Free Web Novel“Alright, alright... I’ll go get the key for you right away.”
The female host hurried off, then hurried back just as fast. This time, she was holding a delicate little box and a contract.
Opening the box and taking out the key, Vieya deftly unlocked the clasp of the skull mask covering Isabelle’s mouth, then removed the heavy chains one by one—from her body, wrists, shoulders and back, waist, and even her tail.
She really had been locked up a lot.
But the Mermaid Demon King’s condition was terrible. There were several wounds on her body that simply would not heal, and every time Vieya’s fingers brushed across her skin, she would shiver faintly.
“How did you get these wounds?” Vieya asked softly.
“Ah, honored guest, this monster is extremely powerful. It was unavoidable that some injuries were inflicted during the capture,” the host explained. “However, the unhealable wounds remaining on her body now aren’t related to us. We did try to treat them, but the results weren’t ideal.”
No wonder they were selling her—so they were afraid the Mermaid Demon King was about to die.
Vieya looked silently at the Mermaid Demon King and asked, “Can you still stand up? And... can this tail really walk?”
Isabelle shook her head. There was a trace of nervousness in her azure eyes—she was afraid the white-haired loli in front of her would find her too troublesome and change her mind about taking her.
But what she didn’t expect was that in the very next second, the loli who was barely under 1.5 meters tall bent down and lifted her up with both hands.
Isabelle: “???”
“Don’t thrash that big fish tail of yours. I’m not going to eat you.”
Vieya tilted her head and reminded the Mermaid Demon King, then prepared to leave while carrying her spoils.
“Ah! Honored guest!”
The host, stunned senseless, hurriedly said, “Honored guest, we have transport carts designed specifically for monsters like this. You don’t need to exert yourself like this! And we also have a VIP-only back exit—you don’t need to go up the stairs.”
“...You should’ve said that earlier.”
Vieya fell silent for a moment, still holding the Demon King, then said, “Hurry and bring it over. Your finale treasure is pretty heavy—my arms are getting sore.”
Though with a slime girl’s strength she could easily lift this Mermaid Demon King overhead, spin her four or five times, and toss her onto the bed, she thought it was better to transport her back safely. Strange... what kind of thing was “tossing her onto the bed,” anyway?
The host raised a hand and summoned several staff members, who swarmed out of the workshop pushing a specially made wheelchair.
Taking advantage of this moment, Vieya also blinked at the dumbfounded Aislin and Jasmine in the audience seats, signaling: what are you still standing there for? Come over and follow me—we’re getting ready to leave together!
“Huh, where did the person from No. 66 go?”
Vieya frowned, recalling their agreement in the private room—to return there after the auction ended and discuss what to do next.
No sooner said than done.
After placing Isabelle onto the wheelchair, Aislin and her daughter also hesitantly walked over to help.
“The auction has concluded. May I ask whether you honored guests plan to settle the account and leave now, or stay to watch our closing ceremony later?” the host asked in a routine, gentle tone.
“Let’s settle first. We still have things to do later, so we won’t attend the closing ceremony,” Vieya said.
The female host smiled and nodded, leading Vieya and the others backstage. As for the auction reaching its finale, it seamlessly switched to a new host, who began addressing the remaining guests.
The Hundred Cities Auction—perfectly concluded.
......
After obtaining the Blood-Jade Stone and settling the bill, the group arrived at the agreed-upon private room.
Longyue and the others were already waiting there.
“How did it go? Easy as can be.”
Vieya raised the corner of her mouth smugly, returned the black card in her hand to its owner, and looked at the Mermaid Demon King in the wheelchair as she asked Longyue, “But... did you hide something from me?”
“No.” The red-dressed girl sitting on the sofa shook her head and lightly adjusted the hair by her ear. “This monster is very rare, and very dangerous. I felt that only you, as the master of the Holy Sword, could... mm, take her down.”
After a pause, she added, “To put it simply, I think she’s least dangerous in your hands.”
Vieya blinked in confusion, not quite grasping what her junior sister ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) meant yet. “And because of that, you generously gifted me two hundred million gold coins?”
“I didn’t expect you to spend all two hundred million in one go.”
Longyue’s mood was complicated. Her budget could be said to have crushed everyone in the auction hall, but she still sighed.
“I originally thought we could take it within one hundred fifty million. After all, the person with the most funds in the auction was only at one hundred fifty million gold... but I didn’t expect you to directly add one hundred million and overbid by fifty million more, just to show off... mm, I don’t even know how to put it.”
“......”
Vieya opened her mouth, her lively eyes going slightly blank. She looked at the red-dressed girl and said dryly, “Can you really blame me for that?”
“You don’t feel bad spending money that isn’t yours,” the blonde-haired Irena muttered under her breath.
“It really was a bit extravagant,” said the blue-haired Allison. Though she wanted to speak up for Vieya, she couldn’t find a good excuse. “But it’s already spent, so let it go. After all, this auction house has shares owned by Irena’s family.”
“But that’s fifty million gold coins!” Irena said gloomily. “Even with dividends, what ends up in my dad’s hands is nowhere near ten million.”
“Then this mermaid...” Vieya began changing the subject. Anyway, she’d thoroughly enjoyed herself at the auction, and fifty million really was a lot—getting nagged a bit now was fine.
“Since you bought her, she belongs to you,” Longyue said, clearly having planned this already. “But as her master, you’ll have to manage your subordinates properly.”
“Alright.”
“The Western Border isn’t peaceful. It’s a mix of fish and dragons, with all kinds of forces tangled together. Even the Royal Capital can’t fully control it. You need to be careful.”
“Alright.”
“I know you plan to go to the homeland of that elf lady behind you. Whether it’s for sightseeing or something else, I don’t care. But I think the current Elven Royal Court isn’t peaceful either, is it?”
“Huh? How do you know about our Elven Royal Court?”
“Of course I know. Over there, clans stand side by side. For the past few hundred years, your Moon-Patrol clan has held the throne—but surely other clans have always been competing with you as well, right? The elven hatchling behind you is proof of that. Actually, if you didn’t plan to use her power, then even without coming to buy this Blood-Jade Stone, it wouldn’t have been a problem.” free𝑤ebnovel.com
“Eh?” Aislin widened her eyes.
“Looks like you don’t know anything at all.” Longyue rested her sword across her knees. “But that actually puts me more at ease. In short, as long as your sister’s constitution doesn’t touch or learn power, she can live her entire life safely. It’s completely different from what you thought—that she would gradually lose control as she grew up.”
“But unfortunately, your family began teaching her to use power from the moment she was born. By now, it’s accumulated beyond reversal, and there’s only one path left to walk to the end. Alright, that’s all I wanted to say.”
The red-haired, red-dressed girl slowly stood up and walked toward the private room door with her two teammates.
“The paths we’ll walk from here on are different, so we won’t waste more time here. Then—farewell.”
As she was about to leave, she turned back to look at Vieya, her gaze complicated, and gave one final reminder.
“Protect yourself.”
Vieya sat on the sofa, holding a complimentary yogurt cup, her eyes unfocused as she looked toward Longyue. It wasn’t until the figures of the three completely disappeared past the private room door, and her daughter walked over and curiously poked the back of the slime girl’s hand holding the yogurt, that she finally came back to her senses.
......
Night fell, the moon bright and the stars sparse.
Tonight, the two elven sisters were both in very low spirits. Even though the Blood-Jade Stone they’d longed for was already in hand, they just couldn’t bring themselves to feel happy.
The plan to head to the Elven Forest before nightfall was also put on hold, and the group casually found a roadside inn to stay the night.
“Sigh, if only I’d asked Longyue and the others what they were heading off to,” Vieya sighed as she heated her daughter’s bedtime milk.
She guessed that Longyue’s three-person team had already obtained graduation qualifications and completed their graduation during the last dungeon run. After graduating, most mages chose to stay at the academy as staff or return to serve their families... but quite a number also chose to travel the world, solely to improve their strength and broaden their horizons.
“Jasmine, come drink your milk. There are two servings here—remember to call Elliti too.”
“Okay, Mom!”
Before long, the two little ones came over and stopped in front of the slime girl, waiting to be handed their milk.
“Remember to go to bed early after you finish.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Mhm, Elliti understands too.”
Both little ones were very obedient.
So well-behaved—no need to worry at all. Vieya patted both of their heads in comfort, then lifted her foot and walked out of the kitchen.
In the main hall, Aislin was preparing medicinal potions, using ingredients she had just bought from the apothecary.
“Can Isabelle’s injuries be treated?” Vieya walked over and asked.
