In the end, the vampire criminal slave was sold for 2.3 billion flons. Whether it was due to the charm effect or not, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the person who won the bid.

I wasn’t sure if this kind of thing was against the rules, but since Fleur didn’t say anything, I assumed it was legal.

“And now, we have come to the final item of the day!”

With the host’s words, the excitement in the hall reached its peak. It was finally time for that item to make its appearance.

“The highlight of this auction—presenting the scales of an Ancient Red Dragon!”

A thunderous cheer erupted as the highly anticipated scales were wheeled onto the stage.

Then, the crowd suddenly fell silent. One by one, murmurs of awe spread through the audience.

The scale was massive—one meter in length and 80 centimeters in width. Judging by its size, the Ancient Red Dragon itself must have been at least several dozen meters long.

“Bidding starts at 3 billion flons!”

Whoa, seriously? Starting at 3 billion?

“T-Three billion…”

Rio gaped in astonishment. Since we were the ones who put it up for auction, all we could do was watch. But the bidding war escalated at an unbelievable pace.

Before we knew it, the price had surpassed 5 billion. Just how rare was an Ancient Red Dragon? I’d never even seen one before…

“I didn’t expect it to go this high either…”

Even Fleur looked shocked at the result.

“We have a new bid—6.8 billion flons! Anyone else willing to go higher?”

“Oof…”

“If there are no further bids—”

The host paused and scanned the audience.

“The Ancient Red Dragon’s scale is sold for 6.8 billion flons!!”

““““Wooooaaaahhhhh!!!!””””

The auction hall erupted in the loudest cheer of the day.

“This is an unprecedented record-breaking price! And with that, we officially conclude this auction!”

And so, the three-day auction came to an end.

“Good work, everyone.”

Finally, the auction was over, and I let out a sigh of relief. We were now in a room at the headquarters of the Rashiyu Trading Company.

“Yes, good work.”

“Man, that was exciting.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. And the sales were incredible, too.”

“Yeah… It’s kind of unsettling to suddenly become this rich.”

“Fufu, I’m sure you two will handle it just fine. Plus, you’ll still be earning a fortune from your patent royalties.”

Oh, right.

Originally, I just wanted to make enough money to deal with the Beldran Workshop situation. I never expected to rake in this much.

“The auction organizers take a 10% cut, and our company, acting as the intermediary, takes another 10%. Your share will be deposited into your registered Commercial Guild account by tomorrow morning, so please check it then.”

“Understood.”

When you register with the Commercial Guild, they automatically create an account for you. It’s convenient since it eliminates the need to carry cash around—it can get pretty bulky.

And the best part? You can withdraw money from any Commercial Guild branch worldwide. The Adventurers' Guild has a similar banking function, but if you want to withdraw money in another town, you have to request a transfer to that branch first. I never used it before, so I didn’t know, but that extra step sounds like a hassle.

“So, what are your plans now?”

“Our wedding ceremony is in ten days, so we need to return to Raven before then.”

“Ah, that’s right! Um, would it be alright if I attended as well?”

“Huh? The wedding ceremony?”

“Yes.”

Rio and I exchanged glances, but we had no reason to refuse.

“Sure, we don’t mind. Though we won’t have much to offer in terms of hospitality…”

In Japan, people have wedding receptions and all that, but weddings in this world are much simpler. I watched one before, and it was over in no time.

“Thank you very much.”

“So, what should we do until then?”

“I’d like to do some sightseeing.”

“Yeah. We should also check out the Adventurers' Guild and see what kind of requests are available.”

“In that case, I’d be happy to introduce you to some of the tourist attractions in the trade city.”

“Oh, that would be great. Thanks.”

And I needed to spend time with Nir too. She had been stuck at home for the past three days—she was probably sulking by now.

“The Commercial Guild here is quite large as well, so exploring it could be interesting.”

“Oh?”

“The central plaza has a variety of stalls, but the outer perimeter is also lined with different kinds of shops. It’s quite an interesting area.”

“Huh, so there are more shops beyond the central plaza.”

“By the way, is there a large, open area outside the city where no one really goes?”

“A wide-open area…?”

“Yeah. I want to let Nir run around freely.”

“I see. In that case, the northeast side of the city should be perfect. The roads stretch north and east, but the northeast is pretty much empty.”

“Oh, that’s good to know. Thanks.”

“Ah, by the way, about your accommodations—please feel free to continue using them during your stay.”

“No, no, that would be too much.”

We had made a fortune at the auction thanks to the Rashiyu Trading Company. Now that it was over, it felt wrong to keep staying at their expense.

“Not at all. Consider it part of our hospitality. And if you ever come across another lucrative business opportunity, we’d love to hear about it.”

Fleur flashed a charming smile.

It was impossible to say no to that. Of course, I had no choice but to accept.