Auction

She had planned to dress extravagantly so as not to embarrass Mr. Kassadin, but the moment Mr. Kassadin arrived, he attracted more than enough attention on his own.

Although she had seen the Void and knew that Mr. Kassadin was incredibly powerful, Sonia did not know what impression the outside world had of him.

So Sonia decided that once this matter was settled, she would look into it after returning and ask around.

Harvey sensed the many gazes around him that did not dare meet his directly, but he did not mind.

Because his identity as Kassadin was different from when he had been on Earth.

He needed to build a sufficiently powerful impression throughout the Milky Way Galaxy in the name of Kassadin, thereby drawing more people into the Void.

So it was only natural for others to feel wary or afraid of him.

"Let’s go. Let’s get this over with quickly."

Harvey noticed that Sonia was also observing him from the corner of her eye, her gaze full of curiosity. He had no intention of explaining and simply spoke.

"Okay."

Sonia now understood why Mr. Kassadin had said that the auction was not an important occasion. Still, since she had already dressed up, there was no way she could turn back now, so she could only hope to get things done quickly.

The female companions of these men noticed that their patrons were paying some attention to this newcomer.

So they secretly sized Kassadin up as well, wanting to know who he was.

Though they could not see Kassadin’s full appearance, his outward bearing and the mysterious, solemn aura of someone in a position of power told them that his identity was anything but ordinary.

Moreover, Kassadin’s tall, muscular frame was completely unlike the fat pigs beside them.

That made them cast looks of envy, jealousy, and resentment at Sonia, who was accompanying him.

"Mr. Kassadin, it seems I’ll need to be more mindful of my behavior when traveling with you in the future…"

Sonia felt the gazes around her that seemed ready to kill her and take her place, and she spoke in a low voice.

She knew that if she were merely accompanying him without linking arms with him, the hostility she felt now would not have been nearly so intense.

"I told you, there was no need to go this far."

Harvey had long been accustomed to women’s gazes. Hearing Sonia’s words, he responded calmly.

Back in New York on Earth, Harvey had been asian, a race that was not particularly well received in America.

Yet with his handsome appearance and his legendary rise to prominence, he drew countless looks wherever he went. Naturally, such gazes could not affect Harvey in the slightest.

"I’ll remember that in the future."

Hearing the reminder in Mr. Kassadin’s words, Sonia nodded.

Still, Sonia glanced around and thought those women were rather naive.

Judging by appearances alone, Mr. Kassadin was undoubtedly a very handsome man beneath that mask.

But in reality, once the mask came off, all one could see was golden light. Mr. Kassadin’s features could not be seen at all.

If those people knew that, they might not act this way.

No matter how vexed Sonia felt inside, she maintained a charming smile on the surface. Lightly linking her arm through Kassadin’s, she crossed the red carpet and entered the venue.

It was a tiered, gallery-like arrangement with nine levels in total. The higher one sat, the higher one’s status was considered to be.

The decor was incomparably luxurious, like the venue for some grand banquet.

Sonia and Kassadin went all the way to the sixth level. It was neither too high nor too low, placing them somewhat above the middle without inviting gossip.

Sonia sat upright in her seat. To be honest, she did not know which plot of land Mr. Kassadin intended to bid on.

But she knew that her duty in accompanying Mr. Kassadin this time was to sign her name after he acquired the land, indicating that she was its owner.

Such arrangements were not uncommon on Xandar. Simply lending one’s name could earn a considerable reward, though it also came with certain risks.

If she had not also come to believe in the Void, Sonia would have refused even if Mr. Kassadin had offered a high reward.

Because even as a nominal owner, some risks went far beyond imprisonment and could leave one burdened with enormous debts.

If one could not repay such massive debts, one would have to follow others’ wishes, becoming someone’s lover or even working in prostitution for the rest of one’s life to pay them off.

But Sonia knew how powerful Mr. Kassadin was, so she was not worried about encountering any risks at all.

And she had received the compensation she wanted. In the future, she would be free from a job that required her to be on call twenty-four hours a day.

Although she would still have to serve Mr. Kassadin afterward, serving him was unbelievably easy compared with serving other guests.

She had been serving Mr. Kassadin for several months now.

Every night, she could take a nice bath, put on a face mask, and sleep soundly in bed.

She no longer had to keep her makeup on every day and could no longer merely doze on the sofa to guard against a sudden late-night call forcing her to meet a guest in an unpresentable state.

Not only would that damage the guest’s impression of her, but it would also harm Celebrity Hotel’s reputation.

As time passed, more and more people entered, each heading to their respective levels.

A person in formal attire, the auction’s host, began a warm-up speech before the ceremony, offering pleasantries such as welcoming all the distinguished guests.

But the auction host also knew why these people were here, so the pleasantries did not last long.

"The first item up for auction is a small island located one hundred and twenty kilometers from Xandar City."

"Those gathered here should all understand that this island’s location, terrain, climate, and latitude make it suitable for development into a vacation destination."

"This island enjoys an exceptional location. It is not far from Xandar City, and its ability to attract visitors will be outstanding. Acquiring it means acquiring endless profits."

As the auction host explained, a projection appeared. A drone displayed every aspect of the island’s terrain and location.

Finally, the drone pulled back to an aerial view, presenting the entire island before the many guests.

"The bidding starts at two hundred million. Each raise must be no less than ten million."

At last, the auction host announced the starting price.

No one present bid immediately. Instead, they observed the other guests.

The money needed to buy an island was only the beginning; the real expense was the funding required for later development.

So they wanted to buy the island for as little as possible and save more capital for development, lest their cash flow fail and force them to resell it to someone else.

Harvey looked thoughtfully at the island. His purpose was to purchase a relatively spacious place and establish a temple for the Void Cult.

Establishing the Void Cult required not only a temple, but also a place where those who believed in the Void could familiarize themselves with their own powers.

Believing in the Void would not only grant them power, but also give them a place to belong, making their faith in the Void even more devout.

It would also inspire greater reverence for the Void Cult’s commandments, preventing incidents such as members devouring their own kind from occurring at the very beginning and damaging the Void Cult’s reputation.

The island’s location was acceptable, and it would prevent people unrelated to the Void Cult from casually setting foot on it. So Harvey directly raised his bidding paddle.

"Two hundred and fifty million."