Chapter 435 - 243: How to Steal an Angel

However, Silver Lion Wilder, using the Spiritual Domain unique to the Silver Tier, sensed that something was amiss. The long tachi that Battle Sister Lian always kept by her side... seemed to be hiding something incredible.

"Miss Claire, I thought that after all these years, you would have finally learned something from your sister, Barbara. I never imagined that not only have you failed to master the art of sarcasm, but you haven’t even managed to develop a figure."

Battle Nun Camilla’s amused gaze swept over Claire of the Hestia Family and the other noblewomen surrounding her. She then broke into a smile that was somewhere between mockery and contempt, smugly puffing out her ample chest. The difference in their standing was immediately obvious.

In response to the furious glares from the socialites, Camilla stretched languidly, revealing every detail of her exquisite curves. Her tone was as lazy as if it were coated in honey:

"Ah, it truly can’t be helped. After all, we’ve already let Baron Constantin slip through our fingers three times. If we fail to capture the Dragon Witch this time, I’m afraid poor Sister Lian and I will be locked away in Spain for a whole year, undergoing the [Heretic Inquisition] and the [Nun’s Trial]."

"Isn’t that right, Lian?" She suddenly pulled Lian into an intimate hug, rubbing her cheek against the other nun’s. Lian’s face, framed by her long, straight black hair, was as smooth and flawless as porcelain.

The nun’s habit, stretched taut over her heavy bosom, pressed against Lian. As she made her sudden move, the robe, with its slit reaching the top of her thigh...

The tantalizing scene was a feast for the eyes of the men nearby.

Some of the men even looked ready to make a move. However, after meeting the hostile glares of the nearby socialites and recalling the rumored combat prowess of the Battle Nuns, they obediently sat back down.

Jill, representing the Hestia Family, apologized to the two Battle Nuns. Camilla, however, paid it no mind, simply saying, "They’re just a bunch of jealous little girls, that’s all. It’s nothing... Just have them apologize to me."

’Jealous...’ Claire’s chest tightened with frustration.

’First, after coming to this auction, I got completely shut down by that deceptively unassuming Windsor from the Constantine Family.’

’Then, when I got here, I saw the famous Silver Lion Wilder of the Inner Side. I was going to use my connections through my cousin Jill and my older sister Barbara to show off to the other girls from the Old Blood Clans that I knew Wilder, but this big-breasted, green-haired Battle Nun had to go and ruin everything.’

’When I finally got a chance to strike back, my own cousin scolded me under his breath and told me to apologize.’

Claire didn’t dare to argue back when her cousin quietly reprimanded her. Not only was Jill her cousin, he was also the future Patriarch of the Hestia Family. As a child of the Hestia Family, she had to defer to him in all matters when they were out.

And so, under the curious gazes of the other girls, she could only reluctantly apologize to Camilla and Lian for her offensive remarks.

’This day is the absolute worst.’

...

While the guests were stunned by the bidding war that had erupted between the Holy Mechanism and the Holy Cross Association, Baron quietly watched the little girl crying in the cage on stage. He began to ponder how he might spirit Vivian away in plain sight.

’The price is so high, security must be tight,’ Baron thought. ’The problem is that Vivian is a living person, and the area around the auction is most likely already surrounded by Law Enforcers looking to capture the Dragon Witch. This is going to be tricky.’

"You seem very interested in the girl on stage," Isabella said to Baron out of the blue.

Baron replied, "I just think she looks a lot like my sister."

’He didn’t have a sister in his past life. He had one now, but he’d never even met her. Their only contact had been through diary entries, like pen pals. The only other thing he knew about her, gleaned from his predecessor’s diary and a few fragmented memories, was that his sister was very beautiful.’

’Beautiful in the most literal sense of the word. The kind of beautiful that made headlines in local papers on both the Inner and Outer Sides.’

"A sister, you say?" Isabella murmured, and then said no more.

Barbara said, "Sir, I don’t believe I’ve asked your name yet."

Freya snorted. "An Attendant is hardly worthy of having Miss Barbara know his name."

In a way, she was refusing on Baron’s behalf.

Barbara smiled but didn’t say a word. Her lush, red lips and flirtatious eyes made her smile utterly bewitching, leaving the men who were secretly watching her completely flustered.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ge was growing alarmed and uncertain after Elvin made another bid.

’Seventy-four million. That guy Elvin is actually willing to part with so much money.’

’That’s getting dangerously close to the budget the organization approved for this mission. It looks like those misers from the Holy Mechanism are actually willing to spare no expense this time.’

Jiang Ge gritted his teeth, but his expression remained firm, as if he would see this through to the end. He raised his paddle, paused for a moment, and said:

"Seventy-four million, five hundred thousand."

’That only leaves five hundred thousand in the budget. If that guy Elvin keeps bidding, for the sake of my faith, I’ll probably have to chip in some of my own money.’

The moment he spoke, the guests in the audience instantly picked up on a signal: the Holy Cross Association was at a disadvantage.

The small increment undoubtedly revealed that Jiang Ge was running out of funds.

Elvin, of course, noticed this as well. He shot Jiang Ge his signature hundred-man slayer smile and raised his paddle.

"Seventy-five million."

Jiang Ge froze.

The guests in the hall froze.

Elvin froze, too.

Because the bid of "seventy-five million" hadn’t come from him. It had come from the other side of the room.

All eyes shot in that direction, landing on a slender, purple-haired figure. She had long brows, phoenix eyes, and a fair, beautiful face. Though she wore an aqua-blue evening gown, the way she sat in the VIP seats gave the impression of a general reviewing her troops.