Deia chuckled. "This final item is something that needs no introduction and no external appraisal for its quality to be verified. It is something that even the simplest peasant, no matter their origins, would have heard about in legends, the most treasured Divine Liquid in all of Faust…"
Deia then reached out and popped the cap of the bottle, allowing the crowd to see what was within, as well as smell it.
"10% Concentrated Lunar Dew!"
The lovely smell of rejuvenation and empowerment washed over the entire crowd, filling the auction stage and even reaching the Backstage where Darius was.
When the Apprentices, who had been watching everything with curiosity so far, smelled it they shared suspicious looks. They felt this was a very familiar scent, something that had always been with them on a daily.
However, the reason they were unable to recognize it, was that the concentration of Lunar Dew they had unknowingly enjoyed under his tutelage was far higher than what was currently being sold to these powers.
The crowd had turned deathly silent once more, utterly disbelieving of the treasure before them. They were not shocked, it was more of a frozen calmness from seeing something so outrageous that instead of causing excitement, it causes worry and contemplation.
Their behavior naturally had not gone unnoticed by the AI Deia. "Alas, we have 'only' 10 bottles of Lunar Dew with this same concentration today, so each one will have to be sold separately! Do everything you can to secure this miracle liquid, for it could very well be the only one of its kind in our world!"
Her words snapped the various fellows out of the reverie and they smiled with amusement. Before wondering whether anyone was going to place bids, this lass should be wondering how to protect herself.
Case in point, a gravelly and guttural voice spoke from one of their VIP Rooms.
"I have no idea who is behind this show, but I thank them for their generosity. Bringing this here to give to me, truly benevolent."
The next second, a great power manifested outside that VIP room in the form of a giant demonic claw. This apparition rushed towards Deia, aiming to rip her apart and snatch what was seated on the tray.
"Your shitty little city does not deserve to sell something like this, and I have no interest in buying! As such, I will just take it." The Demonic Thrall in question added callously.
In truth, his words resonated with almost everyone in the crowd. They had tolerated everything so far in order to keep a semblance of peace. Not only because they feared the person they speculated existed behind Darius, but also because they had seen this city have some powerful means to protect itself.
However, this kind of wariness mattered little when it came to Lunar Dew. Even Grandmaster-stage experts who had shared a relationship closer than actual siblings on their way to the top would not hesitate to leave everything behind and backstab each other over a small pond with 1% concentration, much less bottles with a 10% concentration.
All the powerful guests who had come today, remained in their seats, waiting for this impatient fellow to test the limits of this city. If they were defeatable, they would land upon them like locusts, pillaging and seizing everything they could before leaving.
If not, they would then shift their target to the buyers and remain neutral towards the city.
Xela saw this and shook her head, while Gunner smirked slightly, his eyes finally showing some interest.
As for Darius, he simply snapped his fingers calmly without a change of expression. Immediately, the falling demonic claw disappeared like it had been extinguished by a gust of wind.
Before onlookers could even exclaim in surprise, the VIP room in which the attacker was situated suddenly had its observation window become two-way, so everyone could see the person within.
The shocked Demonic Thrall who had horns, red skin, and a buff body was still in the motion of sending his claw out when the chair he was seated in suddenly manifested tendrils like a snake that wrapped around him.
He was quickly locked in his seat before he could even think about fleeing, and then began to struggle with a roar.
His companions didn't help him, in fact as soon as they had seen the chair change they had fled into the four corners of the room, making sure to distance themselves from the fool.
The sound in his room had been amplified as well, so everyone could hear his grunts as he tried to unbind himself.
"Release me, impudent vermin! Do you have any idea who I am?!" The thrall cried out in anger and shame from being treated like this.
Darius snapped his finger again in response. To the collective gasps of the onlookers, a strange apparition appeared in the room with the Demonic Thrall which had a visible outline but no features appeared behind his chair.
The fellow kept struggling in his seat in ignorance of this, making the crowd feel a mounting dread as the outline slowly reached out and placed its palms on either side of the Demonic Thrall's head.
Suddenly feeling someone touch his scalp, the fellow's expression changed as horror struck him. Before he could demand his release once more, he suddenly began screaming at such a high pitch that the crowd shuddered, the young Apprentices nearly soiling their pants.
His body began to tremble and struggle even fiercer than before using all skills and means he had available, but it was for naught. The crowd saw his body visibly shrinking, like a bag of water that was being emptied.
Soon, the Demonic Thrall who had believed he could do whatever he wanted in Darius' auction was reduced to a husk-like corpse that was drained of its flesh and bones, leaving only dried skin that soon faded into ash.
However, that was not all. The nightmare was far from over. The glass that had become two-way changed in color, as if someone had flipped on a filter. The interior of the VIP room changed, and the chair, as well as the furniture faded into the background as the room, became grayish with a strange mist floating about within.
The entire crowd saw an ethereal form float above where the chair had been, the form possessing all the features of the Demonic Thrall who had just been killed. The soul showed pain and horror on its face, but even more so a vicious expression.
"Just wait until my lord revives me. I will carve out your flesh and torment your soul for eternity for what I have suffered today!" The fellow cursed, thinking that he could not be heard.
The next moment strange outline appeared behind his soul.
