Chapter 97: Entering the Auction House

Noticing their confused expressions, Patricia slowly stopped laughing. She looked at the two men with an amused smile before turning toward Chris.

"Young man, why don’t you sit down? We can talk for a bit."

Chris nodded and pulled out a chair, sitting down across from her. However, Patricia’s expression soon turned serious.

"Are you really Ashen Rain?"

Chris scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Unfortunately, yes. I have to admit, I don’t particularly like that name, but it’s indeed me."

Patricia smiled faintly. "I see. Then I suppose it’s good that I finally got the chance to meet you."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you need from me?"

"Actually, you’re the reason I came to the capital of Dunestia."

Chris looked at her in surprise. "Me?"

Patricia nodded. "After General Armstrong reported the situation here and provided the evidence he had gathered, His Majesty the King decided to send me here. He wanted me to meet you and ask for your help in dealing with the traitors in our country. Of course, we are prepared to offer you a great reward in return."

Chris displayed a difficult expression before shaking his head. "While I could technically help you with that, I’m afraid it’s too dangerous."

Patricia frowned slightly. "Too dangerous?"

Chris nodded. "Things have gone relatively smoothly here in Dunestia, but I don’t think it’s because we’ve already won. The traitors are probably waiting for something before making their next move.

He shook his head. "We’ve already caused a mess in Beldoria, and now we’ve disrupted their operations in Dunestia’s capital. Narta is also getting rid of the traitors within its borders."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "If we start moving into another country and disrupting their operations there as well, I’m afraid they’ll finally retaliate fiercely. We don’t know how many of them there are or how strong their forces really are. Until we understand what they’re planning, moving into another country might be a terrible decision."

Patricia remained silent for a moment, thinking about his words, before looking at him again. "Then what do you think we should do?"

Chris shook his head. "Honestly, I don’t know. We simply don’t have enough information to make a proper decision. However, I think it would be best for you to speak with Queen Amara. She might have some ideas about what we should do next."

Patricia nodded in understanding. "Very well. I’ll arrange a meeting with Her Majesty and discuss this matter with her."

Chris smiled before glancing at both her and Aldric. "Anyway, I should probably apologize for interrupting your date earlier. Honestly, seeing Aldric ruin his chances so stupidly was quite funny, but I don’t want something like that to affect your relationship."

Patricia laughed softly. "Don’t worry. Perhaps I’ve misunderstood him a few times in the past as well."

Chris shook his head with a wry smile. "Well, Aldric really cares about you. He isn’t interested in other women, and while he’s a rather clueless old man, his feelings are genuine."

His words made Aldric’s face turn red. "W-well... I..." The old man stammered, clearly not knowing what to say.

Chris smiled at him before standing up. "Anyway, I won’t disturb you any longer. Enjoy the rest of your date."

He nodded toward Patricia before turning around and walking away.

...

Chris returned to the table where Aelia and the twins were sitting. By now, the three girls had ordered coffee, and the twins had somehow managed to get their hands on a box of popcorn. They seemed to have enjoyed the entire show.

"Big bad man, you know, sometimes you’re not so bad," Astra suddenly said, popping another piece of popcorn into her mouth.

"Yes, yes! Big bad man can sometimes be good. But he’s still a big bad man..." Stella nodded.

Chris looked at them, not knowing what to say. Even if he had something to say, he had a feeling his words wouldn’t work on them anyway. He simply sighed before sitting down beside Aelia.

Astra and Stella exchanged glances before looking at him.

"Let’s go shopping again!"

Chris’s expression immediately stiffened. ’Again...!?’

However, before he could complain, the twins had already grabbed his hands, and so his suffering continued.

...

They spent almost the entire day shopping in the district. The twins continued visiting different stores, while Aelia occasionally joined them in picking out clothes and accessories. Chris, meanwhile, spent most of his time carrying their bags.

For the first time in years, he had actually started feeling pain in his legs just from walking. He was used to traveling long distances through the Wilds, sometimes walking for days without rest. He had also become a powerful adventurer, capable of fighting terrifying beasts without breaking a sweat.

Yet somehow, following the girls around while shopping seemed to give him some kind of debuff. He was exhausted.

’What kind of training is this...?’

He glanced at the girls, who were still happily discussing their next destination. At this rate, he wasn’t sure whether he would have enough strength left to attend the auction.

Eventually, he decided that enough was enough. "How about we go eat something? The auction should be starting soon."

The three girls finally stopped their shopping and looked at him. Astra tilted her head. "Already?"

"... We’ve been shopping all day."

Stella looked somewhat reluctant, but after a moment, she nodded. "Fine. But you must take us out shopping again soon!"

Chris smiled wryly. "Of course." He was already regretting agreeing to take them shopping in the first place.

After finding a nearby restaurant, they sat down and ordered some food. Once everyone had eaten, they returned to the limousine. Chris opened the door and climbed inside with the girls.

"Seven, take us to the auction house."

"Certainly, sir!"

The old man started the engine, and the limousine soon drove away.

...

Not long after, they arrived in front of the auction house. It was an enormous building located in one of the busiest areas of the capital. Several luxurious vehicles were parked nearby, while hundreds of people had lined up outside, waiting to enter.

Chris and the girls got out of the limousine before joining the line. They weren’t particularly in a hurry, so they decided to wait patiently for their turn. However, the twins soon began growing impatient.

"Why is this so slow...?" Astra complained.

"Yes! We’ve been standing here for an hour, and we still haven’t gotten inside!" Stella added, looking annoyed.

Chris glanced at the long line ahead of them.

"Just be patient. We’ll get inside eventually."

Astra suddenly looked at him. "Hey, big bad man, with your status, shouldn’t you be able to enter without waiting in line?"

"Yes, yes! Big bad man, why are we waiting here?" Stella immediately joined her.

Chris shook his head with a wry smile. "It’s not good to use your authority for something like this. While it’s certainly possible, I won’t be doing that. Look, it’s almost our turn."

The twins looked dissatisfied, but they eventually stopped complaining. After another fifteen minutes, they finally reached the entrance, where two security guards were standing in front of the doors, checking the invitations of everyone entering.

One of them looked at Chris and his group before extending his hand impatiently. "Invitation letter."

Chris nodded and took out the envelope Aldric had given him that morning. However, the guard didn’t even bother taking it. He merely glanced at the envelope before looking at Chris with an arrogant expression.

"What’s this? You only have one invitation, but there are four of you. Do you think you can enter with just one letter?"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Actually, this is an invitation for a private room. It clearly states that I can bring as many people as I want."

The guard suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahaha! A private room? Do you even know what you’re talking about?" He glanced at the envelope again without making any effort to read it.

"Who do you think you are to receive such an invitation? Don’t waste our time. If you don’t have four invitations, only one of you can enter. Otherwise, scram!"

The twins immediately displayed angry expressions. "Hey! How dare you talk to the big bad man like that!?" Astra protested, while Stella added, "That’s right! You should read the letter first!"

However, Chris raised his hand, stopping them. He didn’t want to make a scene over something so trivial, although he couldn’t help growing irritated.

He had patiently waited in line like everyone else, despite having the authority to enter directly. And now, these guards wouldn’t even bother reading his invitation.

He was just about to argue further when a voice suddenly came from behind them. "What is going on here? What’s the hold-up?"

The guards quickly turned around. A round middle-aged man wearing an expensive suit had just exited the auction house. His clothes were decorated with several pieces of jewelry, and even his appearance suggested that he was someone of considerable status.

"Lord Norbert!"

The guard immediately straightened his back. "There’s no problem, my lord. These troublemakers are trying to enter without proper invitations!"

He pointed toward Chris and the others. "They only have one invitation for four people, and they refuse to leave!"

The guard then turned back toward Chris and pointed a finger at him. "Now, quickly leave before we throw you out!"

Lord Norbert followed the guard’s finger. However, the moment his eyes landed on Chris and Aelia, his expression changed completely. His body trembled, and he instinctively took a step backward.

For a brief moment, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Then he quickly pinched himself, as if hoping that he was mistaken.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

"Y-You..."

He didn’t even finish his sentence before rushing toward Chris. Pushing the guards aside, he approached the group with a flattering smile and immediately began apologizing.

"Sir! Sir! Please forgive us! I sincerely apologize for this misunderstanding! Please don’t hold it against us!"

He bowed repeatedly, looking almost frightened.

Chris looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He recognized the man. Lord Norbert was a member of one of the noble merchant families in the capital. Chris had visited their family during his investigation and naturally encountered him there.

The man had seen firsthand what happened to those who were discovered to be traitors. He had also heard about Chris’s reputation, and now, he had nearly offended that terrifying man because of a stupid misunderstanding.

"Ah, it’s fine." Chris casually waved his hand before holding out the invitation letter again. "Can we enter now?"

Lord Norbert quickly waved both hands. "There’s no need for that letter, sir! You can enter freely! Please, choose any private room you like. Even if one is already occupied!"

Chris nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

He then turned toward the girls. "Let’s go."

The twins followed him inside, while Aelia gave Lord Norbert a polite nod before entering as well. Lord Norbert watched them leave before finally letting out a breath of relief.

Meanwhile, the guards were still standing there, completely frozen. The one who had been arguing with Chris slowly turned toward Lord Norbert.

"My lord... who was that?"

Lord Norbert’s expression immediately darkened.

*Slap!*

He slapped the guard across the face, causing him to stagger backward while holding his cheek. Lord Norbert then lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"Idiot! That was Ashen Rain! And the woman with him was Ice Veil!"

The guard’s face instantly lost its color. Lord Norbert continued in a low voice, "You should be grateful if you manage to keep your life after this!"

After saying that, he turned around and hurried after Chris’s group. The guard remained standing there for a moment before his legs finally gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling.

He had naturally heard about Ashen Rain and Ice Veil. Over the past few weeks, their names had spread throughout the capital. They were infamous for appearing at noble and merchant families before randomly killing people.

People said they killed as easily as waving their hands, and even the Queen didn’t interfere with their actions. And he had just insulted them.

’I’m done for...’

The other guards were equally frightened, exchanging nervous glances without daring to say anything.