A low hum filled the hall as a third set of wards activated, and the doors closed, sealing everyone inside. This new layer seemed more designed to cloud and muddle the senses of anyone attempting to scry into the theater rather than acting as an additional defensive barrier, but Nick wasn’t surprised.
Although the original plan to attack the auction may have been a red herring, it still posed a threat, and the Duke didn’t seem like the type to take unnecessary risks.
With these new wards, the buyers' privacy would be protected, and if anyone tried to steal from them after they left the castle, they’d have to take their chances and hope they targeted the right person.
The magic made it hard to distinguish among the people inside the theater, and Nick wasn’t left floundering solely because he had already scanned and recorded everyone, though even he might struggle if people began moving around.
Fortunately, that wouldn’t happen anytime soon, as a beautiful woman walked onto the stage and the lights focused on her, signaling that it was time to stop talking.
She was taller than average, yet still slender and graceful in the way Nick knew the aristocracy preferred. Her long midnight-black dress wasn't particularly daring, but it accentuated her figure, leaving much to the imagination while still drawing attention.
Overall, her appearance was designed to be captivating, yet never so flashy as to seem tacky.
Pretty decent CHA, on this one. Around the same level as Chandra back in Oakenhallow, I’d say.
Back on the frontier, that had been enough for a single woman to essentially become the uncontested ruler, with only a baker and an old wizard resisting her charms.
Here, the woman was simply another cog in House Alluria’s machine.
My lords, my ladies, members of the public!” she called, voice high and musical. “How wonderful to see you all here! Another year has passed, and the most anticipated event has finally arrived again. Under the aegis of our hosts, the Noble Ducal House of Alluria, I, Canaria, declare the beginning of the Auction!
Polite applause followed her announcement, and she smiled, revealing a flash of pearly white teeth beneath her dark purple lipstick.
“Most of you know how this works, but let me take a moment to remind the new friends who joined us for the first time this year how things will go. The auction will be divided into three sections, with the first being the fastest, featuring rare items from the kingdom of Berea. The second section will include the same kinds of valuable gems, materials, and other raw resources we have sourced from all over the known world. Finally, the last section will showcase the most valuable items, the legendary pieces you're all here for, which will take longer because experts will be called on stage to explain the value of each lot, and the security measures are no joke.
No one asked questions, nor did they talk to each other. Apparently, the vast majority of people were truly old hands at this.
“To bid on an item, simply raise your hand, or if you have a VIP ticket, just inform the concierge in your room. Don’t worry about going unnoticed in the dark, as we have some of the best scouts on staff, and nothing will escape their notice.”
It was interesting how that could be interpreted in two different ways. It would make everything easier by allowing the bidding to proceed without chaos, as people wouldn't see who they were competing against and would be forced to rely solely on the only tool available—money.
On the other hand, it also meant that everything they did was under scrutiny, allowing the Duke’s men to maintain control of the room.
Nonetheless, no one appeared too concerned, so Nick had to believe this was pretty much normal.
Canaria waited for a few seconds, still keeping her gentle smile, until a faint flicker of mana reached her. She then resumed speaking, explaining how the items would be distributed after the auction, and instructing people to stay in their seats until their items were collected or brought to them in the case of VIPs.
Nick spent the time analyzing the magic he’d just witnessed and concluded it was some kind of coded communication.
Nothing groundbreaking, since he already knew it was possible to send such flashes within a set of wards, but it was still interesting that it was being used as a messaging system of sorts.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I wonder if I could create a spell like that. I think the quickest way to do so would be with psionics, but I’m not particularly skilled in that school of magic. No, spiritual mana should work just fine, and I imagine it would be much more nuanced at a higher level, at the cost of being mostly impressions at first.
“Now that that's done and everyone understands the proper procedure, we can finally get on with the real show!”
Polite applause filled the hall, not quite matching her enthusiasm, but Canaria showed no sign of discomfort. It wasn’t like a bunch of stuffy nobles would be expected to shout and holler anyway, and Nick could tell she expected things to ramp up soon enough.
Spatial magic surged on the stage, and suddenly, a marble pedestal appeared next to her, with a crimson canvas laid across it, covering whatever item sat on top.
“For the first item of the auction, I have a real treat for you all. From the immense forests of the Green Ocean, a Moss Oni core!” With that, she pulled the canvas back and revealed a sickly green gem the size of a head.
Nick blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that. Not at all.
But then again, it makes sense that it made its way here. This must be the one Arthur dealt with back in the dungeon. I doubt he was the one to put it up for auction, so a merchant must have bought it from him, and it finally ended up here.
This particular core was much larger than the one he’d gotten from the Moss Oni he’d hunted with his father, which made sense since it belonged to a Prestige creature, unlike the level seventy-two beast he fought. It also had a noticeable crack in the middle. While that didn’t affect its magical capabilities, it would probably reduce its value to a tenth of what it should have fetched.
For a moment, he was tempted to bid. It would definitely be useful to boost [Vitality Drain], and he doubted it would become outrageously expensive since it was the first item, but then Canaria started calling out numbers, and he realized his estimates might have been a little too generous.
“Seven gold!” She said, cheerfully pointing somewhere into the dark.
“Nine!”
“Ten!
“Fifteen!”
“Twenty!”
Twenty-seven! And one, two… three! Adjudicated to that gentleman for twenty-seven gold coins!”
Damn. Yeah, it’s not out of my budget, but if these are the numbers being thrown around for the first stage, I don’t want to know what will be sold at the last. I should probably keep my money until the orichalcum is up. If I don’t get that, everything else I’ve done will be meaningless.
The upcoming items were not quite as spectacular as the main features of a Prestige monster, but they remained very rare. They included the brainstem of an underworld creature capable of controlling up to a thousand other monsters through its psychic powers, the incredibly poisonous bladder of a swamp salamander believed to be fifty feet long, and so forth.
A few times, Nick was tempted to bid. These items, though not absolutely necessary for his growth, would surely help him progress with the proper ritual, and they were things he would never find on the open market.
But the burning desire to obtain the orichalcum and finally craft something out of the damned gift he’d received from Sashara, along with the other semi-cursed items he had found during his travels—and that he just knew would create an incredibly strong focus—kept his hands at his sides.
Devon eyed him curiously, clearly noticing his stress even with Xander sitting in the middle, but he couldn’t say anything as the auction kept moving quickly.
In the first section, the items sold only ever reached a peak of fifty gold coins, as was the case with the dagger of a ruined prince found in a catacomb in the south, but they did not surpass that.
They’d clearly been curated to attract the attention of higher spenders, but never give them enough to satisfy them, and Nick could feel the energy in the room rising with anticipation for the next part.
Fifty gold coins might not be a lot compared to the hundreds or even thousands I’m about to spend on the orichalcum, but it’s still enough for a family to live on without working for a generation, even in a city like Alluria.
Everyone was aware of the wealth gap between the lower classes and the aristocracy, but the details of just how wide it was weren't often discussed.
To most of the people in the theatre, the first part of the auction was just an appetizer, barely enough to whet their palate.
Now, as Canaria made the pedestal disappear, things would start in earnest.
Nick shifted in his seat, eager to get his much-desired prize. The things I could do with orichalcum… Since learning about it, I’ve read every material magic manual I could find, and I’m even more certain now than I was before that it will be enough to not only contain all the clashing divine energies but also pacify them enough to give me a chance to tame them.
Creating a focus from such powerful items... Nick was struggling not to salivate. He had been doing well without one so far, but he hadn’t forgotten how much easier it was to cast, especially wind magic, when he had his wand.
“I hope you all are fired up, because for the next part of the auction, we have gathered a collection of precious raw materials the likes of which haven’t been seen outside the Royal Court!”
A polite laugh echoed from the stalls, and Canaria clapped, summoning a more elaborate pedestal. This time, however, nothing was on it, and she allowed the silence and curiosity to build until she finally sent another flash of magic, and something appeared on the marble.
“For our first item in the second section, I present to you, Shadow Ore!”
It wasn’t orichalcum, but Nick hadn’t expected it to come out at first. Still, this initial batch was quite interesting. It was a much larger chunk than he’d seen before, cut into a perfect cube by an incredibly sharp blade, by the looks of it.
Next to him, Xander stirred with interest for the first time. He hadn’t said anything so far, boredly watching as item after item was sold, but this seemed to have changed that.
“We will start the bidding at fifty golds!” Canaria called, and Nick sensed people were beginning to raise their hands, signaling the next section would indeed reach much higher prices.
One hundred gold was reached and surpassed within the first two minutes, and the bidding quickly moved toward two hundred until Xander raised his hand, showing three fingers, and the host announced his bid.
“Three hundred golds!”
Silence filled the hall for a moment, and Nick could imagine all the wealthy merchants and minor nobles around them wondering if a VIP had finally entered the field.
“One. Two. Three! Three hundred gold it is!” Canaria cheerfully announced before making the block vanish.
Nick couldn’t help but turn to Xander, curious about what had caused the man to spend that much when he hadn’t shown any interest so far.
The grandmaster must have sensed the burning question, because he was quick with an answer. “That block of Shadow Ore was cut by your father’s blade, Nicholas. I would like to inspect it more closely and see what my old apprentice has made of himself.”
Huh. Softie.
