A bit impatiently, I descended the steps at the side of the hall and reached the door I had seen the other winning bidders go through.
Meanwhile, the Auctioneer—Rosten—had already called out the next exhibit: a male explorer. I ignored the noise from the stage and entered the door.
It led to a short walkway, which opened up into a larger room furnished with multiple wooden tables and chairs. The two previous slave merchants were already seated there with their respective slaves.
It didn't take me long to spot the tall Vesta standing quietly in a corner next to the Level 12 Slave Merchant.
"Thank you, customer," the slave merchant greeted me with a polite bow as I approached.
"Thank you, Master," Vesta added in a sweet, pleasant voice, bowing as well.
Her calling me "Master" sounded ridiculously sweet to my ears… but honestly, it was hard to focus on anything when those massive, overly exposed breasts of hers were jiggling like that. This performance can only be called TheSuper jiggling—there's no other way to describe it.
Fuck! This is the Ultimate Temptation right here. These two globes could easily start wars!
Still, I forced myself to not keep staring at them, for now.
"I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Michio Kaga," I said, extending a hand toward the slave merchant with a friendly smile.
"Oh! Michio-sama! I am a slave merchant named Perrin. Thank you very much for making this auction a success for me," he said, taking my hand in both of his, his face lighting up with a flattered smile.
He probably thought I was a noble because of the surname—Kaga. Not that I cared; he will figure out the truth eventually. And besides, now that the bidding was over, it didn't hurt to build a few friendly ties for the future.
So I just nodded at him in return.
"Michio-sama, we can wait here in this room if you still wish to participate in the auction," he offered politely.
That was definitely an option. Looking around, I could see the other slave traders waiting with their merchandise—no doubt for buyers who wanted to continue bidding.
But as I stood in front of Vesta again, I was reminded of just how tall she was… and how absolutely stunning. I didn't want to wait. I didn't want anything to go wrong while they were left sitting here. I wanted her officially mine… right now.
"I do need to go back," I said, "but a companion is bidding in my stead. So let's go ahead and finish the procedures first."
I looked up at Vesta and smiled. She smiled shyly back, I had noticed that those deep red eyes of hers were fixed on me the whole time.
"As you wish, Michio-sama. This way, please," Perrin said politely, gesturing towards the door.
I nodded and followed behind him, with Vesta quietly walking a few steps behind me, head lowered.
The door led into a smaller room, where a Level 43 Merchant sat behind a desk.
But my eyes were immediately drawn to the strange, white cuboid object placed in the center of the room.
[Quratar Merchant Guild Temple]
Appraisal told me it was the infamous Guild Temple.
It stood there, a pure white, subtly glowing object resting atop a stone pedestal. Several square protrusions jutted out from its surface— they were most likely buttons, clearly meant to be pressed.
In fact, the more I looked at it, the more I got this weird sense of déjà vu… it looked uncannily like an old-school computer terminal from the 80s back on Earth.
That single thought, blasted my brain with numerous possibilities. Possibilities that I absolutely don't have time to think about right now. So I forced myself to push those thoughts aside.
Still, I was glad—relieved, even—to finally see it with my own eyes. The Guild Temple was one of the most fascinating items in Slave Harem in a Labyrinth World. From identifying intelligence cards and monster crystals, to changing or locking jobs, to transferring money… this thing could do it all.
It was the ultimate multi-function device. And I desperately wanted to study it up close, but unless I joined a Guild, getting near it without raising suspicion would be difficult.
As I was admiring the unique object from a distance, Perrin approached the Merchant behind the desk and handed him a piece of papyrus. The man checked it over, then gave a nod.
"Let's begin the ceremony, Michio-sama. By the way, do you still have your participation slip?" he asked politely.
"Yes, here," I said, pulling out one of the two small papyrus slips I had received upon entering the auction hall—one for me, one for Anastasia. It was a simple thing, with "1000 nars" scribbled across it in crude handwriting.
"Michio-sama," Perrin explained, "you receive a 1000 nars compensation when you successfully purchase a slave through a guild-organized auction. I will be deducting that from the bid amount of 540,000 nars."
He smiled modestly. "This auction was a great success for me, so the final amount comes to 323,400 nars."
It was hard… so freaking hard, to control my face and not break out in a wide grin.
I mean, seriously—what can I do when my skill is just that broken? And now I have found a way to use it even at auctions, thanks to a nice little loophole.
I seriously wanted to post about it online. Maybe even strike a JoJo pose and mutter a smug "Yare yare daze…"
My 40% Discount skill had claimed another victim, slashing the price from 54 gold down to just 32 gold and 34 silver. It was the second-lowest deal I had scored so far—only Sherry had cost less, at 25 gold.
But instead of bursting into maniacal laughter, I kept my cool and quickly mumbled the chant for the Item Box. I had memorized it already as I might need to fake it. But right now, with all my bonus points pumped into the Discount skill, I didn't have any points into Incantation Shortening or Incantation Omission, so the chant just came into my mind naturally.
I retrieved exactly 32 gold and 34 silver coins from the Item Box and handed them over without a word.
"Thank you very much," he said, nodding as he began counting the coins, placing them onto a metal plate on a nearby table.
I let him work and turned my attention to Vesta.
She was watching me too, but the moment our eyes met, she quickly looked down. Her reaction was shy and almost nervous.
"I told you I would take you home, didn't I?" I said with a smile.
"Yes, you did, Master," she replied softly, her crimson eyes flicking up to meet mine for just a moment.
"It's all here, Michio-sama," the Merchant said cheerfully. "Shall we proceed with the ceremony?"
"Sure," I nodded.
I raised my left hand toward Vesta, and she mirrored the gesture. Perrin then began chanting the Intelligence Card Operation spell, causing both of our cards to pop out from our hands.
He followed up with another chant.
"The contract is complete. Please check the Intelligence Cards," Perrin said after a few seconds.
[Vesta – Female, 15 years old, Villager, Owner: Kaga Michio]
"Do you want to see it?" I asked, holding out my card to her as she was showing me hers.
She looked surprised—stunned, even—by my offer.
"Go on, it's okay. You can look," I encouraged gently.
She hesitantly reached for my arm, lifting it with both hands, and read my card.
[Kaga Michio – Male, 17 years old, Adventurer, Free Man, Slaves: Roxanne, Sherry, Lillia, Anastasia, Miria, Vesta]
Of course, I had already used my Thief Level Up Skill—Job Concealment—to switch my displayed job from Explorer to Adventurer.
"I will be in your care, Master," she said, releasing my hand and gazing down at me with those large, expressive red eyes.
"Likewise, Vesta," I replied, grinning up at her with a warm, content smile.
It honestly felt surreal. That this tall, beautiful dragon girl—Vesta, the same girl from the story I had read—was really mine now. That I had actually managed to obtain her successfully.
Just as I was thinking that, Perrin began reiterating my responsibilities as Vesta's Master—covering everything from the first-year slave taxes to her special dietary needs.
I already knew all of this, of course, but I still nodded respectfully, letting him do his job.
Once that was done, we left the room and made our way back to the waiting hall. I noticed that a new slave merchant was here with an explorer slave, so at least one of the exhibits had already concluded.
"Michio-sama," Perrin said with a polite smile, "my establishment is located in the city of Talem. It's a modest city, a bit farther east of Quratar. If you ever have time, please pay us a visit—we have many more slaves that may suit your tastes."
I wasn't sure if he had noticed I was a Free Man and not a Noble, but he still treated me with the same respectful demeanor, which I appreciated.
"Sure," I replied, shaking his hand and mentally noting the city name for future reference.
"Let's talk while we walk," I said to Vesta, as Perrin sat down on a seat in the waiting area.
Vesta nodded and silently followed behind me.
I had noticed earlier that she wasn't wearing any shoes—just like the other girls when I first bought them. Unfortunately, the extra pairs I brought were in the backpack Anastasia was carrying, so there wasn't much I could do right now.
"First off, Welcome to my family, Vesta," I said with a smile, slowing my pace so I could walk beside her.
Walking next to her really emphasized our size difference. I had to look up just to see her face. Thankfully, my height had increased slightly thanks to the system, or my neck would've been in serious trouble.
"Thank you," she replied softly, giving me a faint smile.
"There's a lot we will need to talk about later, but for now, I just want you to know that our small family is about to grow a lot. In particular, through this auction we will be adding quite a few new members." I tell her clearly.
"Oh," she said, nodding in understanding.
"You will have to wait a little while, but once the auction is done, we will head home together—with everyone," I added, while gathering a bit of courage and taking her hand in mine.
"All right," she replied quietly, her gaze lowered.
Her hand was soft, and was still smaller than mine despite her large build. It was also surprisingly pleasant to hold. Though I didn't do anything excessive and just held her hand as we walked into the hall, side by side.
"210,000."
"220,000."
The auction seems to be going in full swing. But since the exhibit was just a male warrior, I didn't feel like I was missing anything important.
"270,000."
Suddenly I heard Anastasia's sharp, piercing voice raise the bid again.
"That's Anastasia," I told Vesta as we climbed the stairs. "She is also a member of my family, like you. I will introduce you properly after the auction. For now, you can sit in front of us."
She nodded in understanding.
"If you need anything, or if you are feeling uncomfortable, just let me know, all right?" I added gently, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"…Yes," she answered softly, her voice obedient and quiet.
It was clear she was very shy—and most likely wouldn't say anything even if she was uncomfortable. I couldn't change that mindset overnight, so for now, all I could do was keep an eye on her.
And I wasn't the only one watching her.
As I led her through the auction hall, I noticed a number of eyes turning our way. Some people watched us with interest, maybe even envy. I ignored them. Leaving her alone in the waiting room wasn't an option, so the best choice was to keep her here with us, where I could watch over her.
"Master," Anastasia said, standing up as soon as I reached her side.
"Don't mind me—focus on the auction," I said with a gesture for her to sit.
She nodded and sat back down, her gaze fixed ahead with calm concentration.
"Sit here, Vesta," I told her, releasing her hand and motioning to the seat in front of us.
She obeyed without hesitation and sat down quietly. This way, I could keep her in my line of sight.
I took my seat beside Anastasia, slipping an arm around her slim waist and pulling her a little closer. Following out plan I maintained the appearance of a relaxed, disinterested master, while secretly enjoying the faint floral scent of her violet hair.
Anastasia filled me in via the party link, telling me what the winning bid on the previous exhibit had been, and what the expected range for this one should be. I nodded in appreciation, glad to keep learning new things.
While the auction continued, I idly used Appraisal on the other guests seated around the hall. As I was scanning the crowd, the auction for this exhibit came to an end.
Vesta remained seated quietly in front of me the entire time, her posture perfectly straight, her eyes locked on the stage.
I couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through her mind.
"Next exhibit!" Rosten announced crisply.
I snapped myself out of my wandering thoughts and focused again.
As the next one was another waifu that I need to win.
***
[ATHReader has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]