···

As the carriage stopped at the auction house’s entrance, about ten minutes before the auction began, the timing was just right. It wasn’t too early to avoid encountering others for small talk, yet not too late to miss the beginning of the auction.

This auction house was the biggest auction in the entire city of Holy Lotean. The manager responsible for welcoming guests at the entrance was specially trained. They recognized the emblems of nobility within Holy Lotean City and made a mental note of the appearances of guests attending the auction. Although Duke Rogest rarely participated in auctions, his arrival was not unnoticed.

When the carriage from the Duke’s mansion arrived, the welcoming manager immediately recognized them, surprised by the unexpected scale of this auction that lacked prior publicity. It had managed to attract the attention of the entire aristocracy of Holy Lotean, especially considering the sizable escort accompanying the carriage, indicating the importance of the passengers. It was evident that these were not ordinary attendees but individuals of high status, likely belonging to the Duke’s entourage.

In less than two seconds of observing this, the welcoming manager promptly instructed his assistant to inform the auction house’s owner, while he himself approached the carriage. As the carriage door opened, he stood respectfully by the side, bowing to greet.

When the occupants of the carriage emerged, he felt relieved that he had notified the owner promptly. To his surprise, it was none other than the Duke himself who had come in person.

“Good evening, Your Grace, and greetings to the two young master and miss.”

With practiced courtesy, the manager handed them an invitation. The signature on the invitation was not Duke Rogest’s, leaving some mystery.

Confirming that the Duke was indeed here for the auction, the manager immediately led them inside.

On the way, Amos asked, “Do we have a list of tonight’s auction items?”

The magical beast merchant provided an invitation along with the delivery. Although auction listings were generally not distributed openly, especially when the auction relied on word of mouth rather than formal advertising, the invitation from the magical beast merchant also served as an entry ticket. When they received an invitation from the magical beast merchant, it implied a personal invitation to attend, and the auction listing was often included.

“Yes, each private room has an auction listing. Once you are in the room, you will have it,” the reception manager answered. While responding, he mentally reviewed the items to be auctioned that night. Aside from a few Gryphon eggs, which were relatively common magical creatures, there seemed to be something special. Why were the Duke and his party specifically interested in Gryphon eggs?

There were quite a few Gryphon eggs up for auction, which might have caught the interest of the Duke’s household known for their fascination with magical creatures.

Weren’t there rumors that Duke Rogest didn’t particularly enjoy keeping magical creatures as pets?

The manager led them not to the designated positions on the invitation but to a VIP private room prepared for esteemed guests. The rooms were numerous, some vacant, with reserved signs indicating they would only be occupied when important guests arrived.

As they reached their destination, the owner of the auction house, a viscount, was already waiting for them halfway.

“Good evening, Your Grace.”

The Duke nodded in acknowledgment. “Good evening, Viscount Davis.”

“To have you here tonight is truly a surprise. Welcome, welcome,” Viscount Davis warmly took over the reception manager’s duties, extending his welcome to the Duke.

Although Viscount Davis held a lower title, his influence was not negligible, and he had some connections with the imperial family. He carried himself in a way that suggested he felt the Duke should show him some respect. Despite his warm attitude, Davis was not overly obsequious. With a humorous and witty demeanor, he had a charming personality that easily facilitated a sense of camaraderie between the two parties.

On the Duke’s side, there was a keen awareness of the potential business opportunities in building a good social relationship with Davis. The conversation between them flowed pleasantly. Upon reaching the private room, the Duke even extended an invitation for Davies to stay.

Taking advantage of the socializing, Amos entered one of the rooms, picked up an auction listing, and joined his sister, who was already seated on the other side of a luxurious sofa. They lean in together, heads close, and browsed through the listing.

During their journey in the carriage, Amos had asked Aresia many questions. With a concept of the beast companion contract already formed, he was eagerly anticipating the creature he was about to acquire.

The auction listing presented a visual introduction to each item. Amos quickly flipped through the pages, drawn to the glamorous and colorful depiction of noble ladies’ beloved pets. He then focused on the finale of the night: three Gryphon eggs.

Tonight’s auction featured a thematic collection of Gryphon eggs, and these three were from the same nest. However, they were not ordinary white-maned Gryphons; they were golden Gryphons.

Golden Gryphons were a level higher than white-maned Gryphons, possessing strength equivalent to or even surpassing sixth or seventh level creatures. In terms of potential, they were considered superior to the widely known Arachness.

Moreover, the golden Gryphon had a larger physique than other Gryphons, with feathers and wings colored in a beautiful golden hue. Their eyes resembled flaming golden flames, making them exceptionally attractive. Notably, the emblem of House Rogest, the Duke’s family, was inspired by the appearance of a golden Gryphon.

As Amos gazed upon the three golden Gryphon eggs set to be auctioned that night, he immediately sensed the presence of his destined companion.

Originally, Amos want to help Aresia choose a suitable magical beast, but to his surprise, all he saw were magical beasts suitable as mounts. He couldn’t think of anything else.

Amos was particularly afraid of the fierce and beautiful magical beasts, each one being a precious baby. Especially the horse-shaped magical beasts. The similarity to horses in terms of diet made these magical beasts higher in status among knights. Even in the wild, encountering them rarely led to attacks, and people would choose to bypass them. Today, with the popularity of magical pets, Amos felt that he was becoming foolishly eager.

Moreover, Aresia said that the magical beasts for a contract can be at least two, shouldn’t they?

He turned to Aresia, his eyes shining as if he had an idea. “I think…”

Aresia, already anticipating Amos’s thoughts, interrupted him without waiting for him to finish. “No, Gryphons like to eat horse meat. It’s like buying one just to let it be eaten by the Gryphon.”

“Or, if you don’t want a golden Gryphon, I’ll ask Father to buy this one,” she added.

“What do you need it for?” The voice of the Duke, their father, came from nearby. The siblings looked up, realizing that Lord Davis had already left, leaving only the three of them in the room.

Without an outsider present, they spoke without reservation. Aresia immediately reported, “Father, Amos wants to buy another horse-shaped magical beast. I think he wants to raise a Gryphon, so let’s not choose this one because the Gryphon might just eat the horsed-shaped beast.”

“Good point,” the Duke praised and nodded. He knew well the habits of Gryphons.

He then turned to Amos. “Amos, today is a good day. Whether it’s a Gryphon egg or another magical beast, make a choice.”

Amos protested, “Why should I only buy one? If I don’t buy a horse-shaped magical beast, I’ll buy another one. I’ll spend my own money.”

As the eldest son of the Duke’s house, Amos had a substantial allowance compared to Aresia. His parents had given him considerable wealth, and with his position in the knight’s order, where he served as a captain, the spoils from clearing magical beasts added up to a significant income. With all this, he had enough to bid on some items in the current auction.