The tempo of the auction shifted. The energy that once roared with lust and vanity now pulsed with purpose—like the eye of a storm, quiet but inevitable.
From the Sovereign Booth, Shin Tempest gazed down upon the stage, his amber eyes unblinking. Each beat of the silver bell summoned a new revelation. Beneath its chime lay profit, opportunity—and the tools of revolution.
[Master, we are entering Phase Three: Specialty Lots and Hidden Relics.]
[Prioritize blueprints, ritual components, merchant-grade artifacts, and economic boons.]
[Confirmed. Initiating secondary protocol: Revenue Stream Integration.]
He didn't nod—he didn't need to. His mind, soul, and sovereign authority were already aligned.
"Let's see what the world thinks it's ready to part with," Shin murmured.
Velmaria stood from her seat, violet robes brushing the marble dais like flowing ink. "Lot Twenty-One: A reliquary of Grand Architect Halbron, uncovered in the buried ruins of Artifix Delta."
The crowd gasped.
"Contained within are three blueprint scrolls—two incomplete, one intact. Ancient-grade. Verified by Arcane Codex Seal. Starting bid: five thousand platinum."
The beastkin auctioneer strutted to center stage, flicking her tail once as the case levitated, encased in glowing stasis.
"Seven thousand platinum," called a noble from the Western Dominion.
"Ten," barked a merchant lord, eyes fevered.
Shin tapped his bidding crystal.
"Fifteen thousand platinum."
The room froze. Again.
"Fifteen!" the beastkin echoed. "Any higher?"
None dared.
The hammer fell.
"Sold to the Sovereign Booth."
[Acquisition complete. Blueprints identified: Arcane Windmill, Sovereign Merchant Hall (incomplete), and Bloodforged Ritual Brazier.]
[Recommendation: Activate decoding subroutines and assign to Design Chamber.]
Shin's fingers flexed once on the armrest of his throne-like chair.
"Heart, begin compatibility analysis on the brazier. Check if it aligns with Tempest or Draconic bloodlines."
[On it.]
Kaelira raised an elegant brow. "Bloodforged sounds… ominous."
"Useful," Shin countered. "There's a difference."
Another lot approached: a velvet chest set upon a rune-carved pedestal.
"Lot Twenty-Two," Velmaria intoned, "A merchant's legacy cache. Contents sealed. Key sold separately. Provenance traces back to the Goldtide Guild of Caer Thalos—extinct for two centuries."
"Starting bid?" asked a glass-masked noble.
"Three thousand platinum."
Shin raised a finger.
"Six."
"Six? It's a gamble," murmured Robin.
"A gamble I can profit from," Shin replied.
"Sold!" sang the beastkin. "To our ever-bold sovereign."
[Analyzing cache seal. This is a master-tier merchant stash. Probable contents: trade permits, rare currencies, economic schematics, and barter glyphs.]
[Potential to create a second merchant faction or license private guilds.]
"Heart," Shin said mentally, "flag this as a foundation piece. I want a merchant-class enclave by season's end."
[Affirmative. Shall we prepare a recruitment wave?]
"Soon."
The next item floated forward, encased in liquid starlight.
"Lot Twenty-Three. A captive void spirit—whisperborn. Anchored in dreamstone and uncorrupted. Potential use: Territory barrier enhancement or Voidline Nexus creation."
Bids were hesitant.
"Two thousand platinum."
"Two five."
"Three."
"Four thousand," Shin said quietly.
Even the auctioneer hesitated this time. "Four thousand… to the Sovereign Booth."
"Why void?" Elise asked.
"To shield what's mine. Or to erase what's not," Shin answered simply.
Beside him, Leona closed her eyes in silent agreement.
[Voidline Nexus will allow dimensional anchoring. Ideal for summoning, planar trading, or hidden troop movement.]
The next lot needed no introduction.
"Lot Twenty-Five," Velmaria announced, voice suddenly taut. "A bonded labor force. Forty-nine human and beastkin slaves. Skills: construction, healing, mining, logistics. All branded with suppressive contracts. Starting bid: four thousand platinum."
Murmurs rippled through the noble seats.
The lot was ushered onto stage—filthy, bruised, silent.
Kaelira's face darkened. Robin's jaw clenched.
Shin stood once more.
"I invoke the Sovereign's Amendment Clause. All lot members are hereby remanded to the Kingdom of Legends under full liberation terms. Conversion to Worker-Citizen status. All brands voided."
The beastkin auctioneer gasped.
Velmaria narrowed her eyes. "Clause confirmed. Price must still be paid."
"Eight thousand platinum," Shin said flatly.
Sold.
The captives didn't cheer—but they lifted their heads.
[Contracts dissolving. Heartlight ignition detected in over 60%. Hope restored.]
"You're giving them more than freedom," Leone said softly.
"I'm giving them purpose."
The hall buzzed with unease—and grudging admiration.
Velmaria didn't speak. But her fingers, wrapped around the Sovereign's scepter, finally relaxed.
"Prepare housing sectors," Shin told Heart. "Assign crafters and healers. Get them clean, fed, and seen."
[Already in motion.]
The lots came faster now. Every third or fourth item caught Shin's eye.
He acquired a Stormcarver's Toolkit—ideal for custom architecture blessed by elemental storms.
He purchased a Draconic Essence Condenser—refined from the breath of a true Elder Wyrm. Rare. Useful.
He won a set of enchanted merchant tokens, recognized by six other nations, worth their weight in gold many times over.
Each victory wasn't just a display of wealth.
It was a construction of empire.
Then came the catalyst.
"Lot Thirty-One," Velmaria said slowly, "The Ritual Bones of Thal-Kaen."
Even the beastkin stilled.
"These fragments, taken from the remains of a divine bloodline bearer, retain ancestral memory. When used in conjunction with awakening rites, they may unlock bloodline inheritance or rare evolutions."
[This is it, Master. High-tier ritual component. Compatibility: 87% with your lineage.]
[Warning: May trigger bloodline echo or sovereign evolution.]
Shin didn't hesitate.
"Fifty thousand platinum."
No one dared respond.
The room simply fell into stunned silence.
The auctioneer swallowed. "Sold… to the Sovereign Booth."
A cold, reverent hush swept through the hall like shadow.
Even Velmaria had to sit.
[Item secured. Recommend ritual in the next moon phase.]
[Surge expected. Effects unknown.]
"I'll be ready," Shin whispered.
"You're never just collecting things," Robin murmured beside him.
"No," Shin agreed. "I'm preparing a future."
The auction closed with fanfare and firelight.
Nobles drifted away, minds reeling, egos shattered. Some wept at fortunes lost. Others scrambled to copy every name Shin had marked.
But none left unchanged.
In the aftermath, Velmaria rose once more.
"This concludes the Crownfire Auction."
She turned to Shin.
"King of Tempests. You've reshaped the game board."
He met her eyes. "I'm not here to play."
She hesitated—then smiled.
"Then let's build something that lasts."
The Sovereign Booth emptied last.
Shin descended from his seat with the ease of inevitability. His wives followed, divine in step and presence.
Waiting outside the auction hall were the liberated.
The orcs. The elven maidens. The builders and healers. All looking to him.
He didn't say a word.
He didn't have to.
They knelt—not in fear, but in promise.
Heart's voice echoed in his mind like a gentle drumbeat.
[Master, your holdings swell. Your legend deepens.]
[Your enemies sharpen.]
[But your empire begins.]