"Sir~" Amelia timidly looked up, knowing that Laine was joking.
After a while, some more valuable slaves began to appear, like a Dwarf blacksmith who stirred up a frenzy of bidding from many merchants and nobles in the hall. However, Laine remained inactive, just watching coldly: "This Dwarf probably weighs three hundred pounds without his head; he doesn't seem suitable for a maid."
"Hahahaha~" Amelia covered her mouth and giggled.
After several auctions, Laine finally found the prey he was looking for—a girl with fiery red hair. She looked very honest and not particularly striking in appearance, but she appeared neat and was an ideal maid candidate.
"Exhibit twenty-six is Miss Letty from the Southern Estalia Kingdom." The auctioneer paused, then continued: "Miss Letty is sixteen years old, pleasant-looking, not literate but very polite, can count from one to twenty, and can do housework. She's a very suitable servant candidate, but if any of the gentlemen present want to do something else, I won't object!"
"Hahaha~" The crowd at the auction burst into laughter.
"The starting bid is eight Gold Marks, interested bidders please make an offer! Minimum bid increment is fifty Silver Coins!" Once the auctioneer announced this, someone immediately raised their paddle: "Eight Gold Marks!"
"Eight Gold Marks and fifty Silver Coins!" Laine also raised his paddle.
The auction hall fell silent at once, and the representatives of the various major associations exchanged glances of tacit understanding and stopped bidding.
The citizens seated at the back and some small merchants also ceased bidding, noticing that Laine, the Legendary Middle-tier human hero, was interested.
The auctioneer was unfazed and continued in his booming voice: "Mr. Laine has bid eight Gold Marks and fifty Silver Coins, is there anyone else?"
"Eight Gold Marks and fifty Silver Coins, once!"
"Eight Gold Marks and fifty Silver Coins, twice!"
Seeing this, Laine nodded, thinking he could leave after auctioning off this girl.
"Nine Gold Marks!" Just then, someone raised their paddle.
The crowd was in an uproar.
"Who dares to compete with Mr. Laine for an item?"
"Which unwitting fellow is this?!"
"Isn't this that Southern Man? Damn Southern Man, he doesn't know the rules!"
The major merchants in Marinburg began to whisper, and Viscount Adelbert Casanova frowned, saying to Baron Grimmer beside him: "It's that Southern Man again. He's really stupid, doesn't know the rules at all. That's why I dislike them."
Hearing someone bid, Laine frowned slightly and raised his paddle again: "Nine Gold Marks and fifty Silver Coins!"
"Ten Gold Marks!" The same person raised their paddle again.
Ugh~ Ran into a nitpicker today, huh? Laine bid again: "Ten Gold Marks and fifty Silver Coins!"
"Eleven Gold Marks!" The opponent bid again.
Laine decided to stop bidding, shifting his attention to the middle-aged man competing against him. Original content can be found at novel✶fire.net
The man appeared to be in his early thirties, handsome, with an upright posture, well-defined and refined features, and exuding a very sophisticated temperament with extremely elegant attire. His black eyes shone with intelligence, and when he noticed Laine looking over, he nodded and smiled at Laine.
"Eleven Gold Marks, once!"
"Eleven Gold Marks, twice!"
"Eleven Gold Marks, thrice!"
"Congratulations to Mr. Hadrian from the Luigi Commerce Association for securing the ownership of Miss Letty!" The auctioneer's gavel came down, announcing the conclusion of the auction.
Having missed his target, Laine did not feel disheartened. With many slaves coming up for auction today, he saw no need to fixate on one. He began to seek his next target.
The auction continued.
After patiently enduring over a dozen auctions, another girl was brought up. This girl looked very pitiful, with a cute doll-like face, emerald green eyes, brown long hair, slender eyebrows, and adorable dimples, wearing a simple dress and shivering in the winter cold.
"This is the daughter of a former Knight of the Angel Feather Knight Order from the Southern Tiriel Kingdom, her name is Miranda!" The auctioneer laughed loudly: "Her poor father failed in the war and went bankrupt recently, and she was sold here!"
"Hahahaha!" The citizens and nobles present all burst into laughter, as if they had encountered a particularly amusing story.
Two years ago, a change in the Empire's Emperor led to some political chaos, and the Angel Feather Knight Order in the Southern Tiriel Kingdom took the opportunity to invade the Southern Empire's Tuscan Prince-Elector's Territory, with the Southern rogue Knights attempting to seize some advantages.
As it turned out, the hot-tempered Tuscan Prince-Elector "Fierce Sun Lion" Umberto Corleone not only led his Ram Knight Order to annihilate the invading enemies but also personally led his forces southwards, winning victory after victory, not only forcing the Angel Feather Knight Order to surrender but also unreasonably marching into the capital of the Tiriel Kingdom. King Tiriel had no choice but to hand over a substantial war indemnity before Umberto Prince-Elector was satisfied and withdrew his troops.
This is a story particularly favored by the Imperial people, as it illustrates the Southern people's overconfidence while highlighting the Empire's strength.
"As everyone can see, Miss Miranda has a sweet and charming appearance. She is only sixteen years old, can read and write, has learned traditional noble etiquette, is in good health, and is still a virgin! Those in need of someone to carry on their bloodline, act quickly!" the auctioneer exclaimed: "The starting bid is one hundred Gold Marks, with a minimum increment of five Gold Marks per bid!"