"This mighty specimen of ancient origins has never been shown before. Its wingspan is thirty feet and will be a valuable asset in any fight. As its claws can pierce any armor no enemy will be safe."

Xuě Lù opened his eyes, but was met with a pitch black darkness.

"We'll start the bidding at thirty thousand stone, the seller is a vampire."

Where was he?

"Do I have someone for thirty-five? Yes, the wolf in the back."

Xuě Lù carefully walked towards the presenter. Towards the light.

"Do I have forty? Yes, forty-five? Fifty for the lime green fae at the front."

Xuě Lù walked into a door, but seamlessly passed through it without any hindrance.

"Someone for fifty-five? No, fifty-four?"

The door Xuě Lù just passed through was the entrance to a hall full of, people. At least some of them looked human.

"Anyone higher than fifty thousand stone for this magnificent creature?"

The room was filled to the brink with all kinds of beings.

"Going once... Going twice... And sold, to the lime green Fae in the first row!"

The winner of the auction was decidedly not human.

Xuě Lù stalked further into the hall, but stayed near the wall. These creatures didn't look very trustworthy and would trample any human they saw.

"And now our last piece, and the reason you all came here. The notebook of Xuě Lù and the god Whayphais or Lǔ Bān as his name was in the region the book was found. We start at five hundred thousand stone."

That name.

'Xuě Lù can you hand me my notes?'

The memory disappeared as soon as Xuě Lù had it in his hands. But the knowledge stayed, he knew the person carrying that name. He worked together with them.

"Do I have six hundred? Eight hundred in the back, for the red wolf? Anyone higher?"

Xuě Lù carefully edged closer towards the stairs, he'll have a better point of view there than inside the masses.

"One million for the cat in red. Two, three million for the tattooed centaur."

The notebook was a link to his past. It's very unlikely he randomly woke up here without proper memories or a corporate body. Something must have happened, and that notebook was the only link here to his past.

"Do I have four million? Four million for the cat in red, five million for the, six million for the red wolf."

The stairs were crowded with onlookers. Some of them cheered when someone of their own species was leading the bidding.

"Seven million for the tattooed centaur. Do I have eight?"

Luckily for Xuě Lù none of the onlookers noticed him. A young woman even walked through him, he truly did not possess a corporate body anymore.

"Ten million for the red wolf, fifteen, twenty million for the cat in red. Do I have higher?"

The centaur who had been bidding, dejectedly lowered his card and sat back. The price had become too high for them.

"Thirty million for the vampire lady in purple."

Xuě Lù looked down on the creatures in the hall. Now that he had a better vantage point he could see that there were three groups present.

"Do I have higher? Forty, fifty million for the vermilion fae."

One group was bidding in the hall and seemed to be rich enough to bid but not rich enough to actually pay outrageous sums. At least fifty million sounded like a lot of money.

"Do I have higher than fifty million stone?"

The fae had a smug expression on their face and there was booing from the spectators among Xuě Lù. He was standing with the second group, rich enough to be granted entrance but too poor to be an active participant.

"Two hundred million for the mer in stand thirteen."

The last group had earlier not participated but now showed their true colors. They were the truly rich and would most likely take the notebook home.

"Do I have more than two hundred million?"

Xuě Lù watched as the creatures in the hall all slowly sat down. They lost, now it was out of their hands.

"Three hundred for the light fae ruler in stand one."

With every bid different groups cheered and booed, depending on the species of the buyer.

"Four, five hundred for the shifter in stand three. Do I have higher."

The faun who was leading the auction, was jumping around in excitement.

"Six hundred for the mer in stand thirteen."

A fox spirit raised their hand and heightened the price.

"Seven hundred for the fox spirit in stand twenty-three."

Xuě Lù tried to locate every bidder, but it went too fast. He did manage to locate the fox spirit who was leaning on the railing to look down.

"Do I have eight hundred? Eight, no nine hundred for the light fae ruler. Do I have one billion?"

Without thinking Xuě Lù asked one of the bystanders how the payment system works. No one reacted and he realized that they of course can't hear him.

"One billion for the mer in stand thirteen. Do I have one-point-five billion?"

The crowd no longer cheered, but was as silent as the night. Who was willing to pay more?

"One-point-five billion for the shifter in stand three. Do I have two billion?"

No one in the crowd dared to breathe. Xuě Lù did not completely understand what was so important about the notebook that it was worth so much.

"Anyone higher than one-point-five billion stones?"

No one raised their hand to continue bidding.

"Going once..."

The creatures that were clearly not shifters started to murmur.

"Going twice..."

It's not quite an uproar threatening to happen, but Xuě Lù was happy in the knowledge that no one could physically harm him here.

"And sold, to the shifter in stand thirteen!"

The crowd pressed forward in a feeble attempt to climb the stage.

"If you could be so kind as to meet me backstage we can do the transfer."

The faun sprinted off the stage and disappeared behind the door Xuě lù previously used to enter the hall.

"Come back you coward! You can't sell it to him!"

Xuě Lù looked up at the stands to try and locate the buyer. He has to follow them, it might be his only clue. If he lost them he would never find the book again.

He maneuvered through the crowd to get back backstage. The loud faun was easily spotted and Xuě Lù followed him to a new room.

"I'm terribly sorry for the crowd, Morgon. I should have anticipated it and brought more security."

The faun was talking to the shifter who was silently listening. There were several other beings present, but they stayed in the shadows.

"The notebook is in this book, is there a specific way you want to pay? The supplier wants to stay anonymous."

The shifter grunted something and waved one of the onlookers towards them.

"Here, you can count it if you want to. Otherwise I'm on my way."

"I would never think you would be dishonest, this exchange will be considered finished."

The faun clapped his hands and disappeared together with the onlookers.

The shifter turned around and walked through Xuě Lù and opened the door.

They walked through underground halls. Door after door, and hallway after hallway. Till eventually they reached the outside world.

The moon shone on the stone streets. A shiver went down Xuě Lù's spine, it's cold outside. Something he could still feel.

The shifter didn't wait for him to collect himself, but kept walking down alley's and corridors. Xuě Lù had difficulty keeping up, but the walls didn't stop him, which gave him enough of an advantage to keep up.

Without further prompting the town ended and they entered the surrounding fields. The shifter moved towards a group of trees where someone was waiting.

"Beta, call the packs together. War is coming."

Xuě lù moved closer to get a better look at Beta's face, it should be a subordinate of the shifter when the moon appeared from behind a cloud.

It illuminated the shifter's and subordinate's faces. They were both heavily scarred.

"You! What did you do to him?!"

In the blink of an eye the subordinate had moved closer and had worked the shifter to the ground.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

The shifter died without as much as a peep.

Xuě Lù tried not to flinch when the subordinate, who in fact impersonated them, stood up and picked the notebook up from the ground.

After they had checked that it's complete, they turned around and walked into Xuě Lù.

"What- Who are you?"

Xuě Lù is worked to the ground before he can react, unable to move with the weight of the subordinate on his chest.

-

[grammar check]