— — — — — —
After thinking it over for a long while, Indra looked at Ryo with a deadpan expression, "You're trying to fleece me, aren't you?"
Putting DxD Indra up for auction on the black market and making him bid for himself? The whole idea sounded ridiculous from the start.
Indra didn't have an overwhelming number of enemies, but he certainly wasn't short on them either.
Once word got out, everyone who wanted to make his life miserable would come crawling out of the woodwork.
If he wanted to win the auction, he'd have to pay an outrageous price.
And in the end... that money would all end up in Ryo's pocket.
When you looked at it that way, it would be far cheaper to just negotiate privately and pay with a few possessions.
Faced with Indra's suspicion, Ryo remained completely unfazed. "Are you in or not?"
The fact that Indra wanted an explanation at all meant he was already tempted. Everything he'd said afterward was simply bargaining.
Indra stared at him for a long moment before finally saying, "You know, kid... If you ever got into the business of selling respectable girls into prostitution, you'd become the greatest pimp the Pleasure District had ever seen."
Ryo's mouth twitched.
He wisely chose not to respond.
Taking a deep breath, Indra added, "I won't even mention the cut you'll already be getting from Thousand Eyes' intelligence fees. And for this deal, I'll cover the black-market auction fees."
"But whatever price I end up paying... you'll only get goods equal to one-tenth of it."
"The remaining ninety percent? Consider it a family discount. Have pity on your poor old great-grandfather-in-law."
'...Now that's some bargaining.'
One cut and he'd slashed ninety percent off the price... A true master of haggling.
Yet after only a brief pause, Ryo nodded, "Deal."
Seeing him agree so readily only made Indra more uneasy.
"You accepted way too quickly. Now I'm getting nervous."
On the black market, the hottest commodities were Authorities... and exceptionally valuable slaves.
Indra couldn't help wondering if Ryo had somehow gathered a huge collection of captives who shared the names of famous beings.
Giving him a discount? That was probably just advertising expenses.
Auctioning off an Indra, one carrying the Spirit Rank of the Heavenly Emperor and the Lord of Buddhism and Hinduism?
Anyone with half a brain could imagine the sensation that would cause.
Even the God-Kings of Little Garden's upper layers would become curious enough to come and watch.
And unlike in the past, travel between the upper and lower layers wasn't particularly difficult.
With the Godslayer War underway, nobody knew how many God-Kings had descended into mortal forms to participate. Not even Indra's intelligence network had a clue.
Gather that many God-Kings together... Then throw in a black-market auction centered around Indra himself... The number of powerful figures that would attract would be staggering.
Even if most of them only came through avatars. Every single one of them would be a participant in the Godslayer War.
It was practically the same as building a gigantic powder keg. One loud enough for all of Little Garden to hear.
Faced with something this outrageous, Indra couldn't help suspecting Algol's involvement.
He frowned, "Is Algol planning to wipe out the gods in one shot?"
Ryo blinked. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
"Then why hold an auction guaranteed to attract so many gods?" Indra looked just as puzzled. "Other than eliminating all her Godslayer War rivals in one move and securing that Two-Digit spot, I can't think of any reason."
"Unless... she wants revenge on her old enemies?"
Ryo shook his head. "If Algol wants revenge, she'd go after Athena."
"As for everyone else... Are you sure they're her enemies? Or are they her victims?"
Indra paused and nodded, "...Fair point."
Thinking about it carefully, Algol really only had two true enemies.
Shakyamuni Buddha, the obstacle that barred her from the Two-Digit realm.
And Athena, who had sealed her away.
Everyone else had simply been unlucky enough to cross paths with her.
Revenge really didn't make much sense.
Besides, Athena wasn't foolish enough to attend a black-market auction that practically screamed trap.
"Then is she still after the Two-Digit position tied to the Godslayer War? Indra frowned again. "With all due respect, even if she's become a Rule-Breaker, this will only earn her more enemies."
"And she never signed the Godslayer Treaty. She's not even an officially recognized participant. All this would accomplish is provoking every faction that did sign."
"She may be crazy, but she's not that crazy. You're overthinking it." Ryo sighed. "We're just trying to earn a little spending money."
"...Spending money?" Indra's lips twitched. "You're holding a black-market auction with me as the headline attraction, and you call that pocket money? If you're going that far, at least have the guts to admit you're making a killing!"
Ryo remained perfectly calm. "In that case... Should we change the split?"
"Never mind."
The moment money was involved, Indra changed his tune with incredible speed.
After all, buying the DxD version of himself was already going to cost a fortune.
His old enemies would undoubtedly join the bidding just to drive the price higher and laugh at him.
By the time it was over, he'd probably spend ten or even dozens of times more than if he'd simply bought the man directly from Ryo.
That was exactly why he'd bargained so aggressively.
Even after cutting ninety percent, Ryo would still make a killing.
As for why he was willing to let Ryo profit... partly because he needed the favor. And partly because this counted as an apology to Algol.
Back in the day, the Heavenly Army had participated in hunting her down.
Now she'd risen to a Three-Digit Rule-Breaker. Failing to make amends would be asking for trouble.
Against someone with Two-Digit power, Indra felt there was absolutely no shame in being as cautious as possible.
"So." Ryo smiled. "We have an agreement?"
Indra sighed, "If spending a little extra keeps those two from the Daoist and Buddhist factions from watching me all the time... It's worth it."
The Spirit Rank (Spiritual Status) carried by that other Indra was simply too troublesome.
Indra understood perfectly.
Quietly buying the secret from Ryo and disposing of it was one thing.
Making a grand show of paying an astronomical price at a public auction to demonstrate his loyalty? That was even better.
And if that wealth ended up in Ryo's hands...
Well, thinking of it as compensation to Algol made the whole thing sting a lot less.
In fact, if the money he used to apologize to Algol ended up helping his future great-grandson-in-law grow stronger... maybe he'd actually come out ahead.
Ryo nodded. "Then I'll start contacting the black market."
"Oh? If you haven't picked one yet..." A mischievous smile spread across Indra's face. "How about Outer Gate 7752? You might find a pleasant surprise waiting for you there."
"Oh?" Ryo narrowed his eyes. "What kind of surprise?"
Grinning like a fox, Indra replied, "The tail of a snake even I can't quite see through."
'The Ouroboros black market, huh?'
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be a little awkward? They might not even do business with me."
Indra patted him on the shoulder with all the solemnity of an elder giving heartfelt advice. "If they won't take it... Stuff it down their throats."
Ryo burst into a grin. "Fine. I'll do those snakes a favor. Help them grow fat and prosperous."
Indra beamed approvingly, looking every bit the proud teacher whose student had finally learned the lesson. "And don't forget to report them to the Heavenly Army afterward. I guarantee someone will take the case."
Ryo blinked. "Isn't that a little unethical?"
"What's unethical about it? We're just good people trying to do the right thing."
The two men looked at each other across the sofa.
Then, at exactly the same time, they broke into identical smiles. The kind that would send chills down anyone's spine.
.
.
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