After entering the auction hall through the VIP passage, the crowd before me was still bustling and noisy. Yet compared to the boisterous outside, it was much quieter. The staff member expertly avoided crowded spots, guiding us to a private booth on the ground floor near the auction stage.
"Well then, I hope Your Highness the Crown Princess enjoys a pleasant time at the auction."
Once we entered the booth, the staff respectfully stepped back two steps, exited, and gently closed the door. After all, the person beside me was the Crown Princess of Spiritsoar Kingdom—naturally entitled to a noble’s private booth here.
"That person..."
But right now, I sensed my master... that person’s mood growing restless. Probably because Liliane was staring challengingly at her from the window of the adjacent booth.
Trying to ignore their silent duel, I quietly picked up a light purple dragon-patterned fruit from the booth’s wooden table, its surface etched with ancient patterns and emitting a fresh fragrance. Finding such a precious fruit here was unexpected...
I’d better just enjoy the fruit peacefully. Getting involved between those two, who clearly held deep grudges, would only invite trouble. This sweet fruit was far more appealing.
...
As I bit into the second dragon-patterned fruit, the light outside the booth dimmed rapidly. Slightly surprised, I peered through the window. Countless bright spots of light projected directly onto the auction stage. Simultaneously, the entire hall fell silent.
Amid countless gazes, a girl with gorgeous red hair walked toward the stage. Her petite figure halted as she held the hem of her light brown gown—nearly brushing the floor—with hands clad in pink velvet gloves.
"Welcome, everyone, to Levi Ling Auction House," she said warmly, her thin lips curving into a smile. "I am Lia, your auctioneer tonight. Let’s share an exciting time together~"
Strangely, the moment Lia finished speaking, the hall’s atmosphere instantly heated up... Could she be a celebrity here?
Ignoring the noisy excitement outside, I kept munching my dragon-patterned fruit. Beyond boosting magic recovery speed, it was simply delicious.
"Next! Our opening item won’t disappoint. If I weren’t the auctioneer, even I’d bid for this~"
As I chewed, I glimpsed the petite girl wave her slender hand. Stage lights instantly focused on her palm. The item there—a bracer—gleamed luxuriously under the beams, adorned with a tiny bow-like charm...
Just as I lifted the fruit for another bite, a hard slap landed on my shoulder. That person’s slightly surprised voice followed: "Yiyi, look."
"Just a bracer... How could it compare to dragon-patterned fruit—wait, it’s inlaid with magic crystals?!"
"This is a dwarven master’s masterpiece~ You all see what’s embedded," Lia announced from the stage. She deliberately paused. Gazes around the hall intensified... Even that person whispered softly in my ear, "Yiyi would look so cute wearing this."
But... cuteness aside, practical value mattered more now.
"This isn’t an ordinary bracer. Appraised personally by Master Ruili of our house, its crystals come from a fifth-tier wind-element magic beast~ Beautiful and functional—it boosts movement speed by thirty-one percent."
Thirty-one percent...
If I recalled correctly, most magic items capped at twenty percent enhancement. This exceeded thirty?
Even inside the booth, unending gasps of amazement echoed through the hall.
"Starting bid for this lovely, practical bracer—five hundred gold coins! Minimum raise: twenty coins!"
Silence briefly gripped the hall after Lia’s announcement. Then, I noticed my master... that person glance at the bracer, then at my fair hand. She gently activated the booth’s amplifier device: "One thousand!"
Whispers erupted instantly. Rare as thirty-percent boosts were, such items rarely sold beyond nine hundred coins. Jumping straight to one thousand...
My stare at her brimmed with incredulity.
Hey... Who bids like that? Doubling the price—what’s the point?
"Um, master... doubling it all at once..."
"Because Yiyi would look truly cute~ Scaring off bidders with a high price works." She waved dismissively at my hesitant question. "This young lady doesn’t sweat petty cash..."
"One thousand one!"
Suddenly, Liliane’s voice—tinged with disdain—drifted coldly from the neighboring booth.
