Heading towards the Fae Marketplace I considered picking up Constantine just for laughs but as convenient as it would be for me to have snacks on demand as the denizens would rightfully attack my guest for being a shitheel to everyone of power he has met. But gaining a reputation as a fisherman who uses people as bait to devour random fools wasn't worth it.
I probably already am developing a reputation for being a brute after all with how I all but stole the auction invitation from Titania and I didn't want to exacerbate such a reputation. So, after arriving at the Fae Marketplace, I paid a leprechaun-looking creature with a thick Scottish accent for directions to the auction house.
The actual auction house was good bit different from how the other wood and dull stone medieval architecture looked around the Fae Marketplace, as it looked like a more modern large, polished marble bank. But beyond that, I could feel its impressive wards from across the Fairy Marketplace now that I knew what the building was for. Which made sense as no one would be willing to put up their high-value items if there weren't potent magical protections to stop would-be thieves and warlords from just taking whatever they damn well pleased.
"Invitation please." A guard spoke as he held out his hand to me and as I handed over the badge-like insignia I took in the guard and saw that he looked to be human but he was clearly armored and armed with runes and magically enhanced weaponry as his armor and spear glowed with eldritch writings etched into the materials.
"This is Lady Titania's invitation... Do you accept the use of this invitation?" He questioned giving me the way out if I had indeed stolen it from the Fairy Queen but I honestly had so I nodded.
"Yes." I simply replied making the guard shrug.
"Alright but heads up Titania is a petty lady for sure... Actually, all the ladies in this auction are petty and vindictive women so beware of outbidding them as the auction doesn't provide you any privacy though we do assure your safety of mind body, and soul within the auction house premises." The guard helpfully warned me, so I flipped the man a gold coin making him beam nodding as he handed me back the invitation. "Keep that reminder about people's safety in mind Lord of Unfettered Winds. All that are bidding especially VIP's are safe as Lord Glory will personally erase anyone who attacks or attempts to subvert someone bidding from the very timeline."
Hmm, Lord Glory... One of the most powerful beings within Fairy and if he could erase powerful beings and demons from the timeline, it's not merely something like time control but actually blotting out their existence in totality so they can never 'return' to this timeline or just reform like many gods and such can do.
Just another proof that I wasn't the biggest fish here in the DC Universe despite me outgrowing Earth and most of real space's opponents. The issue is that I am hilariously underaged in comparison to the gods and cosmic entities that can break timelines and create new alternate universes. Even one of the strongest Supermen, Superman One Million needed to cook within the Sol system's sun for fifteen thousand years to get to his infinite power that transcended his universe.
Entering the actual auction house, I was welcome to the sight of beautiful architecture not out of place in a rich state house with several well-painted murals covering the roof and even the floor was painted tile painting of some kind of large landscape but with a crowd of mostly well-dressed people of all shapes and races going towards several doors I wasn't going to fly in the air and look like an ass to see what the tile painting on the floor was.
"Where do the VIPs sit?" I asked one of the servants running the event and the pink-skinned woman dressed in a fetish parody of a maid outfit looked at my invitation and pointed me in the right direction.
"Will you need succor and entertainment, my lord?" The maid asked and I shook my head I knew exactly what she meant and... Eww. I didn't want to mess with a girl who has spent God knows how many years working here providing such services.
I simply shook my head with my fae realm poker face well established as I didn't let the weird shit get to me.
My private VIP booth was a well-decorated suite that was slightly tilted downwards so I could look down upon the masses in the common settings as well as the stage that the actual items would be wheeled in and displayed.
I ended up just patently sitting upon the admittedly nice couch that was within the suite until finally, Lord Glory came out from behind the drapes of the back of the stage and now that I was a World Lord and far more powerful, I could actually feel his presence and it gave me chills. It wasn't that he was displaying an ample power that could be used to wipe a country from the face of the earth or something. No, he was a total void. I could sense nothing from him when I could
sense souls and general magical power from even normal animals.
"Ladies and Gentlemen... The yearly auction has arrived we have a great number of new guests and even a new VIP world lord will be joining us for the first time in fact." He said smiling as his golden glowing eyes snapped to me for a split second and I flared my spiritual pressure in response making the magical senses that went over to check me out recoil as I spiritually slapped them aside.
"Lord Glory... It's been a while since we have met. Especially when you inadvertently helped me reach where I am today, so I offer a toast." I said raising a glass of wine that I hadn't touched to toast to the man in a cheer.
The powerful being clad in a mostly human form smiled wanly as he nodded in respect to my cheers to him and then he coughed. "Ahem, for the new people or those who have forgotten or had their memories erased or any number of other reasons, I will quickly explain the rules before I step aside to allow the beautiful girls to empty your pockets as they show off the wonderful items that have been entrusted into my care." Lord Glory spoke before he quickly outlined the auction rules.
1- If you are a VIP and you desire you can write a silent offer that will be magically transmitted to the owner of the item and if they accept the auction for the item will instantly end with you having to produce the payment in question in less than five minutes or face censorship as the auction restarts the bidding process on that item. Otherwise, you are to make offers for the items verbally and the teams of people within the auction house will pinpoint what is the most valuable offer altogether.
Because here in the land of Fairy, there was no real hard currency at all as anything could be bought or sold, though certain things like gold and magical metals/gems all had great worth that was almost unanimously agreed upon.
2- No actual messing with other participants in the Auction House. If you want to kill them and steal whatever they got after the auction you are more than welcome to, but if you attempt to attack or control someone inside the Auction House... Poof instant death by Lord Glory.
After explaining the rules of the auction Lord Glory gave a gentlemen's bow as he turned on his heel walking into the back of the stage as two scantily clad ladies pulled a cage to the front of the stage.
With the two pretty girls acting to bring out a large crate I saw another woman walk out of the side of the backstage that Glory went into, so I knew she would be the announcer and show lady of auction... And as her soul came closer and seeped past the muffling wards that deadened my sense I deadpanned as I didn't need to be able to sense her to know what she was.
As she came up to the edge of the podium a set of bat-like wings and a thin tail spouted from her backside as she strutted to take control of the auction as the auctioneer with her succubus charm filled the room and making most of the men go stupid.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Avari and I will be officiating this auction... Now I won't be long-winded, the first item on the list is these fine three specimens!" She said grandly as she pulled the felt covering off the large crate, I saw that it was in fact a cage as within the cage were four white-haired and red-eyed busty women wearing a revealing maid outfits.
"These lovely four gems are homunculi with a predicted lifespan of two thousand years so long as you aren't too brutal with them." Then she smiled as she threw up her hands grandly hyping up the audience as not only her voluptuous curves bouncing around but also her words caused even the VIP's to cheer or hum in consideration including myself. "Not only are they blank molds you can push them to become whatever you desire of them as a servant. But they have also been blessed by the creator to accept a single type of specialized energy for them to internally store and use as though it was their own."
"Though higher tier energies may just blow them up internally!" She warned but that didn't smother the enthusiasm at all as even I was wondering if I should buy them, as I could mold them to be care takers of my realm for a long while after gifting them some power from my realm and binding them to it.
But as I looked at the brochure of items to come next to me, I wanted to cry as I saw there was literally dozens of items that I wanted before I even got to the Golden Apple Tree cuttings, but the space bracelet was actually only a couple items later after the 'livestock' section of items were dealt with.