The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!-Chapter 324: Scarlet Ring

The auction hall was not far from the auditorium where the guests had gathered earlier.

The room was spacious—nearly twice the size of the previous hall. Eight silver pillars stood firmly as supports, and at the front, a two-meter-high stage served as the place where the auctioneer would present the items for sale.

Merlin stepped inside with Linda and looked around in awe.

"What a massive auction hall," he murmured.

It was worth noting that Merlin had attended an auction organized by the city government two years before his death.

That event had been grand, featuring valuable relics from the imperial era.

But compared to the auction about to begin, the one he had attended before felt like child's play—especially the venue, which, in comparison, was like heaven and earth.

Merlin continued forward until he reached the seating area. The rows of seats were similar to those in most auction houses—slightly curved and rising upward from the front to the back.

At the very top were three special sections, apparently reserved for VIP guests.

"Where should we sit, Master?" Merlin asked softly.

Linda glanced around before spotting a comfortable place on the right side.

"What about over there?" she said, pointing.

Merlin nodded and walked toward the two seats.

Other guests were also taking their seats one by one.

While waiting for everyone to settle down, Merlin looked around, and his gaze eventually fell on the three VIP sections at the very back.

From their elevated position, they had a clear view of all the seats below.

"Who are the guests in those sections, Master?" Merlin asked.

Linda turned back and replied, "I'm not sure. But they're clearly high-profile guests. Perhaps the head of the Beethoven family is among them."

"The head of the Beethoven family?" Merlin was surprised.

The head of the Beethoven family was Fenric Beethoven, Margaret Beethoven's father.

Meeting him would certainly be interesting. Most of Merlin's plans required vast amounts of money, and the Beethoven family would be the perfect partner.

That was also why he had wanted to win Margaret over in the past. Fortunately, the girl had fallen completely in love with him.

Just as Merlin was lost in thought, a voice rang out from the stage.

"All right, everyone. Thank you for joining us at this auction."

Graham greeted them with a warm smile.

He clasped his hands behind his back and calmly surveyed the guests before continuing, "As I promised, this auction will be quite interesting. There are many valuable items that I'm sure will captivate you. However, the format of this auction is a bit different from what you might be used to."

He paused for a moment, stepped forward, and said with a meaningful look, "What I propose instead is an exchange. As long as you possess valuable items, I am willing to trade for them. What do you think?"

Silence filled the room. Everyone was stunned—they hadn't expected the Arden family to use a barter system instead of money.

Then they remembered the Arden family's immense wealth. As the second-richest family after the Beethovens, it was unlikely they needed money from anyone present.

Unbeknownst to them, the atmosphere in the auction hall had grown tense. No one knew whether there would be any items that truly interested them.

But if there were, a battle would surely follow. Not one fought with power, but a clash of wealth, with each person spending lavishly to obtain what they desired.

"Interesting. A little chaos might be brewing," Linda murmured with a faint smile.

She understood the Arden family's motive for organizing the auction this way. There were two possibilities: to obtain items they desired from the guests or to sow discord among the First Spirit Core experts.

Of the two, Linda leaned toward the first. It was highly likely the Arden family needed something, which was why they dared to hold an auction based on barter rather than money.

Merlin, seated beside her, smiled as well. He agreed with Linda's assessment.

In such a charged situation, tensions would rise, and those unable to control their egos might lash out in conflict.

Of course, under those circumstances, Merlin and Linda would most likely have already returned safely to the academy.

"Alright. Let's begin the auction!"

As Graham's voice echoed throughout the hall, the guests erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"First item."

Graham snapped his fingers. The curtain behind him parted, and a man stepped out, pushing a glass display case.

Inside lay a rose-shaped ring of deep crimson, glowing faintly under the spotlight.

All the guests who saw it were instantly captivated. The ring was breathtakingly beautiful, as if it could charm anyone who gazed upon it.

"As you can see, this ring is the first item to be auctioned. Its name is Scarlet. This is no ordinary ring, but a mythic-tier artifact."

Upon hearing the word "mythic," everyone's eyes widened. Mythic-tier artifacts were extremely rare—obtaining one was nearly impossible unless one explored ancient ruins or stumbled upon it by pure chance.

However, the latter demanded an almost impossible level of luck.

"A mythic-tier item?" Linda knitted her brow. "I didn't expect the first item to be of such a high tier. The Arden family is truly daring."

Even at the academy, there were only a handful of mythic-tier items, which spoke volumes about their value.

Merlin stared intently at the ring and whispered, "System, identify the item."

"[Ding! Identifying the Scarlet Ring… Ding! Success!]"

Name: Scarlet

Grade: Mythic (Imperfect)

Description: A ring crafted by a master smith who specializes in forging at the First Spirit Core level. This ring symbolizes power and fury. The user gains an 80% increase in strength for three minutes. However, there is a price to pay—blood and soul power. The longer it is used, the greater the cost. Note: This is an imperfect item, so its full abilities cannot be unleashed.

Merlin read the description and frowned.

'An imperfect mythic item? No wonder the Arden family dared to put it up for auction—it's defective,' he muttered.

Mythic items could be formed in two ways: naturally or artificially. Those formed naturally were, of course, far more powerful.

One example was Luna's Blazion Spear, which had been born naturally from the world and possessed extraordinary destructive power.

There was no significant cost to using it other than fatigue.

Unlike naturally formed mythic items, artificially created ones often had many flaws, and the Scarlet Ring was a prime example.

Even so, it was still a mythic-tier artifact, and its power was beyond doubt.

The Scarlet Ring could increase the user's strength by up to eighty percent—a capability that was almost unbelievable.

If a First Spirit Core expert gained such a boost in battle, their opponent would almost certainly be killed instantly.

"I'll begin the auction. But first…" Graham smiled faintly. "Allow me to explain its capabilities. The Scarlet Ring possesses extraordinary power—its wielder can increase their strength by up to eighty percent."

Upon hearing this, everyone—including Linda—was stunned. An increase of up to eighty percent was truly astonishing.

Most legendary-tier artifacts only boosted power by twenty to thirty percent.

Yet the Scarlet Ring could enhance the user's strength by as much as eighty percent, which showed just how remarkable it was.

Furthermore, mythic-tier artifacts capable of amplifying power were extremely rare—only two or three were known to exist.

All of them were already in the hands of renowned experts and were virtually impossible to obtain.

"If I could get my hands on it, it would definitely help me in the future," Linda muttered under her breath.

But Merlin, sitting beside her, heard everything. He leaned toward her ear and whispered, "I suggest you abandon that idea, Master. That artifact isn't perfect, and using it will only harm you."

Startled by his words, Linda turned to him and asked hesitantly, "How do you know?"

Merlin had no intention of answering. Leaning back against the plush chair, he replied briefly, "You'll see for yourself later."

Linda was annoyed by his mysterious attitude, but she trusted him completely, so she chose to wait patiently for Graham's explanation.

On stage, Graham observed the guests' reactions with a satisfied expression before saying, "However, I must be honest. The Scarlet Ring has a rather fatal flaw. The eighty-percent power boost is real, but there is a price to pay—blood and soul power. Furthermore, the effect lasts only three minutes. So I hope you all understand this and think carefully before making an offer."

His words were like cold water poured over burning embers. Everyone's enthusiasm died out instantly.

They hadn't expected the side effects to be so severe. Losing blood was still tolerable, but losing soul power was a far more serious matter.

Soul power was like lifeblood to the soul itself. Blood allowed the body to function, while soul power sustained the soul.

If too much soul power were lost, they would become paralyzed—reduced to wooden dolls incapable of doing anything but staring blankly ahead.

Linda turned to Merlin with a puzzled expression. A single question surfaced in her mind: 'How does this kid know?'

As if sensing her gaze, Merlin flashed a proud smile.

Linda: "…"