The sudden appearance of fellow supernaturals being sold in an auction as slaves by their kin shocked all three young women.
『We should be careful from here on!』
『Risa is correct, Kumi. Make sure you are safe!』
'But what about those poor children?'
The biggest shock to Kumiko was seeing the emblems of the Hati clan—a ram with three heads, a silver wolf with a horn, the patriarch of the Silver clan and the Faust and Nosferatu clan emblems in the VIP rooms.
'How could they be such scum?'
Kumiko's clone, filled with her sassy and confident feelings, clenched her teeth while biting down and grinding them to cool herself.
A desire to rush forward and slaughter the auctioneers, then save the children from being pulled onto the stage one by one, filled her heart.
"Todays best products were caught by our wonderful patron!"
The Bloodmire heir continued advertising the different monsters. Some were from Earth, but other races appeared, and Kumiko's inability to save them caused the flame inside her chest to grow larger.
"... This product is a special existence; look at her lascivious proportions, a mysterious creature from the planet of Atlantis, a place where the world is mostly made up of water! A female from the mermaid clan."
Suddenly, a large tub of water with glass walls appeared.
The members of Bloodmire dragged it along with thick chains, creating a loud, grating sound as it appeared in the centre of the stage.
Within the water, a stunning female with wavy pink hair and shimmering scales on her cheeks, smooth gills, and a long blue flipper tail looked out at the crowd with a wistful gaze.
"Ohhh!"
"A beauty... what can we do with her!"
"How about we start the bidding at 5000 Nexus coins!"
『How much?! The others started in the single digits!』
Risa's voice echoed in Kumiko's ears—while she looked unaffected, her chest tightened, and her heart pounded.
"5000!"
"We have 5000, how about 6000?!"
"Here!"
"Oh god!"
She recognised those lifeless and dull eyes... the same she saw in the mirror before meeting Sulley and Sir Ivan. This mermaid didn't want to live anymore, likely planning something drastic the moment one of these foolish males bought her.
Eventually, before a minute passed, the girl's worth skyrocketed.
A young... beautiful mermaid unable to fight back without legs, trapped in the small pool alone without hope.
"This exciting product, a young virgin mermaid, is now at 12,000 Nexus coins!"
'I want to help her...'
『How much can we spend? I want to save her!』
Nikita and Risa didn't respond immediately. Instead, the bidding slowed and came to a close before the clone's phone vibrated in her pocket.
A cheap burner phone.
—Bzzt!
The moment Kumiko grabbed the phone and opened the screen, she noticed a deposit, which caused her lips to curl. She grabbed the voting paddle and waited to lift it in the air.
"So, are there no more bidders at 15,000 Nexus coins?"
"Going once..."
"I bid 30,000 Nexus coins!"
The crowd became silent as if they couldn't see the number 15. Suddenly, the amount jumped to 30k, which shocked them. The auctioneer, with a slight frown, lifted the hammer.
"Bidder Number 730... Well! Are you willing to continue Bidder from VIP room 5?" He turned his head toward the other VIP room and, after a moment, nodded.
"Yes, the VIP room would like to bid at 32,000 Nexus Coins!" He yelled out, lifting his hand and causing the other VIP rooms to gasp. But Kumiko, who held her phone tightly in her hand, was not willing to back down; even if the other VIP room attempted to compete, the amount given to her couldn't be lost.
"35,000!" the man in the VIP room screamed in shock at her response.
Kumiko glanced at him and smiled with a fierce smirk, the Faust patriarch's wrinkled face scrunching up. "40,000! You bitch, don't mess with the Faust Clan!"
"45,000!" Kumiko shouted back. "Who are you? Do you not know the etiquette of bidding, plebeian?"
Her aura exploded, a fierce yet sensual pink aura flowing around her body, different from her usual black. The force caused many males to suddenly blush, their noses bleeding.
"!!!"
The amount of coins the Faust family brought wasn't enough anymore, and after losing his son Alistair, their standing in the community shattered upon learning about Anastasia being kidnapped by their clan. "Damn it!"
"45,000 Nexus Coins, sold! Congratulations bidder 730!"
The gavel slammed into the wood, and a few of the auctioneer's subordinates came to her, bowing before handing her a tablet. The tablet showed the payment methods and also carried the number needed to register the slave with her.
A mixture of digital and magical technology, thanks to the evolution of the Nexus.
Slaves could not go far from their masters without feeling pain or being tracked. A very effective method that would keep them under her thumb, even if Kumiko didn't wish to use this.
'I have spent a lot of money tonight... this must be returned to Nikita.'
Kumiko grabbed her phone and moved it close to the pad while noticing the strange gazes from the servants and members of Bloodmire.
—Bleep!
Once Kumiko swiped the pad with her phone, the transaction indicator turned green, and their initial dark faces, which showed their doubts, vanished.
Rather, they seemed to misunderstand that Kumiko might be someone important who was hiding their identity.
"Madam K, we apologise for the inconvenience! Here is a VIP keycard for the seventh room, and this is Prue your dedicated assistant."
A rather pretty brunette appeared, bowing to Kumiko.
Although her eyes were dull at first glance, Kumiko's eyes were special, and she could see a slight flicker of light.
'Can we use this girl?'
Kumiko didn't hesitate. "Bring the Mermaid to the VIP room; I'll go ahead first. Guide me, Prue." A sharp, commanding voice, like that of a family head. Meanwhile, the headset constantly echoed with chatter from Risa and Nikita.
『It seems she succeeded!』
『Good... but spending so much money, well, it's half Nikolai's, so he will just get mad at me』
The exchange rate of Nexus coins for real money was quite horrible, especially in places outside of the Nexus. Thus, most people would never do it for an auction or something like that.
Though a few million were lost, the mermaid seemed to be someone important.
『Since the Faust bastards were after her. She must have a unique bloodline or something!』
Nikita did everything to prevent Kumiko from feeling the burden of spending money. While the snarky and seductive Kumiko might have been fine, her true body trembled at spending that huge amount and speaking so aggressively to men stronger than herself.
Meanwhile, as she passed the other visitors, murmurs about who Madame K might be, the black half-mask on her face hiding her identity and her tails hidden made even her race difficult to find out.
However, her sharp beauty and elegance could be seen by all.
"I've never seen her before."
"Maybe she is the mistress of an influential figure."
The moment Kumiko vanished, the heir standing on the stage seemed different. His face became less welcoming.
He bit his lower lips while frowning at the entrance where she left.
"What should I do... father made a deal with the Faust family, but... that much money couldn't be ignored." He didn't seem to feel guilty for taking the money, but he noticed the sharp gaze from above, and his spine trembled with a jolt of electricity flowing down it.
Lucas Bloodmire took a deep breath, calming his racing heart while gazing at the beautiful mermaid leaving the stage in a smaller tank.
'I wish I tasted her before she left...'
Outside the Auction, on the second floor, Prue and Kumiko entered the seventh VIP room.
What amazed Kumiko was the difference in decorations and detail compared to the first floor. On the walls hung beautiful red wallpaper and large paintings with intricate gold borders.
Then, to finish the room, a dark crimson carpet lay flat on the floor. When Kumiko stepped on it, the carpet's material didn't shift at all.
Prue led Kumiko into a room, her hands folded over her lap as she bowed.
"Madame K, I am at your disposal."
Kumiko's clone stood with her hand on her hip, eyeing the other girl from one of the canine clans, who had brown dog ears and a fluffy tail.
She wondered about her relationship with the first girl auctioned.
The tinge of resistance remained in her eye as she looked at Kumiko's shoes.
'Now what should I do with this girl...'
She wanted to learn more about Prue, but it didn't seem easy, so Kumiko consulted with her main form and spoke to the other two women.
『Nikita, Risa, what should we do to make her join us?』
『Maybe we could convince her... but it would take time...』
『Kidnap her!』
Because of the change in plans due to purchasing the mermaid, Kumiko's chest felt tight and her shoulders heavy, not from her breasts but from the current situation.
—Click!
Suddenly, the door at the side of the room opened, followed by a deep mechanical whirring sound. The sound made Kumiko jump and caused her body to crackle with a black aura, but Prue stepped forward, stood ahead of her and approached the door.
Something was approaching them.