Chapter 85 85
"Isn\'t that the second Prince of the French Royal Family, Charles Valois?!" The blonde haired girl exclaimed when a handsome and refined young man stepped onto the balcony of the Lounge 3 together with a little girl with pearl white hair.
"Yes. And the girl with him is Princess Avriel Valois, his younger sister." Caesar confirmed it for her.
"She\'s beautiful!" Rebecca couldn\'t help but gush over the cutest little girl she had seen in her life.
The Princess was around eight years old with pearl white hair and ocean blue eyes that were similar to hers. And seeing her politely smiling like a lady, showcasing her demeanour, her charm hit the people a little too hard.
Keith smiled when he heard Rebecca\'s words and stared at the beautiful little girl on the screen.
He knew that the Second Prince of France would be attending this event, as he would be among the people who would go after Ingrid. But the presence of Princess Avriel was a pleasant surpise to him.
This little girl was special, a little too special as she was the future Main Heroine of a Child of Destiny. And her inherent powers were quite unique. It was the resosn why she was considered one of the most powerful Espers in this world even at such a young age, but that, of course, was a top secret of the French Royal Family.
"Hey, Keith!" Rebecca nudged his arm to get his attention.
"Yes?"
"Should I bid on that Diamond?" She mischievously asked.
"You want to get the Prince\'s attention and flaunt your wealth in front of him?" He understood her intentions and smiled. "Sure, go for it!"
The blonde girl was taken aback by his words. She was expecting him to try to dissuade her from doing it, but now that he too was on board, she excitedly stood up and rushed towards the Balcony.
"27 Million Euros!" She announced her bid after pressing the button to light up the number of the Balcony that she stood on.
"Lounge 6, 27 Million Euros!" The Auctioneer welcomed her bid with a bright smile and excitedly registered it.
The cameras were all on her now, and she stood their, wearing a very faint smile as if she did not care about the eyes on her.
Keith had to give it to her that she was a perfect actress, and her performance was impeccable. It would never cross anybody\'s mind that she was only messing around with her money and had no real interest in the rare, uncut violet Diamond that she had just submitted her bid for.
Just like the other men in the Hall, the Prince of France was enthralled by the beauty of the lady who had suddenly outbid him, but he soon managed to compose himself.
"30 Million Euros!" He lit up the number of his Lounge and announced his new bid.
"Lounge 3, 30 Million Euros!" The Auctioneer registered his bid and excitedly looked at Rebecca, hoping that she would raise the price.
"40 Million Euros!"
And she did not disappoint him and the crowd.
It was a sky-high price, but for this rare Diamond, it was still within the expectations.
However, out of good faith, and seeing how determined she looked at acquiring the Diamond, nobody else followed her bid.
Everybody turned to look at the Prince, who simply bowed in Rebecca\'s direction when he found her faintly glance towards him. It was not just a greeting, but also his announcement that he would not follow her bid.
Rebecca politely nodded in his direction, and without sparing him another glance, she walked inside the Lounge when the Auctioneer started finalising the auction of the Diamond.
"Impressive!" Keith chuckled when he found her brightly smiling.
"Thank you!" She graciously said and then sat right next to him. "He was too easy, and no fun!"
She was disappointed and had lost all her interest in the Prince. He might be a Prince, but he was just another man.
Keith shook his head at her complaint and did not say anything. He knew that she loved toying around with people, specially men. And given how breathtakingly beautiful she was, it was a little too easy for her to play with their hearts.
The Auction continued, and a few minutes later, there was a knock on their door.
The Waitress in charge of their Lounge opened it, and welcomed the Financial Team of the Auction inside.
Rebecca carelessly placed the Storage Box on the table after giving the Diamond inside an uninterested glance, confusing the Auction Team by her actions. But they kept their curiosity in their hearts.
It was not their place to question why she bought something if she was not interested in it.
"Thank you!" She politely smiled after she made the payment, and the Team wished them a nice evening before taking their leave.
"What are you going to do with the Diamond?" Keith curiously asked after he picked up the box and opened it, taking a careful look at the gemstone.
"No idea." She shrugged and said, but then an idea popped up in her mind. "I will just gift it to Mom to appease her when she lashes out on me over Marianne."
"Nice." He chuckled and placed the box back on the table. "It will make a fine ring if crafted by the right hands."
"I will let my Mom know that." She nodded to his words and then frowned when the Auction Hall suddenly turned solemn at the arrival of a new Item to be auctioned.
"This is an ancient parchment, found in the ruins of the newly discovered Ancient Aztec City of Umbra. And on it is a lost Cultivation Technique that has been attested by the experts and labeled as a Grade A Cultivation Technique. It is a priceless treasure, and the bidding will start at 50 Million Euros." The Auctioneer announced, and as soon as his hammer fell, bids after bids were hurled for the item, taking its price to over 200 Million Euros within the first minute.
"What\'s a Grade A Cultivation Technique?" Rebecca, who was not too aware of these things, curiously asked.
"In this world, the Cultivation Techniques are divided into four Grades. A, B, C, and S. The S Grade is the Highest, followed by A, B, and C, which is the lowest." Caesar informed her. "Cultivation Techniques help the Aurors regulate their Auras in specific patterns which have some benefits such as a faster Cultivation Speed, and more density of the Aura accumulated over time. Usually, it is very dangerous to play around with different patterns, and it leads to some unforseen dangers in the body, but these Cultivation Techniques have no extreme side effects or no side effects at all that are harmful for the body. Therefore, these are invaluable Treasures, and even the C Grade Cultivation Techniques are highly sought after by Powerful Aurors. Some of the most Powerful Ancient Families of the world possess the fabled S Grade Cultivation Techniques, and other than them, the Governments of the World possess these Techniques. They use them to train their most valuable Assets."
"I see. Thank you!" She politely smiled at the old man for the information.
"You\'re welcome, Miss Grayson." Caesar politely bowed his head to her in reply.
"Why are you not interested in the Cultivation Technique?" She asked when she found Keith not paying attention to the Auction and playing with his phone, texting to a girl named Alana.
"These are not true Cultivation Techniques, just fragments, and they hold many hidden dangers." He did not hide it from her and truthfully said before raising his head and looking her in the eyes. "Don\'t use them."
"I won\'t." She nodded her head subconsciously, but her mind was running berserk in curiosity, but before she could raise her questions, Keith returned his attention back to his phone.
She could see that Keith meant every word he said, and he was confident because he knew something that other people did not know.
Even Caesar and Ryouta were looking at him in curiosity, but Yingying had already known the truth about these Cultivation Techniques since the evening he helped Qingyue start cultivating and gave them a lesson on Cultivation.
He gently smiled at her when he finished chatting with the girl on the phone, and looked her in the eyes again.
"Yes?"
"Tell me." She demanded, and he knew that she was asking about the Cultivation Techniques and Cultivation in general.
"I will tell you, but not today." He put away his phone and looked at screen on the wall, where the Auction for the Cultivation Technique had reached its end.
"2.25 Billion, One!.... 2.25 Billion, Two!.... 2.25 Billion, Three!... Sold to the Gentleman in the Lounge 9!" The Auctioneer announced.
With the Auction of the Cultivation Technique, the first phase of tonight\'s Auction ended, and the Auctioneer announced a 15-minute break.
In those fifteen minutes, the security on the stage changed, and new Guards, who were all Aurors, took their positions.
An aged lady, dressed in a graceful red gown appeared on the stage, and took the podium of the Auctioneer, taking her time to go through the notes placed for her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you all again to the annual Scarlet Auction. My name is Belegriene, and I will be your host for the rest of the evening." She courteously said after the 15-minute break ended, and the people in the Hall welcomed her with a polite applause. "The first Vassal we have for Auction tonight, is a very special person, or shall I say, a very special Creature?"
The Auctioneer mysteriously said and called for the first Vassal, and soon a tall and muscular man with a thick mane-like beard, dressed in a white robe, appeard on the stage through the Red Curtain in the back. He looked to be around the age of 40, and his predatory eyes scanned the Hall solemnly.
"A prisoner of a recent war that took place in the German Forests. He can speak in English and German, and is a highly skilled Warrior, brilliant with his bare hands, and a menace with his inherent strength and speed." The lady introduced the person. "His name is Seth, and he is 80 years old. He an Auror in the Early Nascent Stage, but dear Guests, he is far too Powerul for an Auror in that Realm." There was a light smile on her lips. "Born in the German Black Forests, Seth was a member of a pack that is no more. He is a magical creature of night, built to kill, possessing immense strength, speed, and endurance. Very dangerous. An Adult Werewolf with no Alpha to follow!"
As soon as her words ended, Seth roared out angrily as his expressions and eyes changed. His ears elongated, becoming furry, and his facial features changed to feral look and shape, akin to that of a wolf. His already muscular torso swelled out some more, leaning forward on a slightly bent spine. His hands were proper claws now, menacing, and ready to shread everything into pieces. And the saliva dripping from mouth bared his intentions that he was ready to eat too.
"Incredible!"
Rebecca was on her feet as she looked at the spectale on the screen.
Yingying and Ryouta were seeing a Werewolf for the first time in their lives too, and their eyes were wide in astonishment.
There were also a few guests in the Hall who were on their feet now, and even people in the lounges were stepping onto the balconies to take a better look at the Werewolf on the stage.
"The Guests are requested to make a wise choice. Werewolves are creatures that respect the strength of the person. And will only stay loyal to you if they view and recognize you as their Alpha." The Auctioneer warned the Guests. "Seth is an Adult Werewolf, and he retains his consciousness in his beastly form. The starting price for him is a 100 Million Euros. You can only raise the price by no less than 10 Million Euros. There is a Buyout price of 3 Billion Euros if you wish to avail it. Let the Auction begin!"
The hammer solidly fell, and a few determined voices started placing their bids for the Magical Creature.