Chapter 136

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Episode 30 - Black City [7]

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After arriving at the center of Black City, where the dome was located, the place where the Auction would be held.

I walked toward a line where they had laid a carpet across the ground and set up an extremely extravagant entrance. There was a red rope on both sides of the path used by the special guests.

At the same time, many villains were moving back and forth as if they were in a hurry.

I got in line and waited for my turn.

The dome was extremely large.

After using my senses, I noticed that it was about as tall as a skyscraper of at least thirty stories.

And although the Auction would be held here, this structure was not merely an auction house.

According to what I remembered, it contained enormous halls of all kinds.

Some were meeting rooms for the leaders of the Big Five; others were halls for celebratory events, and so on.

There were quite a few of them, and there were also many warehouses and vaults.

As well as the grand hall where all the Auction items were kept.

’Mhm, there seem to be eighteen presences with an estimated Class 8 level of power, perfectly distributed throughout the dome.

And they don’t seem to be ordinary villains; they don’t even appear to have emotions.’

’They’re puppets.’

Most likely from the Church of the Black Dawn.

They were well known for using puppets as small armies or squads.

’Looks like the Church of the Black Dawn is monopolizing the profits.’

In fact, I had noticed many puppets throughout a large part of Black City.

So that was my conclusion, although it was unexpected that a single organization would enjoy so many benefits and so much freedom.

Actually, that was better.

’It’s much easier to deal with puppets than with real villains.’

Using my Unique Trait, I could turn them into ordinary puppets and kill them easily.

Considering that puppets have no thoughts and do not rely on tricks, they were a thousand times easier to deal with once their Power of Chaos was taken away.

’Although I also need to think about whoever is controlling them.’

In any case, the line gradually grew shorter.

And as I approached the entrance, I noticed a certain group in the distance through my senses.

’It’s them.’

The Club members.

They were eating calmly, and their presence was almost impossible to notice for anyone looking in their direction.

I noticed that their leader occasionally glanced this way, as if checking on certain special guests.

I turned my head to avoid being seen. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

I had to be careful; otherwise, I could end up in trouble if they discovered I was here.

’Although the person I need to be most careful of is Clana.’

And now that I thought about it, I used my senses on all the special guests.

Eventually, I noticed one person in particular.

She was about eight people ahead of me.

’Come to think of it, how exactly does Clana have a Special Card? She doesn’t even seem to be trying to hide her identity.’

It was as if she had genuinely been invited, but that should have been impossible.

According to my memories, Clana has no connections to villains.

’But that really does seem to be the case.’

I considered several possibilities, but honestly, the idea that she has connections to villains...

’Sounds ridiculous. She’s a princess; if anything, she would make an excellent hostage for villains.’

Yeah, she probably obtained a Special Card somehow, which was why she wasn’t even trying to completely hide her identity.

Because my memories tell me that Clana has no connections to villains.

Much less that she worked with them during the succession to the throne.

’Ugh, just thinking about the Chapter where the succession to the throne of the Ordeal Empire takes place gives me a massive headache.’

Anyway, shortly afterward, it was my turn.

I took the Special Card out of my bag and showed it to the man standing in front of me.

"Mhm, yes, that is you, Mia."

I nodded, and shortly afterward the man returned the Special Card to me.

I walked a few meters until someone approached me and said,

"Unfortunately, your Private Room will have to be shared with two other special guests, Miss Mia."

"What do you mean?"

His words genuinely caught me by surprise. I hadn’t expected something like this to happen.

’I don’t remember any special guest ever sharing a Private Room during the Auction.’

What the hell was going on here?

The man, as if noticing my confusion, clarified his words.

"There was a certain incident involving two Private Rooms. I asked some of the other guests, but they refused. If you agree, we’ll give you a 5% discount on a single item."

I really hadn’t expected this. I wonder who the two people are that ended up without a Private Room.

I thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"I don’t have a problem with that."

"Great. Then your Private Room is V91."

"That would be the ninth floor, first door, right?"

"That’s correct, Miss Mia."

Nodding, I walked down a corridor.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the two people I would be sharing the room with.

There was no particular reason for me to agree to let two strangers into my Private Room.

Actually, it might be a good idea, but at the same time a bad one.

’If it’s those guys, they could make things easier for me.’

Because that way, I’ll be able to protect Clana and escape Black City.

The objective of the Main Mission was to escape with Clana.

At first glance, it wasn’t a difficult mission, but the timing of the escape was the real problem.

Almost everyone attending the Auction dies within a matter of minutes.

’And if I’m unlucky, I could end up with that damned witch.’

Naturally, there were antagonists in this Main Mission, and it was best to stay away from them.

Especially a certain Witch. Even though her strength is only Class 6, she is extremely well-known and also very dangerous.

’But I highly doubt it’s her. Besides, there are two people, not one.’

But what were the chances that the two people I was thinking of would be the same two people entering my Private Room?

’I don’t think so. I might even be imagining things, and it could be neither of them.’

In any case, I continued walking toward my Private Room.

A few minutes later, I finally arrived at the door.

It was a large wooden door with a letter and a number carved into it, which made finding it fairly easy.

’I need my master to help me with these things once he gets his new body.’

Just as I was about to open the door, it opened on its own, and a butler appeared before me.

He bowed and said,

"Please excuse the inconvenience, Miss Mia, for having to share your Private Room with two other people."

"Don’t worry, sir. I really don’t mind."

I acted as though I were somewhat nervous, recalling what Mia’s personality was like.

Since I was disguised as Mia, I also needed to act like Mia.

It was difficult, but not impossible thanks to my new Traits, which I had obtained from the Memory Gate.

I entered the large Private Room.

There were three fairly large seats, as comfortable as sleeping on clouds and spacious enough to settle into comfortably.

The room contained almost nothing, but there was a small bar that the butler was probably in charge of.

Aside from the small bar, there was nothing else of interest in the room.

’It seems the other two haven’t arrived yet.’

In any case, after taking my seat, there was a large glass wall in front of me.

Through it, I could see a large stage in the distance at the center of the venue. In front of the stage were rows of empty seats.

’This Auction is only for special guests, not VIPs, so it’ll be somewhat empty.’

Well, not completely empty.

Shortly afterward, the butler approached me and said,

"There are a few things you need to know, my lady."

"What are they?"

I think I already knew what the old man was about to say.

"The Auction is divided into three parts. Each of them, with the exception of the last one, lasts about an hour or slightly longer, regardless of how quickly purchases are made."

I nodded as I listened to his words.

"In the first part of the Auction, there won’t be any major items, if you ask my opinion. The second part is where you’ll see some truly excellent items, including a few you wouldn’t expect to find."

I then asked,

"And the last part? Will it only be the sale of the final item, or will there be more?"

"There will be more, my lady."

"How many items will there be, then?"

The butler answered a second later.

"There will be five in total, and I must say that the first four could drive their prices to inconceivable heights."

"And what about the last one?"

"The last one... to be honest, I’m not sure. There are suspicions that some might even try to steal it, but the Sorcerer King will be present, so there is nothing to worry about."

As if surprised, I said,

"The Sorcerer King? Will he really be here in person? And what about the other leaders?"

"It seems the others won’t be coming. Lately, some of those bastards from the Ten Stars have managed to obtain clues about the main headquarters of some of the Five Great Powers."

"That’s concerning."

"It certainly is, but I trust those Awakened won’t be able to so much as scratch our five supreme leaders."

Shortly afterward, the butler returned to the small bar and began cleaning a few glasses.

Meanwhile, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.

’Not even a scratch? How amusing. They’ll all die at Lumina’s hands in the near future.’

At the same time, the sound of the door opening reached my ears.

The two people who would be with me throughout the entire Auction had arrived.

And I couldn’t help but curse the fucking fate that had brought them here.