Building A Carnal Empire In The Fantasy World-Chapter 25: Flesh Market II

"One thousand gold coins!" shouted Lord Blackthorne, standing up in his booth.

The room fell quiet for a moment. One thousand gold was more than most people saw in their entire lives.

"One thousand gold to Lord Blackthorne," Velara said. "Any other bids?"

Silence.

"Sold!" Velara clapped her hands again, and the guards dragged the weeping man off the stage. "Lord Blackthorne, please settle your account with our treasurer after the auction."

The process repeated with the next lot. A middle-aged woman this time, still beautiful despite the terror in her eyes.

She had been a tavern keeper, Velara explained, before her establishment was burned down by "bandits" who happened to work for Count Varnell.

"Note the experience in her hands," Velara said, forcing the woman to hold up her palms. "She knows how to work. How to serve. How to please."

The bidding was fierce. Several of the women in the booths seemed particularly interested, whispering among themselves about what uses they might have for a former tavern keeper.

She sold for fifteen hundred gold to Lady Ashford.

The third lot made the crowd lean forward with interest. Twin girls, maybe sixteen years old, with pointed ears and silver hair that marked them as half-elves. They had been dressed in matching white shifts that did nothing to hide their developing curves.

"Ah, now here’s something special," Velara purred, walking between the two girls. "Twin half-elves from the northern forests. Captured during a raid on their village six months ago."

One of the girls was crying silently. The other stared at the crowd with eyes full of hate and defiance.

"They’ve been trained, of course," Velara continued. "They’re peak Mortal Rank warriors and know basic commands in the common tongue. They’re house-broken, so to speak. And being half-elves, they’ll live much longer than human slaves. A truly long-term investment."

She grabbed the defiant girl’s chin and forced her to face the crowd. "This one has some spirit left, as you can see. Some buyers prefer to break that themselves."

The auburn-haired girl in the young nobles’ booth was practically vibrating with excitement. She whispered something to her companions that made them all laugh.

"The bidding for this matched pair starts at ten thousand gold," Velara announced.

The room erupted. Voices shouted numbers, hands waved in the air, people stood up in their booths to make sure they were seen.

"Twelve thousand!"

"Fifteen!"

"Twenty thousand gold!"

The price climbed higher and higher. The two half-elf girls stood on the stage, watching their worth measured in coins while tears ran down their faces.

"Thirty thousand!" shouted a voice from the back.

"Thirty-five!" countered Lord Blackthorne.

"Forty thousand gold!" The auburn-haired girl was on her feet now, her face flushed with wine and excitement.

The bidding continued until it reached an incredible sixty thousand gold. The winner was a fat merchant in expensive robes who looked like he could barely contain his glee.

As the guards led the twin girls away, one of them looked back at the crowd with such pain in her eyes that even some of the nobles looked uncomfortable.

But not uncomfortable enough to stop.

The auction continued through the night. Men, women, even some teenagers barely old enough to work. Each one was displayed like merchandise, their histories told like sales pitches, their bodies examined like livestock.

A former noble’s daughter who had fallen from grace sold for eight thousand gold.

A young beastman with cat ears and a tail— went for twelve thousand to a lady who giggled as she made her bid.

An entire family, parents and two children, were sold as a set for twenty-five thousand gold to a plantation owner from the southern provinces.

With each sale, Velara’s smile grew wider. The crowd grew more excited. The wine flowed freely, and inhibitions fell away like discarded clothes.

By the time they reached the final lot, the room reeked of sweat, wine, and something else—the smell of evil unleashed.

"And now," Velara announced, "our final offering of the evening. Something truly special."

The side door opened, and the guards brought out their last prize. The crowd gasped when they saw what it was.

A young woman with skin like polished ebony and hair white as snow. But it wasn’t her beauty that made them gasp—it was the faint glow that surrounded her, the mark of someone with actual magical power.

"A sorceress," Velara said, her voice full of pride. "Captured from the eastern kingdoms. She has real power, ladies and gentlemen. Imagine what you could do with an elemental magic user bound to your will."

The sorceress stood straight despite her chains, her head held high. When she looked at the crowd, there was no fear in her eyes. Only cold, burning hatred.

"The bidding starts at one hundred thousand gold," Velara announced.

The room exploded into chaos. Voices screamed bids, people pushed forward in their booths, wine glasses shattered on the floor. The price climbed impossibly high as the nobles fought for the ultimate prize.

When the bidding finally ended, the sorceress had sold for three hundred and fifty thousand gold—more money than some entire cities saw in a year.

As the guards led her away, she turned to look at Count Varnell. Her lips moved, but only he was close enough to hear the words.

"Well then," Velara called out as the last lot disappeared through the side door, "that concludes tonight’s auction. Thank you all for your participation. Those who made purchases, please settle your accounts with our treasurer. The merchandise will be prepared for transport by morning."

The nobles began to file out of their booths, chattering excitedly about their new acquisitions. Some were already making plans for what they would do with their human property.

Count Varnell remained in his booth, staring at the empty stage where the sorceress had stood. His hands gripped his wine glass so tight that his knuckles were white.

BOOOOMMMM!

A sudden explosion rang out above.