitement, practically glowing with anticipation.
Finally, they were seeing the very reason they had come to the auction.
Elisa, Helda, and Felix watched in fascination, though their interest didn't go beyond mere admiration. They had already obtained the beasts they wanted.
Cassian, however, smirked and turned his gaze toward Vivienne and Theon.
'Now's the moment', he thought, his eyes glinting with amusement. 'Time to choose the difficulty of the game.'
He knew exactly how this would play out. Now Vivienne will made her request and if Theon agreed, it would set Theon's difficulty to the highest level. If Theon declined, the difficulty would drop.
'Most players wouldn't even notice this hidden mechanic', Cassian mused. 'But being a professional restarter, I've seen it all.'
As if on cue, Vivienne turned to Theon.
"Theon," she began sweetly, "can I have the white one, please? You can take the black dragon."
Theon hesitated, clearly torn. He wanted the white dragon just as much, but after a moment of thought, he smiled and said, "Of course, Vivienne. You can have the white one. I'd rather have the black one anyway."
Cassian's smirk deepened. 'Heh, I knew that simp would pick that option.'
----------------------
"The starting bid will be... 100 million gold!" Trake announced.
The crowd below the VIP rooms let out a collective sigh, already resigning themselves to the fact that they couldn't compete for such a legendary creature.
The automated bidding system came to life.
"VIP Seat No. 4 has bid 100 million gold," it declared.
Contrary to the crowd's expectations of an intense bidding war, no one else placed a counterbid.
The reason was simple, the [Unknown] donor who had submitted these legendary beasts to the auction just hours earlier had ensured that the new content was only sent to the four dukes and the king.
Many who might have participated hadn't even bothered to attend.
After a few moments of silence, the automated voice echoed once more.
"White Dragon goes to VIP Seat No. 4."
Trake smiled bitterly, his earlier enthusiasm dimmed by the lack of a bidding frenzy.
"Now, for the black dragon," Trake announced, maintaining his professional enthusiasm.
"The starting bid will be the same... 100 million gold."
Once again, the automated system came to life.
"VIP Seat No. 5 has bid 100 million gold."
The crowd watched in hushed anticipation, but just as before, no counterbids followed. After a few moments, the automated voice confirmed:
"Black Dragon goes to VIP Seat No. 5."
Trake released a silent sigh, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly, though he maintained his polished demeanor.
"Moving towards the last beast of the auction," Trake announced.
From behind the stage, a lady emerged carrying a medium-sized box.
"For the last beast of the auction, we also don't know anything," Trake admitted with a curious smile.
"The person with the code name [Unknown] said that we must open the box at the very end."
He paused for effect, heightening the anticipation in the room.
"The last beast of the auction is..." Trake's voice trailed off as the lady carefully opened the box.
Inside, a small white snake with piercing red eyes hissed angrily, its movements sharp and defiant.
"...a normal snake..?" Trake momentarily lost his composure but quickly recovered with a chuckle.
"Hahaha! I guess Mr. [Unknown] wanted to play a little joke on us."
He continued with a smirk, "The starting bid will be 50,000 gold."
-----------------------
Inside the VIP Room before box was opened.
"What do you guys think the beast inside the box will be?" Helda asked, leaning back in her chair.
"Something small, for sure," Felix replied confidently.
Elisa rolled her eyes. "We all know that, genius."
Felix's mouth twitched in irritation but he said nothing.
As the lady opened the box, revealing the white snake, Trake's voice echoed through the room.
"...a normal snake?"
Helda frowned. "It's just a normal snake? And here I thought it would be another legendary beast."
The others nodded in agreement, though their expressions carried a hint of disappointment.
/BA-DUMP/ /BA-DUMP/
While the others were casually discussing, Cassian felt his heart pounding faster and faster. His gaze locked on the snake, and he could feel something deep within him stirring.
His face began to flush, and an overwhelming feeling surged through him, telling him he had to get that snake.
Unaware of his actions, Cassian's breathing grew heavier, though he managed to keep it subtle enough to avoid drawing attention.
"The starting bid will be 50,000 gold," Trake announced.
The automated system sprang to life.
"VIP Seat No. 4 has bid 50,000 gold."
"I think that snake is kinda cute. Maybe I'll take it," Vivienne mused aloud.
Cassian clenched his fists tightly. His instincts screamed at him, and without realizing it, he activated his ability Coiling Aura.
"If any of you bid on that snake," Cassian said coldly, a heavy pressure descending upon everyone in the room like an invisible serpent coiling tightly around them, "I will kill all of you."
The oppressive aura made everyone in the room nod hastily, fear evident on their faces.
With that, Cassian placed his bid.
"VIP Seat No. 2 has bid 49 million gold."
Even Trake faltered for a moment, stunned by the sudden escalation.
The automated voice chimed again.
"VIP Seat No. 7 has bid 50 million gold."
Cassian smirked knowingly. In the game, this part always played out the same.... a bidding war between Vivienne and Seat No. 7.
Vivienne's last bid always capped at 49 million gold before she gave up.
Cassian, calculating his move to avoid appearing reckless, intentionally placed the 49-million-gold bid.
"It's time to end this auction," Cassian muttered to himself.
"VIP Seat No. 2 has bid 60 million gold," the automated voice announced.
As he expected, a few seconds passed with no further bids.
"Snake goes to VIP Seat No. 2," the system confirmed.
Trake's grin widened at the exorbitant amount spent on the seemingly ordinary snake.
"With this, the auction is now concluded," he declared grandly. "Those who have won their bids, please proceed to the backroom to finalize payments and claim your beasts."
Trake gave a final bow.
"Thank you for attending," he said warmly, before disappearing behind the curtains.