Chapter 292: Son of the Duke!

After registering his identity, Gervas was invited to rest temporarily in a guest room within the castle, as it was still a bit early.

One had to admit, the hospitality of the Hou Jue's castle was very considerate; the guest room was spacious, with a separate bathing area.

There were even two maids on hand to attend at all times.

Gervas asked the maids to prepare hot water, rejected the flirtatious glances and their requests to serve him during his bath, and sent them away immediately.

After all, these were cars he didn't know how many hands had driven; Gervas dared not drive recklessly.

Afterwards, he washed comfortably, sweeping away the fatigue of several days.

Just as Gervas finished washing, the banquet happened to reach its start time.

Under the guidance of a servant, Gervas led a group of subordinates toward the banquet venue.

Under normal circumstances, except for personal attendants, one naturally could not bring subordinates.

But this was an auction banquet; guests certainly brought large amounts of wealth, so subordinates were permitted to follow.

Upon arriving at the banquet venue, it was already crowded with people.

Well-dressed noble lords, Ladies, and Young Ladies were standing or sitting in small groups, chatting freely; there were at least three or four hundred of them.

Servants in silk fabrics constantly moved through the crowd, serving fruit juice and drinks.

Around the crowd, there were long tables covered with snow-white tablecloths.

On the long tables, roasted meat, roasted bread, pastries, and fruits were available in abundance!

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

Efland and Mick were obviously unaccustomed to such a scene and appeared somewhat constrained.

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

Although the food was scarce, it allowed these subordinates a place to fill their bellies.

"My lord, we will go over there; if you need anything, call us anytime!"

Gervas nodded, then separated from the four, finding a long table with fewer people to eat by himself.

Standing by the long table were several nobles, all wearing golden badges on their chests; judging by the patterns on the edges of the badges, they were all Counts.

Their attitudes were quite good; no one displayed any disdain.

"The Hou Jue has arrived!"

About half an hour later, following an announcement, the host of this event finally arrived.

This also meant the auction for the day officially began.

The front section of the banquet venue had been arranged with tables, chairs, and an auction platform.

Knowing it was time for the main event, the nobles began to take their seats.

Hou Jue Darwin also stepped onto the high platform in front and delivered a brief speech.

"Your Excellencies, it is an honor that you have attended tonight's banquet. I believe the purpose of this banquet is clear to all, so I will not be verbose. Below, I hand over the hosting to my castle steward!"

This Hou Jue Darwin was older than imagined, at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Clearly, the previous Hou Jue Darwin was also of advanced age, which is why an accident occurred during the hunt, causing the family to fall into internal strife.

Afterwards, the castle steward took the stage and explained the auction details.

The two hundred cavalrymen being auctioned this time were all criminal slaves of the Hou Jue Darwin family; the starting price for each cavalryman was eighty silver coins.

The two hundred men were divided into two batches for auction, which meant the lowest starting price was eighty gold coins.

Of course, this starting price was considered very low.

Obviously, the Hou Jue Darwin family felt that competition would be fierce, so there was no need to set the starting price too high.

"Your Excellencies, to facilitate buyers in arming these criminal slaves later, our Hou Jue Castle can also provide the cavalry equipment, horses, and even the families of these criminal slaves for a fee!"

"First, the cavalry equipment consists of complete sets forged to the Kingdom's light cavalry standard; these are the very sets the criminal slaves used previously, so they fit their own sizes perfectly."

"These cavalry equipment sets require four gold coins per set."

"Second are the horses; they previously rode warhorses. Although they were only low-grade warhorses, they have undergone strict training and are fully adapted to the battlefield; the price is ten gold coins per horse."

"Finally, there are their families; regardless of quantity, age, or youth, each family requires one gold coin."

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

"As for the warhorses and their families, these two items are not mandatory; at that time, each guest will decide for themselves. Now, I declare the auction officially open!"

As the words ended, the castle steward waved toward the banquet entrance; subsequently, a squad of fully armed guards trotted into the banquet venue from outside.

Behind these guards was a group of criminal slaves with their hands and feet bound by ropes, heads hanging low in dejection.

They were the main attraction of this auction: a group of Darwin cavalrymen reduced to criminal slaves.

"This new Hou Jue of Darwin seems extraordinary; handling matters so steadily, knowing to bring all these criminal slaves up front, which can best avoid buyers' concerns!"

"Exactly; in the past, cases of goods not matching the description or inferior goods being passed off as quality ones were not uncommon. Now, everything is clear at a glance, and no one will have any worries!"

"I think there is another benefit to doing this! It allows everyone to bid with greater peace of mind. Look at the physiques of those criminal slaves; they indeed require long-term cultivation to achieve!"

Seeing the appearance of these criminal slaves, the nobles in the venue were all tempted.

Because in this world where serfs and commoners were generally yellow-faced and emaciated, the robust physiques of these criminal slaves did not lie; they were achievements attainable only through long-term training.

And long-term training implied a massive investment of supplies.

Therefore, this already proved that this group was not a bunch of incompetents pretending to be skilled.

"Your Excellencies, these are the first batch of one hundred criminal slaves. They were all strictly selected in the past; all are over one meter eighty-five in height, and their figures must be agile."

"More importantly, they all have over five years of cavalry service; some even reached eight years. Moreover, each of them has participated in at least two Kingdom wars!"

"Now, Your Excellencies may begin bidding. Regardless of the final auction price, this batch of criminal slaves goes to the highest bidder!"

"They all have over five years of service; these are truly rare cavalrymen."

"Yes! If purchased, they can immediately form a formidable combat force!"

"I bid eighty-five gold coins!"

"I bid eighty-eight gold coins!"

"I bid ninety..."

Hearing the butler's introduction, the assembled guests grew even more excited, and the passion for bidding was instantly ignited.

With each raised hand and bid in the hall, the original base price of eighty gold coins reached three hundred in less than five minutes.

"Three hundred and fifteen gold coins!"

"Three hundred and twenty gold coins!"

"Three hundred and thirty gold coins!"

Hearing the bids one after another, Gervas was not in a hurry, for he knew the limit had not yet been reached; bidding now would be in vain.

Indeed, just as a count beside him had finished bidding three hundred and thirty gold coins, a calm voice suddenly called out from the front.

"Four hundred gold coins!"

Swish!

Everyone in the arena turned their heads.

Although no one lacked four hundred gold coins, raising the bid by seventy coins at once was clearly a rather conspicuous move.

And very quickly, a noble recognized the identity of the bidder.

"So it's Oliver; no wonder he was so generous and added seventy gold coins directly!"

"Oliver? Which family is he from? I don't recall him!"

"He is the second son of Duke Brick. It is said he just received a new fiefdom, a county-level one. He is likely here specifically to purchase this batch of cavalry to strengthen his own power."

"So he is the second son of Duke Brick; no wonder he is so willing to spend!"

Amidst the murmurs, the surrounding nobles seemed unwilling to bid further in competition.

After all, the title of a duke's second son represented not only the person's status but also their underlying strength.