Transmigration: Loved by the Phoenix [bxb]

Chapter 4-Sold

"Are you not scared?"

Kai could practically smell the fear in the air, mixed in with a heavy taste of alcohol to make a bad cocktail. It clung onto his bare skin, coldly reminding him of his situation. It was in the eyes of the white-haired slave next to him. It was in the trembling that wracked their bodies.

But it wasn't in the captive next to him.

"Where is your fear?" Kai re-iterated his question.

The fearless captive in question had silver hair and an azure tattoo, like Kai. His features were vaguely androgynous, making Kai wonder if he were a boy or very flat-chested. However, after hearing his low voice Kai was finally able to choose a gender.

But most importantly, this captive wasn't scared.

While others flinched at every stray sound, he leisurely glanced at the unexpected. His whole demeanor was determined but confident, as if he had everything under control.

The fearless dude in question gave Kai a cursory glance before ignoring him. Kai had half the mind to ask again, but then his voice was drowned out by the sounds across the curtain in front of them.

"And here we have a slave of demonic descent. Bids are starting at 10 million for 1 million increments." A voice said from somewhere, chip and happy.

Kai frowned, before understanding dawned on him.

He and a small group of other captives were currently standing in an empty area with a larger group keeping a watch on them. He could hear a multitude of other people on the other side of a large curtain before them. The voices talked, laughed and conversed with each other, giving Kai the impression that the people on the other side were not captives. But it wasn't until the announcer spoke did he realize where he was and what he was doing.

He was about to be auctioned off.

Great. Just flipping great.

Kai pondered on his next course of action before coming to the conclusion that he had no plan. Running would result in becoming an obedient, smiling zombie. And teleportation was impossible. So, he turned to the only captive in this room that seemed oddly confident and hoped that his confidence wasn't unfounded.

"So do you have a plan?" Kai whispered under his breath to Mr. fearless.

He ignored Kai.

"If you let me in on your plan, I can prove myself useful to you," Kai lied. He wasn't useful at all. But sometimes, a bit of boasting was needed.

Fearless dude looked at Kai as if he were an annoying pest. Kai's smile stiffened, but he tried not to let his displeasure show. His freedom may be depending on this guy.

Before he could either flatter or boast to him, someone barked an order to the captors standing behind the curtain.

"Get one of the Winter Spirits out here."

Kai jumped away from Mr. fearless and stood at attention, afraid his captors would realize he was planning something. Then it occurred to him that he probably shouldn't stand out, so he tried to hide behind the other captives near him.

One of the men stood before the group of shivering slaves, assessing them. Kai looked at the ground, unwilling to make eye contact as if there was a correlation between seeing and choosing.

And perhaps his act would've worked. But Kai never got to know the answer as someone kicked him from behind.

He stumbled out from the group of slaves, falling and scraping his knees on the cold ground. Looking up, he felt oddly exposed as everyone took a step away from him, as if he had a disease. But most importantly, he felt indignation. One of the slaves had kicked him out from the herd. Someone had singled him out from the group.