By the time that Pedro came out of the discussion room and finished forming blood contracts with the demi-humans, it was already dark outside. At this moment, representatives from different Royal or Noble Families started to arrive at the Auction Mansion and were personally welcomed by Duke Albert himself.
On the other hand, Sabrina, Loren, and Mathew remained on standby outside the Kingdom—a few kilometers away from the walls. Pedro had canceled their mission to rescue the people in the Kingdom's slum area. Instead, they were tasked by Pedro to act as his support, in case he needed more hands.
As for the rest of the advance team, they were brought by the Teleportation Hall Head Guard Klader Morphus to his own residence within the Kingdom. That said, Aldo, Aks, Merchant Nordan Karva, and his family had left the Kingdom and teleported back to Axutar Village as Pedro had instructed.
This way, Pedro and Aldo's quest with Merchant Nordan Karva would be complete. However, since Nordan Karva was a merchant, Pedro simply tasked Aldo and Aks to take care and protect them in his stead, until he gets back to Axutar Village.
As for Neerak Axutar, the three village soldiers from Axutar Village, Lony, Roval, and Yuson remained with Teleportation Hall Head Guard Klader Morphus in the Kingdom. They were tasked to assist Klader Morphus in guarding the teleportation portal at any cost.
Since Lony and Roval were basically still low leveled players, their tasks were actually just communicators who would transmit Pedro's commands to Neerak Axutar and the other NPCs. Well, they have Yuson, so, their safety is not in jeopardy at the least.
With everything settled, Pedro sat by the window and watched the lively open area from above. On the other hand, Ragas Wyverson stood on his left, while Jea-an Clara Aleria stood on his right as if they were his bodyguards.
The three of them had a calm demeanor that consequently created a tense atmosphere inside the room. Auction Guide Weese could not help but to force out a smile while trying her best to remain calm and professional towards them. Auction Guide Weese was sitting on a chair at the right side of Clara and Pedro, and she is the one responsible for taking care of any bids or transactions that Pedro would make.
That said, Auction Guide Weese was not able to stand the deathly silence in the room. Since she was an employee of the Auction Den, then it is part of her job to entertain her guest and provide the best experience she could do so. Thus, she faked a few coughs and was able to attract Pedro's attention.
"Ehem… Is there anything you want to discuss with me, Auction Guide Weese?" Pedro asked after faking a cough in response.
Auction Guide Weese simply shook her head in response and said, "It's not that important, young master! I just want to inform you that you have successfully purchased ninety-seven human slaves. They are all cramped up in the carriage with cages that you bought."
"Was the coins enough?" Pedro asked—seemingly troubled that he might owe something to Auction Guide Weese.
"Y-Yes, young master!" Auction Guide Weese took out the pouch with several gold coins in it. Then, she said, "There are seventeen more gold coins left inside, young master! I would like to return it to you since the transactions I handled were completed already. I think that it would be of great help to young master in case you needed to bid for any goods that caught your attention in the Grand Auction tonight!"
Pedro shook his hand in response and said, "I can manage! Take two golds for yourself…"
Auction Guide Weese's eyes seemed like it wants to pop out of their sockets, while her jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment. However, Pedro simply ignored her by returning his gaze to the lively open area—where the Grand Auction would be held.
Then, Pedro rubbed his chin and said, "As for the remaining gold coins… Can I trouble you once more, to find Auction Guide Sordal Larkas and see if he can recommend me some good skill shards and purchase them before the Grand Auction begins? Of course… Please keep the amount within the remaining gold coins—excluding the two golds for you."
"T-This, young master…" Auction Guide Weese could not help but to shake her head and force out a smile towards Pedro out of disbelief. "I-I do not dare take the two golds, Young Master! H-How about I add it to the budget in buying a skill page? This way, the Auction Den would gain more profit. And, in turn, every employee would get a fair share from it?"
"How kind of you, Auction Guide Weese," Pedro said as he made a faint smile. Then, he continued, saying, "I admire your professionalism and kindness but… I have spent a huge amount in the Auction Den already. Take the two gold coins as a tip… A gift from me, in return for the excellent service that you provided me. There's no problem with that, right?"
Auction Guide Weese could not help but feel a bit of guilt. Two gold coins might seem like a spare change to Pedro, but to other players, even ordinary NPCs, it was a huge amount. Thus, when Pedro insisted to take the two gold coins, she could not help but glance back and forth at Pedro and the pouch of gold coins on her hands.
Alas, after almost a minute of pondering, Auction Guide Weese gave up and smiled—genuinely towards Pedro, saying, "Y-Young Master… I sincerely give you my thanks! These two gold coins would greatly help my family, especially in this time of crisis where foods are quite expensive. If there's a chance… I would not hesitate to repay your kindness in the future!"
Pedro smiled in response and raised his hand slightly, saying, "I could only accept your kindness, by then…"
Auction Guide Weese simply nodded in response. Then, she stood and said, "Then, I would be on my way, young master!"
After making a slight bow towards Pedro, Auction Guide Weese left the room and searched for Auction Guide Sordal Larkas. At this moment, Pedro's VIP room was about to be filled with a deathly silence. But… Before it happened, Pedro caught a glance of a familiar robe being worn by a group of pale white skinned people.
"They are here…" Pedro chuckled as Ragas and Clara followed his gaze. Their respective red and yellowish golden eyes were the only ones seen inside the darkroom and were emanating a strong murderous intent that can make anyone—who stares back at them, shivering in fear.
"Should we take action immediately, Young Master?" Ragas asked, calmly.
"Nah! Let them buzz around for now. We'll interfere if the drama can't be handled by the Auction Master anymore!" Pedro said coldly in response. Then, his gaze shifted to a seemingly angered man and chuckled, saying, "Besides… There are other great actors around. Right, Clara?"
"I don't quite understand what you wanted to say, Captain Aron." Clara coldly said in response. Her gaze was still focused at the pale white-skinned people, and said, "If you are worried about me… My principles and duties as someone from the Legendary Swordsman's bloodline… Then, rest assured that I am not bound to protect anyone anymore! Ever since I was exiled from our homeland, I am not bound to wield my sword for anyone else. So… You don't have to worry if you want to play with a few worthless human lives."
Pedro simply chuckled in response and said, "It's good to know that we are on the same page! Well… I am not against humans nor other races… I just simply cannot tolerate anyone with a bastard trait. So… Although I have a task to protect the interest of the humans in the majority, it does not mean that I cannot do what I want—including taking care of bastards who I think would hinder me."
At this moment, Pedro had unconsciously emanated a murderous aura that was just enough to keep everyone in the room silent. It was only after almost a minute that he realized this and was able to calm himself. He took a deep sigh and said, "In any case… I would give all of you a heads up. The world of Bearth would soon be filled with chaos… Something more complicated than what you thought it would be."
The demi-humans could only gasp in response. Then, the room returned to its awkward state as if no one was inside it. It was only when Auction Guide Weese returned did the atmosphere changed inside it.
"Young master, here are three skill shards that had a buyout price of five golds each." Auction Guide Weese said as she hands over three bluish crystals with a skill page inside them. "Mr. Sordal Larkas told me that these three skills shards—although only being Gold Rated, have great effects that you might find useful in your journey."
Pedro took the skill shards and checked their information in his player interface, while saying, "Hooo… Let's see what he gave me!"