Chapter 1865 Eerie Circumstances

• The auction rolled on, relentless, like machinery that had forgotten how to stop. To save time, the staff soon shoved three—sometimes five—women onto the turntable at once, selling them as a bundle. Yet the crowd's hunger never eased. Prices zig-zagged—some groups fetched barely a hundred thousand-plus, others rocketed past a million.
• Emmy, herself a woman, clenched her fists so hard her knuckles whitened. “They're treating people like merchandise,” she hissed.
• Peter angled a grin her way. “Believe it or not, this is civilized. Elsewhere, you could buy a girl for only a few thousand, sometimes a few hundred. Besides, Musbane Casino went up in flames; Maconne Group needs to recoup its losses.”