The auction was in full swing, the air filled with the murmur of quiet conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the occasional sound of a bid being placed. The lighting in the room was dimmed, the atmosphere intimate yet charged with excitement.

  The guests, mainly well-dressed individuals of the upper class, were gathered around a stage in the center of the room where the auction items were displayed.

  Venera's eyes lingered on the shark lady for a moment, impressed by her striking appearance. The shark lady, seemingly sensing the gaze, glanced up, their gazes meeting briefly.

  Venera smiled slightly, admiring the shark lady's bold fashion choice. She looked like she could take on any challenge, and her scars were a testament to her strength and resilience.

  Venera made a mental note to keep an eye on this interesting character…

  Venera's gaze then shifted to Elara, her eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of the unique and eye-catching attire. The gems that had been embedded into the combat gear glittered under the dim light, making the young woman stand out even amongst the elegant attendees.

  Venera couldn't help but find her presence intriguing. She made a mental note of this, adding her to the list of interesting characters present at the auction.

  The auctioneer announced the opening bid for the flask, the room falling into a hushed silence as the attendees waited for someone to place their offer.

  Venera observed the room quietly, her gaze darting between the various bidders, each eager to secure this highly sought-after artifact. Her eyes flickered briefly toward the gem sprite, whose grip on her seat had only tightened even more with every passing moment…

  A few other attendees began placing their bids, the numbers rising gradually as the auctioneer raised the price. However, nothing too extravagant just yet.

  Venera's eyes kept glancing back at the Gem Sprite. The young woman's body was tense, her hands clenching and unclenching as if she was holding back from doing something impulsive...

  "Elara, calm down," one of the men in her clique whispered, "It's not time for us to act yet.”

  Elara let out a frustrated breath, trying to keep herself composed. "I know, I know. It's just..."

  "We just have to be patient," the man cut her off in a firm tone, his voice low but stern. "Our chance to act will come.”

  Venera observed the two subtly, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Her suspicions were growing stronger. Elara's agitation was becoming more evident, and the fact that she was so affected by the flask was rather telling.

  "The bidding is now at 5-million jewels!" the auctioneer declared, his voice echoing through the room.

  Silence filled the room for a moment, before a man in the back raised his bidder's card and shouted, "I'll bid 6.0 million jewels!"

  Several of the attendees gasped quietly, impressed by the high bid. Venera raised an eyebrow, observing the situation with great interest…

  "Fantastic!" the auctioneer exclaimed, a gleam in his eyes. "We have a new bid at 6.0 million jewels! Do I hear 6.5 million?"

  The tension in the room grew palpable. More raised hands with bidding cards appeared among the crowd, the price steadily rising…

  "Let's keep this going! 7.5 million, anyone?!" the auctioneer proclaimed.

  The silence was heavy, the attendees in the room seemingly holding their breath, anticipating the next bid. But then, a soft and confident voice interrupted the silence.

  Then, from the back of the room, came a calm yet confident response. "...Eleven million."

  The room was stunned into silence once again. Eleven million... Whoever was bidding had clearly come prepared to make a statement. And Elara, well, she looked like she was going to explode any moment...

  "Elara," the man from before warned her, "Stay calm. This is not the time."

  "No," Elara hissed in response. "These people are putting a price tag on the remains of my kin. It's sickening.”

  Venera watched the exchange keenly, her curiosity piqued. Elara's anger was evident, and the fact that the flask is related to her people only made this whole bidding war more interesting.

  The auctioneer, relishing every moment, raised an eyebrow and let out a low whistle. "Eleven million it is. Can anyone top this incredible offer? Going once…”

  The tension in the room was palpable. Eleven million was an astronomical amount of jewels, and yet the mysterious bidder had not backed down.

  Elara's grip on her seat tightened, her knuckles turning white. Her entire body was tense, her eyes filled with suppressed anger at the thought of the precious relic being sold to a wealthy bidder...

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  Meanwhile, Venera leaned back in her seat, observing the entire scene with a smirk. How far would this bidding war go?

  "Going twice," the auctioneer called, the tension building with each second. The other guests, their eyes darting between the auctioneer and the unknown bidder, held their breaths.

  Elara's face was contorted in frustration, her anger only escalating as the bidding war grew more intense. Her companions tried to calm her down, but she was too focused on the situation unfolding before her...

  As for the auctioneer, he clearly enjoyed the power he had over the room. "And going thrice…”

  "Twelve million," came the clear and confident voice from the crowd.

  The room seemed to hold its breath as the new bid was made. Twelve million was a staggering amount, and the mysterious bidder showed no signs of slowing down.

  Elara's hands were clenched into fists, her body trembling with suppressed anger as her eyes glowed with simmering fury. Her companions exchanged nervous glances, clearly wary of her emotional state...

  "I cannot take this anymore," Elara spat, turning her right arm into a long, gemstone blade and standing up once again.

  Venera's eyes widened in surprise as Elara transformed her arm into a blade. This was not just an emotional outburst anymore, this was a threat.

  The auctioneer seemed taken aback for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Please, miss, calm yourself... This is an auction, not an arena."

  But Elara had had enough. She pointed her blade-arm towards the direction of the bidder, her voice filled with anger. "Show yourself, you coward! Do you have any idea of the significance of that artifact?!”

  All eyes turned towards the direction Elara was pointing, waiting for the mysterious bidder to reveal themselves. But all that answered Elara's challenge was silence.

  Elara's companions, sensing the situation escalating, grew more and more anxious. One of them dared to speak up, a hint of concern in their voice. "Elara, maybe that's enough-"

  But before they could finish, Elara cut them off. "No! I won't let some greedy fool treat a relic of my kin like a trinket for sale!”

  The tension in the room was at its absolute peak. Elara's blade-arm was still pointed towards the bidder's direction, and her breathing was labored as her anger continued to boil over.

  The auctioneer tried to diffuse the situation, his voice a mixture of irritation and caution. "Miss, please, put down that weapon before someone gets hurt-"

  But Elara was in no mood to listen. "Hurt?!" she growled. "The only ones getting hurt here are my people, when their heritage is being auctioned off to some rich fool!"

  One person in the crowd quipped, "Uh-oh, watch out guys, we have a bleeding-heart liberal over here...!”

  Venera couldn't hold back a small chuckle at the asinine comment. The situation had escalated far beyond what she had expected.

  Elara, however, was not amused. She snapped her head towards the person who had spoken, her eyes blazing with fury. "You think this is funny?! You think it's a joke to see my kin's bones being sold off to the highest bidder like some kind of rare commodity?!”

  The person, realizing they'd gone too far, quickly tried to backtrack. "Whoa, hey now, I was just joking...!"

  But Elara was having none of it. "A joke? You think it's a joke to see my people's history being treated as a commodity?! This relic is not some trinket for you to flaunt and show off to your rich friends! It's a piece of our past, something that connects us to our ancestors, and you have the audacity to treat it like a toy?!”

  The person raised their hands in defense, their tone pleading. "Hey, chill out! I didn't mean anything by it, honest! I was just-"

  Elara cut them off with a snarl. "Just what? Just mocking my people and our heritage?! Just treating our relic as if it has no value beyond being a shiny object for you to admire from afar?! You have no idea, no clue what that relic means to us!”

  The person tried to salvage the situation, their voice a bit shaky. "Look, I'm sorry! It was just a joke, alright? I didn't mean any disrespect, I swear!"

  Elara's eyes narrowed, clearly not buying the apology. "A joke? Really? You think treating my people's heritage like some kind of game is a joke?! You wouldn't be laughing if it were your family's bones on auction on that stage, would you?!”

  The person faltered, their argument falling flat as Elara's words hit home. "Well, no, I... I suppose not..."

  Elara's voice grew stronger as her anger fueled her cause. "Exactly! You have no idea what it's like to watch your own people's history being commodified for the amusement of the rich! You have no idea the pain, the humiliation, the rage that comes with seeing your culture being reduced to a mere item for sale!”

  The person was quiet now, their earlier bravado gone as they listened to Elara's impassioned speech.

  Venera, watching from the sidelines, was impressed. She hadn't expected the night to take such a turn, but now this was becoming very interesting. Elara certainly had a powerful presence when she was riled up, and hearing her stand up for her people's heritage was both unexpected and admirable.

  Elara's companions, seeing the change in mood, seized the opportunity to step in. One of them placed a hand on her shoulder. "Elara, please... calm down... You're making a scene..."

  But Elara brushed them off. "A scene?! This is more than a scene. This is a travesty, an abominable act done to my kin for the sake of profit! I won't stand back and watch silently while our history is treated like an overpriced toy!”

  The companions, still trying their best to contain Elara, pressed on. "We understand that, we really do! But please, making a scene isn't going to help..."

  The auctioneer, now getting slightly frustrated, tried to regain control. "Miss, I must ask you once again to calm down, or else I'll be forced to-"

  Elara turned a cold gaze towards the auctioneer. "Or else you'll do what? Call security? Go ahead. I'm not backing down. Not until whoever's bidding on that relic stops this madness!”

  The mood in the room was so thick and heavy that you could cut through it with a knife. Venera was still watching the spectacle with rapt interest, finding the entire situation more and more entertaining the more it unraveled. The people around the room murmured amongst themselves, whispering about the gem sprite's outburst.

  The auctioneer, clearly fed up, tried to maintain his composure. "You're being unreasonable. The bidding is standard for auctions such as this. And if you can't behave yourself, I'll have no choice but to have you escorted out!”

  Elara's companions, clearly worried about the direction this situation was taking, tried to intervene once more and whispered into her ear. "Elara, you can't cause a scene and get escorted out before we initiate our plan. Don't let your emotions screw us over.”

  Elara took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She knew her companions were right; they had a plan, and she couldn't jeopardize it by getting thrown out before they had a chance to execute it. She gave a curt nod, her eyes still burning with barely contained anger. "Fine. I'll back down...for now.”

  The companions exchanged relieved glances, glad that they managed to calm Elara down. The auctioneer, still somewhat wary, nodded in acknowledgment. "Good. Now please behave while the auction continues."

  The room fell into a tense silence again, the air still charged with tension. Venera observed the whole spectacle from her seat. So far, things were going better than expected.