Chapter 406

Chapter 406

The Ruler’s Auction was one of the hottest events in the World Peace Conference.

It was quite rare for all of the rulers to gather in one place, and the fact that each and every one of them ruled over their own territories meant that the items they brought to auction off were going to be extremely valuable.

Perhaps that was the reason, but the first item to be auctioned in this hot event was a highly valuable item.

“I, King of Corinth, Helios, am putting this up for auction!” King Helios exclaimed as he revealed what he brought.

“Oh!”

“OOOH!”

“Oh my god! I have to buy that!”

“Such a valuable item!”

The rulers cheered.

Siegfried used his Rune of Insight to see the description of the item that King Helios had put up for auction.

[King’s Golden Crown]

[A crown crafted with Dwarven Smithing technology.]

[It is extremely luxurious and considered one of the luxuries a ruler on the continent would covet.]

[Type: Helmet]

[Rating: Unique]

[Restriction: Ruler Only]

[Effects: Prestige +100, Charm +100, Other Rulers’ Envy +200]

The King’s Golden Crown was absolutely useless and was nothing but a luxury item.

The crown was nothing more than a useless waste of money to Siegfried.

However, it was different for the rulers.

“One hundred fifty thousand gold!”

“No! One hundred fifty-five thousand gold!”

“Keke! Time to go home! Two hundred thousand gold!”

“Three hundred thousand gold!”

The rulers started putting up astronomical bids just to get their hands on the King’s Golden Crown.

‘You crazy bastards! Why would you buy that for so much gold?! Just give me that gold insteaaaaad!’ Siegfried couldn't hide his shock at how the rulers were throwing their money away.

If an Adventurer was considered a self-employed business, then an NPC Ruler was a large corporation, which meant that the gold at their disposal was something most Adventurers wouldn't even dare to dream of having.

“Sold! The King’s Golden Crown has been sold for 398,000 gold!”

The final bid on the King’s Golden Crown was a jaw-dropping 398,000 gold.

“Kekeke! Nothing beats the Ruler’s Auction! Who would have known that I’d be the owner of this crown?!”

The king who won the King’s Golden Crown cackled out of sheer delight after winning the bid—for some reason.

‘That pathetic moron... You should help those starving in your kingdom with that money instead.’ Siegfried clicked his tongue and shook his head at the king.

It was futile for him to try and lecture these NPCs, as their mindset was completely different from how real people would think. The only thing he would get from doing so was a debate about who was morally right or wrong.

The difference in mindset did not only translate to differences in their moral compass but even in how they gauged the value of things. The NPCs had the total opposite of what Siegfried perceived as valuable, so Siegfried found it hard to bring himself to bid on any of the items in the ongoing auction.

A cape made out of the mane of a white dragon, a throne made out of the bones of famous ancient warriors, underwear that increased the chances of conceiving sons, a cool-looking baton, etc.

‘I’d rather waste money enhancing and destroying my items rather than buy that crap...’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly.

“I’m putting up for auction the blueprints of an airship from the previous generation!”

“I’m putting up the design of an energy supply system!”

“Two hundred books related to alchemy!”

Quite a few valuable things had been auctioned off. These items drew mixed reactions from the rulers, but each of them somehow found their rightful owners in the end. After all, this was an auction only rulers could attend, so an item was bound to be of value to them in one way or another.

It was then.

Siegfried was contemplating what to sell when Emperor Stuttgart suddenly walked past him.

“You might get your revenge if you use the Essence of Decayed Blood well,” he whispered.

‘Huh? That sounds like a great idea.’

A great idea popped up in Siegfried’s mind after understanding what the emperor meant.

“Your Majesty? Do you have anything you wish to put up for auction?”

“I have three things I want to put up for auction. Will that be alright?”

“Certainly, Your Majesty.”

“Then, I will put these up for auction,” Siegfried said as he went up to the podium.

***

Siegfried opened his inventory and took out the throne carved out of the Green Dragon’s skull.

“...!”

The eyes of the rulers in the venue shot wide open.

Why?

Because a throne carved out from the throne of a dragon was extremely rare.

The fact that an adult dragon was impossible to kill while a youngling was impossible to find made the throne highly valuable and coveted.

“I will buy it!”

“How much do you want?!”

“Hands off! That’s mine!”

“Name your price! I’ll buy it right now!”

A bidding as fierce as a battle unfolded quickly unfolded.

‘Huh? I don’t need this, but it seems it’s going to fetch me a lot of money.’

Thanks to that, Siegfried pocketed a massive sum of five million gold from selling the throne, but he was not done yet. The item he really wanted to put up for auction was not the throne but the Essence of Decayed Blood.

“The next item I want to auction is... this, a vial of the Essence of Decayed Blood,” Siegfried said as he placed a glass bottle on the auction table.

Then, a king suddenly asked, “What is that for?”

Siegfried replied, “It is an essence containing the Curse of Decay.”

“...!”

The faces of the rulers turned ghastly pale at those words.

‘Huh? What’s wrong with them? I know this thing can be scary, but I don’t think it warrants that kind of reaction...?’ Siegfried was confused by their reaction, and he could not understand their overreaction.

However, there was one thing he overlooked, and that was the fact that the Curse of Decay was an extremely scary virus that had decimated an entire kingdom in the past. On top of that, the fact that there was no known cure for it made it an object of horror for most people on the continent.

In other words, the Curse of Decay was just an inconvenient virus for the Adventurers, but for the NPCs, it was a fatal biological weapon that could wipe them out.

Perhaps that was the reason, but...

George the Third suddenly stood up and shouted, “Halt! I, George the Third, designate Siegfried van Proa as an Axis of Evil!”

He pointed at Siegfried and screamed, “How dare you have the Curse of Decay in your possession! This is a violation of international treaty! The World Peace Conference committee should conduct a thorough investigation of the Proatine Kingdom for possession of biological weapons of mass destruction!

"I strongly believe the Proatine Kingdom is guilty of running human experiments on developing biological weapons and black magic that threatens the very peace of this continent!”

George the Third tried to portray Siegfried as an Axis of Evil, but that was not the end of it...

“He’s right!”

“How can someone be in possession of such a deadly thing?! We need to confiscate that at once!”

“Search the Proatine Kingdom! They might be hiding more of it!”

A few of the rulers that were disgruntled by Siegfried chimed in as well.

“Emperor Stuttgart! Please say something about this matter! Siegfried van Proa just tried to auction a biological weapon of mass destruction! It is time for you to step up as the chairman of this World Peace Conference!” George the Third exclaimed to the emperor.

Then, Emperor Stuttgart nonchalantly replied, “I permit Siegfried van Proa to auction the Essence of Decayed Blood.”

At those words, George the Third’s face twisted in rage.