"The Wand of Xyggondo belonging to Grigory Efimovich Rasputin has officially fallen into the hands of our mysterious master!"
As the man bowed slightly, his tone suddenly became smoother.
"You can pay at the end of the event and take it later, or hand over one hundred milliliters of Dark Young blood now, and this legendary wand will be yours immediately."
Without a moment's hesitation, Lance reached into his robe pocket, tossing a small test tube containing a blackish-green liquid.
"I want it now," Lance muttered, his tone sharp as a knife.
In a rotten place like this—anyone knows what could happen in five minutes. The faster, the safer.
"Very well!" exclaimed the auctioneer, his face bright as if he didn't care that he had just sold one of the most expensive cursed artifacts on the continent. He placed the wand on a silver tray and signaled to the stiff servant in the corner.
The servant stepped forward cautiously, as if carrying a dragon's egg, and handed the wand to Lance.
Around him, hungry eyes—groups of gazes clinging to the wand like starving leeches.
Lance hissed softly, pulling his lips to one side. With a casual motion, he grabbed the wand from the tray, glanced at it briefly, then stuffed it into his dimensional pocket. It vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.
The auctioneer clapped softly, drawing back the nearly dissipated attention.
"Alright, masters, let's move on to the next round!" the man exclaimed enthusiastically. His voice seemed to never run out of smooth oil.
He pulled back a red cloth, revealing a glass box engraved with runes. Inside lay a golden apple radiating a soft glow.
"Here it is, another treasure awaited by everyone. The Golden Apples of Idunn—the apples of immortality, the key to staying young forever!"
The room, which had been silent, now hissed again. People's breaths were heavy, holding back the greed dripping at the corners of their lips.
...
...
...
"I'll give you ten thousand goat horns!"
"I'll give you twenty thousand raven eyeballs!"
"Fifty thousand frog tongues!"
In the dark room, hoarse, greedy voices echoed, bouncing off the mossy stone walls. The smell of animal tallow candles, dried blood, and strange herbs filled the air—making anyone not part of this circle vomit at the doorway.
The black magic of prolonging life was both a crown and a curse for black magicians. For those who claimed to be experts but only half-dealt, such abilities were merely dreams. Therefore, the value of the golden apple that could prolong life was so real—and so high.
This time, the stakes were even crazier than the battle for the Wand of Xyggondo.
Amidst the din of strange creatures and half-mad humans, Lance stood like a rock in a muddy maelstrom. Lance had no interest in shouting or haggling in a hoarse voice. Lance lifted his chin slightly, allowing his robes to fall open and his deep voice to cut through the noise.
"Three Dark Young teeth."
One word. Silence suddenly engulfed the room. Even the incense smoke in the corner of the ceiling seemed to stop swirling.
Dozens of pairs of eyes—watery, bloody, rotting—were fixed on him. Greed, envy, hatred, all clung to Lance's skin like slime. Where Lance stared back, his gaze was as flat as a stone path.
"This is the price of one golden apple," Lance said, his voice low, almost lazy. "There are three apples here. I bid the same for each one. So, stop bothering me with nonsense."
The auctioneer—a thin old man with a silver tooth protruding from the corner of his mouth—narrowed his eyes, suppressing a sly smile. "I heard the Dark Young appeared in New York not long ago. They say they're being hunted down by a powerful wizard. You must be the one who did it, right?"
Lance snorted, his eyes flicking briefly to the gavel in the auctioneer's hand, then to the old man as if staring at a fly on the wall. "Since when does the black market care where goods come from?"
The man chuckled, shrugging as if he were just casually asking. "Sorry, I was just curious." The man glanced around, his hand raising the auction hammer to shoulder height. "You all heard. This gentleman bids three Dark Young teeth. Anyone else want to bid higher?"
No one made a sound. Several creatures—bidding with raven eyeballs and frog tongues—glanced at each other, hissing, but none were brave enough to open their mouths.
The auctioneer tapped the gavel twice, quickly and firmly. "Agreed!" the man exclaimed, his voice hissing at the end. "Three golden apples, all belonging to this gentleman who wishes to remain anonymous."
In the corner of the room, a low grumble could be heard. The smell of anger, the smell of desire, was interrupted.
Without waiting for further drama, Lance pulled a leather bag from his pocket dimension, and tossed it unceremoniously at the feet of the servant, who stood trembling. The sound of metal and bone clattering within the bag.
"Now," Lance said curtly.
The servant quickly dragged out a black box sealed with blood and handed it to Lance. The auctioneer stared at Lance, a strange smile still lingering on the corner of his lips. "May you find another win in the next auction, sir."
Lance held the box for a moment, briefly unsealing it—three golden apples, faintly pulsing as if they had a heartbeat. Lance then closed it again, tossing it into his pocket.
"I got what I needed. Another time if you try to rob me."
Without waiting for a reply, Lance turned. The sound of his boots cut through the murmurs of the "monsters." Lance walked quickly through the narrow corridors of the black market, not riding the ritual ox as before. Lance didn't like the atmosphere of this place—the walls felt like they were breathing, the ceiling seemed to have eyes.
Once he passed through the cracked gate of the antique shop, Lance didn't go straight home. He walked around to the beach, letting the salty air kiss his face. The night waves crashed against the rocks, drowning out the sound of his footsteps.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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