'Basement?' Alphonse was filled with curiosity. 'Let's see where this leads.'
The boy entered the elevator when it returned to the tenth floor, then thought, '-3.'
However, the elevator didn't move.
'Basement.'
Still nothing.
'-2… -1.'
The elevator remained unmoving. Alphonse paused for a moment.
'Maybe. Auction.'
The elevator descended, passing through the floors again: '-1 … -2… -3.'
It opened to reveal a long corridor.
Alphonse was hidden in the [Shadow Cloak], making it impossible for anyone to see or notice him. Even so, he advanced cautiously, step by step.
The corridor had no guards and barely any lighting. The only light came from the elevator and the end of the hallway.
At the end, there was a wooden door. He pressed his ear against it to check if anyone was on the other side but heard nothing.
'Damn. I should have connected my mind with someone,' the boy cursed.
He held the doorknob, hoping no one was on the other side. Quickly, he opened the door, slipped through, and closed it again.
Looking around, it seemed like an office, with large windows, a desk, and a few chairs.
There were two other doors in the room—one near the windows and another behind the desk. As he approached the large window, Alphonse could see the entire lower floor.
Dozens of people were spread out in a luxurious hall, with several servants carrying alcoholic beverages. All of them were dressed for a high-class party and wore masks to conceal their faces.
With complete anonymity, many didn't hesitate to use drugs or even grope one another. Some were kissing, while others were a step away from having sex in the hall.
Alphonse was slightly surprised, but this was a casino. 'It was expected that activities... would be on the edge of the law.'
He used one of the doors near the window to descend into the grand hall. As the boy moved among the people, he could hear their conversations. Some talked about politics, others about negotiations and the upcoming war, but the majority sought someone to spend the night with.
As Alphonse reached the hall, he saw Marie. She was in a separate area, on a raised stage, along with her attendants. The three of them also wore masks, but it was impossible not to recognize them.
"Hum, hum, hum," Marie uttered from the center of the stage. However, her voice was amplified via magic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening," Marie began. "You must be quite entertained by our environment. However, we now have all the interested parties for the main event."
The entire room fell silent, listening to her explanation.
"Let me remind everyone that when you were teleported to this establishment, you automatically accepted the confidentiality contract," Marie continued. "Do not forget what happens to those who break the confidentiality agreement."
Marie's smile was sinister and intimidating, so much so that no one in the hall even considered violating those rules.
"Excellent! In that case, my assistant will now begin the auction." Marie concluded, stepping off the stage and returning to her office.
One of the attendants took the center of the stage and started presenting.
"To start our auction, we will begin with the simpler items," she explained with a wide smile. "We will start with magical weapons."
Alphonse was impressed by the weapons being shown. Since he was studying to become an Artificer, he understood the complexity of what was being showcased. Many of these were unique weapons, likely extremely difficult to craft.
Of course, he wasn't the only one with this knowledge. The other attendees quickly competed to bid on each of the items presented.
"Congratulations to Mr. 23. Your item will be transported as soon as the event concludes," the assistant announced.
Several more magical items and weapons were sold. However, many of those present seemed to be waiting for the final items.
"Next, we move on to shipments," the assistant explained. Beside her, a large crate was quickly moved by some strong guards.
"This crate is part of a group. They were seized at the bay, undocumented. We have no information on the contents, only that it belonged to the Qadira Guild and was stolen by pirates two weeks ago." Once again, as soon as she finished the introduction, there was a fierce competition to acquire the items.
'Smuggling. So it's not just on the edge of the law. It's well beyond it,' the boy thought. 'That's why the secrecy and the contracts.'
For a few more minutes, other smuggled items were offered.
"Now, onto our third group," the assistant explained.
The guards quickly left the stage and returned, but this time, instead of merchandise, they brought in five men chained by their necks, arms, and legs.
"These are five barbarians captured in the south of the empire. All of them have committed murder and are wanted by the empire. However, they would also make excellent targets for hunting and EXP farming," the assistant explained.
'Hunting? Human beings?! And what's EXP farming?!' Even Alphonse was shocked at this point.
Some people around him began to whisper and discuss.
'It seems I'm not the only one shocked,' he thought.
But it didn't take long before the five men were auctioned off and taken away.
"Now, we move to our final group," the assistant said.
Once again, the guards left and returned to the stage. This time, they brought several large cages. Each cage contained several humans—some men and some women, of all different colors and ages.
"Our final group consists of slaves. Each one of them was captured from different places during combat or capture operations," the assistant explained. "None of them are residents of the empire, and all, upon acquisition, are marked with the slavery symbol."
Slavery was prohibited in the empire; even Alphonse knew this. However, it wasn't uncommon for thousands to still exist because of the mark. It was a magical symbol that ensured the person could not disobey their owner, or they would receive a punishment. The intensity of the punishment increased with each failure committed by the slave.
'... At least there are no children,' was Alphonse's only thought.
"The first group consists of men. All are of combat age, suitable for hunting and piracy," the assistant announced.
The men were brought out one by one. They were all uncovered except for a small loincloth.
Each one was announced and auctioned off.
"The second group consists of low-quality women. All were obtained in war zones or during acts of piracy. Many are trained to be servants, cooks, or field workers," the assistant announced, and each woman was brought to the stage. Unlike the men, they were covered with a small cloth.
In all cases, men or women, the look of defeat was visible in their eyes. They had been broken before being auctioned off.
Once again, all the 'items' were sold.
"This is our final batch and the last items of the night. Once this lot is finalized, everyone will be automatically returned to the location from which you teleported," the assistant announced. "For this final batch, we have selected only high-quality females. All of them were obtained during raids. None of them have any injuries or health issues."
The guards brought the women to the stage again, but unlike the others, they were completely naked, allowing the buyers to evaluate each 'item.'
The assistant continued her presentation; although there were only four women, each came from a different part of the world. Some were rarer than others, increasing their prices.
Like the previous groups, all four were sold without any issues. However, the competition for their prices was fierce, and none of the purchases were easy.
"With this final sale, we conclude the event. Good evening, and until next time." As the assistant finished, all the visitors in the hall disappeared.
"Whew! Another auction completed," the second assistant remarked.
The two walked back to the office, and Alphonse followed them closely.
Inside the office, Marie was seated at her desk. While two assistants reported.
"How did we do today?" Marie asked.
"All items were sold, madam," the lead assistant reported.
"Any incidents?" Marie inquired.
"None. There were no absentees either," the second assistant confirmed.
"Excellent," Marie replied.
She stood up from her chair and approached the girls. Stroking each of their chins, she pulled them into a deep kiss.
Alphonse watched, wide-eyed but controlling his breathing to avoid detection.
After the kiss, Marie returned to her seat.
"Go. I still need to finish reviewing the documents," Marie instructed.
The two girls walked to the elevator and left the floor.
The boy was overwhelmed by everything he had discovered in just one night.
'But there are still more things you won't tell me,' he thought.
[Mind Connection]
He formed another mana thread, sneaking it toward his grandmother's back. As soon as she lowered her head, the thread connected to her.
Marie felt a slight chill, prompting her to look around the room. However, she saw nothing unusual.
Alphonse's heart raced; he thought he had been discovered. But the woman quickly resumed reading her documents.
'The next shipment will take fifteen days to arrive. The next auction can be scheduled for…' As Marie thought, Alphonse moved to one of the armchairs.
He sat down, facing his grandmother.
"Marie, Marie, Marie."