Chapter 106: The Appraisal Gathering (IV)

For the three sisters, the third section of the Appraisal Fair was truly an eye-opening experience.

The minds of familiars were never ordinary, and because of that, their soul equipment came in all shapes and forms. Besides the lipstick that could make girls grow penises—the heavens alone knew what the familiar who created it had been thinking—there was also a bra that gave anyone, regardless of gender, enormous breasts, as well as a skateboard that could race freely across the surface of the water.

The sisters had even seen a wand that could turn someone into a magical girl! When they watched the host wave it and instantly change into a pink magical-girl outfit that left her chest and buttocks scandalously exposed, they all felt profoundly unwell.

Unfortunately, this “magical girl” had only the appearance and none of the power. She could neither fly nor fire beams of light, so she did not fetch a particularly high price. Still, she made for an entertaining diversion during the Appraisal Fair, and in the end, she was sold for two million.

Apparently, there were still people with a taste for that sort of thing.

“I really don’t know what’s so interesting about any of this…”

Eluka muttered as she cautiously glanced at Feiren. Their doctor was currently fiddling with a black box in his hands, his curiosity clearly piqued. Sensing Eluka’s gaze, Feiren raised his head and looked at her. Eluka stuck out her tongue, quickly ducked her head, and turned her attention back to the stage.

“Next, we shall be auctioning an exceptionally unusual item…”

At that moment, the host brought out the next lot. It was a bracelet that appeared unremarkable at first glance. Soon, however, its information appeared before everyone.

[Energy-Gathering Bracelet]

[Soul Equipment—Equipable]

[By absorbing energy from the network, it can release a protective barrier three times. Nothing is sturdier than a turtle shell.]

“Whoosh!”

No one had expected that the moment the bracelet appeared, Eluka would suddenly raise her hand.

Seeing the girl’s reaction, Feiren looked at her curiously.

“What is it? Eluka, are you interested in this?”

“I am a little interested… No, no, Commander! It isn’t me who wants it—it does!”

“It?”

Feiren froze for a moment. Only then did he notice that the familiar on Eluka’s wrist, which had taken the form of a bracelet, was emitting a faint glow.

Right. That fellow was still around…

The familiar called Franka had so little presence that Feiren often forgot about it. According to Delin, it was essentially a condensed mass of information. As a result, Feiren had never been particularly interested in it. If there had been a cellular microscope available, he might have wanted to examine its exact composition. Unfortunately, advanced technology was still exceedingly scarce in the Wasteland, and Feiren himself had little interest in biological cells or genes.

Compared with those tiny things invisible to the naked eye, Feiren preferred muscles, hearts, and blood vessels that could be touched—things that were considerably more “interesting.”

But now…

“All right. Take it down.”

Although it was an insignificant, transparent little thing, familiars were like stubborn mules: one had to stroke them in the direction their fur lay. The three sisters did not understand this, but Feiren knew it very well. He promptly made his decision and had Miss Moon handle the matter.

This time, the task was somewhat more difficult than before. Anything capable of creating an energy barrier was highly sought after. After the host conducted a demonstration and confirmed that it could keep someone safe from a barrage of grenades and RPGs, it attracted even more interest from a considerable number of powerful figures.

As a result, Miss Moon had to work rather harder than usual. However, the bracelet’s limitations also dampened the enthusiasm of many buyers: it could protect only one person at a time, lasted merely thirty seconds, and could be used no more than three times a day. In the end, Miss Moon still paid the exorbitant price of seven million and brought the bracelet home.

Just as Feiren had expected, the moment Franka received the bracelet, it immediately fused with it.

As for what Franka intended to do with it, even Delin had no idea. As its “keeper,” Eluka knew even less.

At that moment, Miss Moon suddenly seemed to receive some sort of message. She tilted her head and listened for a moment, then frowned slightly. Leaning down, she spoke softly into Feiren’s ear.

“Doctor, we just received word that the Federation has added another lot to the auction at the last minute.”

“Oh?”

Feiren was clearly surprised. After all, last-minute additions to an auction usually meant that someone lacked sufficient resources for trade. Yet the Federation had not appeared to purchase anything along the way. Why did they suddenly need to add another lot? Had they really become that poor?

Naturally, the culprit himself remained completely unaware of the consequences he had caused.

“What did they add?”

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

Just as Miss Moon was about to answer, the host spoke again, interrupting her. Miss Moon straightened and returned to her position behind Feiren without saying another word. Clearly, now that the auction had begun, it was only a matter of time before Feiren learned the value of the item for himself.

“Next, we shall present you with another lot—a truly rare treasure!”

The host clearly knew exactly how to whet the buyers’ appetites. He widened his eyes excitedly and put on an expression of nervous anticipation before continuing.

“I believe every one of you will be extremely interested in this item. Although it is expensive, I assure you, it is worth every penny…!”

As he spoke, the host made a gesture.

“Then, please feast your eyes upon one of the most valuable items to be offered at this auction—Goddess of Vigil!”

At the host’s signal, four heavily armed soldiers soon marched forward with solemn expressions. They carefully placed a metal crate on the floor, roughly the size of a box used to transport military hardware.

The camera quickly pulled back, allowing the other buyers to observe the lot in detail. Strangely, however, the crate itself seemed to possess some kind of function that prevented investigation. Even after careful examination, all anyone could obtain was an information marker reading “???”—an extremely rare occurrence in an era when the network system had become widespread.

Feiren narrowed his eyes with curiosity and watched the crate before him with a faint, inscrutable smile. No one knew what he was thinking.

Then, in the very next moment, the four soldiers reached out together and lifted the lid of the heavy metal crate, fully revealing the auction item stored inside.