Ryu felt like Ferris's pace swept him. He was glad to learn different things from her, but his mind could only take so much.
And before he knew it, he was sitting inside the auction hall with the appearance of a fat woman with a mole on the side of her thick lips.
"Stop that," Ferris said when Ryu was about to grope his breasts.
"Its . . . uncomfortable," Ryu grumbled. It was huge and heavy, and it blocked his view.
"Well, learn to deal with it. We'll only be in this appearance for two hours' tops." Ferris scratched her bald head underneath her feathery hat before she folded her arms.
"At least you're not, a midget old man with a bald head," Ferris muttered.
Shapeshifting Talisma was random, and Ferris knew that the Barman purposely gave them the most ridiculous human form.
They were a married couple in the neighboring town. And since they have identification papers, all came with the shapeshifting talisman, they quickly passed the entrance without a problem.
There was a fee, though, and Ferris quickly solved that.
Buzz
Buzz
Ryu hovered his eyes. The auction was like the colosseum but only fancy-looking with ceilings and golden chandeliers, cushioned seats and carpeted floors. There was a wooden stage in front, and a man was greeting all of them. They were also hanging balconies for the high ranking nobles shadowed by curtains.
Ryu sighed. He wanted to rip his boobs as it got in the way of his view. They were seated in rows of chairs within elevated platforms, and he looked down on the stage. His enormous flesh blurred half the scene.
A rumble threatened to escape his lips, and before his patience ran out, Ferris shoved a weird-looking glass at him. Its round spectacles were protruding from its metal frame like it could be adjusted with a spin.
"Put it on before you cause a commotion."
Ryu put the glasses on. "Oh." He was amazed when the stage became clear, like he was right in front of it. And the most fantastic thing, his breasts disappeared from his sight!
"It's a viewing glasses. I thought it might come in handy." Ferris yawned and prompted her hand on her hairy knuckles. "I hope this auction had something to offer from all this trouble."
Ryu couldn't agree more. He was worried about Cecily because he hadn't seen her all day. But since she was inside the palace, she was at least safe. Besides, he would see her tomorrow.
She must still be grieving. Ryu thought. His beast whimpered, but his human side was focus on the auction.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Our first action for today!"
Ryu's ears perked, and his spine straightened in excitement. He hadn't been in an audience seat, and he didn't know what to expect.
Eyes shining, he feasted his gaze on a trolley pushed by a beautiful woman in a maid's uniform.
"For hunters out there or aspiring hunters, this is your chance to acquire a pet! A companion! Hailing in the land of the beasts, I present to you . . ."
The auctioneer raised the tension as he snatched the white sheet on the trolley, and it revealed a violet egg with wings on its side protected by a transparent glass.
"An egg of a hunting griffon!"
The crowd murmured, and the bidding started at two gold bars. Ryu poked Ferin's bald head and asked, "If barriers protect the realms . . . how did they acquire it from the Beast realm?"
"A good question. There can only be three reasons. One, the beastfolks smuggled their own, which is unlikely. Two, there are stuck foreign races in the Beast realm who are somehow able to smuggled beasts, or they probably use special items to teleport those beasts out from the Beast realm."
Ryu soaked in the information for a moment and asked, "What's the third reason?"
Ferris's lips widened at the side in a half-smirk. "The barriers are dwindling, and somehow other races could enter the Beast realm."
Ryu thought it was possible. Maybe Asad and Eoi came into the Mortal realm because the barriers are weakening.
"Isn't that . . . dangerous?"
Ferris nodded. "But I doubt is that situation. Because if it were, the Beast Realm would be swarming with other races. But even if the barrier breaks on their side, so what? No one can defeat the Queen of Beast." Ferris's eyes dilated, and her voice turned serious, "No one."
Ryu blinked, and he didn't say more. The Queen of Beast. The ruler of the beast realm. Said to be the most powerful entity in the entire realm.
"And no one wanted to start a war at the moment unless a side held some kind of advantage over the others," Ferris added.
"But anyway," Ferris grinned, "I'm more curious about you. Maybe you were once an egg and got smuggled from the beast realm? Don't you want to return to the Beast realm and search your origins?"
Ryu's lips pressed in one line. "Even if I am . . . and even if I want to . . . my fate is worse there."
Ryu heard that halfbreeds in Beast Realm were killed by their mothers and fathers before they could even be born.
"Our next auction!"
Ryu's attention was stolen by the auctioneer's voice and the next item on the table. He used his viewing spectacle to see clearer and found that it was a ring. The ring flashed on the screen, and the auctioneer continued.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's almost nearing the end of two moons, and with it, the scavenger season begins! Crafted by an Elf, this Water-Resistant ring is one of a kind. This repelled twenty percent water damage! A perfect item to bring within your exploration to the seas!"
Ryu frowned. "Scavenger season?"
Ferris yawned and promoted a hand on the side of her fatty chin. "It's the human's ingenious idea to explore the seas. Usually, the ocean is a new whole world where you can find many new items, monsters, and such."
Ferris's eyes dragged on the people in the auctions hall. "Ever wonder where the nobles acquire their wealth? It's usually through scavenging. The seas are neutral territory. What they find belongs to them. And every three moons, hundreds of ships sail the ocean."
"Oh." Ryu was fascinated by the idea until Ferris added.
"But it comes with danger. There are many monsters and beasts in the seas. And you're stuck in a boat surrounded by waters and monsters for how many days. It's plain torture. So nobles usually hire mercenaries for the job."
Ferris was stuck in her thought. According to Faux, Ryu's future for the next ninety days is nothing but water. So that meant that they might enter this scavenger thing.