"Excellent! I just love working with straightforward people like you, Miss."
The Madam beamed with delight.
She believed she had struck a great deal, oblivious to the fact that she was about to personally deliver two harbingers of death straight into the Auction.
Yoshimura Eto simply smiled without saying a word.
"So, where are the 'goods'? Take me to pick them up now."
The Madam could barely contain her excitement.
Eto led her to a dimly lit corner not far away, where two large boxes sat quietly.
"I've already packed them inside these two crates. You can just have them transported to the Auction by truck."
Eto explained, "They're still unconscious, and they don't have their quinques with them. No matter how strong a ghoul investigator is, without their quinque, they're nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter."
"Mm-hmm!"
The Madam didn't even bother to inspect the merchandise before making a call for a transport truck.
In her mind, there was no need; these weren't even her goods, she was simply auctioning them on behalf of the One-Eyed Owl.
But even if she had checked, she wouldn't have found Byakuya's quinque.
It wasn't in the crate; it was safely stored within his Kamui dimension.
As for Arima Kishou, he had only brought a small, short-bladed quinque, which wasn't stored in a case.
"Pleasure doing business~"
With that, Eto cheerfully skipped away.
The entire process, from helping Byakuya contact the Madam to arranging the handoff, had taken less than thirty minutes. Now, she was free to head home and spend time with Mayu.
Inside the Crates, "Playing Dead", Byakuya and Arima remained motionless inside their respective crates, waiting.
Before long, they were loaded onto the truck and transported to the Auction venue.
They could feel themselves being lifted and moved from the truck into the building, placed in a holding area, awaiting their turn to be auctioned.
The Auction venue was a grand and opulent hall, towering with three floors in total.
The surrounding area was lined with VIP seating, while in the center stood the Auction stage—where the auctioneer and host would conduct the event.
A rough estimate suggested several hundred, if not a thousand, seats in total.
However, not all of them were for bidders; many seats belonged to bodyguards of elite ghouls, or to ghouls simply attending for the spectacle.
By now, a large number of ghouls had already arrived, taking their designated seats in preparation for the Auction to begin.
"Did you check today's Auction catalog? The lineup of 'merchandise' is quite interesting this time."
"I heard there are two of the CCG's 'Doves' in the catalog, one of whom is even an Associate Special-Class Investigator. I wonder which bigshot managed to capture them."
"An Associate Special-Class Investigator? Now that is intriguing. I must buy that one and make them my pet!"
"Then we're rivals, because I came prepared with plenty of funds today."
"Don't get too hasty. There might be some special merchandise that isn't listed in the catalog. If you blow all your money too early, you'll regret it."
"..."
Even before the Auction officially began, the ghouls were already deep in heated discussions.
Meanwhile, in the shadows outside the venue, outside the auction hall; the CCG investigators were in position, waiting for the signal from either Special-Class Uchiha or Associate Special-Class Arima.
The moment they received it, they would storm the auction without hesitation.
Everyone was tense.
They knew that the ghouls attending this auction weren't ordinary ones.
But no matter how nervous they were, they had to keep their composure. They couldn't afford to mess up at the critical moment.
Time passed.
The auction was about to officially begin, and the "merchandise" was being prepared for display.
Backstage, the crates containing the auction items were being opened one by one.
When it was Byakuya and Arima's turn, the ghoul in charge of opening their crates barely spared them a glance.
In their eyes, investigators who had lost their Quinques, even an Associate Special-Class were no different from ordinary humans.
They were so confident that they didn't even bother restraining them, treating them with utter disdain.
"..."
Byakuya and Arima remained silent.
All they had to do was wait for their turn on stage.
In the audience, a fat, sunglasses-wearing, middle-aged woman with braces sat at the center of the VIP seating.
She was none other than the head of the "Madams"; Big Madam.
"I'm so excited~ Will there be any adorable little babies tonight?"
Big Madam grinned widely, revealing her grotesque teeth.
"My darling pets~ Mama's waiting for you~"
At that moment, the auctioneer and host stepped onto the stage.
In the original storyline, the host and auctioneer were both members of The Clowns; Hoito Roma and Uta's disciple, Asa.
However, in this timeline; Byakuya had sent Roma to Anteiku, and thus Asa was likely there as well.
Naturally, neither of them were available to host the auction.
Tonight's auctioneer and host were simply two ordinary high-class ghouls.
"Welcome, Esteemed Guests."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting."
"As you all know, Japan holds countless auctions every year, but an auction featuring human livestock is a truly exclusive luxury of the ghoul world."
"This auction house has never been discovered by the White Doves, but please be cautious when leaving to avoid running into them."
"Now then, please relax and enjoy a wonderful evening!"
With the opening speech concluded, the hall erupted in enthusiastic applause.
After the applause died down, the host continued:
"Now, let us introduce our first 'item' of the night! Let's see… Ah, while he may not be the most handsome fellow, he is a somewhat well-known local singer."
As the host finished speaking, the first auction item was forcefully dragged onto the stage.
It seemed the man had refused to cooperate, so the auctioneer had to push him forward.
"W-Wait! Let me go! What the hell is this place?!"
The singer stumbled onto the stage, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat.
He had no idea what was happening; one moment, he was asleep, and the next, he had woken up in this bizarre nightmare.
"The starting bid is 5 million yen! If you'd like to place a bid, please raise your paddle and call out your price!"
The moment the host finished speaking—
Ghouls immediately began bidding.
"5.2 million!"
"5.6 million!"
"6.5 million!"
"..."
In the end, the singer was sold for 10.5 million yen.
"And now, onto our next item… Hmm?"
"A CCG Dove?"
The host's tone instantly became more intrigued.
"Oh my! According to the description, he's a devastatingly handsome man!"
"Well then; please feast your eyes on our next offering!"