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Chapter 407

“So what are you trying to say?”

“What am I trying to say?! The fact that this Adventurer is in possession of a biological weapon of mass destruction is proof that the Proatine Kingdom is engaged in dark magic and carrying out experiments on humans!”

“So?”

“What do you mean by so?! The emperor is to immediately arrest that criminal according to international laws and carry out a thorough inspection of the Proatine Kingdom!”

George the Third forgot to control his hot temperament as he screamed at Emperor Stuttgart.

“What is the purpose of this World Peace Conference? Is it not for us rulers to safeguard the peace and order on the continent? Emperor Stuttgart! Don’t forget your duties as the chairman of this conference!”

‘That’s a bit...’

‘Isn’t he taking it too far?’

‘What’s wrong with him today?’

Some of the rulers felt George the Third was taking it too far. He was infamous for his hot temper among the rulers, but he was definitely crossing the line today.

Who was he talking to right now?

He was talking to none other than the Emperor of the Marchioni Empire. Emperor Stuttgart possessed the power to raze several kingdoms to the ground in the proverbial blink of an eye.

“George the Third,” Emperor Stuttgart said in response.

“Speak!” George the Third replied.

“Do you really believe I have forgotten my duties?”

“N-No, that\'s...!”

“Then why don’t you become the chairman instead?”

George the Third realized it just then.

‘Oh shit! I’m fucked!’

“I guess you can contribute as much as I am contributing to the World Peace Fund. Your troops can replace my troops in the safekeeping forces, and you can pay their upkeep costs instead of me, too.”

“Heok!”

George the Third’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. The position of chairman of this conference was definitely not something to be taken lightly.

With great power came great responsibilities...

The famous quote from the Marvel Superhero Comics, Spiderman,

applied to Emperor Stuttgart. His responsibilities as the chairman were heavy, and the heaviest among his responsibilities was money.

The amount Emperor Stuttgart had been contributing to world peace was not a figure that even George the Third—a king of a powerful kingdom—could cover. In fact, it was widely known that the contributions of the Marchioni Empire were at least two to three times the amount contributed by all of the other nations combined.

“George the Third.”

“Y-Yes?”

“You seem to be itching these days?”

“No! I am not!”

“I am fine with you sharing your thoughts with the rest of us, but it will be problematic if you take it too far, don’t you think so? Perhaps have you forgotten who I am?”

“I-I apologize...” George the Third immediately conceded to the emperor.

‘Damn it! There’s nothing I can do when the empire is at least thirty folds stronger than me...!’

It was said that power was relative, and George the Third was nothing but a weakling in front of Emperor Stuttgart.

“Be respectful when stating your opinions.”

“Y-Yes, I will...”

“Were you bothered by Siegfried van Proa auctioning a biological weapon?”

“Yes, I was.”

“Do some of you have the same opinion?” Emperor Stuttgart asked while looking around, and then he added, “But there is no reason to search the Proatine Kingdom. That vial was obtained by Siegfried van Proa after conquering the Great Rift.”

‘I love you! Your Imperial Majesty! Hell yeah!’ Siegfried felt like bowing on the ground toward the emperor.

Who would have imagined the emperor was going to back him up so strongly? The emperor hadn\'t done it explicitly, but he was definitely helping Siegfried in more ways than one right now.

“So, what is the problem when he wants to put up for auction something he had obtained by chance? If you feel wronged, then you can dispatch your knights to the Great Rift, too, rather than calling him an international criminal or an Axis of Evil. Don’t you all agree?” Emperor Stuttgart asked the rulers present.

“Hmm... I agree.”

“I completely agree with Your Imperial Majesty!”

“I wholly support Your Imperial Majesty’s opinion!”

The rulers expressed their support for what the emperor said.

Then, Emperor Stuttgart further continued, “Also, why don’t you invest in a cure if you’re so scared of the curse? The Curse of Decay is scary, but I believe it is possible to develop a cure for it with our current technology.”

None of the rulers could retort, but a few of them completely disagreed with him this time—albeit inwardly.

‘Do you have any idea how much that’s going to cost?!’

‘Ptooey! Are you bragging about how wealthy you are?!’

‘Sigh... Does he think we don’t want a cure? We just can’t afford to do so...’

‘We would need to start austerity measures just to afford the research of the cure, and there’s no guarantee we would succeed in finding one too!’

The rulers inwardly cussed at Emperor Stuttgart, but none of them dared to voice what they were thinking.

Why?

Because none of them wanted to get on the emperor’s bad side.

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Siegfried immediately responded to the emperor’s call.

“Continue the auction.”

“I thank you for your grace, sire!”

That was how Siegfried was able to put the Essence of Decayed Blood up for auction, and the Ruler’s Auction then resumed.

***

The Essence of Decayed Blood was extremely popular right off the bat.

“Forty million gold!”

“Forty-one million gold!”

“Fifty million!”

“Damn it! Fifty-one million gold!”

The rulers bid for the Essence of Decayed Blood with bloodshot eyes.

They had no other choice than to bid for it.

Why?

It would be catastrophic if a competitor managed to win the auction. After all, that competitor of theirs could use the curse on their land.

Not only that, whoever had the Essence of Decayed Blood did not have to spend money developing a cure, and the curse was also going to serve as an excellent political card to put pressure on their rivals.

Lastly, having the Essence of Decayed Blood was going to make it easier for them to develop a cure, as they could use it to run tests.

George the Third knew this as well, so he started bidding for the Essence of Decayed Blood as if he was waging war on others.

“Sixty-one million gold!”

He placed one of the highest bids made in this Ruler’s Auction event. Still, it was well worth the money, as spending this amount was better than his entire kingdom turning into a lair of ghouls.

“...”

On the other hand, King Portmund’s face looked downcast, and his face darkened whenever George the Third bid a higher price. He knew his entire kingdom was going to turn into ghouls once George the Third got his hands on the Essence of Decayed Blood.

Unfortunately, King Portmund couldn\'t jump into the auction because he didn\'t have enough money to do so.

“SEVENTY MILLION GOLD!” George the Third shot up and screamed before adding, “I won’t go higher than this! Damn it! It’s better to just develop a cure than pay more than this!”

The ridiculous seventy million gold bid by George the Third had defeated every other competitor in the bidding.

“The item auctioned by His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa, has been sold for seventy million gold to His Majesty, King George the Third!”

George the Third was now the owner of the Essence of Decayed Blood.

“Ah...” King Portmund muttered in despair. It was over for him and his kingdom the moment George the Third unleashed the curse on his land.

‘Damn it!’

‘I can’t imagine what kind of power trip that guy’s going to go on with that thing!’

‘Ah... I guess I’ll have to send a delegation after this and get on that guy’s good side...’

‘Why does it have to be George the Third of all people...’

George the Third had spent a fortune to win the Essence of Decayed Blood, but he also stood to gain immense value from obtaining it.

Not only had he solidified his influence in the international community thanks to the Essence of Decayed Blood, but he had also reaped another unexpected benefit from it.

The biological weapon of mass destruction was an excellent tool to force those at odds with him to start spending a massive chunk of their fortune on developing a cure for the curse of Decay.

“Ah! What are we going to do? Such a destructive weapon is now in the hands of a tyrant, and my kingdom... my kingdom is going to be...!” King Portmund lamented.

On the other hand, George the Third could not hide his delight as he cackled and mocked the rulers that he knew wouldn\'t be able to afford to develop a cure for the curse.

“Bwahahaha! Who wants to have the taste of getting turned into a ghoul?!” he sneered.

“Tsk... Look at him,” Siegfried clicked his tongue.

How could someone be such a scum? One would not associate George the Third with royalty if they saw what he was doing. They would probably think of him as some back alley thug in a marketplace.

This was probably a good example of how money and power couldn\'t build one’s character.

The auctioneer approached Siegfried and asked, “Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa. Do you wish to end the auction or...?”

“Ah, I still have one more left,” Siegfried replied with a smirk.

“Oh, really, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

“What does Your Majesty wish to auction this time?”

“I’m going to auction...” Siegfried muttered before he broke out into a sleazy grin.

***

Siegfried did not stop after auctioning off the Essence of Decayed Blood.

“Respected ladies and gentlemen! I am honored to announce that His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa, will be auctioning another item!”

All eyes in the venue darted toward the podium where Siegfried was standing. Everyone was looking forward to what he was going to auction this time. After all, he had just put up two extremely valuable items for auction.

“His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa, has auctioned these two potions!” the auctioneer announced as he revealed two potions.

One of the kings asked, “What are those potions?”

Siegfried replied, “These potions are called Type I Elixir and Type II Elixir.”

“I can see that, but what do they do?”

“The Type I Elixir is a vaccine for the Curse of Decay while the Type II Elixir is a cure for the curse. I wish to sell these potions for a reasonable price.

"You can purchase as much as you want from me, as my kingdom has successfully replicated these potions, and we have plenty in stock. If anyone wants these, then please feel free to buy as much as you want for a fair price...”

Siegfried\'s words had yet to finish echoing in the air when a shrill cry akin to a wounded animal\'s roar burst out of George the Third.

“Siegfried van Proa! YOU FUCKING SCUMBAAAAG!”