424

"1 million God-Jades!"

Heide's thrilled voice boomed from within Konrad's booth, causing black lines to stretch the foreheads of the gathered deities. At the start of the auction, all the those gods soared with fighting spirit, ready to flaunt their factions' accumulated wealth and snatch those living Naga treasure who could overnight become their factions' mighty boosts. But when the manager presented the first batch of Naga and Moon Spirit slaves to officially start the auction, apprehension quickly filled many hearts.

The first batch comprised the Moon Refining Palace's fighting power beneath godhood, a total of 280,000 Sages. Naturally, such a staggering quantity of slaves couldn't fit on one stage. The Naga and Moon Spirit slaves all stood bound in a space treasure from which a rudimentary Truth Projection showcased the goods in their entirety.

The auction's rules were simple. One Sage-level slave cost 100,000 Divine Stones. 10 God-Jades for a Minor God, 100 God-Jades for a True God, 1000 for a Void God, 10,000 for a Nihility God, 100,000 for a High God, 1 million for a Cosmic God, 10 million for an Ancestral God, and 500 million for a half-step Legendary God. The starting price tripled for Chandra's consorts.

With 1 God-Jade being equal to 1 million Divine Stones, the first batch's price started at 28,000 God-Jades. A price the gathered forces were more than able to inflate.

Of course, though their quantity was astonishing, none of the gathered forces would break their coffers for a Sage-level batch. In the grand scheme of things, they had little value. But little did they expect that from the highest booth, a startling bid of 50,000 God-Jades would echo!

Immediately, those that planned to snatch those Sage-level at a low price lowered their heads, not daring to risk a pitfall. Thus, Heide got the first batch. As their initial fear dispersed, those deities inwardly sneered, thinking that the folks in that booth didn't know how to ruin themselves.

But when the second batch of 5000 Minor Gods followed, and a bid of 100,000 God-Jades echoed, their hearts teemed with fright!

"It's fine, it's fine. It must be one of Daksha's spoiled granddaughters. She will soon be out of jades."

"The Sea Dream Temple's disciples start with an unfair advantage. Half the money spent here falls back in their sect's treasury, anyways. Who knows what directives they received from their elders? Perhaps they just wish to trick us into ruining ourselves."

"Those are reasonable words. We can't fall for their dastardly plan. Wait for the True God batch to make a move."

Many prominent elder deities from the various Divine and Cardinal Sects reasoned. With their confidence refueled by the rational words, they straightened their backs, awaiting the next batch with self-satisfied smiles while scoffing at the Sea Dream Temple's stupidity.

The 2500 True Gods' batch announcement followed with a starting bid of 250 000 God-Jades. But as those deities readied to shout prices and fight for the top commodities, Heide's voice again resounded, dropping on them with a bid of 1 million God-Jades! 1 million!

This time, the deities could no longer restrain themselves and rose in outrage!

"You are going too far!"

Surya's third son and the Primal Sun Sect's third junior lord, bellowed with his peak-stage Cosmic God cultivation base. The average Ancestral God's net worth was about 40 million God-Jades. The poorest had about 5 million while the wealthiest Ancestors could boast 100 million. But none would be so mad as to start a bidding war at 1 million God-Jades! Only the tacit agreement of a hegemonic sect could spark such a bidding war.

The Sea Dream Temple clearly planned to use its position as the host to bully them all!

All deities agreed with that train of thought, and in tandem, spoke in outrage.

"Your Sea Dream Temple is brazenly oppressing us! Are you not afraid of Heaven's Wrath?! The Warden chose you for your impartiality, not to abuse power and cheat your peers!"

"Once we report this matter to the Heaven Warding Temple, do you think you can escape punishment?"

"Damnable Maras, since when did you become so greedy?! Do you think you alone can swallow the Moon Refining Palace's Ressources? Don't let beauty get over your head. If you don't restrain yourselves, the world is your enemy!"

"Right!"

"Right!"

"Right!"

Roars of indignation thundered within the Auction Hall, causing the manager to not know whether he should laugh or cry. To say nothing of those incensed deities, even he couldn't understand what was going on in that new elder's mind. As the host, it was already shameless for the Sea Dream Temple to get involved in the bidding.

But not content of breaching that bit of etiquette, that elder did so in such a brazen manner that all could see he was riling up the various factions! Although the Sea Dream Temple was a Cardinal Sect, with the losses they recently suffered and their Primogen's injuries, among those hegemonic sects, who did they dare offend?

Those were times for peace and reconstruction! None wanted war! But that elder, or rather, the girl doing the bidding for him seemed to scream:

"If the world is not chaotic, I shall not rest!"

And the poor manager didn't know how right he was. As the various factions' deities rose in outrage, little did they know that Heide's lips curved into a radiant smile! Worse, her dastardly eyes screamed:

"This is far from enough!"

Following the appearance of that "out of the blue" disciple, it would be a lie to say Heide didn't feel her supreme position threatened. And seeing her pout, Konrad gave her the bidding rights, thereby making her the various factions' nightmare.

*Sniff* *Sniff* *Sniff*

"D-dad...I'm scared...help."

*Sniff* *Sniff* *Sniff*

A now quivering Heide sobbed as she cradled in Konrad's arms. And seeing this, Cacillia the newcomer blinked in disbelief while Verena and the Valkyrie acted as if this was but a natural occurrence.

"Look well, and emulate. If you wish to thrive in this house, those are the skills you want to master."

Selene advised Cacillia while giving her right shoulder gentle taps. Now, as she stared at the father-daughter pair, Cacillia wondered if she didn't fall in a hoodlum's den.

"Oh? Who dares startle my princess? Dad will give you justice."

Konrad pledged before casting his eyes toward the still roaring deities.

"Impudence! Are you taking my Sea Dream Temple for a joke?

If you have money, bid! If you don't, scram! This is an auction, not a charity. Those unable to handle the fight should shove their repugnant heads back in their asses and roll back whence they came!"

Konrad snarled, and alongside his voice, a silver mirror he'd robbed from Daksha's hands appeared, releasing dazzling magenta hands that swatted all the recalcitrant deities and sent them flying with large blood spurts!

"AAAAARGH!"

The battered deities groaned in pain as they tumbled in disarray.

"An...eight star God Artifact?"

Surya's third son and some Ancestral God elders realized in fright.

"The auction resumes! This is my first and last warning. Whoever dares misbehave, I shall crush into meat paste!"

*Humph!*

Konrad gave a disdainful snort for good measure while patting Heide's silky hairs.