My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 935: The Secret Auction (Final)

Strangely, after the hostess’s grand announcement and all the explanations, the auction hall fell silent. No paddles were raised. No murmurs of excitement followed.

It was as if the entire room collectively hesitated — the kind of silence that comes not from disinterest, but from uncertainty.

Collectors whispered softly to their aides. A few even frowned. These wealthy people who had fought savagely over the phoenix egg moments ago and spent dozens of millions of credits over nonsensical items now looked reluctant — unsure whether this egg was worth the risk.

At that moment, Orion felt a tremor in his soul. His natural energy somehow got restless as if it wanted this spirit.

However, his excitement quickly gave way to reality. He didn’t have enough funds. Yes, he could ask his parents. Or take a loan from his master in secret, but after moving out of house, Orion walked into a new path and he didn’t want to depend on others.

At the same time, he felt like he was fated to be with that egg.

In desperation, his gaze darted to Kate beside him, who was calmly sipping her wine, half-bored after winning an exclusive item. Like others, she had absolutely no interest in this item.

"Kate," he whispered urgently.

She turned to him, eyebrows lifting at the tone in his voice. "Can you... bid on that egg for me?"

"What?"

"Please," Orion said, voice low but steady, "I’ll pay you with a few Earth Grade Artifacts I own. Or give me some time to sell them and return your money."

Kate stared at him for a moment, caught off guard by how serious he sounded.

"You really want that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Orion nodded once, sharply. "Yes."

Her gaze flicked to the front, where the hostess, realizing the eerie silence, spoke again: "If there are no bids in the next sixty seconds, the item will be withdrawn."

Orion stared at the blonde. "You know where I live. You can be assured that I will pay you back if you don’t want the artifact."

Kate exhaled softly, still confused but deciding to trust his judgment. Then, with a graceful motion, she raised her paddle high.

Following, three paddles were raised along.

The hostess inwardly sighed in relief and smiled. Her co-host then said, "Now, for 21 million..."

"22 million"

"23 million"

.

.

.

"30 million."

"31 million."

When 31 million was spoken, two put down the paddles; only Table 10’s woman of House Storm raised the paddle. Meanwhile, Orion’s heart beat only rose faster and faster. 20 million would be fine, but it crossed 30 million. Can he really pay back the amount? At worst, he decided to sell half of the company to Selene to get more funding to pay debt to Kate.

"32 million..."

"33 million..."

.

.

.

"44 million."

And then as her Table 10 withdraws...

"44 million... Sold to Table 9. Congratulations," the hostess declared, sounding genuinely relieved that someone had bought this in. After all, the reaction wasn’t great when its bidding was announced.

Once the hostess confirmed the transaction, the assistants brought over the Tyrannosaurus Egg carefully encased in a transparent case.

And without hesitation, Kate turned toward Orion and extended it toward him.

Orion blinked, startled. "You’re... giving it to me already? You can keep it with you until I pay it back."

Kate smiled lightly, that familiar calm confidence on her face. "You said you’d pay me back, didn’t you? I trust you."

For a brief second, Orion was silent — not because of the gesture itself, but because of the ease with which she said it. Those words weren’t something he was used to receiving.

"Thank you, Kate," he said sincerely, carefully taking the egg with both hands.

Without drawing any attention, he stored it in his storage card.

Moments later, the host and hostess returned to the stage one last time, bowing gracefully to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes tonight’s auction. Thank you all for your cooperation and presence. We hope to see you again next year, with better products."

A wave of polite applause filled the grand hall. Guests began rising, murmuring softly as they prepared to leave. The dungeon’s suppressive field faded away, soul energy flowing freely again.

Contrary to what Kate had warned earlier — that someone might attack or cause trouble after the auction — nothing of the sort happened on the way back to the hotel.

No assassins.

No schemes.

No chaos.

Kate and Orion reached their room. Once they settled down, Orion removed his mask and leaned back on the couch, exhaling deeply.

"Thank you, Kate," he said again, this time more solemnly. "We’ve barely known each other for two days, yet you didn’t even hesitate to lend me 44 million credits. That’s... not a small favor."

Kate poured herself a glass of water and smiled. "It’s fine. You can take your time returning it. I’m not in need of money."

But Orion shook his head. "It matters to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Orion’s tone grew quieter, distant — the kind of calm that comes after years of struggle. "Because the longer it takes to repay one’s debt, the more it weighs on the borrower’s mind. For the sake of attaining peace in my mind," Staring at her seriously, he said, "No matter what, I will pay you back in one week, i.e., by next Sunday."

Kate looked at him for a long moment with various thoughts in her head. She then poured herself a glass of water and sat beside him, crossing her legs. All this while, she seriously pondered his words. Taking a sip of water, she set her glass down and said with a faint grin, "Instead of money, how about you owe me one."

Orion raised his brows. "Owe you?"

Kate nodded, her tone playful but her eyes sharp with business instinct.

"Yes. How about this..." She then said, "Whenever I ask of you, without question, you must guard me for a certain period of time, like 1 million per day. So, 44 days of your life are mine to command. What do you say?"

Orion leaned back, quietly studying her. He could tell she wasn’t joking.

Inside, his thoughts turned fast about her scheme.

But in the end, Orion must agree that Kate helped him when she didn’t have to.

Taking a slow breath, Orion replied, "Alright, but my task will only be protecting you and nothing else."

Kate let out a teasing grin, "Nothing else means? Don’t tell me you think I will take advantage of you or something."

"No, I mean I won’t kill for you. I only defend you." As Orion nonchalantly corrected, Kate gave a nod. "of course, that goes without saying..."

"Deal." She extended her hand. Orion hesitated just a second, then took it firmly.

"Looking forward to seeing you again, partner," she said with a chuckle. After a few seconds, she then got up from the couch and stretched her body. "Anyway, I’m dead tired. *yawn* I’ll go and take a shower."

While she was in the shower, Orion pulled out his smartphone and texted Luna, becoming busy with chatting for a while, until she came out in a loose pajama set and directly climbed the bed instead. Orion blinked in mild surprise. "You’re not heading back tonight? Is it tomorrow? When is the flight?"