The crowd turned silent yet again, and so did Vivi. The mysterious bidder did not retort and simply remained silent at Arthur's shout. The faint, undecipherable sounds of indignation were somewhat audible.
It took Vivi a few seconds to regain her composure, after which she displayed the brightest smile she could muster. One could practically sense the overflowing excitement oozing from her body as she suppressed a scream.
She was trembling in joy.
"Kai, sold to the gentleman in VIP room #379 for 100,000 Tokens!" She squealed, twirling on stage, which many customers found weirdly attractive. 100,000 Tokens were probably the most money someone had spent on such a low-tier auction.
'I'll be eating well for years,' thought Vivi. As the hostess, it was obvious she received a cut of what she sold, and even one percent was enough to sustain her for a month or so. Thankfully, her pay was around seven percent.
Beauty–when managed carefully–was a massive blessing.
Kai glanced at the VIP room in which Arthur sat. The window was tinted, so he could only see a black screen. Despite having been sold, Kai did not feel a shred of happiness or excitement. Wait… what were those emotions?
What did they mean?
He was going to explore the outside world… if his master was benevolent. That was simply a fact. He did not feel excited or look forward to it. It was simply an event that was destined to happen.
It was destined to happen.
He wasn't certain how he knew that. But he simply did.
Kai returned to the back of the stage, watching with an indifferent expression as the auction continued. A few hours passed in an instant, and his legs began aching. A stinging pain spread across his body.
But he simply ignored it.
Eventually, it was time to meet his new master.
*
Arthur clicked his tongue, letting out a bitter chuckle. 100,000 Tokens was not a meager amount, even for him. It was a massive chunk of what Ferhill and he had earned until now and was probably more than half of their savings.
'After all our regular spending, this may be like 70% of our entire reserve,' thought Arthur.
He gently tapped on the bell, and within seconds, Ijskoud entered his room. "Brother, I didn't know you were so well off! But still, I don't think spending 100,000 Tokens for that little child was worth it."
"You're right, it wasn't," replied Arthur, massaging his temples in regret. However, in reality, he felt not a shred of regret for paying such an amount. The purchase was still definitely worth it, although he could have gotten a cheaper price, had it not been for the unknown guy in another VIP room.
"Shall I bring him here?"
"Not yet," replied Arthur. "Could I meet the person who was bidding against me? I have something to say to him."
"Brother Avalon, I don't believe it's wise to let your anger out here. You may be indignant, but do it outside, please. I don't wish to watch you get killed because of a mistake. The Juggernaut Association is not merciful."
"I promise I will not fight him," said Arthur, to which Ijskoud reluctantly nodded. The latter headed off with his head hung low in pity for the crimson-eyed man, whom he believed had lost his entire fortune.
Which was somewhat true.
A few minutes passed, and the man who had bid against Arthur arrived. The crimson-eyed man furrowed his brows at the sight of him, letting out a soft chuckle while shaking his head. "Randy??"
"Arthur?" Randy asked rhetorically, raising both eyebrows.
"You can't be saying my name in public like that," said Arthur, narrowing his eyes before unsheathing Skofnung. Ijskoud, who stood beside Randy, fell to the ground before he could even realize what had happened.
Blood escaped his body, but Arthur washed it away using water magic.
Randy gazed emotionlessly at Ijskoud's body. "A thin yeti?"
"Yeah, it's weird," said Arthur. "Sit."
Arthur–at that moment–realized why he had a competitor when bidding for Kai. Fate was truly mysterious. In his former life, when no one was aware of Kai's fate, he did not have a single bidder.
However, in his current life, Arthur was aware of it. Naturally, his knowledge caused ripples along the timeline. In reality, Randy was supposed to have perished during the First Trial of the Tutorial.
Without mana, passing the Mana Test was practically impossible.
Arthur's existence altered Randy's fate, which subsequently managed to alter the former and Kai's fates.
So, although Kai was not supposed to be purchased in the former timeline, in the current one, he had two bidders.
"How've you been doing?" Arthur inquired. "It's been a while since we've met."
"Truly," replied Randy. "I've been doing well. After completing the tenth floor, I was recruited by a clan named Angae. Since then, I've been steadily growing as a swordsman while strengthening my body, I guess. What about you? I've seen you conquer every single floor, achieving first place like it's nothing."
Arthur blushed. "Oh, it's nothing. I just wake up and challenge floors all day."
"I meant to ask you… why do you want that child so much?"
"I was going to ask the same question. He doesn't seem to have any attractive qualities or traits. Then why did you bid so much for him?"
Randy seemed hesitant to answer. "It was… it was as if the boy was somehow connected to me in some way. Not him specifically, but… something inside of him. It seemed to be calling out to me."
"Are you sure you aren't delusional?"
Randy turned beet red. "This is why I didn't want to tell you."
Arthur chuckled lightly.
"So, why did you want it?" Randy inquired, narrowing his eyes. "Don't tell me you felt the same way."
"I didn't. The reason I spent so much money for him was because he was a slave with his will in-tact. That's incredibly rare."
"Is that it?"
"Yep."
