Chapter 35. Auction [5]

The old man, who had been eerily silent through the entire chaotic exchange, finally stepped forward, his frail voice somehow cutting through the tension like a hot knife through butter. "Esteemed dragons and… human, please, this way."

I sighed with relief. Finally, a reprieve. The man led us down a winding corridor that opened into a grand expanse. Along the way, he explained how each group would have their own private quarters during the auction.

When Yin Xie casually mentioned that we'd be sharing a room, I instinctively blurted out, "I've no naughty ideas, Yin Xie. I only have one neck, and I'm rather attached to it."

She rolled her eyes, muttering something about "a fragile human brain" as we continued walking.

---

As we neared our assigned auction room, something caught my eye that made me stop in my tracks.

Across the hall, a man—a human man—was sitting comfortably in what could only be described as a dragon harem. Two stunning dragon women, both the epitome of beauty, were spoon-feeding him with what looked like golden fruit. Another dragon lady stood behind him, elegantly fanning him with a large feathered fan.

"What… what is going on over there?" I stammered, my eyes unable to tear away. "A dragon harem? Is that what this is about? Huh?!"

Suppressing my very real, very human jealousy, I shook my head and trudged into my assigned room. Any enthusiasm I'd had for this auction was now completely deflated.

Yin Xie followed me in, closing the door behind her. She let out a sigh and muttered, "I guess this is where we'll be staying for the next seven days."

I blinked, confused. "Seven days?"

"Of course," she replied, as though it was obvious. "The auction itself is only the beginning. In the mornings, there's the auction. In the evenings, there's the Dragon Ritual."

I raised an eyebrow. "Dragon Ritual?"

"It's when female dragons seek potential male partners," she explained matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather.

I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my temple. "And at night?"

"There's the after-party," she added. "That's where you network and build connections."

She said all this so casually, but I couldn't help but feel like I'd wandered into some bizarre, dragon-filled soap opera.

Before I could process the sheer density of this schedule, a voice suddenly rang in my ear.

"Ace…" it whispered.

I froze. "Did you hear that?" I asked Yin Xie, my heart skipping several beats.

She frowned, confused, but then her face twisted in sudden anger. "Brandi! Don't you dare touch him! I've already told you he's mine!"

Before I could even comprehend her words, Brandi materialized out of nowhere—or maybe she'd been there the whole time. Honestly, I wasn't sure which option was scarier.

The voluptuous dragon woman strode forward with a smirk, her golden eyes gleaming with mischief. Her presence alone felt like it could fill the room, and I found myself involuntarily stepping back.

"Relax, Yin Xie," Brandi purred, her voice smooth and honeyed. "I was only checking on him. He's… interesting."

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Interesting how?"

She leaned closer, ignoring Yin Xie's murderous glare. "You've got quite the knack for survival, human," she said, her voice low enough to make me shiver. "I wonder… how much of that is luck, and how much is something else?"

"Back off, Brandi," Yin Xie snapped, stepping between us and practically shoving me behind her. "He's mine. Touch him, and I'll make sure even your resurrection magic can't save you."

Brandi chuckled, unfazed by the threat. "Oh, Yin Xie, you're so protective. It's adorable."

Meanwhile, I clung to Yin Xie like a lifeline. For all her threats and occasional cruelty, she was the only thing standing between me and total obliteration from this voluptuous lady.

---

After Brandi finally left, Yin Xie turned her piercing glare on me, her expression screaming, You brought this upon yourself.

I wanted to yell right back at her, to remind her that I hadn't asked to be dragged into this auction. "This is all your fault! You're the one who scammed me into joining this whole thing in the first place!" I wanted to shout, but I wisely kept it to myself.

Instead, she spoke first, her tone sharp and accusatory. "Do you even know why all of this is happening?"

I frowned, confused. "Because dragons have complicated interpersonal issues?"

"No," she snapped, crossing her arms. "Because you took out 10,000 dragon hearts and gave them to Brandi. For free."

"And?"

Yin Xie let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose, as if explaining the basics of breathing to a particularly slow child. "In dragon culture, giving someone an outrageous amount of gifts has a very specific meaning. It's essentially a courtship proposal."

The air suddenly felt heavier, and a bead of sweat rolled down my temple. "Wait… what?!"

Yin Xie's lips twisted into a mocking smirk. "Ever wonder why ancient kings always had close ties with dragons? Gifts like that were their way of saying, 'Hey, let's make a pact.' Or, in your case, 'Hey, let's make a nest.'"

The realization hit me like a cart full of bricks. "Oh… oh no."

Yin Xie gave me a pointed look, waiting for it to sink in.

I hesitated before asking the dangerous question floating in my mind. "So… uh… why can't I court Brandi?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and I swear I felt the temperature drop a few degrees. "You'll die," she said flatly. "Copulate with a dragon when you're not even a Grade 4, and you'll explode into a fine mist before you even finish."

"...Brandi wouldn't care?" I ventured.

"She wouldn't even notice," Yin Xie confirmed, her tone almost casual.

My mind rebelled against this horrifying imagery, forcing me to slam the brakes on that train of thought. "Right. Got it. Let's not think with my wood. Use the brain."

In an effort to salvage what remained of my sanity, I shifted the topic. "So, uh… what currency do they usually use in these auctions?"

"Mana crystals and mana cores," she answered, thankfully going along with my abrupt pivot. "One dragon heart usually is taken for 150,000 mana cores in the auction. If you're selling, you can expect around 200,000 mana cores per heart."

I stared at her, my mind spinning with numbers I couldn't even begin to process. "Wait. So… the 10,000 dragon hearts I just handed over to Brandi—"

"Yep," Yin Xie interrupted with a smirk. "You basically tossed her a fortune. Enough to buy a continent."

What about you? You asked me 20,000 dragon hearts from me as well....

The sheer weight of the economics made my head hurt. My mental abacus threw in the towel, and I decided it was best not to think too hard about it.

With one day left until the auction, I tried to refocus on preparing for the event. But deep down, all I could think about was that smug human with his dragon harem and how thoroughly my mood had been murdered.

And as much as I tried to push it aside, one thought kept bubbling up. Why don't I have a dragon harem?

---

Boundless Wealth

Slot 1: Dragon heart

(821,258 unit ) | [+250,000 unit the next day ]

Slot 2: Phoenix blood vials

(232 unit ) | [+10 unit the next day ]