Free Web NovelOn the vast grasslands, Aurora brought the carriage to a halt. Ahead, a tribal warrior stood reporting something to her.
A moment later, a hand white as congealed jade lifted the curtain of the carriage. The person inside asked softly, “Little sister, did something happen?” freēwēbnovel.com
“......”
Aurora fell silent for a while, then sighed. “The captain left.”
“Left?”
“Mm. The captain said she has something to take care of right now. After she’s done, she’ll invite us all to a meal.”
“......”
“Big sister, don’t you think the captain is deliberately avoiding you?”
“Heh. Maybe she really does have something to do. By the way—didn’t you say she’s now a white-haired little girl, and she’s brought along that woman’s child?”
“Yeah. She dotes on that child the same way she doted on that woman back then. Out of nowhere she told us she was getting married, out of nowhere she kept her distance from us, out of nowhere she asked if we had dreams other than forming a squad!”
“I see. So they have a child......”
“Big sister! Why are you so calm about this?” Aurora suddenly grew angry. “You know exactly what that woman did back then! It was the same—she was clearly the last one to arrive... Anyway, that woman is the culprit who caused the squad to fall apart. She ruined everyone in our squad!”
“Little sister, you’re wrong.”
“Ophina, how am I wrong?!”
“......”
Ophina thought: you were wrong because when you met your captain, you really were just a child. But she didn’t say it aloud. She only gazed silently at the emerald-green grasslands. Many years ago, they had been the best of friends, standing together on a stage called the world. Now, that stage that once belonged to them had fallen forever into silence.
Suddenly, something stirred faintly in her heart. She recalled that Western Region opera they had watched together on the grasslands back then—Crossing the Western Border. Weren’t the people in that story the same? In the end, everyone died.
“Big sister, do you really intend to inherit the position of Great Khan?” Aurora suddenly asked.
“It’s not inheritance. It’s competition.” Ophina lowered her eyes and corrected her. “The Western Border is in chaos now, drifting farther and farther from the ideal world she once wanted to create. I want to do something about it.”
“But big sister......”
“Don’t say ‘but.’ First, find out where she’s gone. She’s clearly alive, yet she’s hidden from us for so many years, leaving us to live in hatred and regret. It’s time to settle this account.”
“But big sister......”
“What is it now? I still haven’t settled the score with you for wearing colored contacts to fool me last time.”
“That’s not it, big sister. I mean the captain—she has a daughter now.”
“She didn’t give birth to her herself. Not a big problem.”
“The captain’s daughter is very troublesome! If you want to win over the captain, you have to take down that roadblock—her daughter!”
“Mm, I know. And?”
“Sorry, sis!” Aurora clasped her hands together, apologizing sincerely. “Earlier, to get closer to the captain, I lied to her daughter and said I was an orphan! To gain sympathy, I also said this time I just wanted to take the captain home to see my critically ill older sister one last time!”
“......”
Ophina fell into a heavy, deadly silence.
Aurora carefully lifted her head and continued, “So, sis... when the time comes, can you help me cover it up? Just lie in bed for a few days pretending to be sick, fool them a bit, and then after a few days I’ll say I found a miracle medicine and cured you? Jasmine said she hates liars......”
“Heh.” Ophina smiled with deep, inscrutable meaning.
My foolish little sister. You will eventually pay the price for your lies.
......
At the same time.
Hundred Cities Auction House.
The Blood Essence Stone that Aislin had been waiting for finally appeared. There were neither too few nor too many bidders for it. In less than a minute after the opening bid, the price was driven up to ten million gold coins, but after that point, not many people continued bidding.
Just as Vieya raised her paddle for fifteen million gold coins, thinking victory was assured—
the mysterious masked woman suddenly bid sixteen million.
The auction hall erupted once more. Quite a few people began to reconsider their view of the Blood Essence Stone, that sinister object, and curiosity—or a simple desire to watch the spectacle—took hold.
“Who exactly is this Number 13......” Vieya ground her teeth. She wanted to bid twenty million, but her hand didn’t move. She hesitated. Beside her, Aislin’s heart was pounding like a war drum—she clearly hadn’t expected the bidding to escalate so brutally.
Because the Elven Royal Court was relatively closed off, they had almost no economic exchange with humans, and the amount of human gold coins they had accumulated was truly limited.
But no matter what, she had to obtain this Blood Essence Stone. The court had given instructions: if it truly came to the point where they had to trade materials and specialty resources from the Elven Forest for human gold, she would not hesitate.
“Seventeen million gold coins.” Vieya raised her paddle. Even though it wasn’t her own money, she was still incredibly nervous, her palms slick with sweat.
“Twenty million.”
Number 13 raised her paddle immediately, following without pause. The auction hall exploded in astonishment. Rare as it was, the vast majority of people didn’t think this Blood Essence Stone was worth that much gold. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Vieya’s heart turned icy. She felt that Number 13 must have been scammed too badly earlier, and now was deliberately scamming others in return.
Should I just let it go? And then rob her?
Vieya stared fiercely at Number 13’s mask, itching to walk over and punch her twice.
But at that moment, the long-silent Number 66 also raised her paddle.
“Twenty-five million!”
The auction hall grew restless. At this point, if anyone added even a single gold coin, it would break the highest price of the entire auction so far!
“Twenty-five million and ten thousand.” Number 13 bid.
At this point, the masked woman stopped pretending altogether and locked horns directly with Number 66.
Then, the person at Number 66 raised her hand, stood up, and smiled mockingly toward Number 13.
“Number 13. This ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) time, I win again.”
As soon as the words fell, the hall went dead silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Vieya couldn’t see Number 13’s expression, but judging from the constant rise and fall of her chest, she was thoroughly provoked.
At that moment, the female host began the countdown.
Yet among the several hundred people present, not a single one made another bid. With something so blatantly overpriced by several times its value, no one was foolish enough to take over.
With three seconds left on the countdown, Vieya hesitated—then raised her paddle.
“Twenty-five million and thirty thousand.”
“......”
Number 13 said nothing. She didn’t bid.
When the ten-second countdown ended, the host brought the hammer down decisively. “Let us congratulate Number 30 on winning auction item A1806!”
At the same time, Aislin let out a very visible sigh of relief and looked at Vieya with gratitude.
“Auctions—easy as pie.”
Vieya smiled, lifting her small hand and waving it smugly in front of the elf lady. That proud, adorable expression eased Aislin’s tightly wound nerves considerably.
With the primary objective complete, everything afterward felt much more relaxed.
Jasmine and Elliti, seated in the accompanying section, also began whispering excitedly to each other. It was both of their first time experiencing a scene like this, and their curiosity and sense of novelty were no less than anyone else’s.
Time passed slowly. Throughout the process, attendants continuously came by to replenish free drinks and snacks for the guests.
The entire time, Vieya never once saw slaves being brought out for auction. Just as she was beginning to suspect that Longyue’s information was wrong—or that those earlier words weren’t meant literally, but carried some deeper, hidden meaning—
a square object draped in a red curtain was pushed onto the central stage.
The beautiful host spoke with unprecedented excitement, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the final item of this auction!”
Crash!
The red curtain was pulled away, revealing an iron cage gleaming with a metallic sheen at the center of the stage. Inside the cage knelt a mermaid, her entire body bound in shackles, even her mouth locked by a specially made half-skull mask.
Yet even so, the frail, pitiful aura she exuded still infected everyone present.
“This is... a merfolk?” a guest asked aloud. “Alliance law prohibits the capture of this species. Aren’t you afraid of being summoned before the Tribunal?”
“Heh, honored guest, you overstate things.” The female host chuckled and explained calmly. “This mermaid is not the kind of merfolk you imagine. She is a monster—a pure, powerful, terrifying, and cruel monster!”
“And yet now, all of you may purchase this beautiful, captivating monster. Under the absolute suppression of the Chains of Heaven, you may savor her beauty to your heart’s content.”
Standing at the center of the stage, the host smiled gently at the assembled guests.
“Without further ado, the starting bid—ten million.”
