Chapter 292: The Duke

After registering his identity, and since it was still early, Gervas was invited to rest temporarily in the castle's guest quarters.

I must say, the hospitality at this marquis's castle is quite thoughtful—the guest rooms are spacious, even featuring private bathrooms and washing areas.

Even two maids were on standby at all times.

Gervas had the maids prepare hot water, rejected their flirtatious glances and offers to bathe him, and dismissed them outright.

After all, these were women who had been with countless men—he, Gervas, dared not take the wheel.

Then he bathed comfortably, wiping away all the fatigue of recent days.

Just as Gervas finished bathing, the banquet was about to begin.

Under the servant's guidance, Gervas led his retinue toward the banquet hall.

Normally, at banquets, one could not bring subordinates except for personal attendants.

But this was an auction banquet, and guests would surely bring large amounts of wealth, so subordinates were permitted to accompany them.

Upon arriving at the banquet hall, it was already packed with people.

Dignified nobles, ladies, and young ladies sat or stood in small groups, chatting freely—numbering at least three or four hundred.

Servants in silk garments moved constantly among the crowd, serving juice and drinks.

Around the crowd stood long tables covered in snow-white tablecloths.

The tables were laden with roasted meat, roasted bread, pastries, and fruit—everything imaginable!

"Don't be nervous! Go fill your bellies first!"

Eve Lan and Mi Ke clearly weren't used to such scenes and looked uneasy.

Fortunately, food had also been prepared for these subordinates, placed in the most inconspicuous corner.

Though the food was sparse, it gave these subordinates somewhere to eat.

"My lord, we'll go over there. Call us anytime if you need us!"

Gervas nodded, then parted ways with the four and found a less crowded table to eat alone.

A few nobles stood beside the table, each wearing a golden badge; from the patterns along the edges, they were clearly counts.

Their demeanor was fairly decent, showing no sign of contempt.

"The Marquis has arrived!"

About half an hour later, with an announcement, the host of this event finally appeared.

This marked the official start of today's auction.

Chairs, tables, and an auction platform had already been set up at the front of the banquet hall.

The nobles, knowing the main event was about to begin, began taking their seats.

Marquis Darwin also stepped onto the raised platform and delivered a brief speech.

"Lords and ladies, I am honored by your presence tonight. The purpose of this banquet, I trust, is already clear to you—so I shall not waste your time. I now hand the floor to my castle steward!"

Marquis Darwin was older than expected—at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

Clearly, the previous Marquis Darwin was also advanced in age, which is why he met his accident during the hunt, plunging the family into internal strife.

Then the castle steward ascended the stage and explained the auction details.

This auction featured two hundred cavalrymen, all slaves of the Darwin family; the starting bid for each was eighty silver coins.

The two hundred were divided into two lots for auction, meaning the minimum starting bid totaled eighty gold coins.

Of course, this starting price was extremely low.

Clearly, the Darwin family anticipated fierce competition and saw no need to set the starting bid too high.

"Lords and ladies, to facilitate your arming of these slaves, our marquis's castle also offers, for a fee, their cavalry equipment, horses, and even their families!"

"First, the cavalry equipment is a complete set forged to the Kingdom's standard for light cavalry—the very same gear each slave previously used, so it fits their exact measurements."

"Each set of cavalry equipment costs four gold coins."

"Second, the horses—they previously rode warhorses, albeit low-grade ones, but rigorously trained and fully battle-ready; price is ten gold coins per horse."

"Lastly, their families—regardless of number or age, each family costs one gold coin."

"Of course, among the subsequent horses, equipment, and families, only the cavalry equipment is mandatory to purchase!"

"The warhorses and their families are optional—you may decide for yourselves later. I now declare the auction open!"

As he spoke, the steward waved toward the banquet entrance, and a fully armed squad of guards trotted in.

Behind them came a line of slaves, their hands and feet bound with ropes, heads bowed, spirits crushed.

They were the stars of this auction—a group of Darwin cavalrymen reduced to slaves.

"This new Marquis Darwin is no fool—he handles things with remarkable composure, bringing all these slaves forward to eliminate buyers' doubts!"

"Exactly! In the past, there were cases of goods not matching descriptions or inferior items passed off as good ones. Now, everything is clear—no one has any worries!"

"I think there's another advantage! It lets everyone bid more confidently—look at the physique of these slaves; only long-term training could produce such results!"

Seeing the slaves, the nobles in the hall were tempted.

For in a world where peasants and serfs were universally gaunt and sallow, these slaves' robust physiques were undeniable—they could only be achieved through prolonged training.

And prolonged training meant massive material investment.

Thus, this proved these men were no mere fillers.

"Lords and ladies, these are the first hundred slaves. They were rigorously selected—each stands over one meter eighty-five tall and must be agile."

"More importantly, each has over five years of cavalry service; some even reach eight years, and every one has participated in at least two major Kingdom wars!"

"Now, lords and ladies, you may begin bidding. Whoever offers the highest price will take possession of this group of slaves!"

"All of them have over five years of service? These are rare cavalrymen."

"Indeed! If bought, they'd form a formidable fighting force immediately!"

"I bid eighty-five gold coins!"

"I bid eighty-eight gold coins!"

"I bid ninety…"

Hearing the steward's introduction, the guests grew more excited, their bidding fervor instantly ignited.

As hands rose repeatedly in the hall, the original starting bid of eighty gold coins reached three hundred in less than five minutes.

"Three hundred fifteen gold coins!"

"Three hundred twenty gold coins!"

"Three hundred thirty gold coins!"

Listening to the bids, Gervas remained calm—he knew the ceiling hadn't been reached; shouting now would be pointless.

Sure enough, just as a count beside him finished bidding three hundred thirty gold coins, a calm voice rang out from the front.

"Four hundred gold coins!"

*Whoosh!

All eyes turned.

Though none lacked four hundred gold coins, a single jump of seventy gold coins was undeniably striking.

Quickly, some nobles recognized the bidder's identity.

"It's Oliver! No wonder he added seventy gold coins so casually!"

"Oliver? Which family is that? I don't recall!"

"He's the second son of Duke Brick. Supposedly just split from the main house, granted a new fiefdom—a count's domain. He's likely here to strengthen his power by buying this cavalry unit!"

"Ah, Duke Brick's second son—no wonder he's so generous!"

As murmurs spread, surrounding nobles seemed unwilling to bid further.

After all, the title of Duke's second son not only signaled status but also implied deep resources.