Chapter 41 was sold at the auction~

"I thought cats had very sensitive hearing and smell."

"I also thought witches would put magic on equipment."

Ashlin scratched her face and sighed deeply. This was not the start of the new journey she had envisioned.

Fortunately, whoever took her spatial backpack couldn't open it. To thieves, the bag was just junk; if they were lucky, they could still get it back.

"Interestingly, I smell a leopard." The black cat sniffed.

Ashley recalled that there was indeed a leopard girl arm wrestling last night, but she couldn't remember exactly what she looked like.

They quickly packed up the rest of their belongings and rushed downstairs.

It's too early now; the area downstairs is empty except for the dwarf owner and a human servant.

"Have you seen a leopard?" Ashlin was running so fast that her hat almost flew off and hit the dwarf's face; she quickly caught it.

The dwarf didn't even raise his head.

"Have human girls forgotten how to say 'good day' and 'please' these days?"

"Excuse me. Good day, have you seen a leopard?"

The dwarf lazily arranged the wine bottles on the shelf.

Why should I answer your question?

Leopards are known for their speed. Time was of the essence; they didn't have time to play games with the dwarves.

However, Ashlin didn't want to threaten people with forest magic every time she went to a tavern, otherwise she would probably be blacklisted by all the taverns in the future.

The dwarf raised an eyebrow: "You mean...?"

Ashlyn glanced quickly at Lucas.

“Meow, you know this isn’t part of Dias territory, right?” Lucas reminded him in cat language.

But Ashlin ignored him and glared fiercely at the dwarf boss.

The dwarf clearly didn't take her words seriously. "What is your relationship with Prince Dias, a mere little witch?"

Ashlin burst into exaggerated laughter.

"Relationship? Ha, we've been best friends since childhood! Inseparable, we talk about everything. Just imagine what would happen to the prince of the human kingdom if he found out that all his friend's belongings had been stolen by some guy in a dwarf inn!"

The dwarf stroked his beard.

"Humans and dwarves have different rules. I keep my guests' secrets. Whatever happens is not my concern."

“Very good,” Ashlin said through gritted teeth. “Perhaps after seeing this, you will change your mind.”

*Thump!* She dramatically slammed something onto the counter.

It was an envelope from the royal city of Helian, bearing the city's signature golden sun-patterned sealing wax.

“Hey, why didn’t you give this back to me?” Lucas protested.

“This is a letter the prince wrote to me personally,” Ashlin said, holding up the envelope with an air of importance. “If you don’t tell me about the leopard guest, I will write back to him right now.”

Actually, it was a letter Princess Elaine wrote to Lucas. But it was pretty much the same.

“Your acting has improved!” Lucas encouraged her.

The shop owner examined the sealing wax carefully.

Dwarves possess an innate sensitivity to all crafts, much like elves' perception of art. He was only convinced when he realized it truly came from the legitimate royal family.

“The leopard girl’s name is Rae.” The dwarf handed the envelope back to her. “She’s a wanted criminal from Coldclaw Forest. She’s been wanted by the orcs for a long time and now she’s wandering around here, stealing things.”

Do you know where she went?

"I have absolutely no idea."

"Then, you might want to know what the dungeons in Helian City look like."

“Ashley, we never throw innkeepers who don’t catch thieves into the dungeon,” Lucas clarified.

However, the dwarf boss still hesitated.

“I heard her say yesterday that she was going to some kind of auction, somewhere in the north, towards the direction of Coldclaw Forest. There are a lot of orcs there, so she should be able to disguise herself very well.”

Out of fear of the dungeons of Helian, he thoughtfully drew them a detailed route.

On the way, Ashlin tried to tell herself not to panic. This was no big deal; she had even fought elves who colluded with dark magic, she couldn't possibly lose to an orc thief in the end.

In any case, her magic is no longer just about making plants run wild; if necessary, she can scare thieves and merchants at any time.

Lucas was not as optimistic as she was.

Ashlin guessed that the fact that he could only transform into a cat-person for one hour at midnight each day greatly affected his mood.

“We have to get it back before the thief sells it,” he said. “We can’t afford to bid on your magic backpack if it goes up for auction.”

The auction was held in a small human village called Nosi, in the village chief's basement. It had taken them almost a whole day to get there; they had no food or money, and could only survive on the few dried apples they had left in their pockets. Fortunately, Nosi was also on the way to the Coldclaw Forest, on the northern border, so at least they hadn't taken a detour.

It was nearly midnight when they arrived at the basement, but it was incredibly noisy, filled with the smells of sweat and metal. A stone lion stood in the center of the platform, with the word "Inspection" written beneath it. Torches on the wall flickered brightly, illuminating the excited faces of the buyers.

Lucas slipped into Ashlin's witch's hat, while Ashlin, with her lithe figure, nimbly weaved through the crowd.

“It was so noisy, and the smells were making me want to throw up. I couldn’t smell the leopard at all,” Lucas said. “That pig-man was like he was carrying a toilet with him. And those half-goat people were constantly gnawing on the furniture, making a terrible racket.”

Ashlin completely understood him. Just two days ago they were in the pristine and beautiful Ilovia, surrounded by elegant architecture and refined art; now, in their quest to retrieve their belongings, they had ended up in this chaotic place.

Just then, a tall girl carrying a large bag brushed past them.

"Excuse me, please."

She wore a rabbit fur cloak and a leather corset, her figure was strong and slender, her skin was honey-colored, and she had a short, grass-like buzz cut. A pair of cheetah ears stood upright on her short hair, adorned with silver studs and bone earrings.

“It’s her,” Lucas said in a low voice.

However, the girl was quick, and as soon as Ashlin touched the tip of her tail, she disappeared into the crowd.

However, they had neither the time to set up an array or perform a ceremony, nor the ability to play in such a chaotic place. They could only drift along with the current, shoving and jostling their way to the auction hall, where they sat between two dwarves covered in mechanical devices.

Ashlin's right side is a female dwarf wearing a monocle and a gray bodysuit she has never seen before. There are screwdrivers stuffed in the pocket in front of her stomach, and even her left hand is mechanical.

At that moment, she was fiddling with a pocket watch in her hand.

"Why did you come here?" Ashlin asked curiously.

She had never encountered dwarven machinery before; this was a completely new world for her. In her life, nature, herbs, and forests were the only truths.

"The ring," the dwarf replied indifferently, without even glancing at Ashlin.

Before she could ask what kind of ring it was, an elderly man with white hair coughed a few times on the stage.

Ashlin couldn't determine his race; he was too tall for a dwarf, yet too short for a human. Or perhaps he was simply too old, having shrunk a bit.

She squinted, searching for their target, but couldn't see the leopard girl. Most likely, she was backstage preparing to go up for the auction.

"Welcome to the Norsey Auction," the old man said hoarsely. "We will now begin the auction of the first item."

His tone was as if this were a funeral, completely uninteresting.

Two pig-men huffed and puffed as they carried a dusty mirror, as tall as two Ashlins, onto the stage.

“This is the evil queen’s magic mirror,” the right pigman explained. “It contains ancient and wicked magic.”

The pig-man on the left said, "Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me, who is the fairest of them all?"

A blurry face appeared in the magic mirror.

“It’s you, darling,” it said to the pig-headed man without changing its expression.

The buyers burst into laughter, saying it was nothing more than a second-rate wizard's toy, worthless except for playing pranks.

“It’s so evil it makes my cat hair stand on end,” Lucas said sarcastically.

Ultimately, it was auctioned off to a human for twenty silver dollars.

Next, two elves dressed as rangers brought in the second item, a small oak box. Ashlin noticed out of the corner of her eye that the dwarf beside her seemed to sit up straighter.

"Look closely, ladies and gentlemen," the elf said solemnly. "What you are about to see is the legendary ring of the gods, which has been lost for a thousand years."

He opened the wooden box, and all the spectators leaned forward, eager to see it clearly.

Ashlin couldn't see why it was called the "Ring of God"; it was so plain that you could see it on the finger of any villager at any time.

The only thing that gives it any unique value is probably the turquoise flower carved on the front.

“I believe none of you here have heard of this legend,” the elf said. “It is said that it was originally a ring on the hand of a god, but it fell to earth because of a prank by the four gods.”

He gently held up the ring so everyone could see it more clearly; the turquoise flower shimmered slightly in the torchlight.

"The stone flowers on the ring contain a power that none of us can imagine, and even the most powerful magical race of the elves does not know how to unleash it."

A few snickers came from among the buyers, clearly indicating their disagreement with the claim that "magic is the most powerful." Ashlin knew that in most legends, elves were indeed the most "magical," but there were also many magically gifted individuals among other races.

"Anyone who wears this ring will surely gain the most powerful divine strength in the world," the elf proclaimed. "Starting bid: two hundred Herkins."

“I’ll offer three hundred Herkins,” said the dwarf beside Ashlin.

“Three hundred and fifty,” a human shouted from the corner.

“Three hundred and eighty,” said the other elf.

"Four hundred and fifty."

"five hundred."

The dwarf suddenly stood up.

“One thousand hectokins,” she said calmly.

The entire room fell silent.

"One thousand hectopascals! Ladies and gentlemen, this dwarf lady has offered one thousand hectopascals for the Ring of God!" said the lifeless old auctioneer, who himself seemed somewhat excited by such a high price. "One thousand for the first time, one thousand for the second time, one thousand for the third time... Sold!"

He slammed the hammer down hard.

The female dwarf happily went up on stage to take the ring.

Ashlin couldn't help but wonder what kind of divine power this ring possessed that a dwarf would be willing to pay a thousand hesitant gold for it. She had never heard of any god having a lost ring; to her, this was nothing but empty talk, no different from the magic mirror incident earlier. To the naked eye, the ring was plain and unadorned, hardly worth that price.

“Don’t forget why we’re here,” Lucas noticed Ashlin’s distracted interest. “This ring is probably a scam. Focus, your backpack might be next.”

He is right.

The leopard girl gracefully walked onto the stage, carrying Ashlin's spatial backpack.

Ashlyn noticed that the dwarf beside her seemed a little stiff. Could she also be interested in the backpack?

"You even dare to sell your old, worn-out bags at home in Noxi, little leopard girl?" The audience burst into laughter.

The leopard girl laughed along with them, revealing sharp fangs. Ashlin had never seen a girl dressed like this before. In Dias, girls preferred long hair and dresses, trying to resemble princesses from fairy tales. The leopard girl's short hair and numerous bone studs in her ears would probably be ridiculed.

“This isn’t an ordinary backpack.” She patted Ashlin’s bag. “Its magic is powerful; it can hold far more than you can imagine.”

She picked it up, gave it a deft shake, and a huge, disproportionately large rolling sound immediately came from inside, proving that her earlier words were not fabricated. Ashlin couldn't help but wonder, just how much stuff had she put in there?

Of course, the leopard girl concealed the fact that she couldn't open the backpack.

Ashlin was about to stand up and say something harsh, like, "Oh, that's my bag!" or "You're a thief!" before rushing forward and snatching it away.

But as soon as she moved slightly, Lucas poked his head out from inside the hat and nuzzled her hair with his nose.

"Don't act impulsively. These people are not easy to deal with and won't listen to you. To them, auction items have no real owners. Now that your bag is being auctioned, even if you can prove it was stolen, it won't help."

"But we don't have the money to buy it, little genius! She stole all the money! Do you have a better idea?"

Lucas did not respond, and then the first bid was made:

"Fifty Herkins".

“Seventy,” said another person behind them.

"One hundred and twenty."

One hundred and fifty.

"two hundred."

"Not a single penny? Are we really that poor?" Lucas exclaimed in surprise. This was a completely new experience for him; he had slept in gold coins since he was a child.

“Unless you include yourself, yes.” Ashlin finished speaking, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration, “Lucas, how long until you can turn back into a human?”

"At most a minute." The black cat said, shrinking back slightly. "Wait, meow, you're not up to some trick again, are you?"

Ashlin didn't answer. The black cat popped out of the hat, jumped to the ground, and went to the back row, transforming into human form.

The auctioneer began:

“There’s more.” Ashlin quickly stood up.

All the creatures turned to look. She nervously steadied herself by holding onto the brim of her hat.

This time, she felt like she was back in Foxtail Bay: everyone looked at her as if they were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

"And how much money can you offer, little girl?" the auctioneer asked.

“Oh, I won’t contribute money,” Ashlin stepped aside, revealing Lucas’s stiff figure. “I’ll contribute the prince of Helian City.”

Author's Note: Ashlin: (A sudden inspiration)

Lucas: ?