The Auction Begins

Inside a new Auction House, many individuals wearing luxurious clothing were forming their own circles as they talked about their businesses. 

"I heard that the Marchand Family is the owner of this new Auction House."

"What, the Marchand Family? They still prefer to hide behind the shadows after all these years eh?"

"Yeah, but don't underestimate them. This family has been living in France for several centuries. They might not want the spotlight, but that does not mean that they won't punish anyone who offends them. They also have many strong fighters among their ranks, I even heard that they had their own private army."

"That scary? I barely even have about two dozen bodyguards, and their family has a private army? How strong!"

"Yes, they also had dealt with Russia and Germany regarding gun trade. With their current power, they can even turn the whole of France upside down."

"Look, isn't that Lhun Marchand, the eldest son of Marchand Family's patriarch?"

"Yeah, it's him. He definitely carries the bloodline of the Marchand Family. With his own efforts, he already built several companies and is now earning billions of dollars every year."

"Impressive! As expected of the eldest son of the Marchand family. He should be the next patriarch right?"

"Of course...."

***

More and more guests arrived inside the Auction house, but the five VIP rooms were still unoccupied.

"The Decaux Family has arrived!" A loud announcement surprised the guests greatly, making them turn their heads towards the entrance. 

They saw a middle-aged man with graying hair, but his charm was not any less than the noble scions of the rich families. Behind him were several individuals wearing a black tuxedo, and all of them emitted an overpowering aura that made the martial arts practitioners among the guests to be shocked.

"Hello Mr. Decaux, please follow me towards the VIP room." Lhun Marchand spoke with a polite smile on his face.

"Oh, isn't this Lhun? You are such a capable man now. How fast time flies by." Mr. Decaux smiled at Lhun Marchand and sighed lightly.

"And the dashing youth from long ago is now a charming middle-aged man. I have been one of your admirers Mr. Decaux." Lhun Marchand smiled brightly, causing Mr. Decaux's expression to soften a bit.

"You have inherited your father's glib tongue, truly the eldest son of the Marchand Family." Mr. Decaux laughed lightly as Lhun Marchand was leading them towards one of the VIP rooms.

Many other influential people from all over the world came inside the Marchand Family's Auction House. The auction house was almost full with almost a thousand renowned people, but no one dared to cause trouble. Although they haven't seen the strength of the Marchand Family, they have heard rumors about them having a private army and lots of strong fighters.

"Where is Wolf King? I haven't seen them yet." A chubby middle-aged man asked the benign-looking old man beside him.

Old man Sekoujo placed his Dragon Smoke Pipe in his mouth, but he did not dare light it up. "I don't know if he will come here, but they will surely send someone. We might even see our little friend Cale again."

Delfino smiled widely causing the fats in his face to lightly jiggle. 

"The Tyrannical Tower has arrived!" The loud announcement made both of them turn their heads towards the entrance. They saw a handsome young man with black hair and onyx eyes walking confidently. A young woman with immortal-like features was holding his arm intimately while two men with explosive auras followed behind them. 

"Hello, sirs and young miss! My name is Lhun Marchand, please allow me to lead you towards your VIP room." Lhun glanced briefly at Cale and stopped his gaze on the beauty beside him. He then saw the giant men behind them glaring sharply at him, causing him to force out a smile.

"Oh hello, young master Lhun. I am Cale, First General of Tyrannical Tower and this is my wife Nocturna. The men behind us are Brogen and Atlas, the Second and Fourth Generals of the Tower respectively.

Lhun smiled professionally and nodded his head while shaking hands with Cale. "It's nice to meet you all."

Lhun then led them towards their VIP room and left afterward after taking one last look at Nocturna's enchanting figure.

"How did that kid get a VIP room from the Marchand Family? I was not even able to see Lhun Marchand when I last visited their home." Delfino frowned while glancing at Cale. The latter as if he had felt the glance of the Delfino, looked his way and smiled lightly at him.

"Did the kid see me even from up there?" Delfino asked in surprise as he poked Anton who was sitting beside him.

"Yes, he did boss. He saw all of us." Anton replied while he was inwardly in admiration for Cale's sensitivity.

***

After a little, less than fifteen minutes, a scantily dressed young woman went up on the stage. She adjusted the head microphone on her head and spoke in a sweet voice.

"Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to our Marchand Auction House! I won't waste everyone's time and begin the auction right away!" 

Two scantily dressed women brought a box that was covered with black cloth. They then grabbed the cloth and everyone saw an elegant-looking sword with ruby on its hilt. It was placed on a crystal clear glass. The sword looked fairly new, but they all knew that the sword was an ancient relic.

"The first item is one of the Marchand Family's treasured swords, the 'Red Lion'. This sword was used by our ancestor Baron Marchand during the medieval era, this is a five-hundred-year-old relic. Its blade is still in perfect condition as we have preserved it with great care." Her voice carried a hint of proudness as she introduced the first item to everyone.

"The starting price for the Red Lion is five hundred thousand dollars, every increment must be at least a hundred thousand dollars."