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Chapter 34
“Don’t be surprised yet!”
The ‘object’ that the broker introduced with much excitement was none other than human.
‘Of course, you can put it up for auction because you don’t consider them human.’
When the Empire banned human trafficking, people began to look for ‘living things’ that could be bought and sold instead of human.
From Dwarves who were good at steelworks, Elves with their dazzling beauty and archery skills, to Mermaids known to have eternal life.
Among them, the most popular race by far was the mermaid, and it was also the most pitiful race.
‘There’s a myth that drinking mermaid tears can bring eternal life.’
Since most mermaid owners died of old age, people began to believe that the mermaid’s tears could bring eternal life.
So people used to torture the mermaids who were living well to squeeze out tears.
‘But I heard tonight’s auction only dealt with goods.’
When I frowned, the broker made eye contact with me with a bright look, and exclaimed.
“Notte doesn’t usually offer this kind of subhuman species! Only! Today! We will auction off this beautiful immortal being.”
It was impossible to prevent this auction because the law on buying and selling subhuman species had not yet been enacted.
“It was my friend’s cherished item, but I managed to convince him to put it on auction! Let’s start with one hundred thousand blues!”
One Hundred Thousand Blues were enough to buy a house in the capital. However, people who were excited about the rare existence of mermaids began to place their bids one by one.
“Five Hundred Blues! Ah, five hundred thousand Blues. Do we have another call?”
“One million!”
Before I knew it, the price rose to one million Blue.
I clenched my fists as I was sickened watching the poor mermaid confined in a huge tank.
‘He’s only a child!’
The tiny upper body was no different from that of a human child.
I wonder if he was six? I began to calculate my savings and the funds I could borrow from Oscar.
‘It’s approximately five million Blues in total.’
It may be more than enough to get the mermaid, but the situation was a little tricky.
Joseph gently wrapped his hand around mine while looking at me.
“If it’s about ten million Blues I think I can manage it somehow.”
Ten million Blues was the maximum amount a Lord could spend privately without interfering with the estate’s funds. But summer had only passed, and the estate would spend more money to survive the winter.
“It’s really fine, Wife.”
Joseph tried to persuade me by gently pressing the back of my hand.
“Ten million Blues!”
When the servant hastily shouted the bid I offered, the broker began to shout with a large grin on his face.
“Yes! We have ten million! Do we have another call?!”
The hall became silent when they heard the amount of money equal to one year’s budget of a small estate.
“Then I’ll start counting down!”
I began to shake my sweaty fists, hoping the broker would count quickly.
‘What if it’s not enough?’
The image of the black dragon closing its eyes while worrying about Geneva was vivid.
As well as Vivi’s crying appearance as it looked for its mother as soon as it was born.
The mermaid must have a mother desperately searching for her lost child.
I was feeling sorry for the child who was taken by humans, so I wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably if I let this go.
“Three! Do we have another call? Two! One!”
When the broker was about to swing the gavel.
“Thirty million Blues!”
Someone stepped forward, shouting an amount that I could never afford.
“I’ll call thirty million Blues!”
I looked back and recognized the face of the man who smiled proudly.
‘Marquis Darrieno!’
It was fortunate that we wore hoodies that covered half of my face in case someone recognized us.
Marquis Darrieno, a member of the Holy Council, was also close to Count Cardinale.
‘I remember there was a rumor that members of the Holy Council did not age well.’
In the Las Vecchia Empire, the nobles weren’t truly subservient to the royal family. Rather, it was nearer to a confrontational relationship in which both sides were fighting for power.
And the Holy Council, which holds power as much as the royal family, was the object of envy of all nobles.
‘Because of such envy, I think there was a rumor that the members of the Holy Council did not get old or sick.’
The rumors started because Marquis Darrieno had a mermaid.
If the mermaid’s tears are purified well, it has the effect of slowing aging to some extent, so the superstition was not total nonsense.
However, mermaid’s tears never truly bring eternal life to humans. And it was terrible how an immortal mermaid was forced to suffer just for bringing humans an eternal life.
“Thirty million Blues! I’m sure there’s no one else who wants to call!”
Thirty million Blues was an amount that would never be reached even if the auction was going all night long.
When I called ten million Blues, the auction house became noisy with people’s murmurs.
“…You can use Sirtha as collateral.”
I shook my head in a hurry at Joseph’s words. I shouldn’t give him trouble just to satisfy my greed.
“We need to get the ingredients. Let’s get that first and think about the rest later.”
My priority was to heal Carlo’s legs over saving a mermaid whose face I didn’t know.
I turned to the broker again, trying to soothe my stinging stomach.
After the mermaid auction, people who lost interest left the auction one by one, so I was able to get Carlo’s therapeutic drug ingredients at a bargain price.
‘There’s a lot more money left than I expected.’
I didn’t even need to borrow money from Oscar to get the Goddess’ crown, and I still have half of my budget left.
‘…This is enough money to make a strong sleeping pill.’
Alchemy was different from magic or holy power. There was a huge price to pay for strong alchemy, but fortunately, money was enough to resolve it.
“Get me a dancer outfit.”
“Why should I?”
Oscar was hanging around in someone else’s inn room without permission like a promiscuous man and raised his eyebrows at my request.
‘You’ll never listen if I say it nicely.’
“I’ll say it again. Get me a dancer outfit.”
I strode up to Oscar’s couch and put my foot on his hard abdomen.
“Argh!”
“And get the ingredients written here. They’re not rare enough to be auctioned off, so you can buy them at the night market.”
“Now you’re stepping on me.”
Oscar grinned as if he was having fun even though it would have hurt quite a bit.
“As expected, you know how to play me.”
‘You perv.’
I frowned, disgusted by Oscar’s strange tastes. But he reached out to me regardless of my death stare.
It was the moment when his hand wrapped around my slender calf.
Clack.
I was surprised by the sound of the doorknob and kicked Oscar. But because he didn’t let me go until the end, I fell onto him.
Perhaps he just went out to get the ruby necklace. Joseph had a small velvet box in his hand.
“Oh, good timing.”
Oscar grinned and held my waist to bring me closer to him. Upon realizing the situation, I pushed him away and jumped off the sofa.
“…Do I have to leave?”
It was a very calm tone for a husband who witnessed his wife lying on the sofa with another man. I was mortified by Joseph’s sudden appearance and hurriedly tidied my wrinkled dress.
“Oh, no. Please don’t do that.”
‘I don’t think Joseph would be bothered by this, anyway.’
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I guess I’d forgotten that he and I are not an ordinary couple. I felt a little ashamed of myself, so I laughed awkwardly.
‘I was the one who proposed the marriage contract that we shouldn’t meddle with each other’s lives no matter who we met.’
I don’t know why I felt disturbed by Joseph’s insensitive face even though I had said I was already prepared for everything.
Joseph, who even bought a gift for Ibelina, couldn’t have been bothered by my relationship with Oscar.
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