"Eren, are you not worried that Altashia will see your closeness with me as a sign for her to back off from involving herself with you?"
Dianna asked as she led Eren into the Remus Auction House, one of the most sought-after attractions in the city of Ainari among various ranker communities. Because tonight was the night of the quarterly auction.
Quarterly auction events held by House Remus were especially attractive to rankers of any rank. That was because it would contain unique treasures and resources usually not found even on the black markets.
"Hehehe! It seems like you don't know how your kind operates or you have a natural blind spot for it. Most women are attracted to a successful man who already has someone in his life. It's like a litmus test for you girls to measure a man's worth.
It may sound presumptuous and whatnot. But it is what it is.
Women try to run away from the fact that they can like a guy for being rich and promiscuous. And I can understand why they may like such men. It's the denial of this natural selection that irks me a bit.
Women say that they would want to be paired with a good man. Good men who are naive believe this to be true. Then you gals go ahead and kick those guys in their balls."
Eren chuckled and saw Dianna's blank expressions. She was slowly starting to develop stress lines on her forehead. But the butcher knew he could confide in her just fine because he had branded her.
He was also glad for the fact that he had retained her personality while branding her. That way, he could see her change of expression and get amused by it.
Eren shook his head as he stared blankly in front of him. As if he were lost in a distant memory of once being one of those good-hearted human beings himself.
He also felt that he was not doing justice to women who had stood by their words and stuck with their men in the hour of their need. Like the one woman who had his back when he was at his lowest in the previous timeline. So he cleared some air around it.
"Perhaps a few women are indeed like that, liking men for their sincere heart and honest intentions. Maybe some women like to see the good in men that they have yet to see for themselves. Perhaps these strong women make their men stronger just by embracing them without any ulterior motive.
Such women are rarer than Legendary-tier monsters and beasts.
And fortunately or unfortunately, stray values don't define the median.
Not accepting the basic rule of natural selection is women's flaw. Guys have their fatal flaws too, maybe we have them more than women. But for all the shortcomings we have, for the most part, we are true to ourselves and what we need.
You won't normally find a male, ranker or otherwise, that likes a girl for the wealth she has. Or the skills or ranking status she has earned. We see their physical characteristics first and foremost. The personality and all those nuances come later on. I don't care how shallow it might sound, that is the truth I have come across.
I may be generalizing a lot here. There would only be a few exceptions to this rule too. But as I said, stray values don't define the median.
As far as status symbols are concerned, most men are impartial to the accomplishments women may or may not have made in their lifetimes. That's not something most women can do while choosing their mates."
Eren had just completed his mandatory mission assigned to Altashia's squad in the army. During that time, Eren talked a lot more than usual with Dianna. So the latter had asked him the question taking that into account.
Dianna had also registered Altashia stealing glances at them while the duo was talking or co-operating in the clean-up mission.
Dianna was going to object to Eren's point of view with a frown on her face. But Eren continued his "wise sage" speech some more.
"Besides, Altashia would find it unnatural that I suddenly stopped talking to you after I branded you. Or distanced myself from you.
Us getting close to each other when she is still undecided about her feelings towards me is what's natural. That way, she'd get jealous. And jealousy is the fire I want her to burn in for the time being."
Eren chuckled and took a long drag out of his smoke. As he indulged in a subtle high that was provided to him by the Stellar Sativa, he let his mind wander off some more and spoke up.
"I know what I'm saying may seem like I'm reaching. And maybe I'm. But this is something I have come to believe in after recollecting the scenes of my past. After picking up the fallen pieces of myself and constructing myself anew.
I'm not arrogant enough to believe that my beliefs are 100 percent right. But they are mine. I accept them without any hesitation.
There's something powerful in the belief that is based on one's life, Dianna. It has the power to bend reality into a version you see fit for yourself."
Dianna seemed like she wanted to respond to the butcher's statements that sounded more like an inner monologue than a conversion. But it seemed that he wasn't done. He saw her wanting to speak up and held his hand to make her pause before continuing. As if he had already understood what she was trying to say.
"Don't think I look at all the women the same way, Dianna. And don't think I want to disparage any of them.
I don't see the women I've branded as them losing their individuality. I want them to grow with me if they haven't already surpassed me. After all, you all are the ones I can count on if and when the shit hits the fan.
People can live their lives however they want, as long as they can find peace with it. But there are some fundamentals to life that are blatantly obvious."
Eren took out the fancy storage space jewelry he had received from the Titus tournament. He imbued his mana and let it project the content inside it to Dianna. Loads and loads of Extols are arranged in neat piles.
With such an extravagant display of his newfound wealth, the butcher spoke up with surety in the truth of life he had found for himself.
"Money. Status. And Power.
These are the biggest chic magnets. And they are a lot more than that. They are the pursuits of life that a man should aspire to have above all else. No matter which timelines or worlds we live in."
Eren chuckled and commented. Dianna had a hard time arguing with him when she was half agreeing with him herself. It felt to her like Eren had had his range of experiences with women in the past, which he couldn't shake out of his psyche.
Dianna sighed and found solace in the fact that Eren did not put all the women in the same category. She had come to realize that she was branded by an old soul in a young gun's body.
********
"How are the preparations?"
Eren asked after he was seated in a private chamber that had a couple of sofa chairs and a coffee table. Dianna was sitting beside him with her legs crossed seductively.
In front of them was a spectral screen. It was displaying an empty stage that only had its lights on. The auction had not yet begun.
"Everything is just how you wanted it to be. But are you sure, Eren? Won't it be easier if…"
Dianna wanted to say something but she was abruptly cut off by the butcher's next statement.
"Don't worry, Dianna. My plan won't ruin House Remus' reputation. In addition, it won't cause any trouble for you."
Eren said and took out his Sativa Stick. After abandoning Tuan's avatar, he enjoyed smoking even more than before. He had decided that he would take occasional breaks from smoking or drinking just so that he could enjoy them more when he does it.
Dianna shook her head before replying.
"I'm not worried about House Remus anymore. Not even myself. I'm more worried about the repercussions it may have on you if you ever…."
Eren chuckled before cutting Dianna off once again.
"Everyone is innocent until they are caught. So don't worry. We just have to make sure that we don't get caught."
As soon as the butcher had said it, the large spectral screen in front of him showed signs of activity. The stage lights turned brighter before a brunette in her late 20s appeared on stage seemingly out of nowhere. She had worn an elegant dress that made her look even more stunning than she naturally was.
"Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and respected rankers from all fields. House Remus is pleased to host its Quarterly Auction Event. Most of you know the rules. But I'd say them anyway, in case of new patrons joining us."
The brunette started describing basic rules about the auction, which Eren listened to keenly. He had already been briefed by Dianna regarding the same. So this time, he was just revising his plan in his head while listening to the rules.
The brunette then officially started the auction. She began with basic ranking resources in the Novice rankers before moving on to the Ace ranks. The transcendent-grade resources were kept for the last.
