The Greatest Sinner

The auctioneer showed everyone present the last lot and said loudly: "The "Sacred Deer`s Horn" is a rare and precious material. It would make a fine addition to any weapon or armor. I think each of you understands how difficult it is to obtain something like that. So be prepared for a fierce bidding battle! The starting price is 10,000 gold coins!"

The "Sacred Deer's Horn" was white in color with a slight blue glow. As the auctioneer said this horn was a true dream of any craftsman. This material required craftsmanship, and with the right processing could turn out a true masterpiece.

As soon as the auctioneer called the price, many bids were immediately made. People on the floors and in the hall called their price. Most of the guests had been waiting for this item to be shown. All the most interesting things were always left for the final, so such a stir was not surprising.

In just one minute, the price had risen to 15,000 gold coins, and it continued to rise relentlessly.

<Here it is... And why am I not surprised that everyone wants that horn at once?> Evan thought to himself as he watched the bidding.

Still, he wasn't going to back down or be modest. He needed that horn and he would get it by all means.

"Mr. Marcel, I want that horn." Evan said seriously.

Marcel grinned and said calmly: "Huh, you've got a lot of nerve. I guess fate has decided that one man without a conscience isn't enough for me. Well, there's nothing you can do about it."

Marcel reached for the sphere and the next moment the auctioneer said loudly: "Room number 4 - 20,000 gold coins!"

The bid was enormous, but in spite of the fact that it had been made by Marcel, it was outbid almost instantly.

"Oh, it looks like I`ve a bit underestimated the others' desire to get this thing. Well, it's even more interesting that way."

When the price got to 25,000 gold coins, Marcel made another bid.

The sphere glowed brightly and a beautiful number of 33.333 appeared in the air. The auctioneer immediately turned his attention to it.

Marcel was sure that this price should be the last and he would get the "Sacred Deer`s Horn", but it was not that simple.

The auctioneer was about to start counting down as he suddenly said with excitement in his voice: "Room number 3 - 40,000 gold coins!"

After he said this, a wave of astonishment spread throughout the hall. It was not the amount that was surprising, but the room number. There was the owner of this auction house, Koen van Erden.

On the one hand, it could seem rather strange that Koen for some reason decided to participate in this auction, because all items were already the property of the Erden Family.

Some items did not belong to the Erden Family, they were the property of their acquaintances or merchants who were lucky enough to present their goods at the auction and make huge profits from it.

With the "Sacred Deer`s Horn" was a unique situation at all. The reason was that the material had been miraculously obtained by Fane Cross, the head of the Cross Family.

Koen wanted to buy the horn, but Fane offered him a different deal. The "Sacred Deer`s Horn" would be auctioned off as the last lot and could be purchased by whoever wanted it. Of course, Koen offered Fane a tidy sum, but Fane was sure he could earn more at the auction.

Fane didn't expect to get much more than Koen's offer, but the fact that Marcel was also interested in the horn changed everything. As a result, the two titans would fight over one single item, and the price would rise inexorably. This couldn't help but pleased Fane.

...

In room number 3.

"Hmm...I didn't expect Marcel to be bidding. I wonder why he needs that horn..." Koen muttered slowly to himself.

"Maybe Mr. Marcel wants to make something out of it." Said Rosa sitting next to him.

Koen thought about it, shook his head and said: "Very unlikely. The "Sacred Deer`s Horn" is indeed high-class material. However, it is within Marcel's power to obtain something more substantial. After all, the world is huge and there are plenty of different unique materials."

"It's amazing how powerful Mr. Marcel is..." Rose muttered.

It's worth noting that the Erden Family, the Cross Family, and Marcel maintained a friendly relationship with each other. Marcel had been in contact with Koen more than once, which meant that Rosa was familiar with him as well. Of course, her knowledge was limited to the fact that Marcel was a very influential person in Mossy Vulture.

"Certainly, his influence is no less than that of our Family and the Cross Family".

"But, how can one man be so powerful?" To Rose, her brother's words sounded strange.

The Erden family never tried to flaunt their power. They believed that only ignorant people did that. All of the offspring were taught modesty and restraint by the Erden Family. According to the elders of the Erden family, such a method was good not only for the authority of the family, but also for the future of the younger generation.

Young men would not behave arrogantly and think that they were better than others, just because they were lucky to be born in the Erden Family. They would try to achieve their goals by doing their best, without relying on the help of their powerful family.

Of course, the Erden Family helped their younger generation in every way possible. Rosa, like the rest of the Erden Family's youth, was well aware of how powerful their Family was. But because of her upbringing, she tried not to take advantage of it.

"It's not just about Marcel. Wealth alone is not enough to have power, power is also necessary. Of course, Marcel is very powerful, but I think you understand that its power is not comparable to that of our Family and the Cross Family."

Koen sighed and calmly said: "Zak, or Zak Hart is Marcel's best friend and he is also one of the reasons why many people call Marcel the third head of Mossy Vulture."

"Zak...Hart?"

Koen nodded.

"Yes, you don't know him since Zak, unlike Marcel, has no interest in aristocratic society. The following words will seem strange to you, but they really are - when Zak and Marcel are together, they can fight on an equal footing with the heads of our Family. Marcel is the "Summoner," but far from the most ordinary. Zak doesn't have any special features, but his pure power is all he needs."

It's worth noting that both the Erden Family and the Cross Family were led by elders. They ran the Family's business, oversaw its development, allocated resources among its members, and so on. However, the Elders had no power over the head of the Family.

Koen and Fane could do as they wished. They were the strongest despite their young age compared to the elders. Recently, Koen caught one of the Elders bullying the younger ones - he was hindering their progress and taking advantage of them in every way. As a result, Koen beheaded the elder right in front of the youngers. There were no proceedings, no dissatisfaction with his actions, for in the Erden Family, Koen's will was law.

"Rose, I think you know that years ago the Cross Family was divided and Fane was able to unite it?"

The girl nodded confidently.

"Except, what you don't know is that the last head of the Cross Family, wanted to get his hands on everything Marcel owned. He was a real fool, and he paid the price for it. Marcel and Zak teamed up and unceremoniously killed him, after which the Cross Family was finally able to rebuild and end their infighting."