When Did I Become An Artifact Dealer?!

First to land was a cold-looking woman. If you want to describe her look, it would be similar to a disciplinary teacher. Cold, ruthless, and strict. She's wearing a business suit and seems to have rushed here.

Next was a man. He looked a bit sloppy but still handsome. He doesn't look serious and had a bit of a playboy look.

Hal's parents really did come personally.

Speaking of his parents, their dynamic is pretty unique, different from the usual void-user family household.

His father is a son-in-law, meaning he was the one who married into Hal's mother's family, not the other way around. Hal's mother is a ruthless void user. She was also very capable and fortunate enough not to be born into a patriarchal household. Her brother is the Blue Beard.

Their parents treat them equally, and the relationship between the siblings is good. She's the eldest, and the Blue Beard was the second.

Growing up, she had a very tough personality and is very ambitious. She doesn't want to be a housewife nor does she want a husband who is more powerful than her. Her parents are okay with that, so they started asking her what her mate criteria was.

Handsome, with a good body, easygoing, weaker than her, and is willing to be a househusband.

Her family's wealth and power are enough to attract everyone. Many applied, some of them managed to pass the handsome and good body criteria, but when it comes to the other criteria, it's a fail.

They have no easygoing personalities. Sure, they are weaker than her, but none are willing to admit that. If that's the case, then why are they here? None of them wanted to be a househusband.

They probably came there with a bit of hope that she would look at them and that her decision would change. But no, she knew what she wanted, and they didn't fit her standard.

Just as she thought she would be single for life, an applicant caught her interest. He is a rogue void user and just wanted to be a salted fish.

When talking to her, he gave his condition. He just wants his wife to support him. That's all.

She doesn't think there's something wrong with that. So they hooked up and got married. She managed to reach Ascendant, and her husband stayed behind her.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but think that he is deliberately doing that to fulfill their deal of "not being stronger than her." They had Hal pretty late. She wanted to focus on her career first, and she knew that if she gave birth during those times, she would probably neglect her child.

Her husband was okay with that. When she reached Ascendant, it was hard to conceive, as his body was no longer purely human.

But hey, fate managed to grace them with a child. They dote on their only baby and wanted to give him the world. He looked like his father, but his personality is the same as his mom's.

As for the relationship between his parents, it's good. Maybe it was a deal at first, but they had been together for more than a hundred years. His mother also realized that her husband was probably already eyeing her before she even met him.

Now, at this time when Hal was in danger, even his rarely present to the public dad is here.

Madame Lapis nodded at the patriarch. She walked towards them, her steps heavy. Clearly, despite the calm facade, she was also anxious about her child's well-being.

"Is there any news?" God knows how panicked she was when she heard that something happened to Hal. Because of the tragedy that happened to her brother, she is very sensitive when it comes to the safety of children.

The patriarch shook his head, "No update as of now. But based on the information we got before, no one was killed as of now."

She took a deep breath. Her husband, beside her, tried to calm her down. "Hal is smart and has many artifacts. Don't worry — everything will be fine."

She nodded. She stared at the pavilion with cold eyes. No matter what's happening, they would pay the price for the distress that they cause to her child.

...

"Oh, there are many people outside?" At the top of the pavilion, a man was sitting in a human-like, horse-like posture. He was munching on some grass as he listened to the report.

"Yes, master. Should we start our plan?" His subordinate is wearing a clown costume. Although it looks different from the auctioneer below.

He is just a lower-ranked subordinate. The clown below is second after the master. One could imagine how strong he was. When he was threatening to kill the powerhouses, he wasn't joking. Although he probably can't kill them all, everyone would be injured gravely.

"No, not yet. Not enough. I want to gather more." The man sighed. "This is really hard... No one understands me... I'm against the world…" He does not look distressed at all, and he seemed to be enjoying the show.

Their master is a man who hated humans. He thinks that humans are low-level creatures. Why? Because he is a goat.

If Cail and his friends were here, they would recognize the man that the subordinate called master. It was Ilan, a member of their club.

Although he does look a bit different, it's the same facial feature. He looks very young, and it was unknown what his real age was.

"School is great so far… I met new people. One of them is my favorite." He narrowed his eyes. "He doesn't smell like a human… I liked him. I already tasted the grass around him! I wonder if I ask him to join my plan, would he agree?"

Inside the office, he was just talking to himself. Except for the second command, none of them dares to talk in front of this monster.

Who would have expected, they had been looking around the entire time for the owner. They didn't realize that he was just inside the pavilion all along.