Dungeon Of Pride, Laplace

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Simon was inwardly a little impressed. He sat down on his seat and watched the crowd below slowly settle down. There were a ton of demons and their subordinates in attendance that it was hard to make an estimate with just a glance. Yet even with so many demons attending, the main chamber easily fit all of them.

"There are a lot of high ranking demons present" Simon commented as he watched the Demon Dukes take their seat at the front row of tables reserved for them.

They were dressed in various luxurious clothes that spoke volumes of their status and were surrounded by powerful subordinates. Just the aura that they naturally emanated, gave one a formidable pressure and a sense of dread and terror.

Their authoritative and commanding presence made all the demon nobles look at them with awe and fear. Nobody dared to gaze at them directly, even if they did they would immediately shift them away.

In the demon world, these Demon Dukes are monsters who had lived for over a thousand years and carried prestige and reputation incomparable to any other demons.

With the Demon Archdukes rarely showing their face and not caring about the matters of the world, the Demon Dukes were seen as the true ruler of the demon world. The demon nobles below them merely serve as their aides or agents.

From the eyes of the human nation, a Demon Duke was like the symbol of a great catastrophe, capable of bringing doom and irrecoverable destruction to the land.

Many of these Demon Dukes sitting in the front row, were quite famous with legends and tales written about their powers.

Since they liked ruling and controlling everything while sitting inside the comfort of their dungeon, one could hardly encounter a demon duke. It was only during events like these that one would be able to see old monsters like them gather.

Usually, it would have been impossible for Simon to observe them like this without them noticing. However, due to the numerous arrays and barriers laid inside the VIP rooms, even the Demon Dukes didn't notice Simon's gaze.

WHOOAA… just when it seemed like the excitement of the auction had reached its peak, the crowd below suddenly boiled over with the appearance of a couple of people.

Leading the group, was a beautiful man with long white hair, an androgynous face and wearing luxurious ancient clothing. This person was none other than the newly risen Demon Lord of Envy, Belial.

Beside him, walked a man donned in a heavy armour that seemed to be made of some mysterious material. They had numerous scars on their face making them appear very scary and carried themselves with an aura of haughtiness.

His presence was mighty and not any weaker than the Demon Lord himself. Looking at that man, Simon recalled who he was. Deimos, the subordinate of Greed who also attended the Walpurgis last time.

If he was here, then it means that the other three people walking beside them were also the same.

"Seems like the subordinates of the demon lords are also in attendance" Simon surmised. It appeared that the Demon Lords were also interested in the auction to have sent their subordinates.

Out of the three people, one looked like an old hermit with numerous orbs like a nebula, floating around him. He was wearing ordinary robes and was sitting cross-legged while levitating off the ground. An aura of mystery shrouded this person.

What surprised Simon was that when he glanced at this person, the latter too sensed something and glanced towards his direction.

'He was able to peer through the numerous arrays of the VIP room… the old man doesn't appear as simple as he looked' Simon wondered.

Of the other two people, one appeared like a scholar with a spectacle and book in hand. They had a calm noble like aura and a friendly smile on their face.

The last person was a woman in a military uniform. Half of her face was covered with an angry mask and she held a cigar in her mouth. Her appearance along with her sharp aura made her look quite fierce.

A commotion erupted in the floor below with their appearance. From the bits and pieces of information that Simon gathered from the hubbub of the demons, he was able to confirm his suspicions, the other three were indeed the subordinates of the other demon lords.

It was just that they weren't the ones he had seen in the Walpurrgis.

As expected, the lich attendants brought them over to the upper floor and into their own VIP rooms.

With all the attendees now taking their seats, the auction finally began. A light suddenly dropped from the darkened ceiling and illuminated the stage in front. At some unknown point in time, Grimvul was already standing there.

"They are… the Death Knights"

Simon muttered in surprise. There were a couple of figures donned in jet black armour beside Grimvul. Simon recalled they were the death knights that he had seen standing guard outside the exhibition.

There were seven of them on the stage and all of them were standing still around Grimvul acting as his guards.

The Chamber fell into an eerie silence with the appearance of Grimvul and his entourage. The Demon Nobles dressed in their regal clothes fixed their attention on the merchant, their eyes blazed with excitement.

Grimvul observed the crowd that had gathered for the auction before nodding his head.

"ShiShiShi… Esteemed Demon Nobles, distinguished guests of the auction of the damned" His low creepy laugh echoed across the chamber "Tonight we have all gathered to partake in the unveiling of the most exquisite and sinister artefacts from the darkest corners of the existence".

As Grimvul spoke till here, a murmur of anticipation rippled through the chamber. The demon nobles leaned forward from their seat, their interest piqued.

Finding the reaction of the crowd very much to his liking, he hyped the attendees even further "All of you, the eminent figures of the demon world, have assembled here to witness and wield the powers that lies within these magnificent treasures".

"But remember my esteemed nobles, these artefacts are not mere trinkets. They carry the powers of what was once forgotten, the souls of the brave and of the deceased and the very essence of the primordial universe. They have been sought after by many, and now they would be wielded by those deemed worthy".

WHOAAA… A surge of excitement spread through the crowd. The Demon Nobles looked at Grimvul and gulped, their eyes flickering with the light of anticipation and eagerness as if they couldn't wait for the items to come up.

"ShiShiShi…" Grimvul laughed and performed a slight bow of courtesy "I, Grimvul shall be your guide in this journey. I shall illuminate the secrets and the potential that lies within each of these items. However, let it be known that their true nature may be concealed, waiting for their masters to unravel their mysteries".

Sitting inside his VIP room, on his cozy seat, Simon couldn't help but scoff at the words of this merchant. He had to give it to Grimvul, the Merchant of the Damned lived up to his reputation.

The latter knew how to excite the crowd and bring an air of mystery to the event. Now that he had said all those words, there was no way the Demon Nobles down below wouldn't start a fierce bidding war from the first item.

Simon who knew the truth about some of the items that are about to come up, couldn't help but find the situation funny. These Demon Nobles had fallen into the trap of the merchant of the damned unaware that they are being led by their nose like a gullible goat about to be sacrificed.

"Master, why are you smiling?" Maybell who was sitting next to him asked.

Made conscious by his subordinate, touched his face with his hand "Am I?"

"Yeah, Master is smiling" Theodore also pointed it out.

It appeared that he was actually enjoying the misery of the others. He had become a demon in the truest sense.

"Haha," Simon laughed and placed his attention back on the stage. Grimvul was currently explaining the rules. Surprisingly it was like any other normal auction just that the dealing of the currency was the currency of the demons, the Dungeon Points.

Apart from that everything was simple, the item goes to the highest bidder. The one thing great about this auction was that the items are kept inside a container and only the buyer can open them.

"I have explained everything. Now let the Auction of the Damned commence, may your bids be calculated and your wits sharp. Tonight, let your greed, desire, and ambition for these damned artefacts run wild"

The voice of Grimvul resonated through the chamber. With those words, the auction began in the truest sense. A platform appeared in the centre of the stage. Kept on that platform was an item that was protected by multiple layers of barrier.

"The first item to be auctioned is the Book of Fire said to have been once possessed by a powerful demon who used it to lay waste to an entire subcontinent. It is an [A] rank item and one of its kind".

"You can view the effects of the item using your analysis as such I will skip that part. However, allow me to provide you with a piece of additional information. The fire inside the book is no ordinary fire, its power is said to have gone up beyond the advanced rank to become a unique flame on its own".

"Only those destined to be its master can wield the mighty fire in the book. For this artefact, the starting bid will be [7,000,000] DP. Let the Bidding begin".