A/N: Map of the Dralgur Continent (Raelâs Continent):
***
Fuck⌠why am I nervous? Rael thought, slightly fidgeting.
The theater was massive, and there were dozens of refurbished seats everywhere. Of course, the lights were still a little messed up, which was why he called it a dark auction in the first place.
If they canât see, then they wonât argue. Probably. Rael nodded to himself.
Obviously, only a couple of thousand people could come here, and Rael had made a little contingency plan to weed out the poor people.
â˘âRaelâs Dark Auctionââ˘
Category: Buy-In
⢠Basic Buy-In (Common): 25,000 Trell
⢠VIP Buy-In (Uncommon): 100,000 Trell
⢠VVIP Buy-In (Rare): 250,000 Trell
⢠MVP Buy-In + Private Room (Legendary): 1,000,000 Trell
Pfft⌠I wonder how many people will buy the most expensive one? Rael thought with a hum as he found a seat behind the theaterâs stage.
Since the preparations were done, Sweepus Prime soon approached, sitting down beside him.
âI cleaned everything up. Can I get a snack now?â Sweepus asked, his eyes gleaming.
âMhmâŚâ Rael nodded, pulling out some leftover popcorn from yesterday and handing it over to Sweepus.
âThough I find it a little weird how your voice is so squeaky,â Rael commented.
âNom⌠so what?â Sweepus replied as he stuffed his mouth full of popcorn. âYou can still understand me. Itâs my fault anyway. I shouldnât have moved when you were doing the modifications.â
âWell, you did try to kick me in the balls for no reason, so I had no choice but to chuck you into a wall,â Rael said with a shrug. âThatâs that though, youâll grow out of it eventually.â
âI wisââ
âRael.â A voice rang out from behind the two of them, but Rael wasnât startled.
He was somewhat expecting this little reunion.
So he turned around, meeting the eyes of a man whose face clearly didnât belong to him.
âOâ mighty faceless one, Zareth. To what do I owe this visit?â Rael said playfully, but upon noticing Zarethâs expression remained firm, he halted.
A frown appeared on his face. âWhat happened?â
âAztera is on the move.â
âWhat?â Rael stood up, shocked. âWhy in the fuck are the fuckers from the desert moving now?â
Aztera was one of the more powerful countries of the Dralgur continent. However, they only moved if someone contested their land, never voluntarily.
âThe Holy Kingdom is putting Azteraâs march on hold. However, they can only do so much. Theyâre not the targets of Azteraâs pursuit, so aside from reparations, everything is fair game,â Zareth added.
Rael sighed. âLet me guess, weâre the targets?â
âYes and no. Itâs Yrgon,â Zareth replied, taking out a piece of parchment and tossing it to Rael.
He immediately read through the contents, and he was left in disbelief.
âTheyâre fighting over our fucking forests?â
âThat does appear to be the case,â Zareth nodded. âAztera is claiming those trees donât belong to Celestara since itâs only a city, nothing more.â
âI see⌠so theyâre going to try merging us with a nearby country,â Rael deduced, rubbing his temples.
Technically, they were right. Celestara was only a city, and at the current moment, there was no way of making it into a full-fledged country.
Of course, unless he could get several rulers to vouch for Celestara, which, in the end, would require a dozen sacrifices.
But if thatâs the only way, then I might as well go through with it, Rael thought, turning his gaze back to Zareth.
âDoes Zafira know?â
âNo,â Zareth replied with full confidence. âTheir forces only began moving twenty minutes ago. They arenât even close to their borders. Itâll take around a week for them to arrive in Yrgon. As for the scouts, theyâll be there tomorrow.â
âHmmâŚâ
This guy really knows everything, huh?
âThanks for the heads up, Zareth. Iâll set up some meetings right after this auction is finished,â Rael said with appreciation.
âWho will you be visiting first? Yrgon or the Holy Kingdom?â Zareth asked. âPersonally, Iâd say go for Yrgon first since youâre acquainted. Getting their validation early on shouldnât be too difficult.â
Zareth took out another piece of parchment and placed it on the seat beside Rael.
âThis is in regards to the Holy Kingdom. Donât open it yet since⌠your mood will turn sour. Thatâs all Iâll say,â Zareth said.
âIs it a list of potential demands?â Rael asked, tapping the armrest.
âIt is indeedâŚâ Zareth trailed off, glancing behind where people slowly began swarming.
They were players, and each of them was as loud as he would expect.
However, with their appearance, the discussion was over.
Zareth sent Rael one last nod and then proceeded to walk out, blending into the crowd of people.
Since Rael was sitting somewhere he couldnât easily be seen, he watched with interest as the players fought for the front-row seats.
But in the back of his mind, he was conflicted.
He knew his peaceful times wouldnât last long. However, this was just too fast.
I guess nice things are supposed to be earned. Thatâs what I get for putting off solidifying Celestaraâs status⌠Rael thought as he opened his friend list and messaged Zafira.
<Rael Sutekh: Youâre going to hear some unsettling news soon. But please, let me handle it. I have a few ways to make this blow over, but youâll have to trust me.>
His mental skills and Dream Eater race would play a huge part in this upcoming fiasco.
But Iâll do whatever I have to do. Even if I have to get my hands dirtyâ
<Zafira Sutekh: Rael? Is everything okay? What news are you talking about?>
He stared at the message for a few moments, but just as he was about to reply, she continued.
<Zafira Sutekh: Iâll trust you since I have a pretty good idea what the news you mentioned are. It was an inevitable outcome, and I knew the risks even when I formally signed the agreement. However, Iâll let you take the lead in the negotiations. Just promise me, if itâs something you canât handle, tell me.>
Rael felt his chest tighten, not only because she was intelligent but also because she said she trusted him.
I didnât expect her to agree at allâŚ
<Rael Sutekh: Iâll hold you to that. Iâll talk to you later though, the auction is about to start.>
He swiftly closed the message window, and the moment he did, he realized how many players had gotten inside.
Thousands upon thousands had entered, while those who bought the special 1 million Trell buy-in were given private rooms on the balconies.
Everything was ready, and the only thing left was the approaching beauty who soon stopped in front of him.
He raised his brows, amused, as she slowly opened her trembling mouth.
âH-How do I look?â
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