Chapter 1668: Being Auctioned: Part-2
"What do you mean he has a new bloodline?" A cold mechanical voice echoed from behind the curtain marked with the glowing symbol ’ε’, inside the private chamber suspended above the auction hall.
The gold-striped black mech-suit immediately dropped onto one knee.
A holographic panel expanded from its wrist module, projecting Lackey’s profile into the air.
[Bloodline: UNKNOWN]
"When we collected the biological scans from Hell’s Gate 4, this is the result we received, Nexus Epsilon," the mech-suit said cautiously.
Across the chamber, a pure golden mech-suit sat motionlessly on a levitating sofa crafted from polished black alloy. Thin blue energy lines pulsed beneath its armour like veins carrying electricity instead of blood.
Its visor glowed with two cold golden lights while dozens of miniature holographic screens hovered around it, displaying market values and auction statistics.
"Damn it..." the Nexus Epsilon groaned quietly. "Ms. Amara never mentioned this variable."
Its armoured fingers tapped against the armrest.
’What should I do now?’
After all, a new bloodline meant a bloodline that had never been encountered during their captures, which also meant they had no understanding of what it could possibly do.
There were only two possibilities... either it belonged to someone dangerous and powerful, or it was some weak and pathetic bloodline barely considered worth anything at all.
The Nexus Epsilon slowly turned its glowing visor toward the arena below.
Numbers constantly climbed higher above the auction stage as bids flooded the system.
"Getting him here already cost more than expected..." Nexus Epsilon muttered. "If we lose him now, explaining this to Ms. Amara will become troublesome."
Its gaze sharpened before turning toward the kneeling mech-suit.
"Contact the hostess immediately..."
***
Meanwhile, on the waiting platform, Lackey silently stared at the digital screen ’247’.
Most of the slaves had already been sold.
Only two remained seated on the cold, metallic platform.
For the first time in hours, the noise around him slightly faded.
*Finally... quiet.*
A tired voice suddenly came from beside him.
Lackey turned his head slightly.
A middle-aged man slowly walked toward him before dropping down beside him with a heavy sigh. The man had faded scales near his jawline and thin aquatic fins attached to both sides of his neck.
*Funny, isn’t it?* The man muttered with a dry laugh. *We’re about to walk free inside an Empire where we were never born... never raised... never belonged.*
The blue ceiling lights reflected across his tired eyes.
Lackey remained silent.
The man glanced sideways at him before chuckling under his breath.
*You’ve been quiet this entire time,* he said. *Most people here are either crying and praying in happiness, or pretending they’re not terrified.* He tilted his head slightly. *But you... You look empty... did you feel guilty of what you did?*
Lackey finally spoke.
*What are you trying to say?*
The middle-aged man sighed and looked up at the blue lights spreading across the ceiling before muttering, *Well, being a slave means you must have done something, right? And considering that only criminal slaves are brought here.*
His eyes narrowed slightly while staring at Lackey.
*So I figured maybe you’re carrying guilt. Maybe freedom doesn’t feel good when your head keeps replaying what you did.*
For several seconds, Lackey simply stared at him without emotion. Then he lowered his gaze toward the floor beneath his feet and chose silence again.
The man laughed quietly.
*Yeah... figured.*
He stretched his arms before speaking again, his voice calmer this time.
*Tell me your story.* He smirked faintly. *Who knows? Maybe we’ll survive long enough to meet again outside this place.*
Lackey said nothing
The silence continued until the man finally started talking on his own.
*I used to work for a noble household,* he said. *Nothing special. Just a foot soldier guarding cargo transports and escort routes.*
His tired eyes slowly softened.
*But life was good.*
A faint smile appeared on his face.
*I had money. A decent house near the capital city. A wife. Two children."*He chuckled softly.
*Normal things.*
Lackey frowned slightly.
"Then why are you here? Don’t tell me you were falsely accused."
The man smiled, shaking his head slowly. *Nah... I did it. I knew exactly what I was getting into... and even then, I did it with all my heart.*
He leaned closer toward Lackey while the blue light from above cast shadows across his face.
*You see... my master’s wife... she was fucking beautiful, you know? The kind of woman who always felt out of reach. Like a flower you could only admire from afar.*
A twisted grin slowly spread across his face.
*No matter what I did, I could never get close to her... never touch her...
Couldn’t even stand beside her without feeling small.*
His breathing became slightly heavier as he remembered it.
His eyes darkened slightly as the memory replayed inside his mind.
*Then one day... I got my chance when she was vulnerable.*
He chuckled under his breath.
*I... hehe... took her for myself.*
The man slowly licked his lips before continuing with disturbing satisfaction.
*That untouchable flower... I ruined her... I touched it to my heart’s content before slowly plucking it apart while watching it wither right in front of me.*
A disgusting satisfaction slowly spread across his expression.
*And when I watched her break...* he muttered with shaking excitement, *when I watched that noble family collapse...*
He closed his eyes briefly and laughed again.
*It was fucking amazing, man... I loved every second of it.*
The man looked upward toward the artificial ceiling lights, smiling like someone reliving a treasured memory.
*Haha... just remembering it makes me realise how glad I am to still be alive~*
He leaned his head back against the metallic wall, eyes filled with sick amusement.
*You should’ve seen her husband’s face afterwards... the man completely broke down and cried like his entire world had been ripped out of his chest.*
Lackey remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking in a colder tone.
*Do you feel guilty too?*
The middle-aged man blinked once before bursting into rough laughter.
*Who? Me?* He grinned widely. *Why the fuck would I feel guilty?*
He leaned back against the metallic wall and crossed his arms comfortably.
*If anything... haha... it was completely worth it.*
Lackey’s eyes narrowed slightly.
*What about your family?* he asked quietly. *Your wife... your children?*
The man shrugged without hesitation.
*Of course, I made sure they were safe before everything happened.*
His grin widened further.
*And now? Haha... I’m a free bird without worries. No responsibilities. No chains. No regrets.*
For the first time, Lackey openly stared at the man as if trying to understand what kind of creature sat beside him.
*So you destroyed another man’s family... while carefully protecting your own?*
The middle-aged man laughed again after hearing the disgust and fury hidden within Lackey’s voice.
Yet he didn’t care in the slightest.
To him, both of them were the same. Otherwise, why would they be here in the first place?
If they were truly saints... they would never have ended up chained inside a place like this.
*That’s how the world works.*
He pointed toward the door where countless rich spectators were waiting for them outside.
*Everybody protects what belongs to them.*
His smile twisted slightly.
*And nobody gives a shit about what doesn’t belong to them.*
*That’s why whatever you did... don’t waste your time feeling guilty about it,* he continued casually. *People only survive by choosing themselves first. So just live your life and enjoy it while you still can~*
Suddenly, the display number changed to 248.
Several mech-suits immediately approached the platform.
The man sighed dramatically before standing up.
*Looks like it’s my turn.*
He stretched his shoulders lazily before glancing back at Lackey with a crooked grin.
*See you around, young man. Let’s hope next time we meet... we’ll be standing up there like those rich freaks.*
The mech-suits grabbed his restraints before escorting him away.
Lackey silently watched him disappear.
Then silence returned once more.
Lackey remained seated alone.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking... or if he was even thinking about the conversation at all.
Minutes passed quietly.
Then the display changed again.
249
"It is now time for the final product."
Two mech-suits immediately stepped onto the platform and pulled Lackey upward by his restraints. Their armoured fingers tightly gripped the cuffs around his wrists before dragging him toward the centre stage.
Bright white lights instantly descended upon him.
Lackey carefully observed everything while walking forward without resistance.
His eyes moved across the massive arena filled with hundreds of spectators sitting behind floating transparent screens.
Countless holograms hovered in the air.
Surveillance drones continuously flew above the audience.
The upper floor looked entirely different from the lower section.
Curtains with unique symbols.
His gaze slowly stopped on one particular symbol.
’ε’
A faint glimmer appeared inside his eyes.
’That’s the one buying me.’
Almost instantly, Lackey lowered his head again, returning to the appearance of a frightened and obedient slave intimidated by his surroundings.
At the centre stage, the hostess stepped forward gracefully.
"And finally..." she announced smoothly, "our last acquisition of the evening."
The giant screens around the arena instantly displayed Lackey’s figure from multiple angles.
"With this product, today’s auction shall officially conclude."
Everyone looked toward the tall, muscular man standing beneath the lights. Black hair covered part of his face while bruises spread across his exposed skin.
His stomach looked slightly sunken as if he hadn’t eaten properly for days.
The hostess slowly approached him with elegant steps.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the rabbit mask covering his face.
Then removed it.
The entire arena fell silent for a split second.
And then... disgust erupted everywhere.
"Oh my god!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Fuck... I thought he was handsome from the body build!"
"M-My eyes... what the hell happened to his face?!"
Several people physically leaned backwards in their seats while others immediately looked away in revulsion.
Even some drones paused momentarily as the cameras zoomed closer toward the horrifying damage covering half of Lackey’s face.
Yet Lackey himself didn’t even flinch.
Instead... he smiled.
A slow smirk spread across the ruined half of his face. The sight alone made several audience members shiver with discomfort.
The hostess maintained her professional smile despite the crowd’s reaction.
"This product has sustained severe physical damage," she explained calmly. "Due to time constraints and transportation limitations, we had no option other than including him within the final shipment batch to complete the purchase quota."
"Yeah... we can see the damage clearly."
"Haha... honestly, I want to leave already."
"Indeed. What a waste of the final slot."
Several mocking laughs spread throughout the lower arena while others completely lost interest.
But high above them... behind the glowing curtain marked with ’ε’... golden eyes continued staring silently at Lackey without moving even once.
Murmurs slowly spread throughout the audience, but the interest directed toward Lackey had already vanished.
The spectators who had once stared curiously now leaned back into their luxurious seats with visible disappointment.
Some waved their holographic screens away entirely, while others resumed conversations with people beside them as if the final product no longer existed.
After all, they had already purchased what they came for.
Why would anyone waste attention on something disgusting?
Inside the chamber marked with ’ε’, Nexus Epsilon silently observed the reactions across the arena through dozens of floating surveillance panels.
Seeing the overwhelming lack of interest, the Nexus Epsilon slowly relaxed against its levitating seat.
"Just as expected..." it muttered quietly.
"A product’s worth is always defined by its outer shell."
Its voice carried a faint trace of relief this time.
Golden eyes moved toward the other private chambers. The remaining curtains stayed completely silent.
No signals or suspicious reactions.
Everything was proceeding perfectly.
Even if some of them became curious about Lackey’s hidden information later, their first instinct would already lean toward rejection.
Because he was ugly.
And ugliness naturally created negative assumptions.
Ugly = Inferior.
Ugly = Rejection.
Ugly = Not worth.
That truth existed regardless of whether people accepted it openly or not.
Meanwhile, down on the centre stage, the hostess maintained her elegant smile despite the dead atmosphere surrounding the arena.
Tiny holographic butterflies drifted around her body while the stage lights dimmed slightly.
"The starting bid," she announced smoothly, "is 1 Aevum."
Silence.
Then confusion instantly spread everywhere.
Even the spectators who had ignored Lackey looked back again with surprise.
1 Aevum?
That was absurdly low.
The lowest starting bid ever seen inside this auction hall for all years!
And that alone became a psychological attack against the audience without them even realising it.
People didn’t simply buy products.
They bought a presentation.
Luxury... Exclusivity... Reputation!
Give ordinary food golden decorations and serve it inside a palace, and people would convince themselves it tasted extraordinary.
Place a worthless object beneath divine lighting with expensive branding, and suddenly, everyone desired it.
That was how markets functioned.
But what happened when the seller itself openly treated the product like trash?
Especially a seller known for offering only the highest-grade acquisitions in the entire Empire?
A store famous for impossible prices suddenly placed a damaged slave on stage for almost nothing.
The answer became obvious.
Nobody wanted it!
In fact, the low value only made the product appear even worse.
And 1 Aevum practically screamed another message into everyone’s subconscious.
"We just want to get rid of it."
Which instantly destroyed any remaining interest.
What’s more... 1 Aevum basically saying, if it was possible, they could have given it for free!
So nobody bid.
Not a single person.
The massive arena that had once overflowed with flashing numbers, excited voices, and competitive shouting suddenly fell into complete silence.
Only the soft hum of drones and rotating holograms remained.
Inside the ’ε’ chamber, Nexus Epsilon nodded in satisfaction.
Perfect!
The hostess glanced around the quiet arena before forcing a weak professional smile.
"Looks like nobody wishes to purchase thi..."
!~🛎️~!
A soft mechanical chime echoed across the hall.
One of the upper chambers flickered gently.
The curtain marked with ’ε’ emitted a faint golden glow.
Moments later, a golden holographic number slowly materialised above the arena.
[2 Aevum]
The crowd immediately understood what had happened.
The hostess blinked before smiling wider.
"Well now..." she said elegantly. "I didn’t expect our honourable Epsilon Division, and organiser of tonight’s auction, to personally place a bid in their own event."
Several people in the lower audience quietly chuckled.
They understood the situation instantly.
Nobody wanted the product, so the organisers were trying to save face by purchasing it themselves.
Pathetic!
Some even laughed openly now while glancing toward Lackey with ridicule.
Meanwhile, Lackey silently watched the glowing number floating above the arena.
Although he was unfamiliar here, he had spent enough time beside Amara to understand what Nexus Epsilon was trying to do.
’*Not bad*,’ Lackey thought calmly.
A faint smile almost appeared beneath his ruined face.
’*Amara found herself a capable partner.*’
No additional bids appeared afterwards.
At this point, it barely even counted as bidding anymore.
The audience had already mentally discarded him... not even dare to look at the information details... well, Epsilon was the one who ordered the hostess not to reveal the information unless asked.
After all the information appeared before everyone, right?
Since no one was interested... Epsilon could say it was because they lost interest, so he didn’t reveal the information.
So technically, nothing wrong happened.
A perfect escape~
Quiet chuckles spread throughout the arena while some spectators openly mocked his appearance without restraint.
The hostess slowly raised her hand gracefully.
"2 Aevum going once..."
A soft mechanical sound echoed throughout the hall.
"Going twice..."
Above the stage, countless light particles gathered together before forming a massive holographic hammer glowing in blue neon light.
The hostess opened her mouth again.
"Sold t..."
!~🛎️~!
Another chime suddenly interrupted her.
A pink holographic number slowly appeared above the arena.
[1000 Aevum]
"!!!"
Shock exploded throughout the lower floor.
People instantly stood from their seats while countless holographic screens turned toward the upper chambers. Even the drones abruptly redirected their cameras.
The curtain marked with ’β’ emitted a faint pink glow.
Lackey slightly raised his eyebrows for the first time.
Inside the ’ε’ chamber, Nexus Epsilon nearly crushed the armrest beneath its hand.
’Shit...!’
Its glowing eyes locked onto the pink curtain with fury.
’Not that bitch!!’
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