Ball of Nothing

Zero was a fantastic help. He soaked up everything that Amaraline taught and was brewing tea like an expert in no time. The cockatrice descendant was overjoyed and starting teaching Zero the ropes from serving customers and taking orders to collect payment. Zero didn't complain and did everything as he was told. His cheerful demeanour won over the hearts of many demons who were initially sceptical about having a non-demon serving them. In fact, Coux was slightly envious of the tips Zero received from some of their patrons. Most of the tips he received were from female demons who thought that he was a precious little thing. Apparently, Zero's charms were not lost despite maturing into a teenager. Some things simply never changed. Coux wondered if she could persuade Baal to let Zero extend his stay in Hell by a few more days to help out at the shop. They were shorthanded as it was and Zero made excellent free labour.

Time flew by quickly and the ladies got ready to close for the day. Zero's cleaning magic came in useful and the secretary was seriously considering to employee Zero as permanent staff.

"Are you sure you don't want to become a waiter at Belles and Begonia?"

Zero shook his head. "It's alright. I have to resume my training once we get back. I'm sure Master is dying to teach me the basics of acupuncture and surgery."

Coux pouted but agreed reluctantly. Good people were hard to find and even harder to keep. Zero told Coux that she could always employ help from the village. Surely there would be others who were keen. The secretary's smile was tight when she told him that she would consider. The truth was, none of the villagers had interest or skills required to work in a store. Besides, many of them couldn't enter the abyss without some sort of repercussion.

By the time they had to leave, there were still a good number of customers remaining. Coux had to apologise to them and offer takeaways so that they could leave on time. The auction would start soon and due to the delay, nobody had time for dinner. The most they had was a quick bite or two from some leftover pastries that didn't sell.

"I heard that today's auction would be interesting. Lord Mammon sent Lord Baal a letter inviting him to view the newest collection of Demon Eyes. Someone recently slew the pit hydra and that is going for auction. Who knows, it might have some skills you are interested in acquiring."

Zero shrugged. "Maybe. I'm still more interested in getting the shape-shifting and flight skills. Do we have enough money to get everything we need at the auction house?"

Coux smiled. Money wasn't an issue. Given Lord Baal and Lord Mammon's relationship and the potential of Belles and Begonia as a lucrative investment, getting an unlimited loan is possible. Coux was confident that once the trade route between Hell and Earth was established, they could pay back whatever Zero wanted to spend today.

"Don't worry about money, Lord Baal is paying for it."

"Bell?" Zero asked incredulously. It was hard to believe that his lazy and broke friend had money to spare, much less pay for anything. Then, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was Baal stealing money from someone?

Coux blinked at Zero's reaction. Normally, Zero would have left it at that. Seeing that the teen wouldn't buy her answer so easily, the secretary had to feed him a little more information before the doctor's apprentice relented.

"Ok. As long as Bell isn't stealing from anybody, it's good. Say, do you think I will be able to pay him back with what I earn from the sin redemption service?"

The secretary shrugged. "I don't know. You may be able to pay him back a little for sure. However, I'm not sure if you could pay him back in full. The things in the auction house are always expensive as they are very rare. None of the items sold here tonight can be found in the ordinary market. It's also not a given that the same item will appear a second time."

The doctor-in-training cocked his head to a side. It was hard to understand what the half-succubus was talking about.

"Don't worry," Mii chimed. "You'll see it later. There usually is no fixed prices for the items on auction. People bid the prices for what they want and the item goes to the highest bidder. Of course, that is a rule that only applies in the auction house. It isn't uncommon for the winning bidders of an item to be ambushed and robbed the moment they step out of the auction house."

Zero looked slightly worried at that. "Will anyone try to steal the things we win at the auction?"

The strawcherry fairy shrugged. "It's a possibility. However, I doubt it will happen. You're going to absorb it right away, aren't you?"

Zero stuck out a tongue sheepishly. "I forgot. Ok! There's nothing to worry about. Let's go!"

Zero dragged Coux and Mii into the carriage that Baal readied for them beforehand. Qin Yun and Amaraline decided to return to the castle to rest for the day so the journey was spent in relative silence with Zero marvelling at the sight of demons hustling along the streets from inside the moving carriage.

As the carriage came to a halt, Zero hopped out eagerly. Coux quickly adjusted the lopsided sheep horn so that it wouldn't be too obvious that Zero was a fake demon. Nobody would question them with Baal's insignia but it was still better to be safe than sorry. Instead of squishing with the common folk on the first floor or on the sleazy couches with the richer folks, the party of two and a half was ushered to the second floor of the auction house. The half-succubus made a mental note to thank Mammon for arranging such hospitality. It was easier for her to keep an eye on Zero away from prying eyes.

The room was lavishly furnished with exquisite silk spun by the most graceful spider demons. The couches were stuffed with the soft wool of some sheep demon. The same material was used for the thickly padded carpet floor. Instead of candles, magic stones were used to line the ceiling, creating a beautiful glow that was neither too bright nor dim. Zero was briefly reminded of the underground passageways of Half Moon village.

The room wasn't very large but Zero didn't mind. There were no windows but there was a balcony that was covered in rich violet translucent drapes. Zero was curious why nobody drew them open but left them as they were. There were two luxurious armchairs lined in silk and fur. Coux went over to the small table at the corner of the room that Zero hadn't noticed, too overwhelmed by the display of wealth. There was a small assortment of snacks and tea that Coux immediately got to brewing. The teen decided to entertain himself by watching the people gather below from behind the curtain.

As soon as the secretary came back with two steaming cups of tea and a plate of munchies, Zero lost his interest in the crowd. Still, he wondered what the blank slate on the small coffee table between the armchairs was for.

"If you see something you like, use magic to write the number of devil gold you would like to bid. They go by the thousands here. Of course, devil gold is only used to bid for items above Purple grade."

"How do I know if it is a purple grade item? WHat does that mean? Does the item have to be purple?" Zero asked. Perhaps that was why the drapes were purple.

Mii waved her hand and some words materialised in the air.

"This is how the grades work. It's basically the rarity of an object. No items below rare grade will be in the auction house."

Red - Trash

Orange - Common

Green - Uncommon

Blue - Rare

Purple - Extra Rare

Silver - Legendary

Black - Sagely

Gold - Godly

White - Unrankable

Zero took a good look at the floating words and committed them to memory. Coux then explained the currency used in the abyss. She scribbled on the slate and Zero noted how Coux channelled very little mana into it while dragging her finger across the surface to 'write'.

100 Cursed Coins = 1 Cursed Note

1,000 Cursed Note = 1 Devil Gold

10,000 Devil Gold = 1 Blood Note

"The cheapest tea at our shop is sold for 50 Cursed Coins. It is the equivalent of 50 innites back on Earth. The lowest value of money is 5 innites. You can buy a small burnt loaf of bread from the baker's in a town with 5 innites."

Zero felt his brain refusing to cooperate. The concept of counting was still foreign to Zero. Baal called it Math and Zero decided he didn't like Math. He prefered studying different languages and plants better. Heck, even the topic called history was far more entertaining than Math. Gugu liked Math a lot but Zero didn't think it was possible for him to understand the same joy.

Before Zero's brain could start overheating from the overuse, they heard the crowd below go silent. A smartly dressed goat demon stood in front of the room on the raised floor. The goat demon cleared his throat and started addressing the audiences in a high pitched and nasally tone that hurt Zero's ears. He droned on for about ten minutes and Zero wondered if he would ever stop talking.

Thankfully, he did. The goat demon then picked up a mallet and struck the bronze bell that a pretty cat demon pushed onto the stage. The loud sound marked the beginning of the auction and the relaxed atmosphere turned into one that rivalled a battlefield.

A wolf demon walked onto the stage. He looked menacing and Zero wondered if it would hurt for him to smile a little. The first item was brought onto the stage by the same pretty cat demon on a cart. Zero couldn't see very well and Coux handed him a pair of magnifying glasses.

"The first item of the auction today is a basket of Grade Blue Volcano Spore Flower. Spore Flowers are difficult to harvest and will only grow near the volcanoes in the abyss. Many harvesters have died trying to get to them by falling into the void through the cracks in the quakes or caught in an eruption. These Spore Flowers can withstand heat very well and is known to cure curses of ice elements. It also boosts the lifespan of fire elemental demons. Its starting bid is at 15 Cursed Notes!"

Immediately hands shot up in the air and someone yelled out 25 Cursed Notes. Zero blinked. The Spore Flowers looked half withered. Can something that lacked freshness be sold for so much? Still, the bids rose higher and higher. People started dropping out from the race and the basket of Spore Flowers ended up with a mossy rock demon. Zero didn't know what the poor demon wanted to do with it but he certainly didn't think it was worth 48 Cursed Notes.

The next item was a heavy looking pair of boots that would never fit on Zero's feet. They were as long as his arm and the teen wondered who would possibly have such huge feet.

"The next item is a pair of boots that once belonged to the great Viking Giant King of Earth. Our appraiser has confirmed that they were worn on his adventure from the time he travelled to the land of pixies and serpent island. It is a Grade Silver item and the starting bid is 500 Cursed Notes!"

This time, not many people bid for it. Zero thought that the tiny rat demon must be crazy to buy such big shoes. What was he going to do with it? There was no way he would be able to wear it. The rat demon could practically live in one of those!

"Sold!" The wolf demon cried and slammed the hammer twice to indicate a successful sale. Zero saw how the cat demon took the boots away and asked Coux how the rat demon was going to collect his item. He didn't see them paying either.

"They would pay in the backroom while verifying their purchase. Once the item is sold, the auction house will not do refunds or bear responsibility for what happens to the item afterwards. The rat demon would have to pay his 680 Cursed Notes and a 6% auction tax before the item certificate and ownership transfer scroll is passed to him. He would have to arrange his own form of transport to bring it back."

The doctor-in-training nodded. That was a lot of Math he didn't want to do. However, the teen now knew how Mammon became so rich. He earned from whatever was sold by collecting a tax. Coux mentioned that not all items would be sold and Zero wondered if that was true.

For the next few items, Zero let them go without much interest. He wasn't even keen when the auctioneer brought out some Grade Black Incense Kit from a destroyed world. However, his eyes widened when the wolf auctioneer stepped down to pass his role to another person.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have gathered here for the very same reason. With the connections that the Auction House has, we bring you the highlight of today's event."

The lights below dimmed and a spotlight pointed directly on the spot that the new auctioneer was standing on. Two cat demons wheeled out a book placed on a pedestal. Zero raised a brow. The book looked ancient and was giving out a lot of magical powers. After staring it for a few seconds, Zero knew that it was in an unknown language. He couldn't understand a single thing and Mii wasn't about to spoil the surprise for him either.

"The first featured item is a Grade White grimoire. Our appraisers were unable to decipher this foreign language nor break the curse on it. The starting bid is 1 Devil Gold."

Many people on the first floor didn't bid. Zero thought that it was a shame because this book looked a lot more interesting than a basket of Spore Flowers. However, the richer folks on the sleazy couches were bidding leisurely as if to spite the others sitting around them. Not many people were too interested in the book and Zero thought that it might be a prestige thing to be able to afford something like that.

He was right. The book sold for 2 Devil Gold and 300 Cursed Notes to a lady who seemed more interested in perfume than reading.

The next item was also Grade White and Zero wondered if this was the same for all the other items on highlight. What shocked Zero wasn't the uniqueness of the next time but rather, the reaction of the audiences when they cheered and licked their lips.

The next 'item' was not an object but a living person. This person looked feral with sharp teeth dripping with blood. He had white hair and scars all over his body. Zero quickly used his ability to appraise the scrawny child.

Name: -Not Found-

Title:

- Child of Roth

Last survival of a warrior vampire tribe called Roth.

Race: Vampire

Age: 232 Hell years

Skills:

- Shape-shifting

Allows user to transform into a bat to conserve magic and cover from injuries faster

- Bloodlust

Boosts user's power by 500% when engulfed by rage. Increases thirst.

- High-Speed Regeneration

Allows user to recover from physical wounds 500 times faster

- Observation

Allows user to copy an ability after observing it once with restrictions

Sins:

- Anger

-15/100

- Jealousy

0/100

- Laziness

0/100

- Greed

0/100

- Lust

0/100

- Pride

0/100

- Gluttony

0/100

Zero blinked. Was it possible for sins to be in the negative range? How did that happen?

Then, the vampire child looked up, right into Zero's eyes. Startled, Zero nearly fell off his chair. When their eyes met through the curtain, Zero felt as if it wasn't a coincidence. Something in him told him to save this nameless child from the auction house. He didn't seem to be here willingly from the heavy chains around his wrists and ankles. They had magic spells that prevented him from transforming and running away but that didn't make the boy stop trying to break his restraints. The bruises and cuts were evidence of that.

"I want to save that child," he told Coux.

"You can't save every slave on auction, Zero. It is the rule in Hell that the strong take everything and the weak get eaten."

Zero didn't say anything, he only continued to stare at the vampire who was once again dragged along and made to kneel on the centre of the stage. Still, those red eyes never left Zero's and the teen made his mind up. He would save this child.