I'm the Friend of a Male Lead who went Crazy after the Female Lead Died

“Auction, you say?”

The Goldmaster was the Goldmaster after all.

True to his reputation as one who controlled the empire’s economy, he had asked this with the same cute expression as before.

“In that case, if you go to the auction, won’t people find out that you had the scales of an extinct dragon?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Upon hearing this, he narrowed his eyes and warned, “Humans are greedier than you think.”

That was something I already deeply understood from past experiences.

As Elshnain just stood there, resolute, the Goldmaster’s face twitched.

“Ugh.”

A sound of frustration escaped him.

“Are you really going to auction it off?”

“Yes.”

His obsession with the scales wasn’t simply because he was a collector, known to scrounge up unmatched shoes just because they were rare.

“To… to put something so precious… on the auction stage…! It would have become the star of my collection in no time….hmmp” He muttered unconsciously before quickly covering his mouth with his small paw.

Those words might have sounded strange to someone but having read the original work, Elshnain perfectly understood his words.

He is a dragon fanatic.

The Goldmaster  was genuinely devoted to dragons that were said to be God’s messengers.

Perhaps he is a derivative creature created by the god when making the dragon?

Beings with unique appearance, and mysterious powers like the Goldmaster have long been called fairies.

Once misunderstood as monsters controlled by the demons and heavily hunted by humans, they were now believed to be extinct.

Although, most people today were unaware they had even existed.

Anyway, the important thing is that the Goldmaster is a dragon enthusiast; Elshnain thought.

She intended to clearly imprint herself on him, and extract the funds needed for her future plans from him.

And of course, as long as Asherai was by her side, using the Goldmaster as a piggy bank would not be a problem.

In the Golden Tower, the items brought in during the day were immediately put up for auction.

So, this is the auction hall.

After parting ways with the flustered Goldmaster, Elshnain arrived on the 50^th floor through the teleportation device.

And as she set foot there, she observed that Asherai’s scales were already on the stage.

The auction room, decorated in a circular manner, enclosing the stage where the auction would take place, reminded her of a university lecture hall.

There are so many people here; Elshnain thought as she took a seat in one corner.

The room was filled with people dressed in expensive clothes. Among them were the two people who had mocked her earlier for being sent to the underground floor.

While sitting in her seat and observing the crowd for a while, a booming voice suddenly echoed through the air.

“Here at Golden Tower, we deal only in the finest goods that the continent has to offer! Buyers! Gentlemen! Ladies! And spectators! Welcome to the Golden Tower’s Auction!”

Then, with flamboyant gestures and a deep bow, the auctioneer immediately began his spiel without even giving people time to clap.

“Now take a look! This very fruit is found only on a precipice on the northern shores!”

“Oh, that’s the fruit that’s said to be good for women, right?” someone murmured.

The crowd, momentarily stunned by the auctioneer’s rapid, fire-like speech, scrambled to raise the small placards they had in their hands.

The ones participating in the auction exhibited graceful gestures befitting their status, yet within that elegance, a subtle tension lingered.

“Alright. Sold to the third lady on the left!”

The lady with her nose tilted slightly upward gracefully swayed her fan, while a resentful snort could be heard from the back.

Several other items were sold after and just as people were starting to tire, Elshnain’s  scales were brought forth.

“This is the final item of the day!”

The auctioneer’s voice, noticeably more excited than before, piqued the audience’s interest. While Elshnain, who had been dozing off, snapped back to attention.

Is it my turn now?

She asked inwardly as she discreetly wiped the corners of her lips and straightened her posture.

“You will all be amazed! The last item is none other than…!”

As the auctioneer expanded his arms, two men entered, pushing a tray.

On the large tray sat a red cushion made of material that clearly looked expensive.

And on that cushion…

“It’s the scales of a creature that went extinct 200 years ago! The scales of the Silver Dragon that once could control ice and wind!”

As the heavily emotional voice concluded, sounds of astonishment could be heard from all around.

“Good heavens. The scales of a Silver Dragon…?”

One by one, people stood up from their seats, doing their best to get closer for a better view, which looked ridiculous.

And Elshnain, the instigator of this spectacle, felt a bit awkward watching their enthusiasm.

It feels weird to be praised for something so trivial.

However, whether Elshnain felt that way or not, the atmosphere in the auction hall heated up unlike before.

The pickets kept rising and falling incessantly.

“Good gracious. I can’t let this opportunity slip away!”

“This is a jackpot!”

The journalists, waiting in anticipation, called upon their respective mage to record the scene without missing a second as Asherai’s thigh scales continued to set new records as time passed.

“Ohoh, it’s now a battle between you two!”

Finally, as time passed, competitors dropped out one after the other, leaving only two people.

One of them was the lady who purchased the fruit earlier, and the other was a figure tightly wrapped in a robe, making it difficult to discern their gender.

“Argh…!”

The lady, raising her placard, continuously glared at her rival, but her trembling hand and hesitance suggested that the end of her funds was in sight.

Meanwhile, the figure in the robe remained unfazed.

And finally…”

“Yes! Today’s highest-priced item, the scales of the Silver Dragon, goes to the person in the robe!”

“Wow!”

At that moment, caught up in the heightened fervor, the excited crowd rose to their feet, applauding enthusiastically.

“Who is that person? How did they get up here?”

The man who was laughing at Elshnain when she was heading to the underground floor pointed at her with his index finger.

“Right?”

“A beggar like that coming to the auction room”

“Could it be some misunderstanding?”

“Oh, I don’t think so. They might be a VIP customer of the Golden Tower.

“I didn’t think about that!”

“Well, coming up here and getting to see the scales of a dragon, something one might never see in your lifetime, must have been satisfying.”

Knowing that it was soon going to be her time to make an appearance, Elshnain nonchalantly passed by as the two people, and they instantly started to laugh.

“What’s up with her? Where is she going?”

“Let her be. Maybe she is here to clean the floor,” the two joked.

At that moment, the auctioneer loudly exclaimed,

“This item is protected by special magic equivalent to its value! Therefore, only the one who put the scales up for auction can directly pass the item to the winner!”

The auctioneer glanced around the audience as he spoke, his face flushed with excitement.

“Will the owner please come forward!”

And Elshnain stepped onto the stage.

“Uh…?”

The two men who had just been mocking her let out surprised gasps. The reaction of others who overheard their mocking words was similar.

“Is that person… the owner of the scales?”

“She was clearly sent to basement, wasn’t she?”

Disbelieving voices erupted here and there.

But, cutting through the chaotic atmosphere, Elshnain confidently strode towards the stage, and stopped right in front of the tray where Asherai’s scales were displayed.

“Please come this way,” the auctioneer politely guided her.

With an uneasy expression, Elshnain lightly touched the scales with her hand.

To the spectators it looked like she was releasing the “special magic” mentioned by the auctioneer, but in reality…

Am I going to receive divine punishment for this? Elshnain thought.

In reality, there was no magic cast on these scales. The notion of magic being involved was to create a more compelling narrative, but also to personally reveal herself to the people.

In order words, she wanted to announce herself as the owner of the Silver Dragon’s scales to the entire continent.

Click! Click!

The scene of her handing over the scales to the person in robes was continuously captured by the recording mages.

Amidst the bursts of white light flashing like a camera, the new owner of the Silver Dragon’s scales hesitantly received them, shaking all over as they carefully grasped the scales.

She was certain that inside the robe was a marionette controlled by the Goldmaster.

Staring at him as if she had just come across a diary personally written by her one and only favorite person, Elshnain suddenly felt deeply moved, and couldn’t help but smile.

And at that moment, the flashes went off once again.

Click! Clik! Click!

“I, I can’t believe it…”

The two imbeciles who were looked down on her moments ago were now staring at her with pale faces.

“Is, is that person really the owner of the Silver Dragon’s scales?”