He quietly approached the two warriors and whispered, “Go find him something to eat.” The warriors pulled long faces. “Captain, this is the city—we can’t go hunting, and we’ve already spent all our money. The appetite of a divine beast is just too big; we’ve been broke for a long time…” The archer captain’s heart skipped a beat. Only now did he remember that his squad had already been eaten into poverty by the “divine beast”! He racked his brains, watching as the divine beast grew weaker and weaker, and finally steeled himself. Gritting his teeth, he took off his own bow: “Take this and sell it, get some food in exchange!” As Henry Bennett began to feast, the bidding below had already reached a fever pitch. Jason called out a new high bid: “Three million gold coins!” Robert’s eyes were bloodshot, his face ashen, and he roared viciously, “Three and a half million! Three and a half million!” That was the highest price he could offer. If Jason raised the bid again, he would be powerless.

Jason didn’t let up, a hint of cunning glinting in his deep blue, captivating eyes: “Four million!” He held up four fingers and said calmly, but firmly.

“Ah!” Amid the crowd’s exclamations, Robert withdrew in dejection, his resentment toward Jason reaching a peak! Jason didn’t care in the slightest. In his eyes, Robert was never a real threat. Even if he hated him to the core, there was nothing he could do—at most, curse him in his heart.

A high price of four million gold coins secured an intelligent divine beast, and Jason was quite satisfied. Having driven away the annoying rival, the First Guardian Beast Warrior regained his usual poise, waving gracefully and smiling warmly at the ladies around him.

“Four million gold coins! Four million gold coins!” The archer captain was so excited he could barely speak, shouting loudly, “Any higher bids?” He called out twice, but no one answered. Four million gold coins for an intelligent divine beast was already an astronomical price. The archer captain only hoped the deal would end quickly, so he could get his four million gold coins and never again have to brave the elements or risk his life fighting monsters—he could just sleep every day atop his jingling pile of gold!

Jason was determined to win, and the high price of four million scared off all other competitors.

But someone just had to be uncooperative. Just as both buyer and seller were about to toast to the deal, a beautiful voice rang out: “Hold on!”

Chapter 008: The Duchess

“Hold on!” The voice arrived before the person did. Two rows of sword-wielding guards parted the crowd, opening a path. A woman in a red velvet coat and a fiery red fox-fur hat entered, protected by four tall, strong lion-man guards. Everyone saw that her fox-fur hat was adorned with four strips of sable fur—a symbol of ducal rank. In Swallow Sea City, only the city’s grand duchess, Cameron, could wear a hat with four sable strips.

All around, people knelt. “City Lord!” Cameron gently raised her hand. “Children of God, please rise.” Chestnut hair spilled from beneath her fiery fox-fur hat.

“Honored Grand Duchess, may I ask if you have any instructions for Jason?” Jason’s admiration for Cameron was well known throughout the church. It was nothing unusual, since the number of Cameron’s suitors in the church was enough to form three ducal guard squads.

Nobles could form their own guards—the higher the rank, the larger the guard. A duke’s guard, at full strength, numbered five hundred.

When that pleasant voice sounded in Henry Bennett’s ear, he was gnawing on a bone, in the most unrefined way possible. “This is an intelligent divine beast?” Henry Bennett was wrestling with the bone, glanced over casually, and was instantly struck as if by lightning. The bone fell from his hand, he dumbly spat out the meat in his mouth, and began muttering nonstop, “Greatly compassionate, greatly merciful, greatly wise and virtuous Guanyin Bodhisattva…” Cameron frowned slightly. “A magical beast is still a magical beast…” At this moment, of Henry Bennett’s six senses, only sight was still working, his eyes filled with the noble figure and delicate, ethereal face of the duchess. His head turned as Cameron moved, his gaze following her, staring unblinkingly.

“Honored Guardian Beast Warrior Jason, would you be willing to let me have this divine beast?” Cameron nodded slightly to Jason. Jason found it hard to refuse Cameron. Although he was determined to win the intelligent divine beast, faced with the lady’s request, he bowed out gracefully: “As you command, breathtakingly beautiful Lady Cameron. Jason can withdraw, but according to the auction rules, you must bid higher than Jason.” For a man to yield to a woman’s beauty is no shame—so long as the woman is worth it.

Cameron smiled faintly. “I bid four and a half million gold coins!” If it were anyone else, they would have made a token bid just above Jason’s, but Cameron’s status did not allow for that. She raised the bid by half a million, perfectly reflecting her noble rank.