— — — — — —
Inside the private room, Ryo turned toward the right side of the auction hall with a strange look on his face. "Was that voice just now... Indra?"
"And who else could it have been?" Shiroyasha replied, grinning with unconcealed amusement.
Recalling Indra's very public outburst, Ryo said with a complicated expression, "This guy really has no self-control. If he'd just stayed quiet and played dead, people might've hesitated. But now? I bet plenty of them have decided to bid just to spite him."
"Exactly." Shiroyasha pressed the bidding button with complete seriousness. "Honestly, I wasn't planning to bid. But after seeing him lose his cool... suddenly I feel like joining in."
Ryo's expression grew even more subtle.
...
At that moment, Turtle on the auction stage smiled warmly. "Oh my, Guest Number 12 has bid ten Ori Points. Quite eager, aren't we? I hadn't even finished explaining the rules."
He tapped the table lightly with his little hammer. "As a courtesy to our first-time guests, allow me to explain. Bidding at this auction is conducted primarily using Ori Points. One hundred Ori Points are enough to purchase a low-tier Limit Authority through our black market's private channels."
"If you don't possess Ori Points, equivalent treasures or faith-based merit may be exchanged for them. Please have confidence in our reputation. Every transaction here is protected by the Little Garden Central System."
Ryo blinked, "The Central System even protects this?"
Shiroyasha rolled her eyes. "Creating contracts through the Central System costs next to nothing. Any four-digit can do it. It's basically just a public insurance policy. What interests me more are these Ori Points. According to Thousand Eyes' intelligence, Ouroboros has its own internal currency called Contribution Points. Ori Points sound like the same sort of thing."
Ryo narrowed his eyes. "Ten Ori Points for one Limit-Authority... Doesn't that mean Ouroboros has a dedicated supply of Authorities? Or are they simply raising a whole herd of people to produce them?"
"Livestock," Shiroyasha said with a cold smile.
One common practice was to enslave four-digit-level gods and force them to spend enormous amounts of time repeatedly weaving Limit-Authorities according to prescribed methods, generating profits for their captors.
Such victims were known as "livestock."
The term referred to gods and buddhas who had been enslaved and controlled, stripped of any ability to resist, and condemned to manufacture Limit-Authorities without end.
Naturally, this was one of the practices most aggressively targeted by the Heavenly Army and the Floor Masters.
Creating a Limit-Authority and separating it from oneself required carving away a portion of one's Divinity. Each separation permanently damaged the owner's Spirit Rank. Losing a small amount was harmless, but if too much was stripped away, even a god would eventually perish.
And anyone ruthless enough to enslave powerful four-digit beings for profit certainly wasn't going to let them recover before carving away more.
After hearing Shiroyasha's explanation, Ryo's face darkened. "After Arcadia fell, quite a few of its executives disappeared. Canaria was exiled, but the others vanished after being sold on the black market. There haven't even been signs of their activities since then. Do you think..."
Kurousagi clenched her fists, grief written plainly across her face.
Shiroyasha fell silent for a moment before sighing, "...It's the most likely explanation. After all, suitable livestock isn't easy to come by. Every one of them is an elite four-digit."
Ryo's eyes narrowed, "I see... So that's why Koumei Kasukabe has been operating in secret. He's investigating this."
"Ryo..." Kurousagi started to speak.
"It's fine. I know what you're want to say." Ryo cut her off and smiled. "Looks like I don't really have a choice anymore. I'm going to have to make contact with Ouroboros."
Shiroyasha gave him a warning, "Just make sure the snake doesn't bite you, kid."
...
Meanwhile, the auction continued without interruption.
"Guest Number 899 bids 1,438 Ori Points!"
"Guest Number 112 bids 114,514 Ori Points!"
"My goodness! Guest Number 133 bids one Divine Authority, valued at 500,000 Ori Points!"
Turtle slammed his hammer onto the table, tugged at his tie, and shouted at the top of his lungs, spittle flying everywhere, "500,000 Ori Points! Going once!"
Inside Bubble Room 133, Indra adjusted his tie and sneered. "Those bastards. Throwing out numbers like that... who exactly are they trying to insult? I'll drop five hundred thousand Ori Points in one shot. Let's see if that scares them off. Come on, if you've got the guts, outbid me!"
Sitting on the nearby sofa, Mata calmly painted her nails. "Indra, are you sure your treasury can handle this?"
Indra frowned. "I brought three Divine Authorities with me. That's one and a half million Ori Points' worth. It should be enough. If I have to, I'll double the next bid and see if I can intimidate a few more people."
"Guest Number 177 bids 1.2 million Ori Points! Do I hear a higher offer?!"
Hearing Turtle roar those words, Indra's face instantly turned livid, "Damn it! Who's Number 177?!"
Mata's eyes shifted as she peered through the hall's concealment barrier toward Private Room 177.
A look of astonishment crossed her face, "It's... her?"
...
Back in Private Room 12, Ryo turned his head. "Who's Number 177?"
The hall's concealment barriers were formidable, but they weren't impossible for three-digit powerhouses to pierce.
Of course, since some anonymous guests might also be three-digit beings, only the strongest among them dared peek at other rooms.
Shiroyasha was the sort who would do it openly without the slightest concern.
Even before Ryo asked, she had already been staring toward Room 177 with a thoroughly entertained expression, barely suppressing her delight at the impending chaos.
"This is going to be fun."
"Oh?" Ryo raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Shiroyasha grinned mischievously. "The bidder is Sachi, Indra's old flame from the Asura clan."
The Asura mother?
Ryo froze for a moment before his expression turned decidedly strange.
'Don't tell me... she's here to buy a man?'
.
.
.