The Day before the Auction

It was the day before the auction and an unexpected guest paid Kei a visit in the inn they were staying at.

"Mmm? What do you want?" Kei asked. He and his entourage were having their breakfast when Sirius Gwyn, entered the inn, and headed to their table. Shino was busy feeding Kei using her hand and ignored him completely.

Sirius briefly glanced at Shino without hiding the affection in his eyes. Kei sighed in his mind, and waited for him to state his reason for coming here.

"I came here to propose a trade with you," Sirius said. "I will give you the Emperium on one condition."

Kei raised an eyebrow, "And that condition is?"

Sirius moved closer and lowered his head.

"I want you to give our merchant guild preferential treatment to the Dungeon City that you are currently building in the Earldom of Ravencourt," Sirius said, lowering his voice. "I believe that you still haven't chosen a Merchant Guild who will handle the selling of [Monster Cores] and other loots that can be gained inside the dungeon."

Kei's lips twitched. He was expecting that Sirius was going to insist in exchanging the Emperium with Shino. He observed the handsome merchant in front of him and tried to pry some answers from his expression.

"Preferential treatment? Is that all you want from me?" Kei asked. "Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"I will not deny, that my feelings for the young lady hasn't change." Sirius smiled and nodded his head. "But, it is also true that the Gwyn Merchant Guild wish to establish a trading post in your Earldom."

Sirius paused for a bit before making a serious expression. "According to reliable sources… you still haven't chosen a Merchant Guild to oversee the selling of [Monster Cores] correct? I'm very sure that it is more profitable to establish a business partnership rather than having an Overlord as an enemy."

"Don't you agree, Handsome Young Master?" Sirius finished with a genial smile.

Kei tapped a finger on top of the table and weighed the pros and cons of accepting the merchant's proposal. He knew that he won't lose anything if he accepted. In fact, he would gain a lot in return. 'As expected of the next successor of a Merchant Guild. Very cunning and sly like a fox.'

"Very well. I accept your proposal." Kei said. "Nice doing business with you." He offered his hand in a handshake which the other party held with both hands.

"Nice doing business with you too, Handsome Young Master." Sirius shook his hand thrice before letting go. He then procured the Emperium from his storage ring and presented it to Kei.

It was a yellow crystal the size of an adult hand. Kei could feel from where he sat that it was radiating a strange energy that he had never felt before. Kei accepted it and immediately stored it inside his storage ring.

He considers the Emperium as a priceless treasure. The less people that know about it, the better.

Sirius shamelessly placed a small box on top of the table right in front of Shino. "This is for you, Lady Shino. Please accept it."

Shino ignored the gift and resumed her role of feeding Kei using her hands. The escorts behind the young merchant have anxious faces and feared that their young master might do something inappropriate. They still remembered what happened to their guard captain as they sneaked glances at Kei looking for any signs of trouble.

An awkward silence filled the room until Kei couldn't bear it any longer. "I gratefully accept your gift in behalf of my beloved. Please, don't give her any gifts in the future."

Sirius sighed internally, but there was nothing he could do about it. He gave Kei a brief bow before leaving the inn with his men. Kei watched them go and opened the box on top of the table.

It was a beautiful golden bracelet. Intricate patterns were carved on its surface and a sparkling ruby was embedded within. Kei picked it up and turned it over his hand. He nodded his head in appreciation at the level of craftsmanship that was needed to create this treasure.

He held it up and it shone brightly as the light was reflected on its surface. "An excellent gift, fit for a Queen."

Tifa, Milfa, and Little Daisy nodded their heads in agreement. Girls like beautiful accessories and they have to admit that this is a treasure that anyone would like to have. Anyone, except Shino who seemed unimpressed by it.

"Do you want it?" Kei asked. "I don't mind if you wear it."

Shino shook her head. "The only things that I will accept are the gifts you give me, Master."

"I see…" Kei returned the bracelet inside the box and closed it. After pondering for a while, he decided to store it inside his storage ring as well.

The group returned to Kei's room after breakfast and discussed their plans for tomorrow. Since it was a serious discussion, everyone was seated and holding a small communication crystal.

It was an invention of Little John and Little Daisy's father, Cronus, and they put it to good use. In the past few days there had been many skilled individuals who were observing their every move.

The funny thing was, not all of them were sent to observe Shino. Some were hired to investigate Tifa, Milfa, and Little Daisy. They got the information after Luke and Lily knocked some of them unconscious and Little John did the interrogation.

They let their captives go afterward. Kei deemed it unnecessary to pursue the matter. Having beauties around him were both a blessing and a curse. This was not something new for him since he was always traveling with Tifa and Milfa.

He lost count on how many admirers hounded their heels in pursuit of the two beautiful retainers by his side. It was a natural occurrence whenever they go out on a journey outside their territory.

The only saving grace was that both of them were expert fighters. Kei handled these situations using diplomacy and soft words. If that doesn't work then the two girls use their fists to get the job done.

{The Auction of the Stars is going to start tomorrow,} Kei said using telepathy. {Tifa and Milfa managed to get us a VIP room, so I expect that we would get a bit of privacy.}

{Master, I'm curious,} Shino asked. {Why do they not give a list of the items that will be auctioned? Wouldn't that make things easier for everyone?}

{Mmm, it's because the owner of the auction house is a bit… unique,} Kei answered. {He prefers to keep everyone in suspense so they can bid freely without worrying about the other items to be auctioned.}

Little John leaned back on his chair and joined the discussion. {Sometimes, the final item to be auctioned is completely useless. There had been a few instances in the past where people save their gold up to the last minute and left the auction house with disappointed faces.}

{People learned from those incidents and just bid for things that they think are valuable without waiting for the end of the auction.} Kei placed a hand under his chin. {Of course, with the Emperium already in our hands we have enough leeway to bid for other items.}

Little Daisy crossed her leg on top of the other, {Are you looking for anything particular?}

Kei looked at her long legs and was lost in thought. Little Daisy could change her height depending on her whim due to her bloodline. Kei had always been fascinated by her legs. They have a certain charm in them and he often wondered how it would feel if Little Daisy gave him a lap pillow.

A light cough was heard from his side. It came from Milfa and Kei hurriedly changed his posture.

{You already know that right now I couldn't use my powers,} Kei said while sighing. {I need something that I can use in case something dangerous happen.}

{Handsome young master, you should make that as your priority.} Tifa said anxiously. {There had been reports that a few notorious individuals had been sighted inside the city. They are well known troublemakers in the land and some of them are "very powerful."}

{Indeed. I just hope that this auction will not disappoint me.} Kei closed his eyes. He didn't tell anyone, but he could feel the signs when he was about to fall unconscious due to the effect of releasing the Final Seal of the Exceed Break.

If his guess was right then he would faint at around noontime tomorrow. The auction would be halfway finished by then. If he was able to suppress it, he might be able to last until the event ends.

After contemplating for a while, he finally decided to tell everyone his condition. He didn't want to jeopardize their plan by keeping mum. All of them brainstormed to think of countermeasures on how their group would handle different scenarios.

The sun finally set and an uneasy night fell over the City of Freyport. Tension was running high as they waited for morning to come. Kei on the other hand was sleeping peacefully cradled in the embrace of his soft hug pillows.