Book 4: Chapter 80: The Auction II

Book 4: Chapter 80: The Auction II

The servant led them to a room on the second floor and gestured for them to enter with a practiced bow. There were dozens of similar rooms on either side, most likely each meant for a group of distinguished guests.

“Your lounge, honored guests,” the man said.

Aisha entered without a second thought, but Zeke paused. For a moment, he thought he heard something peculiar in the man’s tone, but when he checked his expression, he found nothing amiss. The servant still had his head bowed and seemed like the very picture of professionalism. Zeke frowned but nonetheless led his three guards into the room.

He scanned their room. Though relatively small, spanning only a couple of steps, its full-height window at the front created an illusion of spaciousness. From there, guests seated below and the stage at the hall's front were clearly visible. A segmented red couch, wide enough for five people, stood at its center, offering comfortable seating.

Ash entered the room last, and as the servant closed the door behind them, the noisy corridor behind them was immediately silenced. Zeke also realized that he couldn't sense anything happening beyond the room's walls. Not even his spatial perception could penetrate the magical isolation surrounding the lounge. This feature was most likely meant to protect its inhabitants from prying eyes, but the limitation went both ways. Zeke would not be able to sense anything going on outside, either.

Aisha had already settled into the leftmost seat on the couch, gesturing for Zeke to join her, which he did after another quick scan of the room. Neither he nor Akasha found anything suspicious. However, this wasn't unexpected; the Treasure Pavilion had a reputation to uphold, and with their clientele, they wouldn't last long if they were caught spying on their guests.

He sat down next to Aisha and noticed that his guards positioned themselves behind the couch. He raised a questioning brow. “What are you doing?”

Vulcanos peeked at Aisha before belatedly answering the question. “We are doing our job, Master.”

Zeke, noticing what was going on, rolled his eyes at them. “Stop this nonsense and sit down.”

After exchanging a glance, the Chimeroi followed his instructions and sat on the remaining three spots.

Aisha looked curiously at him, an impish grin on her lips. “You are getting along well with your Slaves,” she said.

Zeke waved her off. “I don’t like that word very much.”

“Oh, but is it not what they are?” she asked.

Even though she had clearly been teasing him, Zeke considered her question in earnest. Sure, he had bought them with gold, but he would like to think their bond had evolved after all they’d been through together. “I would rather you’d call them my followers,” he said eventually.

Aisha seemed surprised by this answer. “Followers?” she asked. “What’s the difference?”

This time, he had an answer ready. “It means that I’ll treat them the same as anybody else working for me.”

Aisha rolled her eyes. “Does that mean you pay them a salary?”

“I will eventually,” Zeke said confidently.

“You will?” Vulcanos asked, baffled.

Zeke turned to look at him. “Why are you so surprised? Am I not paying the others as well?”

Vulcanos scrunched up his face, a clear sign that he was deep in thought. “Why not pay us now, then?”

Zeke smiled. “I first need to recoup the money I spent on you. Otherwise, I would make a massive loss. After that, you’ll get a salary.“

All three perked up. “How much did you pay for me?” Ash wanted to know. Zeke wasn’t surprised that he didn’t know. After all, it wouldn’t usually have mattered.

“1900 gold,” Zeke said. “I am paying you each ten gold per month, by the way.”

Ash’s face scrunched up. "Wouldn’t it take me years before I receive a salary, then?”

Zeke nodded. “Over a decade, even. But you really can’t complain. I am already paying you above the market rate. Besides... you were the cheapest of the three of you.” He pointed at Vulcanos next. “I paid 2200 gold for you.” Then, he pointed at Gravitas. “For you, I paid 4100 gold.”

“...Sold for 650 gold to the occupants of lounge 15. Congratulation!” Priya announced to the mild applause of the crowd.

Zeke joined the applause, feeling exceptionally optimistic. Alongside his initial objective of acquiring Snow, he now had a new task in mind: evaluating all enchanted items. Any product that he might be able to replicate was likely to sell.

As for producing them... that was even less of a problem.

With thousands of Chimeroi in Undercity, why not utilize his two Archmages to teach some of them the art of enchanting? Hilda Silveraxe, being a dwarf and a skilled craftsman, undoubtedly possessed the necessary expertise for the job.

He hadn’t considered it before, but some species of Chimeroi were likely far better suited to this line of work. With their innately better senses and superior physical abilities, the practice of carving Runes might come to them easily. Thinking back to the Elders of the North, the tribes of Elder Rabbit or Elder Snake might make exceptional craftsmen. Now, he only needed them to come around.

Zeke’s musings were interrupted by the second item. To his disappointment, it was a piece of jewelry without a hint of Magic. The bracelet was called ‘The Sanguine Rose’ and, despite lacking any overt magical properties, it captivated the eyes with its elegant craftsmanship. Fashioned from lustrous rose gold, the delicate links of the bracelet formed a chain of intertwining vines, each meticulously detailed to resemble delicate rose blossoms in full bloom.

The item ultimately sold for 900 gold to an anonymous patron, a price ostensibly justified by the bracelet's rich history and historical value. However, Zeke felt like the buyer had vastly overpaid. In his opinion, delicate craftsmanship and semi-rare materials didn’t justify spending the annual income of a small city.

The third item was a staff that allowed its wielder to cast the [Thunderbolt] spell. Zeke was excited at first but gave up on the item after seeing the demonstration. The efficiency of the Rune was simply that atrocious.

The fourth item was far more interesting. It was a set of Robes with an Enchantment woven into its design. The robes apparently contained an Earth Magic spell that could repel sand using the Mana a Mage passively released. They even claimed it would allow its wearer to stay sand-free in a storm. Zeke didn’t quite believe those claims unless said Mage was an Archmage, but the item was interesting nonetheless. He had not even been aware that cloth could be enchanted.

“...The starting price for the Sandtrek Robes is 800 gold, and each bid has to be at least 100 gold higher. Do we have any takers?”

Zeke immediately pressed the button next to his seat, but he was hardly the only one interested. After a flurry of bids, the price had already more than doubled. Yet, Zeke had continued to outbid everyone so far.

“...1700 gold from lounge 31. Do I hear any more bids?”

After there were no further offers, Priya furrowed her brows, clearly not happy yet with the price. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a rare opportunity. Such products are not produced anymore today, and even the technique is lost. This might even be the last remaining sample.” Her declaration was immediately met with another few bids.

“1800 gold from lounge 45—”

“1900 from—”

“2000 from number 6—”

Zeke waited for the price to settle before raising it once more.

“...And that is 2400 gold from lounge number 31. Anyone else?” However, this time, despite her continued attempts to coax higher bids, no one was willing to offer more. Eventually, she had to concede.

“3, 2, 1... and... Done! The Sandtrek Robes have been sold for 2400 gold. Congratulations!”

Zeke smiled, having won his first bid. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to replicate the technique employed to create the robes, but he would certainly be able to learn a lot from it. Also, it was always a good idea to get his hands on such an interesting sample to supply Akasha with as much data as possible.

Minutes later, the robes were brought to his room, and Zeke paid the servant the promised price. He had wanted to study them right away, but something else drew his attention—the next auction item.

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the 9th item of the day, a very special treat. This ancient Dwarven tablet is rumored to contain knowledge of a lost civilization...”

The object in question was a perfectly square, dark slate of stone etched with blocky, runic letters. Though no larger than a sheet of parchment, the letters' minuscule size allowed for a vast amount of text. However, to protect their product, only the first two lines were revealed.

“...Even our best experts are unable to decipher this language completely, but we were able to make out some parts by referencing our sources. Those small discoveries were already enough to lead us to believe that...”

Zeke was no longer listening to her explanation. Instead, he unblinkingly stared at the characters etched into the stone tablet. He had seen those very same letters before. In fact, he had grown very familiar with them.

Those were the very same letters decorating one of the three holy relics of the Giger, including the mystery box. The same treasure that was collecting dust in his room in Tradespire. After years of stagnation, he had finally found the first clue to this riddle.