Miss puppy, who had sniffed, immediately recoiled, releasing the other party with extreme disgust, quickly moving to Marlina's side, while muttering something about "Was I polluted by something strange?"
Even Lilith, who had experienced various conflicts, couldn't help but twitch her face uncontrollably.
And Ansel, who had told Seraphina to show respect, didn't even look at Lilith. He just rested his cheek on his hand, looking through the one-way glass at the auction hall, which now had fewer people: "There's no need to apologize. If the reason is sufficient, I can accept it."
"…That's how it is."
Lilith, who was always able to control the conversation, even when facing a marquis, paused subconsciously, her breathing slightly hurried. She didn't know whether this was due to the intimidation of that collared female slave just now, or the aura of the mysterious man in front of her that didn't allow her to offend him in the slightest.
"There was a little problem backstage. In order not to affect your mood and to present each lamb in the best possible way, we need a little time," the woman tried to show a pleasing and humble smile, "During this time, is there anything I can do to satisfy you?"
The word "satisfy" made Seraphina's ears twitch. Standing next to Marlina, she first looked at Lilith with a disdainful gaze, then her face changed slightly, she covered her nose and turned her head to the other side.
Marlina didn't have much contempt for the woman in front of her, she just thought that the woman's level was really not up to par.
Trying to be humble but making herself too low, trying to please Mr. Ansel but her methods were too crude... Offering her body as bait without considering Mr. Ansel's preferences, such a cheap performance, Mr. Ansel would feel insulted.
She is not worthy to talk to Mr. Ansel, at most she can only talk to me — the girl had this thought, then hesitated a bit, because she and Seraphina are different, she does not have the right to overstep, and she was also a little surprised, surprised at her own changes, and the increasingly obvious... ambition.
Is it because of Madam Hydral's influence on me?
Marlina put her hand on her chest and pondered with her eyes down.
After Lilith finished speaking, Ansel did not respond at all. He just looked at the auction hall, not knowing what he was thinking.
The increasingly terrifying pressure accumulated in this long silence, Lilith's throat moved slightly, she had encountered this situation before, and she had been able to respond in the past, but this time... why couldn't she say a single word?
Fortunately, the deadly silence that was becoming increasingly unbearable for her did not last long. The real owner of this underground slave market hurried over.
"This is a... guest I can't imagine."
The man's voice was low and hoarse, but it was filled with genuine enthusiasm, "The great dragon slayer, the legendary explorer Mr. Faust, I didn't expect you to grace us with your presence."
"…Hmm?" Ansel, who was resting his cheek on his hand, tilted his head slightly, looking interestedly at the fierce-looking Hyena at the door, "I didn't expect that there are still people in the capital who remember my name."
"Hahaha, you're joking, lord, how could anyone forget the name of a strong man who can compete with the Duke of Wyvern?"
Of course, this was flattery, and Marlina was very clear about it.
It was precisely because Ansel, as Faust, had fought with Duke of Wyvern three years ago, that the arrogant Duke, who could tame the dragon clan, would never let that battle be widely publicized, and Faust's fame could only be said to be quite loud within the Western Kingdom.
This Mr. Hyena, it seems, is not as fierce and barbaric as he appears on the outside.
As Marlina was thinking this, Seraphina had already stood next to Ansel, standing between him and the Hyena. The girl stared straight at the Hyena, her nostrils flaring slightly. The invisible air flow controlled by the wind allowed her to see through this guy in an instant.
Hmm... not bad, if I can aim correctly, I should be able to kill him within three punches.
Only at this time did Seraphina realize that most of the people in this world were already inferior to her.
Every day she was dealing with the likes of the Etheric Academy's Supreme Nine, the peak pact head, the Elder Princess, and the contemporary Hydral, making her think she was super weak... but when she went out for a stroll, it was hard to find someone who wouldn't be killed by her with one punch.
This made the girl feel — the so-called pact head is really unreasonable, if it wasn't for the support of two pact head's power, she would never be able to kill a extraordinary being with one punch as easily as killing a chicken.
Haha, luckily I am a pact head! It feels so good not to have to be reasonable!
Upon seeing Ansel remain silent, Hyena spoke with fervent eagerness, "Had I known that today's visitor was you... I wouldn't have needed to hold this auction. Whatever you need, feel free to choose."
"And what if I want everything?" Ansel asked with a light chuckle.
"Then you may take it all," Hyena responded without hesitation. "It would be an honor for these slaves to be chosen by you."
"It seems, Mr. Hyena, you are a shrewd businessman," the young noble lounging in the soft chair casually remarked. "I quite like shrewd businessmen, for they bring me many benefits."
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Hyena's heartbeat paused for a moment.
The legendary Mr. Faust rose from his seat, walked to his attendant, slightly lifted his chin, and said to Hyena, "I must confess, Mr. Hyena, since my return, I've felt a lack of many things."
"Power implies consumption," Hyena quickly responded, with utmost respect. "For a powerful being like you, consumption is always immense, but you can't possibly focus on trivial matters. That's quite normal."
As for what he meant by 'return', whether it was a pretext of Faust, it didn't matter.
What mattered was that a powerful being, capable of contending with a duke, a fifth-stage extraordinary, stood before him.
In the entire empire, such independent extraordinary beings were few and far between. The number of grand dukes in the empire was not stable, but most of them had a long heritage. The resources they could obtain were incomparable to ordinary extraordinary beings. Hyena's first choice was the marquis, not because he pinned his hopes on the nobility, but on the profound extraordinary families.
And since such a powerful extraordinary being was present, what else did he need to consider?
As for conspiracies and threats, as for why Mr. Faust appeared just after the Grand Duke of Luminaris was executed...
Would a top-tier fifth-stage extraordinary, capable of fighting a grand duke, stoop to deceive him with lies for the sake of the black market's interests?
The value of the black market was high, but not that high.
Moreover, these doubts, in the face of reality, were not doubts at all. Hyena had no right to ponder these doubts. He had no choice.
The greedy beasts observing were trying to provoke him into a desperate fight to the death, aiming to completely reshuffle the black market and replace the dealer. Letting those old things profit would undoubtedly be the worst choice. Only when truly cornered would Hyena choose to let the black market run red with blood.
Now, a better opportunity was before him... It seemed that Mr. Faust was the best business partner in the eyes of all businessmen — only caring about benefits, not about anything else.
As long as the price wasn't too outrageous, Hyena would unhesitatingly show his loyalty to him.
— The beloved Mr. Faust always behaved so appropriately and reasonably, he always became the perfect image in everyone's heart.
"So, about helping me with the trivial matters... Mr. Hyena, do you have any suitable candidates?"