After the Breakup, All Four Wives Went Crazy! - Chapter 2

Su Zhao closed her eyes peacefully.

Her hands were neatly crossed over her chest.

She lay back down.

They always said that incubi and succubi excelled at illusions.

If the cliff fall earlier was just an illusion created by the succubus.

Then, is there a possibility?

Could this perverted auction house right now also be an illusion created by that wretch just to tease her?

After all, no matter how hard Su Zhao wrung her brain, she couldn’t figure it out.

As a princess of the Lanyin Empire, what faction on the continent would ever dare to mess with her like this?

“VIP Number Three bids forty million gold coins!”

“VIP Number Seventeen raises the bid! Forty-two million gold coins!”

“VIP Number Seven continues to raise the bid!”

The auction was progressing in full swing.

Su Zhao kept her eyes tightly shut.

Those enthusiastic bids sounded like a fire burning in her heart, drying away the dampness seeping from her bones after falling into the sea. Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and she laughed out of sheer fury.

Splendid!

One dared to sell, and the other dared to buy!

Which godforsaken bastard had eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard, growing tired of living, to dare oppose the most powerful empire of humankind!

No matter how powerless she was, or how little her birth mother valued her, the royal family still had its pride. To imperial nobles who valued face above all else and would rather lose their lives than their glory, dignity was always greater than the heavens!

Even if this auction house truly had terrifying backing, enough to cozy up to the Abyss Demon God and have such an unrivaled bigwig supporting them from the shadows, as a servant of the devil, coveting an empire princess’s intimate undergarments, and parading them around publicly in a massive auction, tarnishing the Demon God’s mighty name in such a way, wouldn’t such a disgraceful believer have their soul directly crushed and chewed up by the furious Demon God?

“Your Highness Dorothy, you’re finally awake.”

The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Su Zhao opened her eyes and looked coldly toward the source of the voice.

The moment the door opened, the lively roar of the crowd outside quickly swept into the room. But before Su Zhao could catch a gap and peek through the door crack to see the situation outside, the door was briskly shut by the newcomer.

She slowly turned around, her waist modestly and slightly hunched as she bowed respectfully toward Su Zhao.

“Please allow me to introduce myself.”

Her voice was low, gentle, and unhurried as she spoke:

“I am Todd Phillips. Valued by Lord Count, I was specially designated to manage this auction house.”

This suddenly appearing old woman wore a well-tailored butler’s uniform. A kind smile hung on her face, and her eyes looking at Su Zhao were full of friendliness. At first glance, she looked entirely benign.

However, the first thing Su Zhao noticed was the high-tier magician’s badge pinned to her chest.

The tiny black badge flickered with a cold, gloomy dark light under the illumination of the light.

An ominous and evil aura, thick and heavy, emanated a spine-chilling sensation.

“Good day, Lady Todd.”

Su Zhao’s heart sank.

The approachable-looking fellow in front of her was actually a heinous, universally reviled black magician.

This truly was a dark believer!

The face-slap came much too fast.

She felt like she was losing her grip.

No matter how much her inner thoughts were stampeding like wild horses, at least on the surface, Su Zhao still steadily maintained her poise.

She gently tapped the cage.

“Respected magician, may I ask if this is your hospitality?”

“I am very sorry, Your Highness. My master, Lord Duke Norland, departed for the Sun Forest a few days ago.”

Todd lowered her head with full sincerity. “The Lord Duke will probably take a few more days to return to Lanster City. When that time comes, the Lord Duke will definitely follow protocol and come to pay her respects to you.”

Whether she paid respects or not, she wasn’t going to feel any better.

The Duke’s name was complex and hard to remember. Su Zhao was rummaging through her brains to figure out who this person actually was and whether there were any usable weaknesses, but before she could find the person, she captured an even more prominent piece of crucial information.

“Where did you say this is?”

Su Zhao instantly sat straight up, almost jumping directly to her feet.

“This is Lanster City?!”

Todd smiled and nodded, the wrinkles on her face completely smoothing out as she looked at her calmly:

“Good day, Your Highness Dorothy.”

“Welcome to your arrival. On behalf of Lanster City, I extend my warmest greetings to you.”

“Hiss.”

Su Zhao pressed her back against the metal bars, unable to help but gasp.

Even Su Zhao, who lived deep in the Summer Palace and ignored worldly affairs, had heard of this place name from her attendants’ gossip.

Lanster City was the most unique region in the entire Lanyin Empire.

The city lord, Duke Norland, had her mind clouded by desire and attempted to touch the imperial authority. In order to obtain supreme power and strength, she did not hesitate to violate the continent’s ban and made a deal with the devil.

From then on, the sky over the entire Lanster City was shrouded in a layer of evil black fog. This black fog, gifted by the devil, could shield any magical fluctuations.

Once magicians entered this place, their abilities would be drastically weakened. Conversely, the tide turning, believers belonging to the darkness, such as black magicians, would receive a massive boost.

Precisely because of this, knowing that Duke Norland was rebellious, disobedient, and a sinner of the empire, the Empress and the Holy See remained wary, but couldn’t be bothered to pay the heavy sacrifice required to take down the traitor hiding in this state-within-a-state.

Thus, both sides remained in a stalemate, with darkness and light forming a delicate and fragile balance in this bitter, cold land.

Looking across the continent, very few forces dared to defy the Lanyin Empire.

Yet Lanster City could rely on the power of a single city to counter the most powerful empire on the continent, forcing the habitually proud Empress to swallow her anger and bear it.

One could imagine the terrifying power of that demon.

Su Zhao felt a bit annoyed, thinking she had simply had the worst kind of bad luck.

Given her noble status, she could usually walk sideways across the continent, yet she had crashed right here.

At the same time, though, she felt a bit eager to try.

“Is Duke Norland really not here?”

Todd said with displeasure, “My master values etiquette the most. If she knew the news of your arrival, she would definitely rush over impatiently to see you.”

What was she rushing to see her for? They weren’t even close.

Su Zhao pinched the cold metal bars, which vaguely reflected her silhouette. Looking at her own blurry face, she suddenly realized.

What else could this greedy and vicious traitor want when she saw her?

Naturally, she would rush over to mock her.

The Empress’s precious and noble daughter had now become a prisoner at her mercy. To her, this was probably deeply satisfying.

If one spoke of the grievances between the Empress and the Duke, it would probably take three days and three nights to finish. But judging just by the fact that the other party was driven to risk her life to summon a demon, and now could only huddle in this tiny acre of land in Lanster City, it was clear she had completely lost in this struggle.

The succubus dared to bring her here precisely because she knew that across all factions on the continent, probably only Lanster City truly dared to send an empire princess to an auction house.

She really was vicious.

Su Zhao couldn’t help but quietly curse her.

The succubus was too heartless. However, the moment a trace of anger rose, seeing Todd before her, that anger drifted away lightly like smoke.

Su Zhao was happy again.

A demon! That was a demon!

She had already seen a succubus, but what did the legendary devil look like? If she could have a sweet romance with a demon, experiencing a pure or uninhibited skin-to-skin session, what would that feel like?

Though there were no demon choices in the game’s CG.

This was a dating sim game, after all!

Anything is possible!

Misfortune and fortune are intertwined.

You must know that due to the devil’s gift, even magical teleportation arrays could not form anywhere in Lanster City.

To the Lanyin Empire and its allies, this place was like an impenetrable forbidden zone.

If not for the succubus leading the way this time, with Su Zhao’s human identity and status, it would have been utterly impossible for her to gain entry.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

As a dating sim player, relying on save files to back her up, Su Zhao momentarily forgot her worrisome plight. Leaning against the railings, she eagerly and inquisitively pursued the topic:

“I heard that Lord Duke has poor health. Did she still go to the Sun Forest this time to seek medicine from the elves?”

Todd was long accustomed to such questions.

“I am not clear on that. This is the Duke’s private business, and Lord Duke dislikes us prying into her matters.”

Her answer was watertight.

As a well-known figure across the continent, all kinds of rumors about this Duke emerged endlessly.

The most widely spread and credible one was that the arrogant Duke had long since had her soul devoured by a demon, paying the price for her own greed.

Su Zhao didn’t know the truth of the matter, but the Duke really did look sickly every day, holing up in her own manor, shutting her doors to the outside world, and completely playing the role of a hands-off boss.

You must know that someone so ambitious by nature would never give up power.

Su Zhao grabbed onto the cage, asking earnestly:

“I really like Lanster City. When your master returns, can she invite me to play in Lanster City again in the future?”

This time, Todd’s reply noticeably stuttered for a moment.

“This. I cannot make that decision.”

The look she gave her was indescribable, and even Su Zhao could feel it. She sized her up from head to toe, and after looking at that inappropriate and unseemly nightgown, her gaze locked back onto the cage.

Clearly, she had many question marks about her so-called liking and her true motives.

“We will have to wait for the master to return and ask for her instruction.”

Su Zhao let out a disappointed sigh.

“Fine.”

Would demons have wings?

Su Zhao imagined it: a pink little imp flying back and forth in the air, fluttering translucent little wings just like Cupid, with a pair of delicate, playful little red horns perched saucily on its head.

A pair of sharp little claws tightly gripped a trident that was not much smaller than its own body, waving it around menacingly.

So cute.

This scene was completely unimaginable to look into too closely; it was simply too deceptive. The terrifying and evil image of a demon was completely covered up by a game player’s bizarre train of thought.

Heart flutter aside, she still had to restrain her teasing words for now.

At least for the moment, looking at the cage overhead, acting as a pitiful prisoner and a dignity-free auction item, seeing that the situation was stronger than her, Su Zhao had always been someone who knew when to bow and when to stretch.

For the sake of her fragile little life, Su Zhao decided to keep a low profile temporarily to avoid trouble.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Tony.”

Su Zhao decided to lay low for now as the best course of action.

She didn’t dare touch sensitive topics immediately, choosing instead to keep the existence of this demon in her heart and tactfully change the subject: “Where is the succubus that brought me here?”

The demon was far away for the time being.

No matter how interested she was in it, Su Zhao had to regain her freedom first.

Instead of heading toward some weird status like a strange sacrifice, a delicious food, or an obedient and cute little pet, identities that made it impossible to act like a normal person.

She wanted to take a gamble on the gold content of that hard-earned two-per-thousand favorability rating with the succubus.

That damn scumbag, who cheated her of money, looks, and feelings, and snatched so many of her things, couldn’t possibly be so conscience-less as to push her into a dead end, right?

Todd’s tone was extremely gentle.

“That powerful succubus lady has already transferred ownership of you to us.”

Ownership of Su Zhao?

Su Zhao: “Huh?”

Do you even hear yourself?

Unlike her breakdown, Todd’s tone was exceptionally steady, every single word pronounced with utmost clarity.

“And she entrusted our auction house to auction off all her treasures, including you.”

Su Zhao couldn’t believe her ears.

They were all normal words and phrases, but put together like this, they suddenly became a bit hard to understand.

“What do you mean?”

Todd appeased her: “Don’t worry, Your Highness. Your value is precious; you are destined to be tonight’s finale lot.”

“Please rest assured, we are a very professional auction house, and we will certainly do our utmost to secure the maximum benefit for our consignor.”

Su Zhao: “…”

Su Zhao: I’ll rest assured my ass!

If she hadn’t retained a shred of sanity and restrained the curse that almost slipped out of her mouth, she probably would have completely thrown away her so-called noble dignity.

That damned succubus.

Not only was she driving her onto a dead end, but she had also untied her safety rope and kicked her down without a shred of mercy.

Just like when she woke her up from her dream.

A ruthless, cold-blooded, ungrateful scumbag!

Right at that moment, someone outside raised their voice to bid: “Sixty million gold coins!”

The auctioneer was high-spirited and extremely dedicated:

“VIP Guest Number Seven! Bids sixty million gold coins!”

“Are there any other guest bids to follow?”

Todd bowed slightly, pride in her tone.

“Please be sure to trust our professionalism.”

Su Zhao lost all strength in her limbs, couldn’t help taking a step back, and sat down on the soft bedding, her mind a complete mess.

This situation was far too abstract.

She really couldn’t handle it anymore.

“VIP Guest Number Seven! Bids sixty-seven million gold coins!”

“VIP Guest Number Seven keeps raising the bid! It seems our VIP Guest Number Seven is determined to win this lot!”

“Look at this momentum; presumably, VIP Guest Number Seven has long since insighted the huge value hidden behind this lot. With such discerning vision, if this lot ultimately falls into your hands, it will surely be able to exert its maximum efficacy!”

“Discerning my ass!”

Hearing this, Su Zhao could no longer hold back. She slammed hard against the cage: “That’s mine! That’s my corset!”

It’s just a tight corset! What kind of efficacy could it possibly have?

To forcefully squeeze VIP Number Seven into an hourglass figure?

That thing isn’t even healthy.

Although Su Zhao couldn’t be bothered to follow cumbersome court etiquette and wear something that looked like a torture device, it was still hers!

The half-eaten peach left beside the bathtub, it was something she casually set down while putting on her scented lotion!

When did such a living, breathing person like her become someone else’s property? Could she even be auctioned off and transferred like that?!

“Breaking into my house was one thing, trying to rob me was another, why did you have to eat and take things on your way out?” Su Zhao couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried.

“Has this succubus gone crazy from poverty?!”

Such a fine beauty, a powerful magician that everyone feared, yet she acted like a starved hamster.

Big, small, many, or few, she accepted everything without refusal. She hurriedly stuffed all kinds of miscellaneous junk into her own pockets.

And she kept targeting her single fat sheep to fleece to death??

Weren’t they afraid of shearing her bald?

Todd wore a smile and remained silent. After listening to her rambling complaints, she finally spoke calmly.

“Miss Consignor left long ago.”

“You don’t need to hold out any hope; it is impossible for her to change her mind and come back to take you away.”

Su Zhao rested her chin in her hand, her anger still unquenched. Hearing what she said, she couldn’t be bothered to react much.

She asked coldly and indifferently: “And then?”

Todd let out a soft sigh and slowly explained.

“As merchants, we have always followed the rules of the trade. As long as someone entrusts a treasure to us, the only thing we must do is find a way to sell it off, and sell it at a high price.”

“As for where the buyer’s items actually came from, we never pry or ask too much; that is the rule by which we survive.”

With that, she gently shook her head.

“To be honest, after Miss Consignor left, when I lifted the curtain and saw you, it gave me quite a big fright.”

Fright or not, this seemingly kind yet deeply scheming old hag went around in boring, repetitive circles, but she showed not the slightest intention of letting her out of the cage.

When someone offers courtesies for no reason, they are either a traitor or a thief.

Su Zhao kept smiling, raised her hand to knock on the cage, and deliberately played dumb: “Judging by the relationship between my mother and Duke Norland, we’re all family.”

The old hag in front of her clearly had other ulterior motives, and meat that had already entered her mouth wasn’t going to be spit out. Su Zhao had already seen through it; there was no way she would let her go directly.

Though she had some guesses about her current dire straits, and held no expectations for that ungrateful scumbag who ate clean and refused to admit it, Su Zhao still couldn’t help asking tentatively: “I’m sleepy. When will my guard come to pick me up?”

“Rest assured, you are a distinguished guest. As a semi-host of Lanster City, our auction house will definitely treat you well on behalf of Lord Duke.”

Todd smiled gently, “Only, before that…”

Su Zhao finally mustered a bit of energy and turned her head to look at her.

After mystifying things for so long, this fellow was finally getting down to business.

“Your consignor, that succubus lady, is also a powerful magician.”

As Todd spoke, she gently waved the wand in her hand.

The black gem at the top of the wand flickered with a faint, bling-bling light, making Su Zhao rather envious and longing for her own lost wand.

“She entrusted us with the full handling of her property. We have concluded a magic contract with both parties. If we were to violate the terms of the contract and let you go, it would not only bring a terrifying enemy to our Lanster City, but it would also incur my master’s reprimand.”

At the end of her sentence, Todd’s previously calm demeanor finally fluctuated. The muscles on her face tightened slightly, and she raised her tone to emphasize:

“Failing in my duty before my master is a disgrace I can absolutely not tolerate!”

Wow.

That sounded like exaggerated lines straight out of a play.

Su Zhao clasped her hands together and placed them over her chest.

Like a little seal, she cooperated by clapping rapidly.

“Moreover, the backlash caused by forcefully breaking the contract would also cause us heavy losses.”

“We are merchants.” Todd spread out the wand in her hand and looked warmly at Su Zhao. Her intense tone quickly calmed down, leaving only her flushed cheeks to faintly reveal a trace of what had just transpired.

Her posture was peaceful, not looking remotely like a notorious black magician: “Merchants always value profit.”

“So,”

Su Zhao rested her chin in her hand, having watched a good show, and feeling in high spirits, she asked with interest: “What do you need me to do to bring you profit?”

Two hands stretched flat out in front of Su Zhao.

One hand held a wand.

The empty hand slowly opened its palm.

She spoke leisurely.

“You are empty, light. You possess no profit, no chips, no value on your person. Her Majesty the Empress does not value you and will not trade away benefits for you. Your right of succession has been stripped; you are merely the royal family’s mascot. Your identity looks noble, but it cannot bring us any benefits.”

“You have nothing. Even if we let you go, what we could gain is far inferior to the value that auctioning you off can bring us.”

Su Zhao stared at her empty palm for a long time.

Who didn’t know that Second Princess Dorothy was the mascot of the Lanyin Empire?

Unloved by her mother and ignored by her sister, she was a thorough little wretch whom anyone could step on a couple of times.

Yet on the character selection page, among so many better and more advantageous roles, Su Zhao had fallen in love with this identity at first glance.

What a great choice!

A natural political insulator!

A noble status!

Able to easily access various capture targets!

And plenty of time to date!

This was simply a tailor-made, perfect role for her!

But now…

Was this reasonable?

Who would have thought that a completely ordinary dating game would carry this kind of risk?

She just wanted to come and skin-to-skin with pretty big sisters!

Su Zhao couldn’t help dragging the succubus out once more to fiercely curse the ultimate culprit.

Only after she finished venting, making herself happy through the cursing, did she lazily reply: “So, what do you need me to do?”

Seeing that she was so cooperative, Todd smiled and withdrew both hands.

“The Holy See has a supreme treasure, which was handed over by the Pope to the Holy Maiden for careful safekeeping.”

The Holy See?

The Holy See dealt with all kinds of dark creatures.

The Lanyin Empire was the most powerful human empire, with a considerable number of powerful magicians of its own. Coupled with its alliance with the Holy See, dirty dark creatures were simply nonexistent across its entire territory.

Except for…

Far away on the horizon, yet right before her eyes, that demon of Lanster City.

“The Holy See’s treasure?”

Su Zhao glanced casually at Todd, looking entirely unenthusiastic. But the next second, she suddenly noticed the badge on Todd’s chest.

Whether it was because the light in this room was too dim, the overall tone of the badge was deep, presenting an ultimate, pitch-black color reminiscent of a black hole that swallowed everything.

Su Zhao had originally just been bored and glanced at it absentmindedly. As she looked, however, her gaze inexplicably couldn’t pull away, as if her mind had been seized by an unknown force.

She gradually grew restless and uneasy.

An urge to escape from this place welled up within her.

Clearly, that thing was no good.

And it probably couldn’t be separated from demons.

Before Todd could continue, to alleviate that uncomfortable, closely-watched sensation, she took the initiative to speak up.

“As everyone knows, the relationship between our royal family and the Holy See has never been good. Ever since my mother ascended the throne, the old Pope has never dared to set foot in the Lanyin Empire’s territory, fearing that if he wasn’t careful, my mother would surround and slaughter him.”

“Anything else might be possible, but the Holy See’s treasure, especially a supreme treasure valued by the Pope, with my status, they would never allow me anywhere near it.”

Todd smiled slowly.

Su Zhao’s heart sank.

Her refusal seemed to have failed to make the other party retreat.

Todd stood right in front of her while Su Zhao sat inside the cage. As Su Zhao raised her gaze slightly, the mysterious rune in the dead center of the badge pointed right at her.

Su Zhao always felt that this rune looked exceedingly like a pupil, dark, cold, with wisps of blood vessels spreading through it, resembling malice hidden within a dark abyss.

A single glance was enough to send a chill down her spine and make her hair stand on end.

Was that a demon’s eye?

It stared at her coldly.

Condescendingly.

“I heard that you and the Holy Maiden, Evelyn,”

Todd leaned over slightly, blinked at her with a subtle expression, and slowly spat out four words in an extremely ambiguous tone.

“Are on quite intimate terms.”

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