I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 368

Chapter 74: The Aftermath Before Victory

Date: X month X day

I’m starting to grasp the true nature of the False King‘s power.

Through ancient demigod relics, there exists some kind of mystical connection that allows one to channel their divine power for personal use. It’s powerful, but not without its limitations and drawbacks.

The number of demigods a False King can draw from must be capped, and once the connection is established, it can’t be cut off on a whim.

Many past False Kings failed because they couldn’t select strong enough demigods or failed to appropriately balance their abilities to maximize the False King‘s potential.

I can’t make the same mistake.

I’ve heard that the hidden national treasure of the Southern Sea Kingdom comes from the former ruler of the five seas, the Sea Emperor. If this is true…

Roy has no idea whether the treasure of the Southern Sea Kingdom is indeed a relic of the Sea Emperor.

By the time Rolyn arrived in the Southern Sea Kingdom, the cultists known as the Abyss Stalkers had already gotten their hands on it.

But there’s no doubt that the Tears of the Mermaid in front of me is a relic of the Sea Emperor!

The prompt on the panel confirms it, but there’s also the innate craving of the False King at play!

Intuition told Roy that the hidden divine power within that item rivals that of the Dragon King and the True Ancestor, undoubtedly belonging to the Sea Emperor!

Just then, someone in the corner preemptively raised their bid.

“This looks good, I’ll bid 400.”

Amid the bids just over 300, a sultry laugh echoed, silencing the room.

1000 gold coins is roughly the annual tax revenue of a minor noble. Spending hundreds of gold coins on a gem whose purpose is unknown seems like a waste.

Only those who are utterly helpless against the allure of gems, like Vixen Helaas, would bid that high.

The host nodded in satisfaction, starting the process, “400 gold coins once…”

As the Certificate of Kingship was about to be dismissed as just a plain gem, Roy nearly jumped up in panic.

However, someone in the crowd was even more anxious.

“Quick! Bid to stop her!” Jason exclaimed at the stage, gripping Hex’s arm in urgency.

“My lord, are you sure? That’s just a gem.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You don’t even understand what that is!”

Under Jason’s insistence, Hex raised his hand to bid.

“500 gold coins!”

The room went silent.

Vixen recognized Hex’s voice and frowned, but continued raising her hand, “550!”

“600!”

“650!”

“750!”

“800!”

“850…” Helaas’s voice began to hesitate.

“1000!”

At that moment, all eyes turned to Hex, even the host’s expression turned odd.

A minor noble’s entire year’s taxes for a gem of unknown value? Who has the money to play like that?!

Finally, Vixen couldn’t hold back anymore and stood up.

“Fighter! Why are you, a man, so obsessed with this gem? Or are you deliberately causing trouble?”

“Sorry, I’m just acting on someone’s request. This gem is mine today,” Hex grinned, feeling quite grand.

Truthfully, he didn’t even understand why the prince from the Southern Kingdom was so fixated on that gem. But since he wasn’t spending his own money, he figured he might as well play rich for a bit—sounds like a good deal!

The crowd buzzed with chatter, suspecting that the Tears of the Mermaid must have hidden significance, which is why someone would spend so lavishly, but no one was willing to gamble on its authenticity.

After a few exasperated noises, Vixen fell silent.

Jason wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling relief.

Carrying the royal bloodline of the Southern Sea Kingdom, he sensed the extraordinary aura of the Tears of the Mermaid. He knew full well that it was no mere gem but a relic of the Sea Emperor, the national treasure of the Southern Sea Kingdom, possessing frightening power that could alter the course of the entire kingdom!

The theft of the Tears of the Mermaid was a humiliation for the Southern Sea King, but if he could recover it, it would bring supreme glory capable of making everyone forget about faction disputes!

Beyond its significance to the Southern Sea Kingdom, ancient demigod relics are equivalent to at least sequence 4 extraordinary items and can’t be measured in mere gold.

Compared to that, the Howling Ocean Guard is just garbage!

1000 gold coins? Even if it were ten times that, he wouldn’t hesitate for a second!

However, given these guys’ lack of knowledge, they probably wouldn’t recognize even one-tenth of the Tears of the Mermaid‘s worth.

“1000 gold coins once!”

Hearing the host’s call, Jason couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling joy at the thought of reclaiming the national treasure and celebrating a future of nationwide festivities.

Until a deep voice shattered his sweet dream.

“2000 gold coins once.”

If buying a gem for 1000 gold coins was hard to believe, then unhesitatingly raising the bid to 2000 is a whole new level of crazy!

Everyone turned to the corner where the Sword Demon was, questioning if he had lost his mind.

“Is that what you want?” Only Leanna seemed to understand.

Roy nodded slightly, starting to calculate his assets.

As the marquis’s son, the money he had on hand was enough to outbid most present. But anyone eyeing this item wouldn’t be a pushover.

Fortunately, he had limited cash, but had quite a few valuable items.

“My lord, shall we raise the bid?”

“Raise!” Jason declared resolutely.

To think that a small auction could attract someone who recognized the value of their national treasure.

But so what?

Do you really have the strength to compete with a prince from my country?

Jason was not blindly confident.

The Southern Sea Kingdom is rich with the Blue Moon Chamber of Commerce, and as a prince, he naturally wasn’t lacking in funds.

Let’s not talk about a bunch of adventurers, wanted criminals, or obscure minor nobles and wizards. In terms of available assets, he outshone even royal family members from other countries, except for Douglas, the Golden Prince from the mines, who could match him financially.

To Jason, the Tears of the Mermaid was already his; this auction was just a warm-up before victory.

“3000 gold coins!”

“4000.”

“5000 gold coins!”

“6000.”

“7000 gold coins!”

“8000, no, 10000!”

At that, the room fell into stunned silence.

Ten thousand gold coins! That’s the tax revenue of a minor noble for ten years! Even for an earl or marquis, that’s not a trivial amount—but for a gem?

Let’s be real, anyone who still thinks it’s a normal gem has a screw loose!

People’s gazes toward the gem instantly turned reverent, even the host unconsciously breathed lighter, afraid that his breath would tarnish the gem.

Hex, meanwhile, came back to reality from the joy of pretending to be wealthy and cautiously asked, “My lord, shall we raise the bid?”

Under the hood, Jason’s face turned ugly.

He thought about it and realized that actually putting out ten thousand gold coins would indeed sting.

But more importantly, he wasn’t sure how much the other side was willing to pay.

So, grinding his teeth, he declared for Hex, “20000!”