Chapter 69: Void Dragon Scales Acquired! Master, didn’t I do a good job?

The crystal box was opened.

A palm-sized Dragon Scale, pitch-black and light-absorbing, suspended itself in mid-air.

The surrounding space distorted, forming ripples visible to the naked eye.

Lilia stared at the scale.

The mana network within her body began to stir uncontrollably.

That pure and powerful spatial force made her blood boil.

She licked her lips, her fingers tightening around her skirt.

“Starting price, ten million magic crystal coins!” The auctioneer’s voice exploded in the hall.

“Each increment must be no less than one million!”

Ten million.

Ninety percent of the bidders in the hall withered on the spot.

This figure was enough to buy a medium-sized city in the Outer Ring.

“Eleven million!” The Dwarf Lord in the front row was the first to raise his placard.

“Twelve million!” A Vampire Prince followed immediately after.

The price began to climb steadily.

Lilia stared tensely at the stage, her palms sweating.

“No rush,” Lucia’s voice rang in her ear.

“Let them heat up the atmosphere first.”

Lilia nodded, forcing herself to calm down.

Soon, the price was pushed to twenty million.

The only ones left in the hall who could still follow the price were a few Monarch-level experts and representatives of powerful factions.

Right then—

Movement came from the private booth next door.

“Thirty million!” A raspy voice full of fury boomed out from the Amplification Magic Circle.

Archduke Cassius!

The moment he spoke, he directly raised the price by ten million.

The entire hall broke into an uproar.

Everyone could hear it—this was a declaration of determination.

Lilia frowned.

This bastard had just been swindled out of so much money by her this afternoon, and now he still dared to be so arrogant?

“Master, he—”

“It’s your turn.”

Lucia interrupted her, picking up her wine glass and looking out the window.

Lilia took a deep breath.

She walked to the bidding device in the booth, pressed the call button, and then shouted in her most high-pitched, childish, and arrogant voice: “Fifty million, meow!”

“Hiss—”

The sound of collective gasps filled the entire auction hall.

Everyone turned their heads in unison toward the central booth representing the Evernight Palace.

A twenty-million increase in one go! What kind of overwhelming wealth was this!

The booth next door fell into a dead silence.

Lilia could imagine that Cassius’s face must have turned green with rage by now.

“Fifty-one million!” After several seconds, Cassius’s voice rang out again through gritted teeth.

He only added one million.

He was flinching.

He didn’t dare to raise the price frantically anymore because he didn’t know where this Little Devil’s bottom line was.

“Only one million? So stingy, meow.”

Lilia curled her lip and pressed the button again.

“One hundred million, meow!”

“Boom—”

The entire auction hall completely exploded.

One hundred million! Just for a single Dragon Scale, she bid one hundred million magic crystal coins?! This wasn’t an auction anymore; this was crushing people with money!

Countless shocked, reverent, and terrified gazes converged on the booth where Lilia was.

They finally experienced firsthand the lawlessness of this newly risen “Little Devil.”

“Crack—”

The sound of a glass being crushed came from the neighboring booth.

Immediately after, Archduke Cassius let out a roar like a trapped beast: “Don’t go too far!”

“I’m going too far?” Lilia was amused.

She shouted into the bidding device, “This lady just has too much money. Is it any of your business, meow? If you have the ability, keep following. If you’re broke, then shut up for this lady, meow!”

These words were arrogant to the extreme.

But in the entire hall, no one dared to speak up in protest.

Because everyone knew she had the capital to be arrogant.

She was spending the money of the entire Empire’s ruler.

Next door, Cassius was trembling with rage.

He certainly knew he couldn’t win.

But he wasn’t willing to give up! The humiliation from the afternoon meant he had to reclaim his dignity tonight.

This was a matter of his pride as an Archduke!

“One hundred and ten million!” He squeezed this number out from between his teeth.

This was already all the liquid capital he could mobilize.

If the opponent raised the price again, he would have no choice but to give up.

“Only adding ten million? It seems you’re really out of money, meow.”

Lilia shook her head, a look of boredom appearing on her face.

She placed her hand on the bidding device again.

Everyone in the hall held their breath.

Archduke Cassius also stared deathly at the direction of the central booth.

“Lilia.”

Just as she was about to shout an even more exaggerated number, Lucia suddenly spoke.

“Hmm? Master, meow?”

“Play with him a bit.”

Lucia’s smile carried a wicked intent.

“Every time, just bid one gold coin more than him.”

Lilia blinked, immediately understanding Lucia’s meaning.

This… this was even more soul-crushing than just smashing him with money!

“Hehehe… Master, you’re so bad, meow!” Lilia let out a Demon King-style laugh identical to Lucia’s.

She cleared her throat and shouted into the bidder with a playful tone, enunciating every word: “One hundred and ten million… and one gold coin, meow!”

The entire auction hall was first deathly silent.

Then, unrestrained snickers broke out.

Everyone could hear it.

This was an insult! A naked, undisguised humiliation!

“Pffft—”

A muffled sound came from the next booth.

It sounded like someone had coughed up blood from anger.

“You… you…”

Cassius’s voice was shaking beyond recognition, filled with humiliation and rage.

“Me what, meow?” Lilia crossed her legs and leaned back on the sofa.

“Are you following or not? Give me a straight answer, meow.”

“I… I follow!” Cassius roared, “One hundred and twenty million!”

“One hundred and twenty million… and one gold coin, meow!” Lilia followed instantly.

“One hundred and thirty million!”

“One hundred and thirty million… and one gold coin, meow!”

***

This scene could no longer be described as an auction.

This was Lilia’s unilateral execution.

She was like a cat playing with a mouse, giving the opponent a little hope every time, only to cruelly crush it.

Archduke Cassius had gone completely mad.

He began to raise the price recklessly, losing all reason.

The price was quickly pushed to a height that no one could comprehend.

“One hundred and eighty million!”

“One hundred and eighty million and one gold coin, meow.”

“Two hundred million!”

“Two hundred million and one gold coin, meow~”

Lilia even started humming a little tune while bidding, her toes swaying lightly in the air.

The sound of heavy objects hitting the floor came from the neighboring booth.

Cassius’s breathing was as heavy as a bellows.

“Two hundred and fifty million!” He let out a final roar.

This had already far exceeded his limit.

Even if he won, he would have to sell off his territories to pay back this sum.

But he didn’t care anymore.

He just wanted to win! He just wanted to surpass that Little Devil once!

The entire hall went quiet, looking toward the central booth.

Everyone wanted to know if, faced with this insane number, that little ancestor would continue to humiliate him in that manner.

Lilia looked at Lucia, her eyes asking a question.

Lucia picked up her wine glass and gave her a slight nod.

It could end now.

Lilia understood.

She stood up, walked to the crystal window, and let everyone see her figure.

Then, she picked up the bidding device and, in a crisp and loud voice, shouted a number that made the entire world tremble—

“One billion, meow!”

Silence.

The entire Starfall Court fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone’s brain stalled.

One… one billion?!

Downstairs, among the Demon race big shots, some dropped their wine glasses while others stood with their mouths agape, unable to speak.

Even the auctioneer froze on stage, holding the hammer and forgetting to put it down.

From the booth next door, there was a “thump.”

It was the sound of Archduke Cassius collapsing to the floor.