Chapter 241
Chapter 241
«I give you the penultimate lot!» – The auctioneer announced loudly.
They brought in a stand with a crystal vase. Inside, there was a golden sunflower. Its vibrant petals radiated warm sunshine. The seeds in the center of the flower were large, fresh, and fragrant.
«Sunflower Ra! A rare, almost legendary flower that despises the moon and worships the sun!» – The auctioneer enumerated the merits of the lot, describing it as something of sky-high value. Finally, he got to the point. – «Sunflower Ra seeds have wonderful long-term properties. The energy they contain reaches the soul with a beneficial effect on the potency of men that attracts women in mysterious ways!
A hundred-year-old gentleman will feel young again, he will find a source of new power! The ladies will feel your attractive energy and will follow you forever! Your children will be healthy and talented! You are guaranteed a hundred, or even a thousand descendants!» – He finished his tirade and announced. – «The starting price is half a million. The bid decrement is 50.000!»
The flower piqued the general interest. The elderly guests were especially eager, the ones who had already forgotten what regular sexual activity was. One of them raised his hand…
«Number 118 bids five hundred thousand!» – The auctioneer thundered, pointing to the old man in the hood who turned out to be Flitz.
«Five hundred and fifty thousand.» – There was a cold determination in Kara’s voice.
The elderly men were perplexed. What did the princess need Sunflower Ra for? A present for someone? To seduce girls?
«Six hundred thousand.» – Suddenly, Cornelia broke the silence.
XiaoBai flinched when he guessed Cornelia’s ulterior motive. The fat fellow turned pale and tucked his head deep into his shoulders, which made him look like a clumsy tortoise in its shell.
«Six hundred and fifty.» – Flitz yelled in a hoarse voice.
The guests looked at each other in surprise. Crossing Her Highness was tantamount to digging one’s own grave. Where did all these crazy people come from?
The princess squinted her phoenix-shaped eyes. – {Get out of my way, bitch! And what is the bald old man doing here? It’s time he bit the dust!}
The three voices echoed in the hall, overbidding each other.
The price had reached two million spheres…
The sickly looking old man moaned bitterly. He closed his sunken eyes that had completely lost their luster. He didn’t have more money. He did not expect two rich monsters would be fighting for his only ray of hope. Only Sunflower Ra could heal his seed that had lost its strength, and make his cherished dream come true. He had longed for a child with his dear girl for so long.
Flitz sighed heavily and coughed. With difficulty, he got up from his seat and slowly left the hall, his head drooped low. The beautiful, sad blonde girl in the hood wanted to support him, but the old man refused her help.
The hearts of the guests sank as the bids for the lot grew.
«Four million!» – Cornelia said, clenching her fists. Unfortunately, she had no more money. Her baby bear looked ashen. He wouldn’t lend her a wooden sphere.
«Five million!» – Kara said with murderous intent. She would have to beg her mum for the rest of the sum. How could she stoop so low…
Auctioneer announced the winner.
The princess seemed quite calm now that she got what she wanted. It was time to collect debts, and money was only a small part of them. She said threateningly:
«Why are you still here?!»
The knights flinched and immediately disappeared in search of those sentenced to death.
The last lot turned out to be tokens. The majority of the guests, the Browns (2) in particular, had to endure everything to get them. When the Browns took first place in the tournament, the property of the kingdom in the equivalent of Tokens would become much cheaper for them. Therefore, they planned to get them as many as possible, despite their financial crisis after paying the fine. They wanted too much to raise as high as possible after their victory in the tournament.
Kyon and XiaoBai were not interested in the last lot at all.
~knock knock~
They delivered the items won in the auction: the impenetrable cloth, the breakthrough pill, and the medicine for unique body destruction. Kyon had spent 750 thousand on them. He had only 250,000 left. XiaoBai had the rest of his many millions! Kyon would receive money for the phoenix figurine soon.
Kyon offered his companions to get away from the imminent trouble as soon as possible.
As soon as they left the room, they saw two very tall, quickly approaching knights in armor.
One of them grabbed Cornelia by the wrist and yelled: – «How dared you her cross Her Highness?!»
Suddenly knights’ eyes widened. They turned pale, kneeling in front of the pretty, short girl. They looked like obedient servants who were honoring their great queen. The knights trembled, their hearts beat faster.
«You are so ill-mannered.» – Cornelia sniffed coldly. She turned around as if nothing had happened, and walked away, seductively wagging her hips for her baby bear.
Kyon looked at XiaoBai, shocked. The fat fellow sighed convulsively. His eyes said: “You have sworn to save me! Don’t forget about it!”
Kyon found a secluded place to create a new bright phoenix figurine of precious stones with the earth element. As soon as it was ready, he sent it to XiaoBai. The fatso would either believe in miracles or go crazy when he received money for the same figurine twice. It was hard to say for sure.
Then he rode a couple of miles, stopped at a cottage where they let out rooms, and knocked on the door.
A charming blonde dressed in a sundress opened the door. She resembled Diana, Juno’s mother, only she had no charm of a mature woman. Anyway, she was sweet and somewhat naive.
«Can I help you, young man?» – She asked in a kind voice.
«Marina, it’s me.» – Kyon took off his carbon mask and smiled.
«Kyon?.. Kyon!» – Marina flashed him her prettiest smile and hugged him tight. – «I’ve missed you… You never call, and I don’t remember your frequency… How are you doing?»
«I am great, thanks… May I come in?»
Marina noticed that he avoided talking about himself and shook her head. – «You’d better drop by in the evening. You see, Flitz…»
«Who’s there?!» – Kyon heard an angry hoarse voice.
When Flitz recognized his guest, he froze in shock, bared his teeth. – «You little shit! They kicked me out of the family because of you! You’re fucked!» – He attacked Kyon swinging his bony fist.
Kyon calmly dodged and punched Flitz in the gut. The old man grimaced, coughed and literally crashed to the floor. The blow wasn’t too hard but rather painful. Flitz looked pathetic.
«Gods, Flitz!» – Marina got scared and tried to help him get up, but he waved her off, writhing and wheezing on the floor. It hurt Marina’s heart to watch his attempts to rise. Why did he refuse her help?
Marina reproachfully looked at Kyon who was as calm as can be. – «Why?»
«He had it coming.» – Kyon muttered.
«Go to the kitchen, Marina!» – Flitz croaked.
«But…» – She reluctantly left.
«Why did come, little piece of shit?!» – Flitz wouldn’t stop.
«I have a proposition for you.» – Kyon began.
But Flitz interrupted him. – «I do not need any propositions! Get the hell out of here before I kill you! You are not welcome in this house!»
«The sunflower Ra that you wanted to buy would not cure your seed, Flitz. It has no healing properties, for it serves another purpose…»
«Are you done talking now?»
Kyon sighed. It was pointless to explain anything to him. – «We’ll talk when you see the result, and now get out of the way. I want to talk with Marina.»
«No way! I won’t let anyone like you near my little Marina!» – The bald old let out an oppressive aura of the finishing stage in the superior phase. His wrinkled palms sparkled with sharp water blades vibrating with light…
~pop~
«You…» – Before Flitz could wink, he felt a prickle down his neck. In an instant, he got drowsy, his legs giving way beneath him. Because of his blurred vision, he had failed to fend off a little fast arrow (bullet dart).
«Oh no! Flitz!» – Marina, who had been secretly watching the scene, ran into the room to help the poor old man. – «Please, don’t die! Flitz!»
«He is just sleeping. I sedated him. Don’t worry.»
Marina glowered at Kyon. – «How can I not worry about him? His health is undermined! And you’re partly responsible for this! All he wanted was to protect me. Don’t be so evil, Kyon. I don’t recognize you.» – She was supporting Flitz’s head with a worried look.
Kyon squatted beside her and touched her shoulder. – «I am sorry.»
Marina calmed down. – «Help me carry him to the bed. The floor is cold…»
Kyon did as she asked, and soon they were alone.
After a few minutes of a friendly talk over a cup of tea (to get her ready), Kyon took her gentle hand in his. – «Marina, I am going to ask you an important question. Will you take it serious and give me an honest answer, please?»
«I will…» – She looked away with a shy smile.
«What do you feel about Flitz?»
Marina was at a loss of words. – «I’d say it’s pretty personal…» – She looked thoughtfully at the window, gathering her thoughts together. Then she said. – « I’m very worried about his health. He’s got a bad cough, he barely walks… He even struggles to get out of bed. He has lost his appetite… I can see his life wither away… He doesn’t have much time left, and it makes me feel guilty. I don’t think I am directly responsible for this, but it seems to me that his current condition is somehow connected with his new attitude towards me… I can’t feel his tyranny, possessiveness and sexual potency… Oh…» – Marina blushed. – «I didn’t mean it that way!»
«Go on.» – Kyon said calmly.
«He has turned into a kind loving grandpa, and I am only happy he has. However, it has changed him from within. He has stopped being a man with me. I guess that’s how his soul has lost the incentive to support his body. He has lost the desire to live…»
«What can you say about the auction?»
«I don’t understand what he was thinking trying to get Sunflower Ra! He dreams of making me a child, but I wouldn’t let him sleep with me! Gods… He keeps repeating how sorry he is for everything he has done. What does he hope to achieve?! Is he trying to destroy all the good he has done?! I won’t sleep with the old man! I want to have children only from the man I love… And Flitz is like a friend to me… A kind grandpa… But he is not the man I love’s definitely not a beloved.»
Kyon asked some more questions, drew his conclusions, nodded to his thoughts, took an envelope and a sweet candy from the ring, and handed them to Marina. She had to give the candy to Flitz in the morning, and after his reaction, give him the envelope with the note which she wasn’t allowed to read.
«What is it?» – Marina asked, bewildered.
Kyon smiled. – «Just wait and see.»
After an hour of their animated conversation over buns and tea, the guest left the house.
As agreed, Marina gave Flitz the candy before going to bed. She was worried it might be poisoned, so she couldn’t fall asleep right away.
It was a cloudless night.
Flitz woke up at the crack of dawn. – {Weird.} – It was only five in the morning, but he felt cheerful and full of energy. For some reason, the skin all over his body was unbearably itchy.
Scratching here and there, he could feel something on his fingers. When he saw it was skin, Flitz’s hollow eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. – «Oh no!.. I must have caught another disease!» – He ran to the mirror with bated breath. He didn’t see the pale half-dead ancient man. A cheerful and lively elderly chap was looking back at him!
«Holy tomatoes! What’s going on?!» – He nervously scratched his face, tearing off large pieces of old dead skin only to find new young skin beneath. He didn’t understand how this miracle could have happened.
Marina entered the room, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She was wearing a pretty all lace nightdress. Her mouth parted in amazement when she saw Flitz.
«Ffff… Flitz?! You… Did you get younger?!»
«I? Younger? I got younger?!» – Flitz rushed to the mirror to examine himself from all sides. His smile was getting wider, he was just radiating happiness. He was so excited he was about to dance. Now he understood what had happened to him. It was unbelievable! Overwhelmed with emotions, Flitz ran up to Marina and hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground.
«That’s what the pill Kyon gave him…» – Marina muttered, stunned. She nearly lost her mind. What would she feel about Flitz if he turned into young Franz? The moment she had this thought, her heart started beating faster.
The candy actually contained Synergy that had launched a complex of processes in Flitz’s body (in particular, it turned the telomerase enzyme on). It made his telomeres, the regions at the end of chromosomes, grow longer. Now the somatic cells of his body showed a greater activity (division and vitality) that helped Flitz get about two decades younger.
«Did you say Kyon?..» – Flitz pulled back in confusion.
Marina didn’t know what to say. – «I… Yesterday, Kyon… Anyway, he told me to give you this. Read it, please.» – She held out the envelope.
Flitz quickly opened it and began to read the letter.
“Life is a sinking island surrounded by death. I am your fucking ship that can pull you out of this shit. The ticket costs ten years of your loyal service.”
“More specifically, as soon as you become my slave (let’s call a spade a spade), I will turn you into a twenty-year-old fellow in the prime of your life. Upon the end of your service, you will get your seed restored. If you refuse, the trial cruise will be over in a week. I expect your final and irrevocable decision after the tournament. P.S. You’d better keep Marina out of this.”
Flitz read to the end and fell to his knees. The letter in his hands trembled. The student of legendary TsyJi, who had mastered the nine elements and ruined his life in the family, could return his youth and restore his seed. With this short note, the bastard had hit his weakest spot. If Flitz became young, he could get Marina back. She would change her opinion of him completely! And in eleven years, he would get his dear Marina pregnant… Could pride be more important than a dream?