Once the first traitor appeared, more followed. They couldn’t compare to the wealth of the alliance between the Secret Organisations and Evil Cults, but they could group up and hope that the Church of Knowledge would cooperate with them.

“Did she accept our condition?” Halton said.

“She didn’t reject our offer, but she didn’t accept it either,” the messenger said.

“What are her conditions?”

“Ownership of Helix Pin and a Scroll of Obscured Teleportation.” The messenger straightened his back. “She’s a pure-blood human. She has no trace of Corruption or Evil Powers within her, but she conceals her scent with thick perfumes.”

“Is she a proxy?”

“We found no sign of binding contracts. She’s acting on her desires.”

Halton looked onto the suite of The Court. The rogue bidder sold a Soul Fruit, a significant item for The Court. It wasn’t something an ordinary Supernatural Being could get, not without killing a Monster Girl and planting her Soul Gem. The Court would never sell one, and they would hunt down those who sell one.

“Accept her conditions, but tell her she cannot sell the Helix Pin to anyone else.” Halton took out a golden card. “Give her a Vault of Scripture membership card. Drop the matter if she denies it.”

After the messenger left the room, The Bishops and Halton turned their attention to the auction. The Court’s silence persisted, and the temporary alliance was crumbling.

“Add a Bottle of Sleeping Ship containing Sunken Reef Abode to our bid,” Iris said. “If we acquire Helix Pin, any rogue Supernatural Beings can use it with an appropriate price.”

The momentum of the anonymous bidders lessened, but a few persistent people, including the first bidder, refused to yield. Nonetheless, the Church of Knowledge acknowledged only the first bidder, the first traitor.

“She’s accepted our condition but not the membership card.” The messenger bowed and handed back the golden card.

“Help her win the bid. You can choose the treasures yourself, but do not openly announce our support.” Halton snapped his fingers. The card disintegrated into glimmering dust. “Try to pick sentimental treasures of the Secret Organisations and the Evil Cults, especially The Court.”

“Should we try to persuade her to join us as an honourary guest?”

“The contract puts us on an equal footing. Do not play unnecessary games with her.”

The Court echoed with more bidding, but the first anonymous bidder never backed down. Her determined voice resounded throughout the hall, devoid of fear or anxiety. With the Church of Knowledge supporting her, her purchasing power became insurmountable.

Because she wasn’t a member of the orthodox force, the anti-Knowledge alliance couldn’t pressure her. Many people went to confirm her identity, but they found nothing suspicious.

So long as the Church of Knowledge acted in the dark, the alliance couldn’t use the excuse of pressuring out the common enemy. After all, it wasn’t the Church of Knowledge who would get Helix Pin, but a lone Supernatural Being.

The red-haired man gritted his teeth. His bloodshot eyes glared at the anonymous suite, yet they failed to penetrate the crimson curtain veiling the traitorous bidder. He lowered his head, accepting his defeat. At least the Church of Knowledge couldn’t get the treasure.

In The Court’s suite, Iris went to sit beside Kasbin. She closed her eyes, leaned on Kasbin’s shoulder, and sighed.

The bid continued for a short while before the anonymous bidder won with a decisive advantage. The announcer motioned his hands, and the lady holding the Helix Pin walked down the stage. Her silky dresses flashed in multi-coloured light. The sparks formed a pair of wings on her back.

She gently flew toward the suite of the anonymous bidder. Her hands pushed the chest containing the Helix Pin forward. It passed through the curtain and landed on a pair of delicate, pale hands.

“Thank you for your mercy, everyone,” the bidder said. A hint of glee overflowed out of her hoarse voice. “And farewell, Church of Knowledge.”

She unfolded the Scroll of Obscured Teleportation. It shone with brilliant light, blinding all vision. When the radiance faded, her figure also faded, moved to a hidden location in her mind.

“Find out who she is,” the red-haired man said, his hands trembling. “No one can escape our eyes. We’ll have our revenge.”

The other Evil Cults and Secret Organisations also sent their people to investigate the background and identity of the winner. Their attention on the proceeding auction items lessened considerably.

While Iris was resting, her shadow bubbled. Secain slowly emerged from the blackness. Her dark cloak fluttered in the windless air. The mysterious air surrounding her obscured her features, concealed her thoughts, and changed her origin.

She knelt before Iris. Her hands respectfully raised forward, holding a delicate pin engraved with countless colourful runes. She lightly shook her head, and her hood came off. A pleasing smile manifested on her face, demanding praise and rewards, sumptuous reward.

“Please accept your treasure, Lady Iris,” Secain said. “It’s my honour to participate in your grand design.”

Iris received the Helix Pin and played with it between her fingers. She channelled her Corruption Power into it. Its surface lightly glowed, its sharp tip quivering. Secain’s tattered cloak gradually mended itself, turning cleaner, neater than before. Its fabric grew translucent with faint outlines of runes flickering in and out of existence.

“Lady Iris, are you an oracle?” Kasbin said.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said no.” Iris giggled. “I merely got lucky. If I could see into the future, I would’ve stolen the Helix Pin before it got to the auction.”

“But this way, no one will know you own it.”

Iris smiled. She didn’t anticipate the arrival of the Church of Knowledge. She sent Secain to become an anonymous bidder in case she wanted to buy something in secret. However, the opportunity presented itself, and Secain took the chance.

“Lady Iris, where is my reward?” Secain perked up.

“Where did that meek, respectful maid go?”

“She got charmed by your intellect and beauty, Lady Iris. She can’t control herself right now, and the only cure is your kiss.”

“When I bestow you my reward, can you restrain yourself?”

Secain lowered her head. Her cheeks turned pink. “I’ll try.”

“But I can’t. You’ll have to wait after the auction.” Iris turned to Kasbin, and then to other peeking Monster Girls. “I have no plan of showing you all my tenderness. Please don’t get your hope up.”

“What if I force myself onto you?” Kasbin said.

“I shan’t reject your offer, but you’ll never see me again. My mind will wander, and the me you see now won’t return.”

Kasbin covered her mouth and thought hard. She shook her head. “Your delicate heart needs nurturing. It’ll break if I carelessly touch it.”

Iris leaned on Kasbin again. Her smile became tenderer. Kasbin blinked as she slowly placed her hands on Iris’s shoulders, caressing the soft, bouncy skin. She found it hard to peer into the head of this lovely yet mysterious maiden.

She appeared meek one moment, cunning the other.

“I’ve already gotten what I desired. The remaining wealth is of little significance,” Iris said. “You all may go out and play. Report to me if what you want exceeds your quota.”

“Thank you, Lady Iris!” the Monster Girls said. Some went out of the suite to play while others sat near the balcony, eyeing compatible treasures.

The auction resumed without much excitement or tension. The announcer’s lively voice ignited the greedy hearts, but his effort couldn’t replicate the height of the Helix Pin. All other treasures, even the premium treasures, failed to entice the influential Secret Organisations and Evil Cults.

Iris’s eyes wandered around the auction hall, but nothing caught her attention. The suite of Eye of Masolis occasionally bid for some items, but those items weren’t something she needed. The suite of the Church of Knowledge stayed silent, Archbishop Halton standing motionlessly near the balcony.

“Kasbin, do you not have any matter to attend?” Iris said.

“Staying by your side takes priority.”

“You can stay by my side even longer if you accept my invitation.”

Kasbin sighed. “My heart compels me to accept your offer, but my promise restricts me. I cannot fall now, not when I haven’t fulfilled my dream.”

“Will my help be of use?”

“Your words can heal my broken heart, but they sadly cannot grant me what I need.”

Iris fell silent. Her hands grasped Kasbin’s and caressed them gently. Though Kasbin was in her human form, her Beastkin’s features, crimson feathers, decorated her body, boosting her charm. Iris loved touching them; they made Kasbin resemble a Monster Girl without her Corruption Power, innocent, mature, a mix of temptation and purity.

Lorient looked at Iris and Kasbin. She turned to other Monster Girls, but they didn’t pay much attention to those two. As she felt the burning sparks in her chest, her brows creased. In her eyes, envious flames playfully danced. She clenched her hands, relaxed, and clenched them again.

After a few seconds of struggle, she quietly walked to Iris and reached out her right hand. Her fingers carefully touched Iris’s fine hair. The strands wrapped around her fingertips, tickling her. Her heart thumped, her breathing growing rapid.

“Do you want more than that?” Iris said.

Lorient held her breath. “I’m sorry, Lady Iris. It won’t happen again.”

“Am I at fault?” Iris smirked. “Touch me more if you desire. I do not mind.”

Lorient pulled back her hands, but they slowly returned after Iris’s permission. Her face gradually reddened. Her desires clashed with her shame. She was Iris’s guard, yet her mind couldn’t stop thinking about Iris’s body. She failed as a guard, but it was Iris’s fault!

She was at fault for being so charming, for teasing her with ambiguous words, for flaunting her captivating scent!

While Lorient smelt Iris’s hair and fiddled with it, Kasbin’s eyes shone. Her adventurous hands invaded Iris’s clothes, though they did so tenderly. Their touches soundlessly asked Iris permission, and Iris gave a silent yes. Her lips trembled when Kasbin tickled her, yet she sealed her moans inside her body, revealing nothing but calmness on her face.

Though Secain wanted to join in, she did not. If she played now, the reward might lessen. If she released her bottled emotions now, her bliss wouldn’t reach its highest possible height.

As Iris and her friends got naughty, the auction approached its end. The announcer on the stage bowed at the bidders before he clapped his hands. Soft background music faded. The beautiful dancers also stopped their performance.

The light dimmed, revealing a spotlight on the stage, where the last maiden held the final auction item. She flashed the brightest smile, lifted the veil on the chest, and opened it. An ancient aura, cold as deep-sea water, majestic like eternal mountains, gushed out.

Black radiance flashed, capturing all attention. Inside the chest was another small container, decorated in dull engravements, lacking gemstones or any luxurious items. Despite its ordinary appearance, its air suggested a long history, perhaps too long to remember.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the last item of our auction,” the announcer said. “Unlike other items, where we introduce their background and functionality, this item is special. We’ve hired many specialists to examine it, but none could confirm anything except that it’s a relic dating back to one of the earliest eras known, the Dusk Descent Era!”