"Pick up the damn call"

A few rings later, Lu Bela answered the call with, [I am busy right now.]

"You sure are."

[I am literally talking with a thousand people at once, keeping an eye on every bid and transaction, checking the validity of the items and inspecting the truth of whether that item truly belongs to them or not, and confirming the authenticity of every bid and transaction.]

"You can assign those tasks to someone else. Why do you take responsibility for everything?"

[I can't afford to mess up, and I don't want to blame my people for the same. Anyway, why did you call me? Make it quick.]

"It's about the house. Only fifteen minutes are left, and I haven't seen a house to my liking. Can you skip the rest and show the biggest ones?" Rudy asked calmly.

[There are many left on the list, and the list has been made according to a first come, first serve basis. The sellers who registered their items first were given priority.]

"I really think the auction should be lasting longer. Four hours is too short."

[I agree. I will increase the time to five hours next year. As for your request, change the list. The last two houses will be the biggest ones on the list. And if you don't like them, we can talk later at the after-party.

Even if the auction ends, the bidding will continue. We simply won't screen it. As you know, all the people present here are world-renowned, and their schedule is packed. I can't keep them here for long.

Otherwise, if I wanted, I would run the auction for a week, and there would be no one to stop me. I am sure you have a tight schedule too. The next bid will start in a few seconds. Good luck.]

BEEP~ BEEP!

"What did she say?" Rias asked curiously.

"She said the last two houses would be of my liking. Let's see if that's true or not."

[Congratulations! Bidding number 420 has won the bid and bought the place for three hundred and twenty billion dollars!]

A brief pause later, Kim said, [Now, to our last two. The next one is something we have never had for an auction before. It's an estate formerly owned by a power syndicate!]

"You have got to be kidding me"

"What's wrong?" Alice asked.

"This is Ross Estate. Maria and Mia's place. I can't believe they put it in an auction."

Since no seller was presenting the estate and it now belonged to the Underworld government the Underblades, Kim was presenting.

"Shouldn't you buy it, then? Maria would be happy to live in her house again."

Rudy used his see-through ability to look into the next room.

"Should I buy it?" Ruby asked Maria with a serious look on her face.

Maria shook her head and said, "No."

"Why not? We grew up in the house. Don't you want to spend the rest of your life there with Rudy and the harem?"

"I want to spend the rest of my life with Rudy and the harem, but not in this place. It was not a house, it was a cage! And you know it. We were allowed to do whatever we wanted, but we didn't live everyday life.

I don't hate Rusher or anyone. They did what they had to do to protect us. But if we go back to that place, we will never be able to live the life we want. We will forever stay chained.

The reason we disbanded the syndicate was to start a new life, so let's respect that decision and stop living in the past. We live in a pleasant present, and there is a fabulous future awaiting us."

"You are right. That place is our home, but all birds leave the nest one day. If we have to move forward and start a new life, we must let go of the past. I will follow you wherever you go, but I won't become a burden to you by living together with you or Rudy's harem. I will find something else to do and make sure I am not freeloading at the new place he buys," she asserted in a solemn voice.

"Believe me, he would never think of that. As long as you don't try to come in between or destroy Rudy and my relationship, he wouldn't do anything to you," she said calmly.

Rudy shook his head at Rias and said, "No. That's not my call to make."

Since Rudy or Ruby didn't bid, Lu Bela raised the starting bidding price so high that no one was able to buy it. She kept the Ross estate by herself.

[For the first time in all these years, an item has been left unbidden. Now, moving on to the last asset, in fact, the most valuable asset of this auction. We are presenting a royal castle dating back to over seven thousand years ago.

It's considered as one of the first dynasties ruled by humans. One could also say that their ancestors once lived there before spreading all around the world. Since it was made thousands of years ago, there are scriptures and signs of the primitive era.

It's no surprise that ancient architecture would be otherworldly, something we can't do in today's era, even with advanced technology. The castle was later renovated after a few hundred years, adding more to its beauty.

Every half-century, a new generation of kings was selected, and as time passed and new inventions were created, one after another, new things were added to the castle. Now you might wonder why such a historical thing is in this auction and not in the government's hands. Well, that's because we have the rightful heir to that dynasty present here with us, and she wants to sell it.]

"Goddamn! Now that's something I really want and is worthy of me. A freaking castle! I will buy it, no matter how much it costs!"