The three of them were earning quite a bit, but the real prize was the experience they were farming towards their next levels. Levels didn't exactly come easy in the high two hundreds, but progress was still steady, Beth trying to do the math as they slowly approached three hundred. It would be pretty close, but she thought they would at least get there before the auction, though it would be just by the skin of their teeth. If they didn't, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be pretty annoying to have to scrabble around right after one of the major trading firms did their big yearly event to get resources. She would much rather beat them to the punch than be negotiating in a starved market to try to grab a few scraps.

Nearly four months spent at an accelerated timescale of ten times was grueling, as it equated to over three years of fighting. Even with some breaks and a few slightly longer stops, it was an absolutely grinding marathon that wore them all down, even Beth to an extent, though she was far more single-minded about fighting and combat than any of the others. They had very rarely come up for air, just the runs for food and restocks, though Beth did get some chances during those times to get on the horn and send a few messages back and forth. She was sure both Blood and Sera did the same, though she knew Sera's social circle was far wider than either of theirs.

The dragon didn't really bring it up much, however, and Beth didn't really push to get all the details on who Sera knew and how she knew them. Not that it bothered Beth, far from it, but she didn't need to dig into every little minutiae of her lover's life, even with as close as the two were. Without a doubt, she would be meeting all of those contacts in due time, and some likely rather sooner than she had expected.

Just as she had thought and hoped, they were able to get their forty levels and hit the peak before the auction, ready for either a perfect or true perfect rebirth. Their lists of items necessary for the true rebirth never got any shorter, or any cheaper, and this time was certainly no exception. They each needed a truckload of rare and powerful beast cores, which was already a massive expense, even if they had a decent stock of the items already. Next, they all needed very rare monster parts or items, things like the devil essences, though much rarer. Then they each had multiple items that were very rare and focused more on their specializations or affinities. Beasts tended to have items focused on affinities much more and much sooner than other sapients, but it would also happen with other species over time. Beth's items were a bit more of a hodgepodge by comparison, though it definitely had a flavor affected by her class and her focus on melee fighting.

Beth had ordered a mandatory rest, amusing coming from the battle maniac, but the others still largely listened to what she said and ordered. They were due two days of just absolutely nothing, and could have extended that into twenty days in the gate, but her residence was rather…sparse, right now, and that wouldn't have been all that enjoyable. Instead, they took in the, for lack of any better term, wonders of Luttraine, walking the streets under the warm sun and still doing their best to avoid the governor's mansion and city hall. Those two days passed in a flash, gone so quickly that it was like Beth blinked and missed it, but they had gotten themselves sorted out in those two days, and refrained from anything too taxing. Despite her worries, the opportunity they had, and their general pacing, Beth had insisted they not even take a look at their professions during that time, and they were all glad for it.

The third day dawned gray and rainy, though she knew it would do very little to discourage the participants at the auction. They had avoided the monthly auctions, though saying avoided was perhaps terming it strongly; they had simply been too busy, too focused on their work to take even a few hours, let alone a whole day, to stop and watch some items be sold. The yearly auction was always a highlight and what they were more focused on, and it was going to be a big one this year. The lobby and even the entry to the lobby were crowded with people, Beth not sure the rather large auction hall the building had would be able to fit so many people. As soon as they stepped in from the rain and the chill, Selene was in front of them, somebody they had not seen in quite a while, even longer for them, considering they had put some subjective years on in the meantime.

"My dears," Selene said, giving Blood a friendly pat before circling her arms around Beth's and Sera's waists. The area around them had quieted down, first just from her appearance, and then from the surprise of her open friendliness, bordering on direct intimacy, with the two other women in public. She guided them, both calmly and slowly, through the lobby and up into the building, taking them to the most luxurious of the private booths on the third floor. The only place better would be the fourth floor, which was some sort of space that might not even be within the building, allowing anyone inside to watch all the monthly auctions at once.

That wouldn't be a concern today, as the yearly auction was the same everywhere, and this one was going to be not only large, but likely rather long. Selene explained, "We have had a massive number of very, very interesting items put up for sale this year. Not only will the finale stretch be rather long and hotly contested, but we have so many lots of resources and finished products available that this will likely be a multi-day affair. You will have access to the booth the entire time and may sleep here if you wish, though we may not even have a break in the program tonight."

"We can get by quite well without sleep at this point," Beth replied demurely, lightly caressing Selene's hand where it rested on her hip. "Though, if there is a break, I wouldn't mind spending some time with some…certain people."

"My, my, what a charming offer," Selene said, squeezing Beth's hip more firmly, whether in reaction to the words or gesture, she wasn't sure. "Will those certain people include a certain dragon lady as well?"

Selene tilted her head slightly to glance at Sera with a smoldering gaze, and the dragon lady in question didn't disappoint, replying with a firm kiss to the greater demoness' lips. Selene leaned into it, having to push up onto her toes to sink into the kiss given Sera's much greater height. Beth watched the kiss, envious only in the sense that she wanted to be part of the kiss herself, pressing her body closer to the demoness' and snaking her left arm around the winged woman's waist. The kiss stretched on for more than a few seconds before Selene eventually broke it off, leaning down to repeat the act, almost as if passing it on, with Beth.

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When she surfaced from that second, just as enjoyable kiss, she said, "You two will really corrupt me. I wish that I could stay and enjoy your company during the auction, but alas, I have to oversee the process."

"We have plenty of free time," Beth said with an insouciant look. "We can certainly pick up where we left off after your job's complete."

"We can indeed," Selene said, giving them both quick pecks before slipping out of their grasp and leaving the booth with a quick bow.

"I like her more and more," Sera muttered.

"Don't get too attached," Beth said in a bit of a teasing tone, poking her partner in the ribs. They weren't in their armor for the auction today, just dressed in some of the nice clothes they had bought at the Royal Rose. They were things they didn't get to wear very often, but that also meant they didn't really suffer any wear-and-tear either, meaning they had to shop for nice outfits very little.

"Someone already occupies my heart," Sera said warmly, leaning down and planting a firm, passionate kiss on Beth's lips, which she returned in kind.

"Give it a rest, you two. The auction's starting," Blood grumbled from the seating, pulling them out of their examination of each other's tonsils. Sera took a seat on a large couch next to Blood before pulling Beth into her lap, wrapping an arm and her tail about the woman before throwing her other arm over the back of the couch around Blood's shoulders.

The auction started much like all the others, with the auctioneers introducing themselves and getting the crowd warmed up before moving into the first item of the day. Beth lost a bit of interest after that, the initial items of that auction, while somewhat impressive, nothing that she or the others were interested in. If resources they needed for their rebirths didn't pop up on offer, she really doubted there would be anything for quite a while that could pull in their interest. There were a few nice weapons that popped up as she was thinking about that, but nothing that anybody in the group used. She knew Sera had a very good spear, but it was likely that she would need something with a bit more oomph at some point coming up soon, but even that wasn't a priority.

It was interesting to watch the auction purely from the more academic point of view, analyzing what people were selling and when and how much. It gave some insights into what was rare, what was popular, and what was a little less in demand. Not every lot was an instant hit, nor did every lot wind up with a very good price, despite the best efforts of the auctioneers to pump each lot to their full ability. Some things just didn't really have a market, though they were less common in the yearly auction, but there were one or two lots with only a smattering of interest. Even so, a few desultory bids at the yearly auction still probably put the seller into the black, unless they themselves were out an enormous amount on some product, so she didn't think there would be many complaints.

Item after item rolled by and the halfway mark eventually was hit, with a long intermission called. It was early in the night at that point, but the venue had decided on just a two-hour break, a chance for people to wine and dine and interact, those that were physically present. What the fourth floor did at such a time was anybody's guess, but they likely had their own pursuits to distract them. Even with how terribly busy she was, Selene managed to somehow make quite a bit of time to visit their booth on the third floor, something she was sure might have been noticed by a few, but she doubted the branch manager was going to get called out for it.

As stimulating as that was, they were back in business in short order, and the second half was where the auction really shined. Beth idly checked her account as the second item was displayed, some hammer meant for a very STR-focused person to wield. She was curious just what the damage, or the benefit, from the things they had consigned those months ago had turned out. She wasn't disappointed, seeing the saved funds of more than two mithril coins, which was great for a whole bunch of random junk they'd foisted on the senior manager, but was peanuts compared to the current asking prices. The first two items of the second half went for more than five mithril coins each, meaning that all that wealth they had earned from their consignments wasn't even half an item. She eyed her own personal funds a little dubiously, thinking just over two orichalcum coins wasn't going to be enough to get anything really good.

The first thing that genuinely caught her eye was a gem, much like the one she had used on her sword, only far more rare and powerful. It was a masterwork piece, the tier above legendary, and added a hundred percent strength to the item it was used on. It didn't do anything else, which wasn't unusual for something providing such a powerful boost, and it came with the caveat that the item itself had to be sufficiently powerful or else the gem wouldn't be able to reinforce it. Beth put a bid on it herself, but it fairly quickly became too rich for her blood, especially as she didn't really have an item that she felt was really worth using such a gem on, and she didn't want to buy it on the hope that she would get that item later in the auction. Not at a price of over ten mithril coins, she wasn't.

Several more items passed by before she became very interested in the proceedings again, sitting up from nuzzling against Sera to pay attention to the item being displayed on the screens. She was so alert because they were offering a sword, and not just any old sword, but a greatsword that looked perfect for her. It was a wide blade, nearly as thick as her wrist at the center and narrowing to a very sharp edge, and the blade itself had to be at least six feet long if not longer. It was forged of some type of dark metal, near black in color and shimmering just a bit in the light. Beth reviewed the stats of the blade and she had never wanted a sword more after reading its description.

Deathslayer's Blade

{The blade of he who slayed death before conquering life. This sword is forged in a special manner that greatly increases its durability even before enchantments are counted. Death magic flows through the heart of the sword. Enchanted with Greater Durability and Greater Repair.

100% increased STR

50% increased DEX

20% increased WIS

Minimum level 300.

The power of death is controlled.}

It was an amazing blade, something that she wouldn't get very much use out of for a little bit if she didn't get a level limit lowering item, but it would become increasingly more valuable. She bypassed the initial bids and directly bid ten mithril coins, which sent the place into a bit of a stir, but it wasn't hers free and clear at that point. Several people on the third floor of that venue thought to compete with her, as well as one of the fourth-floor personages, though that luminary only had a passing interest and didn't stay in the bidding long.

It was a fierce fight, but none of the others were as dedicated to the weapon as she was, and she eventually won it for twenty-two mithril coins. It was more than she would have liked to have paid, but she would be able to use the blade for a long, long time. Another familiar face brought her the blade, Beth making the sword disappear before pulling Alex into a deep hug, stroking the angel's wings in a way she knew the woman really liked.

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