Chapter 30: The Auction of a Human

The Demon Realm was entirely different from the continent where humans lived. After all, this was a place that had once been split apart. Here, demonic energy and powerful monsters filled every corner. The environment was harsh, resources were scarce, and the law of the jungle reigned supreme—only the strong earned everyone’s respect.

Song Ze now found himself at an auction site.

If he weren’t the one about to be auctioned, he would have been thrilled.

But as it stood, not only was he about to be sold off, he was the grand finale of this very auction. After all, a human in the Demon Realm was a treasure even more precious than any qualification for the inheritance grounds!

Song Ze: “…” QAQ How did things end up like this?!

In his plan, he was supposed to be like the protagonist in a typical X-point novel: teleport from the magic array with the Saint to the Demon Realm, start by helping some regional noble, build up influence, infiltrate the demon race, and then logically obtain the inheritance grounds—the standard level-up method for a protagonist!

Although the power systems of humans and demons differed, he had the power of inheritance (cheat), which allowed him to use demonic energy without raising suspicion.

But he never expected the Saint to be a man. Even worse, during a long-distance battle between the Holy Son and Andreya using spatial turbulence, he was directly sucked into a spatial rift.

And then, with his power suppressed to level 10, Song Ze woke up in the slums.

Yes, the slums of the Demon Realm. A place where the weak die casually, where survival of the fittest was the norm.

Song Ze: “!!!” This is trying to kill me!!

Before he could react, someone discovered him and immediately handed him over to the local lord. The lord, seeing a rare human, quickly sent him to the imperial capital’s auction.

And that person in charge seemed very pleased with Song Ze, reportedly promoting him heavily across the Demon Realm… planning some huge auction.

Song Ze was absolutely not happy about this!

He had no idea who would buy him! In the game’s lore, demons were brutal and loved horrifying experiments.

On the bright side, because Song Ze was not only human but also tested at only level 10, appearing so frail and weak, the auction staff didn’t even restrain him. Instead, they gave him a room to rest with good food and drink—probably afraid that if they tied him up, he might accidentally die.

And with his low level, there was no fear of escape. In the Demon Realm, even a random pet could stomp current Song Ze.

“System, how do I break this level suppression?” Song Ze asked anxiously from the room. If he could regain his original strength, he might have some means to protect himself here. Otherwise…

[This requires someone of equal rank to the caster to undo. Or, when obtaining the inheritance, the power of the divine inheritance can break it.]

Song Ze: “…” Andreya was a top-tier level 99 powerhouse! There were barely any such beings on this continent! As for the divine inheritance, that was an incredibly rare spot even in the Demon Realm—impossible for him to get easily.

Forget it, as long as I keep my life, there’s always a way. Worst case, I’ll use that fake death teleport function from the system.

[Side quest completed. New functions unlocked: Investigation Points and Character Introduction.]

[Investigation Points: When there’s something for the host to investigate, the object will glow, and then you can investigate.]

[Character Introduction: Provides basic profile for new characters. Increasing affinity and familiarity unlocks more detailed info.]

Song Ze couldn’t help but remark, “It really feels more and more like a game!” Thinking of it as a game lessened his earlier despair.

[New main quest: Obtain the divine inheritance in the Demon Realm. New side quest: Raise the Demon Realm faction’s affinity to Friendly.]

Song Ze: “…These two quests are tough enough.”

He wasn’t the X-point novel protagonist who builds up from scratch. He was a prisoner sent to auction, unable even to help an old lady cross the road—how could he possibly raise faction affinity!

*****

The Demon Realm’s imperial capital boasted development and prosperity that rivaled any human city.

A blood-red moon hung in the night sky. Inside the capital, countless dots of light flickered and shimmered, bustling with energy.

The liveliest place was undoubtedly the city’s auction house. Word had it that this auction would see major events unfold—several times more intense than usual.

On the street, a magnificent carriage rolled by. Inside sat a strikingly handsome young man with black hair and a cold expression. He carried an air of superiority, and in his arms nestled a black cat that looked ordinary but was actually a disguised sixth-rank powerful monster. Even in its juvenile form, it was already formidable.

This handsome youth bore a strong resemblance to Andreya… in fact, one could tell at a glance they were brothers.

Beside the youth sat several nobles from the demon aristocracy, their attitudes respectful. They were chatting away.

“I heard this auction has some extremely rare items. The auction house has been hyping it for days,” one said. “I wonder what it could be—could it be rarer than the pure-blooded succubus from last time?”

“Who knows,” another replied. “But since they dared to invite His Highness the Elder Prince, they must be confident. Otherwise, if His Highness gets angry, things won’t end well.”

“True enough,” the others nodded.

The Elder Prince sneered, swirled the wine glass in his hand, his eyes filled with contempt. “Let’s see what they can come up with.”

The others immediately flattered him. Then someone suddenly asked, “I wonder how His Highness the Second Prince is doing?”

The atmosphere in the carriage froze.

Those who had been making merry went pale, cautiously glancing at the Elder Prince.

Everyone knew that the succession hadn’t been settled yet. Although the Elder Prince was the rightful heir, the Second Prince Andreya had strong support, being the most talented demon in thousands of years.

If it weren’t for the Second Prince’s youth and naive personality—seeming too innocent to be scheming—he would have been seen as a serious rival by the Elder Prince’s faction.

Still, mentioning that brother always infuriated the Elder Prince.

But this time, the Elder Prince just sneered nonchalantly, stroking the black cat in his arms. “I hope my good little brother performs better this time.”

Recently, the Demon Realm had opened a passage to the mainland. Andreya led an expedition to the inheritance site but returned empty-handed, making people question his ability. After all, talent doesn’t guarantee strength and capability—maybe they had overestimated him. The Second Prince was still young and inexperienced.

This gave the Elder Prince’s faction a boost of pride. They dismissed Andreya, almost feeling that the throne was as good as won.

By then, they had arrived at the auction. The Elder Prince’s carriage, pulled by a ground dragon, was flashy enough. As soon as he stepped down, everyone around respectfully bowed.

“That’s the general’s only son—didn’t expect him here…”

“Ah, that’s from the First Merchant Guild—looks like they’re really interested in this auction.”

“Even the Elder Prince came—this auction is bound to be spectacular.”

Amid the murmurs, attendees took their seats.

…

Backstage, the auction’s top brass watched the audience seats, cold sweat pouring down their faces. “Why did the Elder Prince show up? If he’s not satisfied, they’ll probably tear this place apart!”

“But we have a rare human this time. The Elder Prince will surely be pleased,” another manager said confidently. This manager had pushed through the massive advertising campaign, making the auction reach this scale.

“What’s the big deal about a human? Even if they’re rare in the Demon Realm, can they be more attractive than a pure-blooded succubus? Last time, we invited the Elder Prince to an auction with even rarer bloodline—a succubus-elf hybrid—and he still left with a cold face!” The senior executive grew more panicked. “Damn it, we shouldn’t have gone overboard with the scale!”

“Shut up!” The executive found this guy utterly ridiculous. “We must gather some more rare items now… We cannot disappoint those big shots.”

“Sir, the last auction already sold most of our rare treasures… The warehouse is nearly empty—” someone reported hurriedly.

“Damn! If something goes wrong, you’ll go apologize to the Elder Prince!” The executive could only wipe his sweat and sit on pins and needles, waiting for the auction to officially start. He could almost see the disaster coming…

Despite being cursed out, the confident manager still held his ground. He hadn’t acted rashly. That human was completely different from the ones that had appeared in the Demon Realm before… If it was him, it would definitely work.

…

The auction was halfway through.

The audience and VIP box attendees were deeply disappointed.

This auction had only displayed ordinary items, no different from previous ones. They had paid several times the usual ticket price—was this just to attend a normal auction?

If not for the hope that the final item might be good, many would have left already.

In the Elder Prince’s box, the air was freezing cold. The attendants trembled, nearly falling to their knees. Even the nobles accompanying the Elder Prince dared not speak, afraid to provoke him.

“This auction is boring,” the Elder Prince said flatly, stroking the black cat in his arms.

Everyone could clearly see faint patterns appearing on the cat, and they were terrified—if that sixth-rank monster reverted to its true form here, it would tear apart the entire auction house!

They inwardly cursed the auction house. How could the items be so ordinary? Were they just messing with everyone? If the final item didn’t satisfy the Elder Prince… even they would be in danger!

Just then, the host on stage finally spoke, sweat pouring from his forehead under the immense pressure. “Next up is our grand finale… It is… a human.”

The moment the words fell, the audience gasped.

Humans hadn’t been seen in the Demon Realm for countless years. Sure, occasionally some were swept in by spatial rifts, but they were too weak and died quickly; their lifespans were short, and they were generally rough-looking (since rifts near the Demon Realm mostly appeared near the Dark Forest, bringing mercenaries and the like). No one had a lasting impression.

Many nobles’ faces immediately turned cold.

While humans were rare, an ordinary human wasn’t thrilling enough to justify the hype. What a joke—after all that promotion, the final item was just a human? The auction house must have lost its mind, deliberately offending so many guests.

The Elder Prince’s face darkened. His eyes fixed on the center stage, carrying a terrifying indifference.

Those around him trembled, thinking that when the human came out, it would probably be torn to shreds by the prince’s pet—that sixth-rank monster. How else could the prince’s anger at being slighted be appeased?

All eyes turned as a golden, luxurious cage was quickly pushed onto the stage. The staff, afraid of trouble, hurriedly retreated, not daring to stay another moment.

To everyone, that human was as good as dead.

But then, as they saw the person in the cage, everyone froze.

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