The first item to kick off the auction was a dice said to contain a soul.

“Now, everyone, please focus! This dice will show the number you earnestly wish for!”

The original announcer named Kiki had left. Instead, a shorter and more petite man took over the auction.

“300 gold, 350 gold! 350 gold! Any more? 350 gold, 350 gold, 350 gold! Great, it’s been sold at a very reasonable price!”

To me, these were items not worth having even if they were free, yet they sold at staggering prices.

‘350 gold…’

The dice smaller than my palm sold at that price. Was it even possible?

“Say if you like anything,” Clements muttered beside me. I nodded and made a firm resolution.

‘I must keep my mouth shut.’

I still remembered my room filling up with clothes and jewelry because of my minor slip of the tongue.

“Thank you all for participating so passionately! Now, let’s move on to the next item!”

Fortunately, the items moved quickly. The auction ended fast, and people gave up quickly if they thought they couldn’t win.

As time passed, I grew increasingly anxious.

‘Please, not the silver snake.’

It was just before the final item. When it was finally sold, I took a deep breath.

“Everyone, Kiki is back—!”

The man who first appeared on stage revealed himself again, his lips curled up to his cheekbones.

“Now, the final item! We’ve prepared it for a long time, so I think I must introduce it! Please give it a round of applause!”

Applause poured out. I turned my head and saw an unexpected figure.

‘He’s back.’

The man wearing the white mask who had first looked at me returned to his place.

This time, his mask faced directly forward.

At that moment, two staff members behind the announcer pulled in a cart.

It was covered with red cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside the cage.

“Thank you for welcoming—! Now, as we’ve already explained this item, let me show you!”

One staff member swiftly lifted the red cloth covering the cage.

Inside the large, square cage was a small, slender silver snake—now familiar to my eyes. Seeing it, I let out a sigh.

“This special product that we proudly present from Kiki’s auction house! The elixir of immortality! The legendary white snake!”

Some of the clapping audience stood up. It was indeed the radiant moonborn white snake they talked about.

However, I knew that this white snake was not an ordinary animal but a divine beast.

“Wow, Kiki, you were right! I can’t believe I’m seeing this in my lifetime!”

“It looks so delicious! If you boil it, forget immortality, you could even escape death!”

‘No, no. If you boil it, you’ll be damned…’

Amidst the uproar, the divine beast remained motionless. Then I noticed something odd.

‘Why isn’t it moving?’

“I’m really grateful you’re not disappointed. Now, will you believe what this Kiki says!”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to examine the motionless divine beast in the cage.

‘It’s not dead, is it?’

Even though it’s a divine beast, the absence of any movement made me anxious.

“But why isn’t it moving at all? Is it a fake?”

“Ah, you still doubt even when it’s shown so openly! I’m truly disappointed!”

“Then why is it lying still! Is it dead? I need to check it myself!”
“That won’t do! If you insist, I’ll arrange for you to inspect it before payment, after you win the bid!”

I was too focused on glaring at the deity to take stock of my surroundings. I didn’t even realize Clements had glanced at me briefly.

“This time, I won’t add any more explanations! Let’s start the auction right away! The starting price for this item is 1,000 gold!”

Interest from the crowd peaked, making it the highest starting price among all the items so far.

“Raise it by 50 each time! 1,050 gold, 1,100 gold, 1,150 gold! Wow, could this become the highestpriced item ever sold in our Kiki Auction House?”

Despite wearing a mask, the excitement of the auctioneer was clearly visible.

As the price rose, people grew more eager to buy, rushing in as if willing to sell their souls. My unease deepened.

‘What really happened?’

Had I been severely injured while being captured by those people? Was that why I lay there motionless like a corpse?

I felt uneasy. My eyes were tightly closed, appearing almost like a statue at first glance.

‘Why did you leave the house on your own?’

I bit my lower lip hard.

‘Silver Snake, you idiot.’

Just then, Silver Snake’s tail twitched slightly.

A wave of cheers spread among the spectators. The auctioneer, unable to conceal his excitement, exclaimed,

“Did you all see that? The tail of this White Snake just wriggled! Look, it’s not dead! It’s a legendary elixir!”

The bidding intensified. Before I knew it, the price had soared to 10,000 gold. I suddenly snapped back to reality.

‘I can’t let the deity be sold for just 10,000 gold!’

“Any higher bids? We’re at 10,500 gold now. 10,500 gold going once, going twice…”

“100,000 gold.”

Someone softly spoke the price. The crowd was abuzz.

The person who called out the staggering bid was a man in a white mask.