Who told you I am an NPC

Chapter : 9

The first round of the auction was over, and the atmosphere was fired up, but Yan Yunqing's private box remained inactive, not participating in the bidding for any item.

"Next up is an incomparably expensive auction item."

As the host's voice fell, several scantily clad bunny girls pushed a two-meter-tall rectangular object covered in black cloth onto the stage, swaying as they walked.

Yan Yunqing pursed his lips, an inexplicable emotion rising in his heart.

As expected, when the few bunny girls pulled off the black cloth, the precious treasure hidden underneath was revealed.

In the glass water tank engraved with a magic array, a beautiful mermaid floated quietly.

She had beautiful sea-blue hair that swayed in the tank like living seaweed, making her exquisite face all the more stunning.

Her beautiful silver tail hung down, glistening under the refracted light of the crystal chandelier, as if every single scale was emitting an iridescent glow.

Incredibly beautiful.

Yan Yunqing sat up straight.

The mermaid he had briefly encountered in the warehouse, who had even helped him once, was now sleeping quietly in that water tank, her eyes tightly shut, her hair floating listlessly in the water, devoid of life.

The entire venue fell silent for a moment, followed by the rustling of conversations.

Even the soundproofing array in the private box couldn't block out such fervent discussion.

"Clap—clap—" The host lightly tapped the microphone-like object twice and said in a loud voice, "I know that everyone here today is certainly very interested in this beautiful mermaid miss, and also very curious as to why she is in this current state—"

"A sleeping appearance?"

The host chuckled. "Don't worry, this beautiful mermaid miss is not sick or dead.

As you all know, mermaids leave no trace after death, but rather turn into foam like a dream scene, completely returning to the cradle of the sea."

"Obviously, this mermaid miss shows no signs of dissolving, so everyone can rest assured.

We at the Augreer Auction House guarantee that all goods will be completely intact before they are handed over to the customer, and will not cause any trouble for any customer."

Yan Yunqing found these words a bit too harsh, but the noble lords and ladies in attendance burst into a chorus of laughter.

This laughter drew a clear chasm between them.

On one end were the high and mighty customers selecting items.

On the other end were the goods being selected, their fates not their own.

"Tsk tsk." Lilian had landed on his shoulder at some point, grabbing a lock of his hair by his ear and sitting down.

"This is humanity. Cunning, greedy, yet adept at using a gorgeous exterior to hide the stench beneath their skin."

Yan Yunqing, who was once a human himself, felt like he'd been hit by a broadside attack.

His original mood was interrupted for a moment, and he couldn't help but reach out and poke Lilian.

"Aren't you a newborn cub? Where did you get so many opinions?"

Lilian swatted Yan Yunqing's finger away in dissatisfaction.

"Please, the childhood of elves is very long, alright?

Although I am a cub, I've definitely lived longer than you!"

Elves were one of the few long-lived species.

Their childhood, during which they remained a few centimeters in size, was extremely long.

When they reached adulthood, they would transform into the appearance of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old human, and their appearance would basically remain fixed after that.

Ordinary elves had a lifespan of hundreds of years. In 'Demon King,' not a single member of the elf race died of old age.

Most of them sacrificed themselves in wars, voluntarily returning to the embrace of the Mother Tree.

"Is that so?" Yan Yunqing said noncommittally.

In the hall, the sounds of paddles being raised and bids being called out rose and fell one after another.

The private boxes above remained quiet, without a single movement.

It wasn't until the price reached eighty thousand gold coins that the paddle-raising below gradually quieted down.

Everyone's gaze shifted, intentionally or not, to the upper floor.

Even the host looked towards the private boxes with a smile.

At the level of tens of thousands of gold coins, it was no longer something ordinary minor nobles could afford.

Only the super nobles who could enter these high-end compartments were qualified to participate in the subsequent bidding.

"I forgot to mention just now, this beautiful mermaid miss actually has the blood of the Sea Tribe's royal family flowing in her veins—"

A slightly smug smile appeared on the host's face.

"She possesses a super S-rank Divine Talent, a sonic-type ability.

Even though our auction house filled her tank with a silencing potion, she still broke through the restraints and injured one of our patrol teams.

We had no choice but to resort to putting her to sleep."

"If any of you wish to bring this beautiful mermaid miss home, you must be extra careful of the sharp claws she occasionally reveals!"

It was said as a reminder, but in everyone's ears, it was a blatant price hike.

'This is a mermaid from the Sea Tribe's royal family.

Such a grade is simply incomparable to the mermaids who were casually caught and brought ashore before.'

This time, not only did Yan Yunqing's expression turn ugly, but even Lilian's face darkened.

"This is terrible now," Lilian tugged at Yan Yunqing's hair.

"That little mermaid, in order to cover for you, accidentally exposed the fact that she has royal blood.

The fight for her will definitely become more intense from now on..." and the malice would grow thicker.

For beautiful non-human species like mermaids and elves, if they were captured and sold by humans, the final result was basically to become a human's plaything.

Of course, if they were lucky enough, they might meet a kind-hearted noble who would spend a not-insignificant sum of money to buy them back and keep them as a pet.

This was already the best possible outcome.

A little worse, and anything could happen.

And for a non-human with royal blood to be captured by humans, the outcome would only be more tragic.

They would be regarded as a symbol of power by those who considered themselves superior, to be played with and trampled on at will, unable to live and unable to die.

Sure enough, after the host finished speaking, the originally calm atmosphere of the venue heated up again.

The private boxes upstairs also began to call out bids one by one, and the price soared from eighty thousand gold coins all the way to three hundred and ninety thousand gold coins.

Three hundred and ninety thousand gold coins.

The price made Lilian's heart pound.

In an era where ten gold coins were enough to cover a month's living expenses for an ordinary family of five, what did three hundred and ninety thousand gold coins mean?

This was the wealth that the nobility had acquired by treading on the backs of countless commoners, draining all their blood.

It was only when the price soared to six hundred and twenty thousand gold coins that the lively auction scene returned to silence.

The host, seemingly still dissatisfied with this price, tapped the auction hammer very slowly.

"Six hundred and twenty thousand gold coins going once—"

His eyes kept glancing towards the most central private box on the top floor, anticipating the appearance of another price that would earn him a higher commission.

Yan Yunqing noticed that the host's gaze seemed to be consistently directed to his left.

Was there someone of even more noble status sitting in the box next to him?

To be able to afford such a price……

Yan Yunqing closed his eyes, recalling the idle chatter he had heard in the hall earlier.

—"I heard that a prince from the Barto royal family will also be attending this auction.

Perhaps this person is also—a certain Royal Highness?"

Was it…… a royal prince?

Sure enough, just as the second strike of the auction hammer was about to fall, the first bid came from the private box next to Yan Yunqing's.

"One million gold coins. This king wants this mermaid."

It was a young voice tinged with a hint of frivolity.

Along with this voice, a lavishly dressed young man pushed open the door of the adjacent box and walked out brazenly.

A dozen or so people followed behind him in a clatter.

They were all uniformly dressed servants, respectfully surrounding him, while also faintly implying protection.

Yan Yunqing's private box was the closest to him.

Through the one-way glass, he could clearly see the other party's face.

In terms of looks alone, this young man was indeed handsome, with well-defined features and a head of flamboyant, fiery red hair that was extremely conspicuous.

Unfortunately, he had the appearance of someone who had overindulged in pleasure, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes.

One million gold coins? A direct increase of nearly forty thousand gold coins!

Even though they knew the bid from this compartment wouldn't be too low, the rest of the people present were stunned by this extravagant display.

The host on the stage was all smiles, wishing he could perform a chrysanthemum bloom on the spot.

However, this flaunting demeanor gave Yan Yunqing an inexplicable sense of déjà vu—like a rooster with a few feathers stuck in it, trying to fan its tail like a peacock.

Novels truly don't lie.

As expected, whenever there's an auction, a character like this is bound to appear.

Yan Yunqing complained silently.

But this world did seem to be a game, didn't it?

So was a theatrical buffoon a necessary configuration?

"So it's him," Lilian, sitting on Yan Yunqing's shoulder, suddenly spoke.

"You know him?"

"Mhmm, heard a little about him."

Lilian's face showed no particular expression.

"The Fifth Prince of the Barto royal family, a hedonistic good-for-nothing.

His reputation here isn't good."

"He likes all good-looking people—what's with that look?"

Lilian wrinkled her nose. "Do you think I'd lie to you? He just likes good-looking people.

Both men and women could become his prey—hiss, little cat, your looks are also very dangerous!"

Lilian scrutinized Yan Yunqing's appearance and commented sharply, "Wow, little cat, you look exactly like his type! Be careful not to let him see you, or he might really snatch you back!"

"That guy doesn't care about any noble status…… He even played a baron's son to death before."

Yan Yunqing's expression twisted for a moment, but he had encountered quite a few perverts since he was young.

He quickly calmed down. "Got it. I'll be careful to avoid him."

"And he's somewhat related to us," Lilian said. "Remember the name of this auction house?"

"Augreer Auction House?"

Lilian nodded, "Augreer is the surname of that guy's maternal family.

They are one of the wealthiest families in all of Bartovita."

A perverted prince with powerful financial backing.

"Your capture and sale here might be the work of the Augreer family.

That family will use any despicable means to monopolize wealth.

With your looks, if he discovers you, it won't matter if you're an escaped piece of merchandise or not, it will be tragic for you."

Lilian observed Yan Yunqing's face and found that he didn't show any particular expression. "Why do you seem not afraid at all?"

Yan Yunqing said indifferently, "Let's put it this way: of all the perverts under the sky, if they total one shi, the ones I've met alone take up eight dou.

The remaining two dou are ones I haven't met... I got used to it long ago."

Not everyone encounters perverted NPC character designs when playing games.

Lilian, not understanding, tilted her head in confusion.

But since it was the industry of a pervert and run by perverts, then he didn't need to hesitate.

Yan Yunqing pressed the button on the table, directly pressing the ten-thousand-gold-coin increment button ten times.

The scale of this auction house was too small.

Why did the increment button only go up to a maximum of ten thousand gold coins?

Were they looking down on him, a Demon King whose backpack was overflowing with wealth?

Hmph, if he took out everything in his backpack, he could randomly scare a noble in attendance to death.

"Hey, you!" Lilian was startled by Yan Yunqing's action.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't get excited."

Through the one-way magic glass, Yan Yunqing watched as the prince outside suddenly turned his head, looking in his direction in astonishment.

The corners of Yan Yunqing's mouth curled up.

He took out a few items from his backpack. "Here, carve your prank magic onto these.

The chance we've been waiting for to escape has arrived."