Inside the Hurst Family manor, Cecilia's idol training was already starting to show results.
With the successful holding of several small blessing ceremonies, positive public opinion regarding "Saintess Colette" in the Royal Capital began to recover, and her popularity rose steadily.
But Veronica felt it wasn't enough.
"Young Miss Colette's supporters are currently limited to devout believers and some upper-class citizens."
In the study, Veronica pointed at a map of the Royal Capital and analyzed the situation for the Family's chief advisor.
"To completely turn the situation around, we must win the hearts of the people in the Lower District. That's where those rumors are fermenting."
The chief advisor looked troubled: "Eldest Miss, the Lower District is a den of vice with a harsh environment. It's too dangerous to let Her Highness the Saintess go to such a place."
"It's precisely because it's dangerous that she must go."
Veronica shook her head, her gaze firm.
"So far, no Saintess Candidate has ever truly set foot in the lower depths of the Royal Capital. If Colette goes, it will be a silent declaration in itself, earning her a reputation for bravery—one who 'dares to venture into dangerous places to understand the people's plight.'"
Her plan was simple: hold a "Choral Assembly" in the Lower District as well, using the most direct method to show the lower-class citizens the Saintess's approachability and harmlessness.
However, Caesar didn't tell Cecilia about this half-baked idea yet; that simple-minded Dragon only needed to focus on training for now.
Some things had to be scouted out by her, the "manager," first... After saying goodbye to Cecilia, who was still practicing new dance moves, Veronica changed into an inconspicuous gray traveler's cloak.
Accompanied by two Family guards, she traversed the bustling streets of the Royal Capital, turned into a secluded alley, and stopped in front of a shop that hung an "Alchemy Shop" sign but was actually long abandoned—
A guard stepped forward and knocked on the dust-covered wooden door in a specific rhythm. Then came the sound of gears turning, and a secret door slid open quietly.
A murky smell, a mix of magical dust, low-quality potions, and underground river water, wafted toward them... This was the "Sunken Market," the Royal Capital's underground black market.
The light was dim, and both sides of the passage were crowded with various stalls.
Monster organs, Sealed in glass jars, were still pulsing slightly. Rune slabs excavated from Ancient Tombs emitted ominous energy. Magical weapons of unknown Origin were still stained with wet blood.
Some peddlers were even openly hawking stolen goods engraved with the royal crest.
"..."
Veronica pulled her hood lower.
She had two goals for this trip. First, to find a suitable venue for the future Choral Assembly. Second, to secretly investigate the source of the rumor that "the Saintess is a Dragon."
While she was observing her surroundings, some low-voiced conversations nearby caught her attention.
"Have you heard? The 'Crow-Masked Man' has some serious goods tonight."
"What kind of goods? Another unlucky noble's heirloom?"
"No, this time it's... a demon. A complete demon specimen!"
A demon specimen?
Veronica's mind immediately became active.
To make Cecilia a sensation on the Tidal Festival stage, she had envisioned a highly dramatic stage play: the Saintess purifying evil with Holy Light.
But where could she find a "prop" that could visually represent "evil" while being absolutely safe?
A demon's corpse specimen was simply the perfect material!
She changed her plans immediately and, with her guards, headed toward the direction of the surging crowd.
The auction was held in an underground rotunda converted from an abandoned sewer hub.
A "Crow-Masked Man" wearing an ebony mask and speaking with a hoarse voice stood on the high platform, acting as the auctioneer.
Most of the bidders below used cloaks or magic to hide their forms, but from the Family crests they occasionally revealed or their habitual gestures when casting spells, Veronica could tell that the crowd was a mix of fallen nobles, retired military officers, and some mysterious spellcasters.
Unconcealed greed flowed through the air.
"The next item, the 'Nightmare Prism'! It can project your deepest inner fears, making it an excellent tool for torturing enemies or tempering one's will!"
A prism emitting an ominous purple light was presented, immediately triggering a morbid round of bidding.
"A bottle of 'Eternal Well Water' from the Elven Ancestral Land, diluted version! But it's enough to boost your potion effects by thirty percent!"
"A set of 'Living Armor'! It will seek out its own master, but it will also devour the weak!"
While the Living Armor was being displayed, the pitch-black suit suddenly lunged, a piercing grinding sound erupting from its joints as it actually tried to attack the audience below.
The venue's guards reacted instantly, binding it with several runic chains and resealing it in a moment.
Instead of scaring off the buyers, this small commotion incited even more frantic bidding.
Finally, the last item was pushed up with great effort by several strong men.
It was a massive cage made of reinforced glass and runic shackles.
Inside the cage was not a complete corpse, but a demon specimen stripped of most of its flesh, leaving only the skeleton.
The bones were as black as ink, wreathed in a lingering aura of sulfur and despair. In the hollow eye sockets, dark red embers seemed to still flicker.
Even through the heavy Seal, that pressure still made the bidders in the front rows feel suffocated.
The entire venue fell silent instantly.
The Crow-Masked Man's hoarse voice rang out, carrying a hint of beguilement.
"Everyone, tonight's finale... a gift from the Ultimate Abyss."
"Though it has 'fallen silent,' its bones are an excellent vessel for Curses, and its marrow can be used to concoct the most violent berserk potions. Its remaining 'Origin Aura' is undoubtedly the noblest collectible for certain lords seeking 'excitement'."
The Crow-Masked Man paused deliberately, enjoying the bated breath of the crowd's anticipation.
"More importantly—confirmed by our 'Appraisers,' its rank during life touched upon the Legendary."
Legendary!
These words were like a giant boulder dropped into water, stirring up a thousand waves.
Materials from a Legendary creature were far beyond the usual scope of the black market.
Veronica's heart also sank suddenly.
She had studied Dragons and knew a bit about ultimate creatures. A demon skeleton of such high rank could never naturally appear on the Prime Material Plane.
It was either brought in as a corpse after being killed by an extremely powerful being...
Or... it descended here through some costly and stable summoning ritual.
Either possibility meant immense danger.
Although many thrill-seeking nobles liked to collect various strange specimens, this thing was Legendary. If it fell into the hands of some mad noble or warlock, heaven knows what calamity it would cause.
She... had to bid for it!
It was both to eliminate this potential massive threat and for her own bold stage plan.
"Fifty thousand gold crystal coins!" a raspy voice was the first to bid.
"Sixty thousand!"
"I'll give eighty thousand!"
The price soared all the way up.
Veronica waited calmly until the bidding voices grew sparse, and only then did she raise her hand.
"Five hundred thousand."
The entire audience was in an uproar.
This was an astounding price, enough to buy a small town.
The Crow-Masked Man was clearly a bit surprised, but he reacted quickly and excitedly struck his gavel.
"Sold!"
In the sealed handover room, Veronica inspected the skeleton at close range.
That cold, filthy aura became even clearer.
The young girl's gaze fell upon several key joints and the interior of the spine, where there were unnatural purple crystal fragments that looked as if they had been embedded later.
An ominous premonition rose in her heart.
"Is this thing... really 'dead'?"