Meanwhile, outside the grand entrance of the auction house, Spade and his entourage stood waiting quietly.
Spade pulled out a silk handkerchief and lightly dabbed at his forehead, wiping away sweat that didn't actually exist.
Then he casually asked the man beside him,
"How far along are they inside?"
Gillian immediately understood. He beckoned to one side, and a subordinate quickly stepped forward to whisper a few words into his ear.
Gillian then turned respectfully toward Spade and reported,
"Boss, the fifteenth item just finished—the Skillful Grade blade."
Spade gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Send word inside. Slow the pace down."
"Especially for the main attraction… make absolutely certain it doesn't appear until the honored guests arrive."
"Yes, sir."
As the order was quietly relayed, Spade once again adjusted his already immaculate collar.
They did not wait long before several figures wearing transparent bubble helmets appeared at the far end of the street, slowly approaching under the escort of dozens of fully armored guards.
Their attire was bizarre yet luxurious.
Their expressions carried the innate indifference of those who regarded all living things as dust beneath their feet.
Without needing any command, everyone waiting outside—including Spade himself—immediately dropped to their knees in unison.
"We humbly welcome Saint Visarial, Lady Straya Palace, and Saint Orlafus!"
"Oh? It's you, Spade."
Saint Visarial slightly lifted his eyelids. His voice sounded muffled through the bubble helmet.
"We're not too late, are we?"
Spade immediately raised his head from the ground, his face overflowing with flattered delight.
"What are you saying, honored sir! The auction has only just begun warming up. So far, it's merely been ordinary merchandise."
"The truly valuable treasures naturally deserve to be presented only after your esteemed arrival."
"Mmm."
Saint Visarial appeared rather pleased by the flattery and nodded.
"Good. We thought we might have missed it."
Beside him, Lady Straya Palace complained in a slightly petulant tone,
"It's all because Saint Orlafus insisted on waiting for that Filartas fellow. If it were up to us, we would've arrived long ago. Filartas is always so slow."
The named Saint Orlafus replied,
"Who knows what he's doing. He's obsessed with riding those sluggish human mounts."
"If you ask me, taming the first slave might be amusing. But repeating the same thing over and over quickly becomes dull."
"Ordinary humans are nowhere near as pleasing to the eye as the rarer races."
"Enough about him."
Saint Visarial waved dismissively.
"Spade, lead the way. Let's see whether you actually prepared anything worth looking at today."
"Yes, yes, of course! Right this way, honored guests!"
Spade hurriedly rose to his feet and bent deeply at the waist as he personally led the way forward.
The moment he pushed open the heavy doors of the auction house, he deliberately raised his voice so that it thundered across the venue and drowned out all other noise.
"World Nobles—Saint Visarial, Lady Straya Palace, and Saint Orlafus—have arrived!!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Hundreds of gazes instantly snapped toward the entrance.
Merchants, nobles, pirates, adventurers…
No matter their identities, nearly everyone instinctively stood up.
Shock, awe, fear, and panic mixed across countless faces.
Many people's knees even began to buckle as they prepared to kneel.
"No need."
Saint Orlafus spoke indifferently.
His eyes didn't even bother sweeping across the terrified crowd, as though he were merely stating something utterly insignificant.
"We're in a good mood today."
"You're exempt from kneeling."
"Don't waste time. Continue."
Though his tone sounded casual, it carried unquestionable authority.
"My, my, how magnanimous! Thank you ever so much for your mercy, honored sirs and madam!"
Spade instantly seized the opportunity to flatter them further.
"The VIP seats specially prepared for you are already ready. Please, follow me."
From his seat near the back, Sami's eyes immediately locked onto a familiar figure behind Spade the moment the Celestial Dragons entered—
Gillian.
Riberra Sami quietly lowered the brim of his hat further, concealing more of his face.
After analyzing the intelligence gathered from the slaver gangs over the past few days, Riberra Sami had already concluded that Gillian had definitely been captured by the Marines previously.
That final phone call had almost certainly been made under Marine instruction.
And yet now, Gillian appeared here completely unharmed.
Moreover, after being released by his boss, he had never once attempted to contact Riberra Sami again or offer any explanation.
Considering all these clues together, Riberra Sami concluded that after Gillian's arrest, his boss Spade must have reached some sort of agreement or deal with the Marines in exchange for securing his release.
Since the other party could no longer be trusted, Riberra Sami decided he absolutely had to avoid any unnecessary contact with Gillian.
After all, their true purpose here was merely to purchase supplies and strengthen the crew.
Thinking this through, Riberra Sami quickly flashed a discreet hand signal to his companions while everyone else's attention was focused on standing for the Celestial Dragons.
Spread out.
Staying grouped together made them too conspicuous.
Even though everyone had carefully disguised themselves, Gillian had conducted business with the Jellyfish Pirates for a long time.
There was no guarantee he wouldn't recognize the crew's overall physiques and silhouettes.
If he noticed a suspiciously familiar group gathered together, it could easily arouse unwanted suspicion.
The officers immediately understood.
Using the crowd's slight commotion and shifting lines of sight as cover, they silently dispersed into different corners and seating sections of the auction hall.
Thus, under the silent attention and complicated gazes of the entire venue, the three Celestial Dragons walked directly toward the luxurious VIP section at the very front of the hall.
It was spacious and extravagant, completely separated from the crowded ordinary seating behind it—as though divided by an invisible wall.
Only after the three World Nobles had comfortably seated themselves did everyone else dare return to their own seats.
Lady Straya Palace lightly covered her mouth with a gem-encrusted fan.
"Spade, the surprise you mentioned earlier had better not disappoint us."
"That mermaid last time had such ordinary coloring."
Spade bent even lower.
"Please rest assured, Lady Straya Palace. This time's finale treasure will absolutely satisfy you."
"Oh?"
Saint Visarial finally showed a trace of genuine interest.
"Now that sounds somewhat intriguing."
Saint Orlafus casually waved a hand.
"Continue already. Stop lingering here."
Spade quickly stepped beside the stage and gave the auctioneer a meaningful glance.
The auctioneer instantly understood.
He took a deep breath and forced his voice back into its earlier loud and enthusiastic tone.
"Th-thank you to our honored guests for gracing us with your presence!"
"N-now then… the auction shall continue!"
The auction hammer struck lightly.
And the proceedings resumed once more.
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