Mad God

The room was completely silent. Only the sound of electricity echoed between the walls for long seconds while Ren let them think her words through before lowering her hand.

"This spell is not easy to master and requires great talent. I won't lie to you." she shook her head, explaining honestly, making everyone present feel that she was not lying. "But those who have the affinity, the talent, and the tenacity to learn it can shield themselves."

"Shield…?" echoed not just one voice but multiple voices simultaneously.

"Those who master it can protect their minds against a Naulin's gaze. Even others' minds, if they are talented enough." she nodded, drawing out loud gulps from not just one source. A technique against the bloodline that ruled Rozex and, in reality, the whole Kingdom of Ten? Presented by none other than someone with long silvery hair and violet eyes? They would think this was a lousy joke if they were not sitting here personally. "I'll let you think about it for a minute, then let us start the bidding. The starting price is 10.000 gold coins." She said and dropped such a price it stopped some noble from taking a breath for a few seconds. Yet even after a minute had long passed, no bids came; only silence reigned over the auction house.

"Your Majesty…" Seya whispered to Ren, afraid something had gone really wrong, but Ren raised her hand before speaking again.

"I know you are afraid to put yourself in danger. Bidding for an item like this can draw the ire of the Spires onto your family." she smiled, voicing the thoughts of almost every other noble family present. "I expected something like this, so we are going to switch to anonymous mode." she clapped. Suddenly, electricity flew out from her body, enveloping every booth in a pure purple energy field, separating them from the outside.

When Corvux's booth was covered, and he reached out, touching it, he only felt a tiny spark jump out and resist his fingers, making him furrow his brows together. He felt that he could break this wall if he wanted, but sending his senses out was impossible.

"All of you are completely separated now." Ren's voice came from the 'curtains' around them. "If any of you tries to spy on any other booth and break the spell, that family will be expelled from the auction immediately. Be assured the winner will not be announced, and the item will be delivered in complete secrecy. This is the Wonder Emporium. We present you wonders, and it is up to you if you grab ahold of them… let's begin!"

Soon every booth heard Ren's voice echoing, again and again, stating the bids that started to come in. The bidding soon reached heights that overshadowed the Tier 2 pill sold previously. Now masked behind anonymity, everyone was much braver.

"29.000" Ren's voice was calm, unbothered, and patiently waiting. Even those who had long dropped out from the war for the spell were fidgeting in their seats to see how high it would go. "29.000 Once. Twice… Sold." her voice came down like thunder, and her spell was broken, dissipating quickly, revealing the auction house once again for everyone.

They could not help it, snapping their heads left and right, trying to see who bought it but had no clue about it. Corvux just looked at Ren, his eyes cold and devoid of emotion. Still, Ren completely ignored him, not even sparing a glance, walking past Seya with a smile, caressing her face before disappearing with the booklet behind the curtain.

"Who bought it?" Ariana asked with a voice transmission, wholly fired up by what happened just now.

"Guess." Ren smiled, as even she was surprised by the actual buyer.

"Corvux?"

"Close. Veponia."

"Hmmm…" Ariana fell silent for a minute. "Do you think she bought it for her owner?"

"I can't tell. Maybe. Maybe not. Even if she did, it does not matter. I sold it because I want to wake this city up! Change is coming, and this is the first wind of it."

While they were talking, Daryan brought out five little boxes on the stage. He opened them one by one, and they all revealed a pill inside. Unlike previously, they were clearly Tier 1 pills as their differently colored hue was pulsating instead of glowing with a stable light.

"The next item or, more precisely, items will be sold together. All five are Tier 1 pills, and all of them are for healing purposes." Seya explained, "The first is for internal injury, ruptured organs, shattered bones. It can mend them and heal them, especially if used in tandem with other healing spells or pills. The second is for spiritual injuries, like those inflicted onto the mind, caused by mind-controlling and altering powers." Just as she finished, some families already wanted to buy this batch because of that pill alone, as it was not a rare injury in the city of Rozex. "The third is for cultivation backlash… but it is ineffective if not taken immediately after suffering one. The fourth is for fatal injuries. It has to be taken as soon as possible, and it is not a guarantee to save the injured person's life, but it can give a chance for survival if used with other treatments. The last pill… is for those who have greatly exhausted their lifespan. It can provide a few more years," She said as she finished with a smile, knowing it was another really tempting pill for those who were far away from the Harmony Realm and from a long lifespan. "The starting price is 5.000."

"A 1.000 per pill…? Cheap…" murmured a noble, already bidding the starting price, sadly realizing in the process he spoke too soon as the whole room erupted in a cacophony of shouts. They were screaming higher and higher prices, only stopping when Corvux's voice rang out.

"20.000"

"I never heard about pills like these." Rabout's voice cut in, who had been silent so far, "I am intrigued! 30.000"

"It is rare to see you interested in things, old man." Corvux replied, "40.000."

"Hehe, true, true!" Rabout nodded, "50.000."

"Isn't it unethical to raise the price when you can go and get them from your dealing partner? 55.000," Corvux asked as he looked towards his booth, accusing him. He and Ren were the owners of Wonder Emporium.

"We may have established it together, but everyone can bring their own items to us if they want to sell them. If it is worthy of an auction, you could sell something you own through us. Who says we can't bid on things we find to our liking just because we got the idea for Wonder Emporium? Ren decides whether she wants to put these pills up for auction or sell them to me directly behind closed doors. Do you think I would be willing to pay this much if I could go and get it cheaper from her directly? I am simply interested in what she is selling; this has nothing to do with anything else. Business is business, and family is family. Don't mix the two or you only end up with enemies. If you are so inclined to think I just want to pump up the price for her, then quit bidding against me. 70.000."

"Hmf!" Corvux snorted, now clearly annoyed as everything devolved into a pride battle between two Spire Lords. "100.000!" He growled with an angry voice, maintaining eye contact with Rabout, who just flashed another smile.

"200.000"

"You!" Corvux stood up as this was insanity. That much money was a big blow for him too, not to mention any other noble families. It was years or even decades' worth of income.

"I did not hear a raise." Rabout tilted his head, wearing the same small smile, making some nobles chuckle. As the bidding war was way out of their price ranges now, it became a fun show to watch, dispelling any frustration for missing out on the pills.

"Buy it then; I'd want to see you really paying the amount though…." Corvux sat back with a provocative voice, but Rabout just nodded, snapping his finger. Milly walked up to the stage, handing a huge and heavy bag to Daryan, who almost let it fall over when it landed in his hands.

"Sold." Seya blinked her eyes, already lost in the spectacle, holding back a laugh and watching Daryan walk off with struggling steps. The bag gave out chiming sounds of gold coins with his every step. The melody drew laughs out of the crowd, bringing them into a much more relaxed mood… except Corvux.

"Now that I am the owner of the pills…." Rabout spoke up once again, surprising Seya too. "I'd like to sell them in the shop, separately, for 1.000 coins per pill. Fix price, first come, first serve, and only eligible for noble families inside Rozex. Excluding all Spires and families that are related to any Spire from purchasing it." His words almost made Corvux cough up some blood, holding onto the handle of his chair, sending cracks through it. "I also want the pills to pop up randomly! Not at the same time and not immediately after this auction! Place them on sale randomly and without telling anyone."

"It will be done." Ren's authoritative voice came from behind the curtain, signaling for Seya to continue.

"Nonsense!" Corvux stood up before Seya could speak out, looking at Rabout, spitting fire from his eyes. "Is this how this so-called 'Wonder Emporium' operates?!"

"Why are you bringing this up again?" Rabout asked with an annoyed voice. "Why are you even angry at how I spend my money?" He laughed softly. "Look at the bright side; I saved you a ton of money just now! Son… I was alive when your forefather was still my assistant on an archeological dig! Don't bring shame onto yourself!"

"Now that Rudrick is gone, you crawl out from your tower and start acting high and mighty? Where were you while the Kingdom was in his hands?" Corvux provoked him, unable to let go, feeling his pride was injured before everyone else, drawing out feelings from him he never before had to face.

"I could ask the same from you, kid," Rabout replied immediately.

"Stop acting like children!" Keina joined in, "You are Spire Lords; start acting like it! I am not involved with this establishment, yet even I can see that nothing went wrong! You are just jealous, Corvux. You know Rabout is way older than both of us put together, no?"

"Hey…" Rabout twitched his mouth, hearing her words, but Keina just ignored him, continuing.

"He has such wealth accumulated he could buy you out and make you his own butler!" She finished her words with a punch into Corvux's pride once again.

"Please!" Seya clapped before Corvux could further instigate and draw out a possible fight between the lords. "We are in the middle of our auction! If you keep disturbing the order, I'll expel all three of you!" she shouted in a serious voice, surprising Milly and Nuray with how forceful she could be.

"I'd like to see that!" Elinus snorted after a gaze from Yavik.

"You may…" Ariana's voice joined the argument, walking up to the stage. Her aura enveloped everyone present with a foreboding, dark, and otherworldly feeling. "As we stated at the start, here, everyone is equal. Even if Zelig himself sat where you are now, he would be thrown out just the same!"

Dropping a sentence like that made the room dead silent and almost lowered the temperature to zero. Hearing it, Corvux just flashed a small, barely visible smile, sitting back down, in the end, pocketing a recording crystal. Seeing the returning calmness, Ariana said nothing more, dispelling her aura and walking back behind the curtain.

"Then let us continue." Seya scratched her throat, introducing the next item, another Tier 2 pill.

In the end, for the next hour, they sold a dozen different pills, and every time Corvux tried to snatch them up, Rabout shamelessly stepped in, splurging such an amount of money everyone was feeling like some kind of village boy or girl, wandering into the big city for the first time. When everything ended, some left hurriedly, ready to bring away their spoils, or lingered around, still dazed by the amount of gold that changed hands that night. While Corvux was still fuming, he was not doing that because he could barely buy anything, but mainly because no matter how hard he pushed, he could not provoke a violent response from either Keina, Rabout, or Ren's side.

"Call Veponia here!" he said in serious thoughts, but then Yavik responded with an unsure, weak voice.

"The Brightseed family… has already left. She handed over her purchases and went home." he presented him with two boxes, the only two pills Veponia could snatch up, one for energy replenishment and one with the effect of calming the mind.

"Useless bunch!" He snatched the pills up, throwing the boxes away. "Nothing went how I predicted. We need to be more proactive, then! Elinus!" He turned towards the already impatient pet of his. "Go home and take over the family. Veponia is no longer useful. Make the required changes!"

"Yes!" He laughed happily, but Corvux added another sentence with a deep, sharp voice before leaving.

"Don't fuck this up, or I'll replace you too!"

He just shivered, but it did not seem it was because of fear but the exact opposite. As he left, hurrying out from the building of Wonder Emporium, Ariana and Ren were watching him from above the dome of the auction house.

"She did not give the booklet to him!" Ariana said with an honest surprise in her voice.

"She did not…." Ren nodded in thought, scratching her chin. "It is a surprising turn. I was expecting to fight them and give in to his provocation but seeing her buying my spell… I changed my mind. I now see it as a cry for help!"

"Master?" Ariana looked at her, then back at Elinus's figure, who was hurrying down the streets toward the Brightseed family's courtyard.

"I told that pervert if we meet again, he won't live to see the next day." Ren whispered, "Go. Kill him."

"Yes, Master!" Ariana nodded, already disappearing with an eager voice, rushing after him, determined to not let him walk away this time, like previously.