Chapter 649 "Black Money"

"Thank you, I'll visit again tonight."

Yuekou stared at the two in disbelief, feeling like they had made a mistake. He was the Graycastle ambassador!

Before he could question Otto after his departure, Hill silenced his dissatisfaction with a single sentence, "This is also what His Majesty desires."

Yuekou rubbed his forehead and said, "Are you sure? I represent Graycastle. What if the Lord of Dawn finds out about this? Won't the relationship between our two countries return to the way it was before?"

"Let's not talk about whether Anpein Moya has the time to pay attention to such trivial matters. Even if he finds out, witches are more important than alliances," Hill said solemnly. "In fact, when selecting slaves, my men were already secretly watching the refugees to see if there were any witches among them."

"And the result?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Either there are no witches among the refugees, or they are hiding very well and have completely integrated into the local population. In any case, if you can bring a witch back to His Majesty, he will reward you handsomely—you know how much His Majesty Roland values them."

Hearing that it was an old friend's request, Yuekou reluctantly agreed.

Oh well, I'll just consider it an opportunity to broaden my horizons, he comforted himself. Even Denise wasn't qualified to go, so he was curious about what kind of slaves they were selling inside.

As evening approached, Otto appeared at the entrance of the mansion on time.

Yuekou followed him onto a luxurious carriage without any insignia. Inside, in addition to the thick velvet carpet, there were even two chains hanging down from the roof, which clearly indicated their purpose.

"I didn't expect you to have this kind of hobby," Yuekou whistled.

"Cough, cough... this isn't my carriage," Otto's face flushed slightly. "To be discreet and able to restrain the other party, only this kind of carriage is suitable."

"You don't need to explain, I understand," he said, curiously touching the wrist clasps under the chains. "Can I borrow the carriage for a few days after this is over?"

"Of course, it's only a rental fee of fifty silver wolves per day, including the coachman," Otto told the coachman the destination and then lay down comfortably. "The journey is a bit long, you can rest a bit."

"How long will it take?"

"About half an hour, to the outskirts of Brightlight City."

"Then won't we be able to return today?" Yuekou said in surprise. "The city gates will close after the sun completely sets, right?"

"'Black Money' provides accommodation and food. In fact, any service you can buy in Brightlight City is available there."

"Sounds like a market."

"Almost. The only difference is that it's built underground," Otto explained. "I've only been there once, and I don't know if the auction procedure has changed, but as long as you follow the guide's instructions, there shouldn't be any problems. After bidding for the witch, you don't have to wait for the entire exhibition to end. Just go to the backstage to pick her up, and then a servant will arrange a room for you—"

"Wait..." Yuekou looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you coming in with me?"

"There's only one invitation."

"Then what about the money?"

"This black letter is the money," Otto smiled. "Holding it is equivalent to being recognized by the merchant guild. You just need to make a bid."

"There's no limit?" Yuekou's eyes widened.

"Of course there is... but it's much higher than the witch's price. According to the information I've collected, the price of a witch auctioned off a few years ago was around a thousand gold coins. Now that His Majesty Anpein has ordered the extermination of witches, the transaction price should be even lower."

A thousand gold dragons! Yuekou clicked his tongue inwardly. These upper-class nobles really don't treat money as money, do they? You wouldn't spend that much money even if you visited all the famous pleasure houses in the royal capital! Is it because my level is too low and I haven't been exposed to those truly expensive pastimes?

"Also... to gain her trust, you'd better not touch her," Otto coughed twice. "After all, she's not a real slave, otherwise it might cause trouble during transportation."

"Of course I understand that," Yuekou sighed. That was the person His Majesty wanted, and he wouldn't dare to touch her even if he was beaten to death.

"In short, remember to put a hood on her when you come out. We'll meet again tomorrow morning."

After the carriage drove out of the city gate, it headed west. The driving speed slowed down after the dim afterglow was completely swallowed by the night. As Otto estimated, they arrived at their destination after about half an hour.

The exhibition venue looked no different from an ordinary residence at first glance. A crooked fence surrounded an open courtyard, and a mud-and-straw house stood in the middle. Behind the courtyard was a bare field—the wheat had already been harvested, leaving only clusters of tied wheat stalks, like lumps growing out of the earth.

The only thing that caught the eye was that there were many shaking torches lit in the field, indicating that someone was guarding the area.

Moreover, ordinary residential courtyards wouldn't have checkpoints in front of the gate.

After checking the invitation, Otto and the accompanying guards were all left outside the courtyard. Yuekou followed the guide into the mud house, went down a wooden ladder in the center of the hall, and after passing through a narrow man-made passage, he entered a natural cave.

The cave was about half the size of the Royal Capital Square. By the flickering light of the torches, he could see many dark small holes on both sides, leading to unknown destinations.

The floor of the cave had been re-polished and paved with flat floor tiles. Only the stalactites hanging from the top could show what this place originally looked like. Many people had already gathered here, seemingly waiting for the start of the exhibition.

Yuekou finally understood what Otto meant by "not so formal." Judging from this scene alone, it really wasn't much different from a rat gathering.

"Sir, this way, please." The guide led him to the seat marked on the black letter and sat down beside him. "I will be at your service throughout this exhibition. You can ask me any questions you have about the merchandise." As he spoke, the other party pressed their soft chest against Yuekou's arm. In the dim light, he could see the pointed chin and rosy lips under the mask.

"Is this also a kind of service?" He extended his elbow without any politeness. "What's your name?"

"Of course, sir, you can call me Number Seventy-Six," the other party said softly, but their answer was not flustered at all.

Okay, he took back his previous statement. Rats definitely couldn't train such servants. If every bidder had a guide, the cost alone would be astonishing.

"But is it always this dark here?" Yuekou asked, enjoying the soft touch on his arm, raising his eyebrows. "I can't see the merchandise on stage at all."

"You'll know soon," she chuckled.

As if to prove what Number Seventy-Six had said, the sound of metal rubbing suddenly rang from the top of the cave. Then several iron chains slid down, each with a strange stone hanging at the end. The light they emitted was several times brighter than the torches, instantly illuminating the stage in front of Yuekou.

The sound of conversation in the cave immediately subsided.

Under the soft and bright light, the torches appeared even dimmer. The entire cave seemed to be plunged into darkness, and the stage became the only bright spot, also the focus of everyone's attention.

A man in a dress stepped onto the stage and bowed to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Now I announce that the 'Black Money' exhibition officially begins!"