Land of Athlora

* Chapter (6) - Purchase Ⅱ

At the auction, Wren carefully keeps her cloak hood up as she takes a seat in the back of the auction room. The room is filled with nobles, merchants, and even higher ranked nobles who sit in private boxes. Wren patiently waits and refuses the offered food and drink. Frankly, she didn't trust what could be possibly served to her without her knowing and most especially here.

Finally, a bunny-eared beast woman wearing a revealing outfit emerges and says, "Welcome to the Enchanted Pavilion, where we do our best to fulfill your every need!"

The guests let out claps and shouts of agreement. "Now, we all know what you are here for, but we always save the best for last. So, let us start with our first slave of the night," the bunny-eared woman said.

A group of men rolled out an enchanted water tank to reveal a cream-colored beauty with a fish like tail within. "We have found a rare mermaid and kept her alive. Due to this lovely mermaid maiden's rarity, the bidding will start at 100 gold pieces," the bunny woman called out.

Instantly the bidding goes up as Wren only closes her eyes until the bidding is done. This continues for many hours until finally the last item is finally bought up for sale. "Our final item of the night cost us an arm and a leg but behold a legendary dragon!" The bunny woman cried out.

In a golden cage sits a man with ruby red hair to his feet in a violet robe style clothing. His skin is a tad sun-kissed with fine features and pointed black horns that curl up of his head. On his forehead are to black dots signifying something to dragon kind, but unknown to the rest of the world. But what took one's breath away are his truly beautiful gorgeous sea colored eyes that glow like the sea itself with slit pupils much like Wren's.

Wren sadly laments the destroyed perfect beauty at seeing scars on the left side of his face. One scar crosses his eyelid, while the another starts from the side of his cheek crosses all the way down with another smaller one next to it crossing half-length of his cheek. Wren wasn't the only one as sighs of disappointment can be heard throughout the room.

The bunny-eared girl must have caught the change in atmosphere and says, "We naturally will start the bidding at 5,000 gold coins."

Strangely enough, no one dared to bid causing the bunny woman to bite her lip in vexation. It wasn't that anyone didn't want to bid, but rather no one dared too. The reason is simple, dragons had an uncanny way of finding their offspring. Sooner or later, the parents would come and then the nightmares of stories past would come alive. Frankly speaking, no one wanted to be the protagonists of that tragic fairytale.

Wren to her own surprise and horror saw her hand rise on its own. "7,000 gold coins to be instantly bought out," Wren in appalled shock heard herself say.

The bunny woman eagerly says, "Sold to the bidder in the back." Wren and everyone gaped because frankly speaking, that must have been the cheapest item of the night. But even more ironic, the dragon valued in millions had been bought for a measly 7,000 gold coins.

Wren was still in shock when she paid for the dragon and was given the high-level slave contract. To be perfectly honest, Wren did not even have a memory of making it back to the slave stable with the dragon. By the time, Wren came to it was dawn and the slaves were all loaded on purchased mounts.

With dawn over the horizon, Wren hastily left the capital lest anyone from last night change their minds and come after her. The flying griffins swiftly carried them away causing Wren to almost weep at the loss of money once she realized the griffin's cost. The only bright side to the situation, at least the griffins were edible purchases if need be.

The several week's long journeys only took one week on the back of the Griffins. And would have been less except Wren would often backtrack to cover their tracks as she was taking the dwarven hidden paths. Finally, on the 15th day, the village could be spotted in the air as Wren carefully led the griffins down below to land.