"He heard of your arrival, so he asks for your forgiveness, but he had a meeting with some special guests and said he would be with you before the auction begins." Sarah was startled when she saw Haldor's gaze fixed on her, like a dragon questioning the decisions of its creations.
Haldor recognized this woman as a specialist in serving, and the strength hidden within that robust body was admirable.
"Excuse my rudeness, Miss Sarah." Though Haldor spoke formally, his expression did not reflect the politeness of his words.
"From what I understand, this is the first time you visit our auction house as one who might participate, correct? Then you should follow me to receive a welcome gift!" Sarah was a bit calmer and did her job as respectfully as she could.
Haldor was intrigued by this welcome gift; no one had mentioned it to him, as he had been here numerous times. Since he had nothing to do before the auction, he simply said, "Alright."
"Then you can accompany me." Sarah extended her hand and walked to the left, where no customers were allowed to enter.
Many of those around turned their heads but said nothing, having heard rumors that nothing good came from confronting the prince consort.
Entering the room, which was likely reserved for high-class individuals, Haldor walked to the front and saw numerous seats prepared, with people already waiting for everything to begin. His eyes inspected each one of them, and after a while, he returned to a nearby sofa and reclined.
Haldor, who was in charge of security, sat at the back of the room and closed his eyes to meditate. Moments later, Sarah approached and said, "The first gift prepared for you is a white iron sword. This sword was found by my lord, and he prepared this gift for you. As it is a complicated sword to control due to its weight, but what it lacks in ease of use it makes up for in incredible beauty, my lord decided not to sell it to strangers."
Haldor was surprised by this gift, as there were few weapons that mattered much to him, but he was impressed by this crystal-like sword that resembled silver. The texture, coldness, and feel were worthy of belonging to his armory, so having met his tastes, he decided to keep it.
Sarah, who was about to present the next item, was surprised when she saw how Haldor wielded that large sword. She remained silent. What strength must he have to handle that sword in such a way? She decided to say nothing more and continued, "The next item is a bottle of honey wine. This bottle is over a hundred years old and is one of the most exquisite in the world."
"Oh!" exclaimed Haldor, seeing the dark crystal bottle placed beside him. He looked at the size, and his expectations soared to the skies. "It seems your lord researched me well; I will also accept this gift."
The owner of this franchise of brothels within auction houses was named Agror, a simple nickname in Haldor's eyes and his simple understanding.
"Simply put, you can tell me if you are interested in any object, and I will bid on your behalf, so you don't have to speak." Sarah took out a red button and placed it beside the table where Haldor was seated, then explained: "Just press it to raise the bid; the room you are in is called room zero, so you will be identified by that name."
"You may go; do not bother me anymore until Agror arrives. Tell him if he does not show up before the auction starts, I will destroy this place." Haldor said in a sarcastic tone, with a smile directed at Sarah.
Sarah looked at Haldor, and part of her thought he was lying, but another part told her that the future consort's capabilities were not inferior to that. Therefore, she bowed and said, "Then I shall take my leave. Should you need anything, just mention my name, and I will appear."
"Thank you for your service." Haldor waved his hand, and after Sarah left, he took out a small dagger.
The letter stated that Agror knew those from the cult who operated in this area, so to start a good friendship, he decided to buy good slaves for him. All these slaves would be sent as labor to the construction of his own city, and he would create a force from scratch during his stay in this city.
According to his estimates, it would take a few years before he could leave the capital without problems after marrying the princess.
After a few more minutes, the outer door was knocked on, and a voice announced, "The master of the auction house is here."
Haldor nodded, and Ravyn said, "He may enter."
"I never expected someone of your age to take such high-quality wine. Now I can say I've seen it all." Agror's cold voice was heard from the door, and then he entered calmly without looking at Ravyn, who was standing inside.
"May I know which bastard made me wait so long?" Haldor asked as he directed his gaze to Agror, who seemed more lively than before.
"I apologize; I was speaking with some slavers who were contacted by my people to take all their slaves. Since you want to take control of all the slavery entering the capital, I have to deal with these trivial matters." Agror showed more respect than before, but his comments were as provocative as always, something that did not displease Haldor.
"A very intelligent man..." thought Haldor as he evaluated Agror, who had the appearance of a typical librarian from ancient stories.
"What did you say?" Agror seemed confused by what he had just heard but decided not to delve into it, as it could create an unwanted misunderstanding with the one who saved his future.
"It's nothing, but you must be decisive with those damn slavers. If they do not respect the normal price, if they decide to ignore it and sell slaves to others, they will be killed in a single night. Additionally, the slaves sold behind your back will be taken from the buyers, and those buyers will also be killed."
If others were to say such things, Agror would despise them for spouting such words from their mouths. However, he looked at Haldor's incomparably calm expression, and his tone of voice exuded confidence as he said the most arrogant words in the world.
Of course, this was not something to admire but something to fear. This only reaffirmed Agror's suspicions that Haldor was not a simple child but a being to be reckoned with.
"So, what is the real reason you are doing this, Haldor?" Agror looked him in the eyes and awaited his answer, this time not wanting a random response but a real one to know if it was worth following someone like him.