Everyone was still reeling from the shock of seeing a Rank 5 Monster being auctioned for the sky-high price of two billion Gold Coins.

If not for the fact that Colbert had informed Thirteen that the E4 Mafias had managed to capture the female Blaze Skunk during one of their clearing operations in the Cygni Continent, Thirteen would have thought twice about bidding that much money on such a monster.

Knowing that the money would go to Alcapone, he decided to go all out.

Why?

It was because Alcapone's money was his money.

Although the Squad Captain was currently crying bitter tears all the way from the Cygni Continent, Thirteen would compensate him more than his money's worth.

He already intended to give Alcapone a Divine-Grade Martial Technique once he and the other Squad Captains returned to the Aldebaran Continent for their training.

But since he couldn't say such a thing, he only asked Colbert to pass his message to Alcapone - he would bestow him a Gold-Grade Martial Technique, which was equivalent to what the Prestigious Families and Monarch Clans possess.

When Alcapone learned about this, he no longer felt too bitter after losing his money and was even looking forward to meeting Zion after a few months.

The Auction proceeded rather smoothly after that short incident between Thirteen and Claude.

Erica was also happy because Thirteen kept his promise and bought her something called Fiery Passion, an item that increases the effect of Fire-Type abilities by fifty percent.

An hour later, the two most prized items in the Auction House were finally revealed to the public.

"And now, the items everyone here is waiting for, the Scales of the Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent!" Dorothy declared. "Since these items are very special, we can only show you their projections. However, rest assured. The item is under the safekeeping of the Grand Marshal, and he will personally transfer this item to the one who wins the bidding!"

Everyone's expression became serious upon hearing that the two Serpent Scales would be auctioned separately.

The majority of the bidders inside the auction house knew that they couldn't match the resources of the Monarch Clans as well as those of the Prestigious Families.

However, since they were willing to gamble, some of the influential and powerful factions formed an alliance with each other so that they could pool their resources together.

The allure of being able to craft a Mythical or a Legendary Equipment with the Serpent Scale was too much of a temptation to ignore, so everyone wanted to do their best to acquire one even if it meant offending others!

"As everyone already knows, these Serpent Scales came from a Majin King," Dorothy explained. "It is an existence that is far above our comprehension. As such, any item related to them is considered priceless. Because of this, we will not put an initial bid on the item. However, every bid should increase by ten thousand gold coins."

Dorothy paused for a bit as she scanned the people inside the Auction House.

Those who weren't seated in the VIP Rooms were wearing masks to hide their identities, lowering the chances that people might recognize them and steal the items that they had won in the auction.

"Bidding starts now!" Dorothy declared.

Before anyone who wasn't in the VIP Seats could even say anything, Claude raised his voice and shouted his bid.

"One Billion!"

Claude didn't want to drag things out, so he directly raised the stakes by a large margin to deter those who didn't have any resources to spare.

He thought that his only opponents would be the members of the Monarch Clans and the Prestigious Families. However, he had greatly underestimated the other families, who were eyeing the positions of the 14 Great Families standing at the apex of Pangea.

"Two Billion."

"Three Billion!"

"Four Billion."

Erica, who was seated beside Thirteen, lightly tugged on the sleeves of his shirt.

"You still have some scales, right?" Erica whispered. "Give me one, so I can also auction it."

As someone who was born into a poor family, Erica couldn't help but feel shocked at the sheer amount that people were willing to pay for the Serpent Scales.

If they knew that Thirteen had hundreds of them in his possession, people might kidnap him without fearing the authorities.

"Don't be blinded by money, Erica," Thirteen replied. "You'll get something better in the future. For example, a Mythical Grade Equipment..."

Erica's body shuddered after hearing Thirteen's reply.

"How much money will I get if I auction a Mythical-Grade Equipment?" Erica asked.

"... You're going to auction it?"

"Why not?"

"Are you serious?"

"No."

Although Erica wanted to get a lot of money, she wasn't stupid.

The only reason why the Monarch Clans were able to stand tall among the masses was because they were in possession of Mythical-Grade items.

If she possessed such an item, wouldn't that make her extremely powerful?

Unfortunately, Mythical Gears could only be used by Thrones and Monarchs.

The only reason why Lady Callista was able to wield the two Mythical Short Swords was all

thanks to Thirteen's effort in making them exclusive to his grandma.

Erica believed that if she managed to survive and step into the Ranks of a Throne, she would wield powers that could propel her family to the top.

While the two teenagers were watching the bidding war, those who were in the VIP Seats were not holding back in the slightest.

The first Serpent Scale was sold for a whopping ten billion gold coins, and it was bought by Trevor Remington, who was the Monarch of the Aldebaran Continent.

The second Serpent Scale reached eleven billion gold coins and was bought by the Stallard Clan, who ruled the Sirius Continent alongside the Ashford Clan.

Although the two sides were friendly and sometimes seen as allies, they were still rivals who wished to one-up each other.

"David and his friend should be very happy right now," Erica commented. "I wished that I was thick-skinned enough to get one scale back then. Now, it's too late. Next time you get something good, I'll make sure to ask for my share."

"I don't mind," Thirteen replied. "But that will have to wait for a while."

Thirteen planned to train the Hero Party, as well as his Squad Captains, for the upcoming large-scale Jinn Invasion.

It was the perfect stage for the young heroes of the world to shine, and show their mettle to

the world.

However, it was also the perfect stage to eliminate these heroes and make sure that they wouldn't go strong enough to threaten those who wished to cling to power.

Although Thirteen believed that the Hero Party wouldn't be targeted by the powerful families and factions, he still planned to train them to increase their chances of survival.

Truth be told, Thirteen knew that the true dangers in the Cygni Continent weren't just the side

of the invading monsters.

The real threat was the people who could backstab them anytime.

Thirteen was the System of Cannon Fodders, and he had witnessed countless betrayals in his

life.

No matter how strong, influential, charitable, or prestigious you were, the greatest enemies you would have to face were the people whom you thought would protect your back from the enemies that were after your life.

Thirteen hoped with every fiber of his being that the people close to him wouldn't suffer such

a tragic fate.