Chapter 55: Everyone is Rich as F*ck

"Now I know this may seem like a tall tale, but I have personally verified the authenticity of this item and I can assure you that it is the real deal!"

The auctioneer held out both hands and proudly presented the last item up for auction today.

"This is an advanced grade martial art that is upwards of 500 years old, and in stellar condition to boot! I present to you the Hollow Shadow Fist Art!"

"Uwohhh!!"

"Incredible.."

"Fuck, I should have brought more money!"

"You want that fist art, baby?"

"Y-Yes, big momma..."

"You know you're gonna have to do some work for it, right~?"

"Y-Yes ma'am..."

The crowd became understandably abuzz with excitement, and it was clear that they had already forgiven Indra for the items he'd snatched up earlier.

There were also more than a few people who were continuously looking back at him, curious as to how a young man like him could have possibly gotten his hands on such a treasure.

Lucia noticed all of the eyes the two of them were receiving and she posed another question that she hadn't thought about.

"Hey Indra, aren't you bothered by all of this?"

"Hm?"

"The attention and stuff? You're kind of a reserved and quiet person after all."

"Oh, that..."

Truthfully, Indra hadn't thought much about that.

It was true that he preferred being alone in quiet and dark places and hated being in places with unfamiliar people.

But conversely.. he was not the kind of person who thought to hide in his day to day life.

As an assassin of the highest caliber, the only time he thought to make himself imperceptible was when someone was about to die.

When he and Enyo first left the castle, he had already somewhat prepared himself for these uncomfortable instances and knew to ignore it the best he could.

"This is what it means to be among the living, no? Let's just make sure that we leave before these annoying stares turn into unnecessary meetings." He said.

"Alright then." She said with a smile.

Lucia once again felt herself getting lost in Indra's charming face and demeanor, but she was quickly snapped out of it by a string of the most absurd words she'd ever heard.

"We'll open the bidding for this item at ten gold. Increased offers must be in increments of no less than five, so who would like to place an opening bid?"

"F-Fifteen!"

"Twenty five!"

"Fuck off, it's mine! Forty!"

Indra noticed that Lucia's eyes had gone woozy like she was about to faint at any second.

"Lucia?"

"S-So much money…" she muttered dreamily.

For reference, this world's currency was divided into copper coins, silver, gold, and platinum.

Copper are the most common and are worth the least, requiring just two of them to purchase an apple off the street.

A single silver coin is the equivalent of 200 copper, and could be used to purchase a three night stay at an okay inn.

Conversely, a gold coin is also the equivalent of 350 silver and ten of them could be used to purchase a three week residence at the best whorehouse in the city.

If appraised, Lucia's home and everything inside of it would be worth only five gold and a few silvers.

So to hear these offers for what she considered a large amount of money flying around so casually, she having a difficult time keeping her cool.

"Is it really that much?" Indra asked.

"Y-Yes! We're already at fifty gold, I don't even think you would have made this much if you sold yourself!"

Lucia looked down at the small bit of Indra's chest that was exposed by his kimono and his strong hands with seemingly dexterous fingers.

"O-Okay never mind, but it's still a lot!" She yelled.

Indra looked somewhat satisfied with this result as he continued to watch the bidding get more and more intense.

"So I'll be able to buy a good ring for Enyo then?"

"You..! …Yes, yes you will." Lucia said in exhaustion.

"Wonderful then."

The two of them continued to watch the auction for only a few minutes longer, before a suprising bidder would cut the entire auction short.

"Two platinum!"

A woman stood up from the crowd and immediately gave off a powerful impression as she yelled out her bid.

She was beautiful, with the charming appearance of an older woman and a titaness embroiled into one.

At six foot four, she was undoubtedly taller than almost all of the men in the room.

She had creamy and unblemished skin, along with long purple hair that went down to her thighs.

Her body was incredibly muscular and chiseled, along with a bountiful chest and behind that would make most men drool.

Underneath her dark purple yukata was a set of the most tantalizing abs that one could lay eyes upon.

The two horns sprouting from her forehead confirmed her heritage as an oni, giving her an air of unapproachability.

After her bold decree, groans and fits of disappointment echoed in the auditorium, so the auctioneer knew that he wouldn't be getting any higher bids today and immediately closed the auction.

"SOLD! Congratulations to Miss Aveena for purchasing this one of a kind fist art for two platinum coins!!"

"Seems like we did good." Indra nodded in satisfaction.

"Dizzy.."

Indra couldn't even get a response to his words before Lucia's amber eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted from shock.

Her head flopped lazily into his lap, and he looked at her with a small amount of concern and amusement.

Anyone else around her economic status would undoubtedly understand exactly why she was behaving in such a manner.

A platinum coin is the rarest most valuable out of the monetary system, and one is the equivalent to 500 gold coins.

She didn't believe she'd ever see one in her life, let alone two of them.

It was no wonder that she needed an impromptu nap after this.

Like she was a cat, Indra calmly reached down and lightly stroked her face as she slept, and he stared into the back of the woman who'd just bought his technique.

She noticed a gaze piercing into her from behind, and she turned around and the two of them met eye to eye for the first time.

'Beast realm…' he thought.