"You said you had an unforgettable experience with an Inerian, if you want you can try it again." Ern grinned.

"Hmm?"

Wain looked down, and his eyes went wide. An Inerian girl walked into the hall, she had black and red hair split in two, and a powerful aura emanated from her.

'It's Erza!!!' Wain exclaimed to himself.

'How interesting...' Ern thought, looking at his reaction.

Wain clearly remembered his encounter with Erza, and she had the same blank and dark look as before. Her amethyst eyes seemed to have long since faded.

Erza looked up, and Wain instantly stepped back. Erza saw only Ern, who waved at her with a benevolent smile. Erza thought it was another seducer, frowned, and headed for the stairs. She was the invited guest.

"I take it she's the that Inerian?"

"Yes, that's definitely her..." Wain muttered. He could feel Erza's aura and tell that she had grown much stronger since their last meeting and reached the Third Chronicle. Wain was no match for her again.

"Huh, why are you avoiding her? She's a charming girl, the dream of many men, and very strong."

"I already have a loved one, and she stalked me last time. I was practically raped, morally."

Wain guffawed, but Erza's appearance alarmed him. He didn't know if she was still interested in him or if she had managed to find a partner.

"Don't worry. No matter what happened between you two in the past, she won't dare interrupt the auction. Just keep her out of sight if you don't want to meet her."

"Agreed."

...

All the guests had arrived by midnight, and the auction had officially begun.

A tall man with a long cane and a top hat came onto the stage.

He pressed his hand to his chest and bowed low.

"Gentlemen and ladies, I am pleased to welcome you to the very first auction since the merging of the worlds. I am sure that today's lots will not disappoint you. Welcome to the New World Auction!" He exclaimed, and a girl walked onto the stage with a small box in her hands.

"This is the first lot that will be a wonderful start to this evening!" Auctioneer gave the signal, and the girl opened the box. A bright light burst out of it, which dazzled the guests.

"Oh, not bad, I didn't expect they could get something like that." Ern uttered.

In the box lay a small white flake with gold flecks. It was as bright as the sun.

"It's a Dragon Cub Scale!" Auctioneer exclaimed proudly and raised his cane.

The crystal on the platform glowed, and a massive plaque appeared in the air, which anyone could see in detail. It was a description of the object.

[Dragon Cub Scale (Third Chronicle, Ascendant Rating)

This is one of the hundreds of scales shed by a baby dragon as it gradually matures. It possesses powerful and pure energy of light that can ward off a multitude of threats.

Just by holding this flake in your hands, your resistance to the attributes of light and darkness will increase by 35%]

"Is that an Ascendant Rating...?" Wain muttered.

He had learned from Osvald that Dragon Cubs were born strong enough to be immediately in the Third Chronicle, but he hadn't expected a single flake to have such a high Rating.

"Huh, this is actually a great start to such a momentous auction. A jeweler will be able to make unique costume jewelry from this flake, or a blacksmith will be able to forge an armor that will be extremely effective against the attribute of darkness."

"Were they able to kill the Dragon Child?"

"No, that's unlikely. Dragons almost always look after their cubs, even when they're a little older and have left the nest. No one in their right mind would provoke a dragon, it's suicide. Someone just found that flake before it turned into energy and soaked into the ground."

"I see." Wain nodded, "Ern, could you forge something from this flake?"

"Yes. I've worked with Third Chronicle materials a few times. I don't think working this flake would be difficult." Ern said confidently.

"I hope you've all had time to read the description. It's time to start bidding! The starting price is 1000 Void Souls, the minimum bid is 100 Void Souls." The auctioneer stated.

"Only a thousand? Isn't that too low for something like that?"

"No, it's fine. Don't forget that it's not an Amature Dragon Scale, it's very important, and it's one little scale. Only collectors and jewelers will want to buy it." Ern muttered and took a sip of wine.

"One thousand five hundred!" Someone shouted out from the audience.

"Two thousand!"

"Three thousand!"

Even though Dragon Cub Scale was a narrowly focused material, there were a lot of people who wanted to possess such a thing. Many who came here were riches and could easily spend several thousand Void Souls to get what they wanted.

"Seven thousand!" Axalt said, and there was silence in the room. No one wanted to give more for this flake, and the auctioneer began the countdown.

"Three, two... one..."

"Ten thousand." A quiet voice came from the second floor. The auctioneer was ready to close the last deal, but he was lucky that someone decided to offer a larger amount.

It was the final price this time, and the flake went to someone very powerful and wealthy.

"Pfft, what a fool. How could you give away so much money for one flake?" Ern uttered.

"Isn't it a rare thing?"

"Everything has a price, and it's literally not worth ten thousand. I've never understood how such wasteful and stupid people could have so much money."

Wain shrugged, "Maybe someone needed that flake."

"Okay, I see the first lot impressed you, it's time to move on! The second lot will be just as interesting!" The auctioneer exclaimed, and a massive gate opened behind the stage.

"I'm starting to like this auction more and more." Ern uttered.historical