章 98: Declaration!
"Wait!" A voice rang out from one of the adjacent rooms, cutting off the auctioneer. "This is absurd! Are we to be puppets, strings pulled by that one bidder?"
Another voice chimed in, more incensed. "I second that. It's ludicrous! The auction house must be in cahoots with whoever's in that room, deliberately driving up the prices."
A cacophony erupted, filling the room with indignant murmurs and accusations aimed at both the auction house and Haruto's mysterious bidding room.
The auctioneer raised his hands in an attempt to regain control. "Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you—"
"Assurances mean nothing!" A particularly irate voice cut in. "What's to stop us from walking out and leaving you with unsold merchandise?"
Haruto remained unruffled amid the growing chaos. "Machi, Canary, prepare for our exit. We won't leave empty-handed."
Machi caught the seriousness in Haruto's eyes and nodded, sliding her hand into her coat pocket. Canary was already reaching for her phone.
Haruto leaned toward the mic, his voice emanating from the speakers and overriding the clamor. "I suggest those who cannot compete to withdraw. This auction was never a playground for the fainthearted."
His words were met with an uneasy silence, a quiet so profound it felt like the calm eye of a storm. Then someone scoffed, followed by laughter and a smattering of applause from various rooms.
The auctioneer sighed in relief. "Very well. We stand at nine billion Jenny. Going once, going twice…"
The screen stayed stagnant, everyone holding their breaths.
"Sold for nine billion Jenny!" The auctioneer's gavel came down, a sense of finality enveloping the room.
The team in Haruto's room shared a loaded glance. Canary looked at him, her face a blend of triumph and question.
"We have the flower," Haruto stated, each word heavy with unspoken implications.
"And the amulet," Machi added, her voice tinged with a newfound respect.
As the gavel landed, people in the auction house started to get restless. Murmurs and disapproving glances filled the room, even as the attendees in the other private rooms began to voice their displeasure.
"Is this some sort of game to him?" said one man, the apparent leader of a thuggish group, adorned with tattoos and piercings.
An elegantly dressed mafia boss chimed in, "Our time and money aren't playthings."
Tycoons in slick suits huddled together. "We should all meet later. Whoever secured that flower will not walk out of this building."
Amid the tension, the auctioneer tried to refocus the crowd's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's move on to the last items of our auction today—slaves."
He unveiled a group of desolate figures, shackled and downtrodden. "Ah, what a find! Probably the last slaves from Meteor City—now known as Meteor Kingdom," he said, glee thinly veiling the darkness of his words.
The moment the auctioneer uttered 'Meteor Kingdom,' Haruto's visage tightened ever so slightly. His home. He had paid for the items as they were the property of individual sellers lent to the auction house. But these slaves—they were another matter entirely.
As grumblings escalated, some attendees threatened the workers to reveal Haruto's identity. "If you won't reveal who he is, we will!" shouted a livid mafia underboss.
Then, something unimaginable occurred. With a flick of his hand, Haruto disengaged the one-sided glass that concealed them, unveiling the room. The crowd's attention was arrested completely.
"Call all the Ten Dons here now," Haruto commanded, his voice reverberating throughout the hall. "I, the King of Meteor Kingdom, give you half an hour."
As soon as Haruto uttered those words, a silence so profound it felt like the world had paused befell the auction house. Most attendees couldn't fathom the King of the newly created Meteor Kingdom being in an underground auction. Others, however, recognized him instantly. His green hair, those violet eyes—this was indeed the King of Meteor Kingdom.
The tycoons, mafia bosses, and thugs who had been openly hostile moments ago were now swallowing hard. Had they just threatened a king?
The auctioneer looked like he'd forgotten how to form words, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He had just gleefully announced that the slaves on display were the last from Haruto's kingdom.
The workers in the auction house felt the urgency in Haruto's tone. A few among them rushed to notify the Ten Dons.
"Canary, Machi, Kortopi—stand by. Things are about to get interesting," Haruto whispered.
Canary and Machi exchanged glances, their eyes filled with understanding, while Kortopi maintained his stoic expression.
A door at the back of the auction house opened and ten individuals entered the hall. Their collective presence could be felt even from a distance, but none so much as Haruto's.
"We are the Ten Dons," one among them announced, "What is the meaning of this interruption?"
Seated majestically upon his throne, Haruto remained silent, an inscrutable expression on his face. Canary, his trusted emissary, stepped forward to address the assembly of Ten Dons, the criminal overlords who ran the abhorrent auction houses.
"Distinguished Representatives, and, most especially, the leaders who harbor the unforgivable practice of enslaving Meteor Kingdom's citizens,
I stand before you as the emissary of King Haruto, the Sovereign Ruler of the Meteor Kingdom. Let it be known that our nation has emerged as a legitimate force on the international political table. We are a nation reborn, reshaped under the wise and just rule of our King, and the old laws that once left our citizens vulnerable are no more.
King Haruto has formally decreed that all citizens of the Meteor Kingdom, regardless of where they may be in the world, are under the unequivocal protection of our sovereign state. Our borders are not just lines on a map but a sphere of influence that extends to each and every one of our people. To mistreat a citizen of Meteor Kingdom is to scorn our land, our government, and our King.
The era of silence and complacency is over. From this moment forward, know that any act of aggression, any form of enslavement, any harm directed towards our citizens will be viewed as an act against the Meteor Kingdom itself. Such actions will incur the full wrath of our power, military and otherwise.
Organizations, states, and individuals who unjustly threaten the citizens of this Kingdom: consider this your final warning. If you persist in these heinous activities, you will find yourselves facing the unyielding justice of King Haruto. Your economy will falter under the weight of our sanctions, your secrets will unravel under the scrutiny of our intelligence, and if need be, your lands will tremble under the might of our armies.
Do not underestimate our resolve. Do not mistake our civility for weakness. The Meteor Kingdom, under King Haruto, will not suffer the degradation of its people any longer. Amend your ways, cease your abhorrent practices, and perhaps you will be spared from the storm that is coming."
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